Mobility Scooters

Here is a quick guide to mobility scooters. There many things to pay attention to I'll try and lightly brush on most things.

Buying New - If you are buying new and there is a one year warranty on the machine, which their should be! It should cover all parts, CALL OUT charge. It will not cover tyres/punctures or batteries or damage that you cause, such as driving it into a wall. Try not to buy insurance for your scooter on the first year unless you go very far in distance on it. In which case recovery is all you should need - a bit like AA or RAC breakdown cover, they come and pick you up. Try and buy locally as buying a scooter from someone 200 miles away may not get you the same level of service should something go wrong. Ask how long they will take to come to you if something does, someone from far away may take 48 hours or more to get to you, you should not have to pay a call out charge in your first year if something is wrong with your scooter. So, paying a little more locally may pay for you in the long run. Also ask if the scooterdoes brake down in the first year that they can supply a spare of the same size for free? To me that is how customers should be treated. No good buying a cheap scooter if their is no back up customer service.

Second Hand (Used) - Batteries, the cost of batteries does change with the price of lead and on used machines this will be one of the first things you may have to change. Average prices at the moment in the London area are - They always come in 2

12v 12amp 130-160

12v 20 amp 140-170

12v 30amp alsocan be 35amp 150-180

12v 40amp 160-190

12v 50amp 240-270

12v 70amp 300-330

These are Sealed Lead Acid prices of Feb 2007. Some companies may charge a call out fee on top of this, should be no more than 30. Gel batteries are slightly better and you should add 20 to 30 to the prices above on each battery. There are many different makes of battery, some are a lot more expensive than the above so this just a rough guide.

Also try and drive the used machine a little before you take it home listen for knocking and make sure the brakes work by driving it down hill and "letting go" to make sure it stops. Insurance is probably worth getting for breakdown and mechanics as some parts on these scooters can total up quickly peope who repair them can also charge 50 an hour. So you could find yourself with a big bill, be careful.