Rant time - electric trolley batteries

[fundy]

As someone said a couple of pages back, you should always buy lithium, but unfortunately not everyone can afford to.

And you should buy Motocaddy, they are the biggest for a reason, and that reason is their trollies are the most reliable on the market right now.

Yes the OP has had issues, but for every OP, there are 20 dis-satisfied Powakaddy customers.

I would happily buy Lithium for £200 - £250 if any of them would provide a proper full 5 year warranty (rather than the 2 yr warranty plus a discount voucher they currently offer). I will NEVER EVER buy motocaddy again, complete and utter contempt for their customers (not the first time ive had it with them either). As for their trolleys being the most reliable, having talked to one of their service agents recently that Im afraid is utter garbage imo based on the amount they get in for repairs. The trolley I have now (Golfstream Revolution) absolutely light years ahead of Motocaddy for build quality and ultimately reliability, as Im slowly learning, mainstream products in the golf industry seem to be lower quality than what is actually available if you ignore the marketing gumph

 

[Mark_G]

Tommo, I disagree slightly that there is no discharge, there should only be a little but there will be some. We have batteries in stock (car 12 volt) which have been in stock for months with no appreciable discharge, but we also have some of the voltage flooded type which need to be charged up before fitting to ensure all the electronics work correctly. I know these are not leisure type batteries but apart from plate thickness the principle is the same isnt it? (Sorry these are lead calcium so may have slightly different characteristics) Regarding which battery to buy, i am looking at Yuasa or Lucas, as these seem to be the cheapest well known makes.

 

[HughJars]

As for their trolleys being the most reliable, having talked to one of their service agents recently that Im afraid is utter garbage imo based on the amount they get in for repairs.

No it isn't, you're just making stuff up now.

 

[Hobbit]

I would happily buy Lithium for £200 - £250 if any of them would provide a proper full 5 year warranty (rather than the 2 yr warranty plus a discount voucher they currently offer). I will NEVER EVER buy motocaddy again, complete and utter contempt for their customers (not the first time ive had it with them either). As for their trolleys being the most reliable, having talked to one of their service agents recently that Im afraid is utter garbage imo based on the amount they get in for repairs. The trolley I have now (Golfstream Revolution) absolutely light years ahead of Motocaddy for build quality and ultimately reliability, as Im slowly learning, mainstream products in the golf industry seem to be lower quality than what is actually available if you ignore the marketing gumph

What's the complete and utter contempt...? The battery was out of warranty.

That said, I'm a Service Manager for an engineering company. On the first occasion I'd have, basically, said sorry but tough. Second time I'd have asked for your duff battery and charger. If it was found to be the amount of golf you play I'd have said sorry but tough(again). And the same would have apllied for the 3rd occasion. But if nothing conclusive had been found I'd have changed the battery and charger FOC - we'd have recovered the money with the recommendation of good service you'd give to friends.

 

[fundy]

No it isn't, you're just making stuff up now.

WTF do you think you are? You have no idea of the conversations Ive had! I dont know why you have a vested interest in defending Motocaddys shoddy reputation but dont start making personal claims against me that are totally untrue

 

[fundy]

What's the complete and utter contempt...? The battery was out of warranty.

That said, I'm a Service Manager for an engineering company. On the first occasion I'd have, basically, said sorry but tough. Second time I'd have asked for your duff battery and charger. If it was found to be the amount of golf you play I'd have said sorry but tough(again). And the same would have apllied for the 3rd occasion. But if nothing conclusive had been found I'd have changed the battery and charger FOC - we'd have recovered the money with the recommendation of good service you'd give to friends.

The contempt refers to the communication I have had from their customer service dept and the attitude they have shown to someone who over the years has been a loyal customer

 

[MegaSteve]

I would happily buy Lithium for £200 - £250 if any of them would provide a proper full 5 year warranty (rather than the 2 yr warranty plus a discount voucher they currently offer).

Personally I wouldn't spend my money on a lithium battery... Guessing they'll be made in China and that wouldn't give me any confidence at all going on past experiences of batteries made there...

Having said that just spoken to a friend who invested in a litepower battery for his trolley and to date he's more than happy... Early days though just over a year old...

 

[PhilTheFragger]

You dont get these problems with a push trolley




Ill get my coat

 

[fundy]

16 months this time, another one about to go to the great battery graveyard

 

[Bigfoot]

I last bought an 18 hole battery two years ago and initially, it did 36 holes easily. Perfect for our society tour. Last year, I took two 18 hole batteries as I knew there would be some deterioration. This year, I am buying a new 18 hole battery for our tour in a few weeks.

I play on a hilly course approx 100 times a year and probably 20 others. 10 of which will be 27 hole days. Each battery lasts about 2 years. My present battery (2 years old)lasts around 15 holes before it needs a push up the 16th and 17th. Good job 18 is downhill !!
I do use a heavy bag too.

It seems like a reasonable return for the cost. I am not sure lithium technology is good enough yet.

When I did have a 36 hole battery, it lost the ability to cover more than 18 holes within a year at the above usage. It did not seem to be worth the extra unless you are always doing 36 as they seem to get a memory for the recharge level of 18 holes.

 

[fundy]

Seems Lithium is finally getting cheaper albeit they still wont offer a full guarantee past 2 yrs so hard to justify the cost for me. Expect I will be getting another similar one to last time, the frustrating bit is the decline in this battery been severe, was fine a few weeks back, last time was poor and today it was dead half way round

 

[williamalex1]

Depends how often you charge them i've been told . My last 2 lead acids last around 12 months being charged 3 times a week.
I've had a lithium for around a year now and still going strong. It has a 2 year guarantee, failure in years 3,4 or,5., you pay reduced % amounts for replacement.
When playing only a few I use my old lead acid battery which can still handle up to about 12 holes. This reduces the amount of charges to my new lithium. :cheers: no charge.

 

[Oddsocks]

Fundy, get a 3 wheel push, Stewart do a great one, no battery probs ever

Exactly the reason I didn't got electric and went Stewart push!

 

[ManinBlack]

Exactly the reason I didn't got electric and went Stewart push!

I just switched to lithium from a lead acid which failed just outside of the warranty period. I've accepted that I'll just have to keep replacing batteries, I had to go back to my very low friction push trolley for a couple of rounds and found it very tiring. At 67 you need all the help you can get. It's an electric remote control, two motors so it needs a 36 hole battery to do 18. Worth every penny, already saving up for the replacement battery.