Mobility Scooter Winter Care Guide
Mobility Scooter Winter Care Guide: as winter approaches and the nights get increasingly shorter, it may be time for you to think about how best to maintain your mobility scooter in the cold weather. That way you can still enjoy getting out and about, even when the Great British weather tries to keep you indoors! Below are a few ideas to help you keep your scooter in fine fettle over the winter…
1) Check Your Tyres
Regularly check your tyres for general wear and tear. This is especially important in icy conditions as snow, ice and extra moisture could potentially damage your scooter. If you have pneumatic tyres you may want to check the pressure of the tyres before making a journey.
2) Charge Your Batteries
Make sure your scooter‘s batteries are fully charged in between uses. Cold weather can damage the batteries and reduce its lifespan, so it’s good practice to get into the habit of making sure the scooter is fully charged before taking it out. You should also be aware that you will get a reduced range from your batteries as the temperature gets lower. As such, you won’t get the same mileage from your mobility scooter as you would do in summer. You may want to consider this when planning your journeys out.
If you don’t plan on using your scooter over winter, you should charge your batteries fully and then disconnect them from the vehicle. This will stop the batteries from discharging. Reconnect the batteries once a month, charge them up again and then disconnect them. Continue to do this until you are ready to use your scooter again.
3) Clean Your Mobility Scooter After Use
As the weather gets colder and wetter, your scooter is likely to become exposed to rain, sleet and possibly even snow as winter draws on. Make sure to wipe your scooter down after every use to help stop water and other dirt getting into places it shouldn’t be. It will also help prevent components from rusting. You might want to consider a scooter cape or weather canopy, which come with a hard screen to improve visibility.
4) Keep Your Scooter Dry
In cold and wet conditions, it’s important to store your scooter somewhere dry if at all possible. Somewhere such as a garage or in the home is ideal as this means your mobility scooter will not be exposed to the elements. However, if this isn’t possible, consider getting a scooter cover to help protect it.
So there you have it, four simple steps to maintaining your scooter through winter:
Check it
Charge it
Clean it
Keep it dry
Your Safety
You should also remember your own personal safety through winter. Shorter days means visibility for both you and other pavement/road users can be decreased. Consider wearing high-visibility clothing when out on your scooter and always remember to put the headlight on when it starts to get dark if you’re out. Similarly, remember to use your indicators (if your scooter has them) when turning as this will make you more visible to those around you.
And as the weather turns colder add on those layers of clothing and keep wrapped up warm when travelling out and about!
If, for your peace of mind, you’d like your mobility scooter checking over or having a professional service done before the winter period, we’d be more than happy to do this for you. You can give us a call on 0800 111 6234.
