RXV Auto-Brake Problem III

[cartboy]

Originally Posted by cartboy

E Z Go was here today and looked at 17 carts that have been dying. Numerous batteries will be replaced under warranty and two not under warranty. Those two are over the amp-hour limit for warranty, so that's a good reason to rotate fleet use.

They also replaced an auto-brake solenoid. All of the original early 2008's had solenoids replaced and this is a failure of a replacement. A new twist is that they do not want auto-brake failure carts moved by depressing the manual brake release lever (then why's it there?). They are to be towed, with a tether cord attached to the towing cart that allows the auto-brake to work.

Oh yeah, even though it is the failure of the solenoid that led to the introduction of the tether cord, E Z Go does not provide one. You have to buy it.

Right now we only have 37 of our fleet of 60 that are reliable.

I went through the ones not looked at last week, and most of them have some old batteries. Not very many have all four new batteries. So, since it appears we are near the end of the warranty period, I suggested we have E Z Go check them all. The Pro concurred.

As you can tell by going back in this thread, we have been having battery problems, and E Z Go has known about it, since way over a year ago, so disallowing replacement on warranty now is dubious. JMHO

[ColbyKiller]

All this sounds beyond ridiculous. As much as it will hurt their pocket book, EZGO should step up big time, IMO. This problem obviously needs a fix, not another band aid.

[cartboy]

Originally Posted by cartboy

Right now we only have 37 of our fleet of 60 that are reliable.

I went through the ones not looked at last week, and most of them have some old batteries. Not very many have all four new batteries. So, since it appears we are near the end of the warranty period, I suggested we have E Z Go check them all. The Pro concurred.

We incorporated a simple system whereby the carts that we can't rely on, and that have been inspected by E Z Go for new batteries, are the last to get used each day. On a slow day, they don't get used.

The other day I closed, and we had to tow 6 carts in off the course. 5 of them were new failures, not ones that E Z Go has inspected, not ones that are used last. I sense there have been more, but some of the other guys don't keep track so well. Every day someone is pushing their cart.

But, even if it is just 5 more, now that's 28 out of 60 we can't or shouldn't be sending out.

I agree with the last post, that there have been several adults, capable of making a reasonable decision, working on this for three years now and someone just needs to resolve it. If I still do math like my Mom taught me to, we have two more years on the lease.

[cartboy]

Originally Posted by cartboy

E Z Go was here today and looked at 17 carts that have been dying. Numerous batteries will be replaced under warranty and two not under warranty. Those two are over the amp-hour limit for warranty, so that's a good reason to rotate fleet use.

They also replaced an auto-brake solenoid. All of the original early 2008's had solenoids replaced and this is a failure of a replacement. A new twist is that they do not want auto-brake failure carts moved by depressing the manual brake release lever (then why's it there?). They are to be towed, with a tether cord attached to the towing cart that allows the auto-brake to work.

To show how long I have been at these problems, and how this very-late tether cord information hit me, here is what I posted more than two years ago:

08-05-2009, 02:28 PM #6
cartboy
It is so frequent that yesterday I cut a 2 x 4 to wedge in to hold down the brake release lever, so we can tow them back in.

We have been doing that for that long, and have not ruined an auto-brake yet.

[cartboy]

Another auto-brake solenoid failure on my days off. The guys brought it in the same way we always have, with a short piece of 2 x 4 wedged in to hold the brake release lever down.

This is pretty much the way I kept my first go-cart running, with baling wire and stuff.

The pro was asking me questions today, trying to figure out something other than the obvious. Wondering if our chargers are working OK, & I'm certain they are.

Here's a question for E Z Go techies: When an RXV is at rest, key turned off, does it still take power from the batteries to keep the auto-brake locked?

Exactly 30 of our 60 are now out of service or designated unreliable to go out on the course (but some have to). We park the good ones on the left side of the cart barn, and the bad ones on the right, and we take them from the left.

When I close, toward the end of the day I do "golf cart hospice". I take a good cart to the back 9 and ask everyone how they're doing, how the cart's running, and give them the good one if I need to. Then go get another good one.

When I worked with Club Cars, one year they switched out every single battery, even though we had not had a single battery problem. I guess they knew something we didn't and acted on it, the opposite of this problem.

It's still frustrating that grownups can't their act together and resolve this.

[cartboy]

This has gone from auto-brake to batteries, and now back to auto-brake (and batteries).

The last couple of days we have had to send unreliable carts out, and now we have three categories . . . those that can't do anything, those that can't do 18, and those that can't do 36.

Things are winding down for the year, so my reports will end soon. The Pro said he talked to an E Z GO VP type and told him excactly what he thinks, that if he could come and see our golfers pushing their carts around our course, he would not be too proud of who he works for.

If they (all the grownup decision-makers) don't get it figured out this winter, we'll be screwed next year.

Anyone who can add anything authoritative, let me know by PM.

[cartboy]

Originally Posted by cartboy

Here's a question for E Z Go techies: When an RXV is at rest, key turned off, does it still take power from the batteries to keep the auto-brake locked?

Still looking for an answer to that. We have speculated that operating the auto brake is more taxing on the batteries than predicted, and that the regen feature has not compensated enough.

There's nothing I can do to prove it, but MHO is that the failure of the autofill system which first allowed some cells to go dry (2 years ago) and since being fixed has given false low readings, leading to overfilling and boil over, has contributed to premature battery failure.

Not sure why the auto brake solenoid failure problem has returned.

Whatever, it is embarassing to see our customers pushing their carts.

[cartboy]

Originally Posted by cartboy

Things are winding down for the year, so my reports will end soon.

My season's over, so I'll quit talking to myself here, at least for awhile.

[gornoman]

I'm following it. We have a pair of '08 RXVs where I work, never have a problem with either of them, but if we do, I got the bible right here.

[cartboy]

Bet you don't use em like we use em.