Wait!! What? Ignition Key?

[meimk]

A few years back my '92 Club Car was stolen, along with someone else's '03. Both had lights, rear seat, & tops - but no lift kit. Turns out a group of kids packed them into an enclosed trailer one Sunday evening after most folks had left the campground. I understand they found a lifted cart wouldn't clear the roof of their trailer. They were eventually recovered. Mine now has a NAPA after market key switch, never intended for a golf cart. Lots of the golf cart specific ones are "common" or "uncommon". Common = O.E. same as everything else from that manufacturer. "Uncommon" = the same as every other uncommon switch, so might still be 100 the same in our big campground.

[localbar]

There’s not one incident of a stolen golf cart in my gated community but the neighboring community members have been caught coming into our community stealing stuff lately.

Also with Airbnb we are seeing a lot more transient renters that think our community is a resort. They will take the private boats off the public lake boat rack (owners pay to rent a space for the season so they don’t have to transport their boats) we never had to chain down the boats, now we do.

There have been reports of renters thinking the golf carts are part of the “resort” and will sit on them, take photos etc.

My concern is I am not there and this cart is stored outdoors. My other is in a shed.
Being hyper aware I now noticed most carts stored outdoors are chained to a tree.

On the other hand - I just added theft to my insurance policy and it was only $14 yr extra.
What I am concerned with is if someone needs parts, in my community or the neighboring one can easily lift my cart and dump it in their shed etc..

[nickdalzell1]

While we do have a golf community in the city, with golf car trails and the like (including golf car garage doors on the homes), most golf cars we sell are for farmers, rural, hunting, etc for folks to use in the woods and off road; Lift kits are a common item, as are light kits and back seat kits. Finding one with a backup beeper still intact (exception is RXV) is rare.

Often a car comes in it appears to have been run into the ground--rolled over, bent supports, or has been smashed by a truck if driven on the street. Most of the more common repair items are F/R switches or battery replacements, or bad controllers.

Much of what i deal with lately are older cars that need simple work done. But what customers we have shouldn't have to worry about them being stolen. Not in the condition they're in. Most don't use key switches--they have toggle switches, or twist the wires together and use Neutral to stop the car. Or flip the run/tow switch into TOW so kids can't take off in them (kids have gotten smart enough to figure that one out lately though)

I've never heard of a golf car being actually stolen however. They don't go very fast, no one really hot rods them around here, and most are beat all to heck--hence my Chevrolet Chevette comment. You wouldn't find anyone desperate enough to steal one of them, either.

HOWEVER, we do have big issues with folks cutting out batteries, or stealing just the acid from the batteries through siphoning a watering system--only guess i can see is for meth heads.