Weather and storage

Weather and storage guides cover what water, damp, cold and months of standing do to a golf buggy: driving through deep water or flooding, rain use and covers, chassis corrosion, electrical faults after damp storage, water in the charging port, full winter lay-up and spring recommissioning, frost damage to batteries, the different storage rules for lithium and lead-acid packs, tyre flat-spotting and rodent damage. The battery pack sets the storage rules. A discharged lead-acid battery can freeze only a few degrees below zero, because its electrolyte is then close to plain water, while a fully charged one resists far lower temperatures; lead-acid packs are therefore stored fully charged and kept topped up through the winter, either monthly or on a maintainer. Lithium packs follow the opposite instinct: they are stored at partial charge according to the maker's guidance, and their management systems may go to sleep and need a wake procedure in spring. After any soaking, isolate the pack before touching anything else, then dry and inspect in order rather than turning the key to see what happens, because powering wet electrics turns a drying job into a component failure. Lay-up, recommissioning and corrosion protection are owner jobs, and the checklists in this category are written to be followed step by step. A buggy that has been genuinely submerged, or one with corrosion spreading inside connectors and looms, needs proper assessment; book a Hawke engineer before returning it to use.