Dealer Nightmare: Watch This Before You Buy Another Golf Cart

[@ashleyevans9363]

Great video, I just ordered a cart today. I hope my dealer is as thorough as you guys. Keep up the good work! Evolution D5 2+2 Blue

[@eddydavis2440]

So true on dealer prep..it makes all the difference to the end-user.

[@Jeff-mr1vn]

Drove over 150 miles to buy from BA. Outstanding service and delivery experience. Highly recommended!

[@bacartsvw]

Appreciate you!!!!

[@TheBing1967]

The only issue I had with my D5 Ranger was the headlight adjustment. I could not find a video for this but since I work on cars I figured it out

[@mddoit]

Thank you. You are truly a great dealer with values anf standards that i think at one point in time were fairly common. In this day and age everything is crap. No one cares. Give me your money for nothing is the new norm. If you complain your are faulted and expected to accept mediocrity.

[@Snowdog856]

I just went through $300 of repairs on a brand new golf cart i just bought a month ago. Just a bad dealer. Found a great dealer now who does repairs. Wish i knew more then like i do now. Great video thanks.

[@bradrehnstrom1068]

Its been a few years since our cart was new, generally got lucky with no major issues. But we added an extended roof, and literally all of the bolts they used were clearly randomly picked out of a bin, nothing matches. Most were not tight. I get the feeling that most golf cart dealers do even less planning than a car dealership does to give the customer a good delivery experience. So many bad ones out there. Ive heard so many worse than my experience.

[@CodeSection1]

Nice Check List! I would add to it: 1) look underneath the cart to make sure the serial number on the cart frame matches the serial number on the Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin; and 2) inspect the entire frame for any breakage, dents, or missing parts. To make a long story short, I bought a D5 Ranger at a charity auction. After delivery, it sat in the garage and wasn't driven. A couple of weeks after the auction and after I registered it with the motor vehicle department in my state, I received a call from the dealer that delivered it to the charity and was asked to verify the serial number. You guessed it, the serial number did not match, the frame was broken, and the roof grab handles were missing! The cart was returned and I received a refund from the charity and most of my registration fees. The dealer said based on the locations of the frame damage that it was probably due to a forklift lifting the frame when the cart was being assembled at the plant. Left a bad taste in my mouth......

[@bacartsvw]

Oh dang! Yeah that's pretty bad. I appreciate the extra info, I will definitely add those items to the checklist, I'm sure a year from now checklist will be 3 pages long after all of the recommendations 😂

[@1234tellmewhatyourlookingfor]

Looking at this shop,it's spotless. You can tell a lot about a dealer by looking at the shop area. If they care about their safety and being organized They will take care of you. Brand new trucks may need adjustments it's called dealer prep, and you are charged for this. How are full-size trucks strapped can cause a bad alignment . Seems like people would test drive the cart and do some checking themselves.

[@1234tellmewhatyourlookingfor]

I bought a used club car. Found out it has a motor made in China and a rear differitional is made in India. The guy I bought it from bought it from a local dealer. It's a 2018. Should I ask this dealer why they put in cheap club car parts?

[@WhiteZ50Won]

So thats why my steering wheel has been off center all this time lol. Now i need to look up how to do an alignment on a golf cart.

[@bacartsvw]

Lol Yep! You just need to adjust your tie-rod ends so the tow is even or 1/8-1/4+ towed out!

[@rossbideon]

Much appreciated. I just ordered an evolution forrester four plus two sky blue. I live 30 minutes from the dealership. I’ll give it a strong look before I pay the balance. I certainly appreciate the info.

[@bacartsvw]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching! And remember, the quality of the cart is in direct relation with the price. A Forester is one of the cheapest brand new Lithium lifted golf carts on the market, so an inspected and prepped Forester is not going to be the same quality as an inspected and prepped cart like an Atlas or Club Car.

[@rossbideon]

Do you feel the evolution D5 is a higher quality than the Forrester. Much appreciate the answer

[@Onedrank]

Have you made a review on the Denago you have in the background? What are your thoughts on them?

[@bacartsvw]

It's actually quite the golf cart for the price. Besides the bells/whistles that everybody focuses on. The important things like the frame, wiring, assembly are all well done!

[@davidwelty9763]

If the dealer has to make all of these fixes when a brand new golf cart comes from the factory it tells me the golf cart industry is just like the RV industry. Any manufacturer who would allow a cart to leave the assembly line in this condition is not trustworthy. I won’t buy one now that I know this.

[@bacartsvw]

There's OEMs that have very little assembly/shipping issues like Atlas and Club Car so it's not all bad.

[@raulcaraza3568]

You are correct. The only difference is that the RV Industry already shot their foot. These are beginning to learn from the RV Industry which is worse.

[@lakesidebuggies]

@@bacartsvw great video, we were an evolution dealer for about a year, but ultimately we just walked this year. Our shop has a very stringent PSI / PDI process like your checklist, similar but different. The D5 consistently caused us more harm than good. We recently held a customers car for 75 days waiting on warranty approval for battery replacement on a 6 month old D5….. Our customer absolutely hates us now…..I’m guessing every dealers evolution experience differs but ours was horrific. Anyways, Awesome video, thank you for creating quality content. I am truly a fan of what you guys do. Keep up the good work!

[@cllistings5914]

Was the battery in fact, bad? Was it in fact under warranty? A good dealer will swap out the battery from another cart rather than make an owner wait 75 days. I think you did buyers a favor by relinquishing your EVO dealership.

[@FleetLithium]

⁠@@cllistings5914​⁠​⁠ BA Carts made a great video here. He hits every nail right on the head. I mean, he really broke it down in every possible reason why Evolution is a really cheap golf cart and why buying one from a reputable company matters. To answer your question about the battery… We understand lithium on a scientific level, and yes, the battery at Lakeside Buggies was definitely bad. It wasn’t the first time this happened, just the most recent time out of 65 evolution carts sold in our stores. This event was only 4 months ago… and the cart was delivered back just 3 weeks ago….. Evo clearly sees no future value in honoring the warranty of their products for our stores, as we won’t ever sell them again. It’s a shame, because there’s a Evo warehouse 10 minutes from us and we would have sold thousands of them by now. But we want nothing to do with them. In fact, here’s the most recent interaction: We given agreements that outlined all of our demands from then to sign the entire Dallas Fort Worth metroplex exclusively right after the pga show and I turned that down… I’ll get to the reason why in a moment. Here we are less than 6 months later there are now 7 new evolution stores in the metroplex…. So since they couldn’t have the one largest in DFW. They went out and signed anyone they could. Many of them are brand new to the industry (because guys who have been around a while don’t want them) His video is 100% correct, the dealer is the leading decision a customer should make when buying, what his video describes, and how he explains his shop operations, I would say he’s the only place I would personally recommend buying an Evolution golf cart from…. However, then again that’s the new narrative for almost every Evolution dealer because as of this year with all of the problems that have surfaced they’re all trying to protect themselves and their company reputations, hence why he was so blatant about the truth of the evolution part when they come in. The still current issue is, if you aren’t local to him, you probably won’t want him to ship you one… I didn’t see him going to detail about this, but Evolution does not pay dealers to repair their golf carts, which is not a huge problem, it’s generally expected in this industry, however… 95% of dealers who sell evolution won’t help you service your warranty, so if we can’t get support locally how will we will ever get support for our customers in another state? Likewise, if Evolution will not pay us or send us replacement parts in a timely manor for our own customers, what would that do to our reputation with their brand name attached to ours as a franchise dealer? Outside clients with evolutions expect any evolution dealership to service the warranty offered by the selling dealer. It’s not how the warranty program works for evolution. We were actually OK with that because we reciprocate this generosity to many of our supporting dealer friends with other brands, and it works great for everyone, however what we’re not OK with is getting one star reviews because Evolution wouldn’t send us parts in a timely manner, especially for a Golf Cart that we didn’t even sell. Our reasons for honoring warranties for other dealers are purely self fulfilling. Our goal is to offer 5 star customer service no matter where the customer lives when we ship our nationwide... It’s well worth it for us to operate this way for dealers who have customers that move to Dallas. It helps them and in return they are there to help us if we call. It works really well for our business model, but I’d be shocked to hear anybody else say that they do the same thing. It’s literally an insane method of keeping customers everyone happy. With evolution the reciprocation was not possible. So that’s why we dropped Evo. It’s Not because we’re a bad dealer, but because there was such a high volume of bad units sold nationwide that we literally didn’t want our name to be associated when the problems reigned in, which like clockwork they have this year. There’s not another brand on the market that comes to a retail dealership in such consistently poor shape… Evolution is the actual bottom of the barrel. Ultimately, Evolution was not a good fit for our retail store and I appreciate you giving me the wide open opportunity to rebut your concerns about my company abilities or integrity in such a highly trafficked forum. It’s a prime example of why I dropped them like a rock a while ago.

[@mrlmg12]

Sloan. I'm noticing that the Denago Rover XL is similar to the Evolution D5 Maverick 4. Which is the better buy? The big difference I noticed is the motor and battery sizes. Another is the wheels brakes and suspension. Do you know if the audio sound quality is better on the Rover? If the same does your product work on both carts. Thanks for the great videos learning quite a bit. Are you going to make a video comparison on these two carts?

[@kimberlyhubbard6334]

Hello. Glad that I came across your channel.I’m a new subscriber looking to purchase a golf cart 2025 could you give me some recommendations on a few good golf carts there’s so many brands.Thank you ❤from~Colorado

[@DCSIDPA]

First time buyer here. I have pretty much settled on an Evolution D5 Ranger. Problem is that where I live (Ocala, FL), there is only ONE Evolution dealer that I have found. I'm stuck with them.

[@RVthereyet25]

Go to New Smyrna Beach. It’s Paradise. Call them Monday. Top notch had my D5 one year now.

[@mook9680]

Botero Carts is a phenomal dealer, dont be afraid to give them your business!

[@DCSIDPA]

@@mook9680 I test drove two carts. Both had spongy brakes. One had been "QC'd" for customer delivery. The brakes wouldn't lock up at 5 mph (panic stop).

[@rickss69]

You are stuck only if you allow yourself to be...

[@meseahunt]

the MAIN issue/problem here is exactly what you said about the cart NOT coming DIRECTLY from the manf to the dealer in PERFECT condition..... WHY NOT!!!! this in itself is a HUGE PROBLEM and is UNACCEPTABLE!!! this lack of qc in ALL industries is getting outta control and i do not u/s how these folks have a job?????? it is sad that the dealer who is lucky to have folks working in the first place have to have someone go through a cart and fix EVERYTHING the manf screwed up, and then the dealer wants to CHARGE the CUST for this and call it a PDI..... the whole issue is a JOKE!!!

[@danburch9989]

It's cheaper for the manufacturer to pass the quality control responsibility to the customer and make them take the probelms to the dealer. Another thing is 90 day warranties. Then you're on your own unless you pay extra for an extended warranty. More profit without the work.

[@BrandonFerraro-g9k]

Excellent video! who makes the lower black toolboxes in your shop?

[@ThatOneGuy-m4g]

Excellent Video!

[@bacartsvw]

Thanks Lonn!

[@CLANSON]

Perfectly explained!

[@vienna844]

How and where do you install the license plate?

[@prestonshort1637]

Nice job Sloan! Now that’s putting your Trine education to work!

[@bacartsvw]

Bachelor degree in golf cart sales.

[@tahlglass6317]

Bought an Onward from BA Carts and would do so again.

[@bacartsvw]

Appreciate you Tahl!

[@malcolmtaylor111]

We generally sold new carts to courses and used carts to single customers. Sure, brand new is nice but there is some value in something having been run for a couple years and already having had its problems. That said, carts aren’t used in the same way here. Plates, backup cameras and turn signals aren’t really a thing.

[@johnriley2862]

Sloan, I live in Georgia and just bought an Evolution D5 Ranger. Red. It has two places on the front hood that look like they've been rubbed with something and not buffed in a very similar manner as the Evolution cart in this video (6.05 to 6.12 where you buff them out). What compound / wax do you recommend to get my front hood back to the way it should look like you did with the one in this video?? BTW way, great video. Wish you guys were down here. The dealer here is Ok, but not great. I appreciate your help. Thank you.

[@MrBootre1989]

Start with a polishing compound, if that doesn't work get a rubbing compound. If using a machine the cutting power is increased because of speed (start slow as possible and bring up speed as necessary) and heat added so if you're not familiar take your time.

[@danburch9989]

Your checklist says to check the charger (electric carts only). Shouldn't that apply to gas powered carts, too? I'm thinking of selling my SxS and replacing it with a golf cart. Not decided yet on gas or electric.

[@bacartsvw]

There's no charger for gas golf carts. Yes, there's a voltage regulator but no charger. I'd certainly steer clear of lead acid electric, we believe in lithium and gas carts only. My recommendations on what type of cart is best for you is based on what you're using it for. Campground? Driving on the road around town? Will children be driving it? How long of trips will you usually drive? Are you in super cold or warm climate? Do you travel camp? Etc?

[@danburch9989]

@@bacartsvw I agreen with steering clear of lead acid batteries - it's old technology. I'd be using it for golf and quick trips to the grocery store and cluster mailbox, not more than maybe 10 miles max on any one day but not daily. I'm leaning toward electric. Desert southwest environment. Used gas carts are a little less expensive here. I'll have to ask my golf buddy if he has to connect his golf cart to a battery charger at any time under normal use. Schematics for gas powered carts call a single unit a starter/generator. It's basically a DC motor functions as a starter motor to get the gas engine running. Then, somehow when decelerating, it becomes a generator to provide regerative braking. So, in effect, there is a charging system and the need for a voltage regulator. If there's no charging system, then there's no need for a motor/generator - just need a DC motor and no need for a voltage regulator. What am I missing?

[@jimroschli9552]

Ok, OK. I'll buy my next cart from you. 😊

[@bacartsvw]

Lol. Appreciate that! We try our best!

[@gregeaux1]

Does anyone do a video on basic service we can do at home. Fluids/grease ….

[@swisstrader]

I think one of the main reasons ppl are buying evolutions or venoms or anything else Chinese is not just based on cost, altho that’s certainly a factor. For me, ClubCar, ezGo and all the Big 3 cart manufacturers’ carts are just so boring looking. I’ve yet to find an American made cart that looks cool. On my end, I’m trying to decide between a venom, gorilla or evolution. I’m leaning towards the Gorilla 6- seater which is about as bad ass as you can get. No US manufacturer even comes close on design to these carts. The 2 dealerships I’m speaking w both have 4.9 ratings and terrific reviews. I see guys drive up in a clubcar and just looks like my grandfathers golf cart😊

[@grob9202]

Looks like quality control is the issue

[@RobertStroupe]

How do you find a good Dealer or know the Dealer your shopping at is a good Dealer? What do we look for?

[@bacartsvw]

A mostly positive rating on the internet is a good place to start. Word of mouth from real customers that purchased from the dealer? If you go to them does it seem like they like what they do? They care? They're educating instead of just trying sell you? What did carts look like after they delivered them to customers that live near you (were they clean, in good shape, etc.). There's a lot of variables! I'm sure your gut will tell you who's good or bad once you start investigating!

[@RobertStroupe]

@@bacartsvw Thanks for your reply. What brand of Cart do you feel is the best Quality on the market?

[@sloanwhitaker8615]

Atlas, Club Car. ​@@RobertStroupe

[@gregeaux1]

Thanks

[@lakesidebuggies]

Golf cart dealer here. Ex Evolution dealer, can 100% confirm every single issue. Sold 20 units fixed 21 of them 😊

[@thomaswattle9828]

assembled in America and needs more over site

[@Jdeneik]

For me, I’d buy the evolution over a club car and save 10K. Even if I may have a couple more repairs.

[@thomaswattle9828]

check golf cart recalls sites.

[@poncharitaville]

I just looked it up. Not one dealership said we are good. The problem with buying a new anything is you don't know who's bad until you buy and experience. Everyone is an expert, after the fact. Unless you know someone who bought the same product and you know they did their research, you'll never know. Most reviews are fake or are rated on things that have nothing to do with the place or product. Always buy used, even just the slightest. Dealerships are total scam artists. Save the initial depreciation off the lot. Let the others tighten all the bolts and then buy.

[@bacartsvw]

There's some merit to your comment about buying slight used because it's certainly cheaper (up front, not necessarily long term). But as far as dealerships being "scam artist", that couldn't be further from the truth. Yeah some may be, the world is full of people and businesses doing things for the wrong reason. But the good dealers out there (like us), solely focus on providing the absolute best product and service to their customers. As a paying customer, you can receive an incredible amount of support and confidence when buying a new toy from a great dealership, which is the total opposite of being "scammed". Yes, there's golf cart dealers that will sell you a cart, take your money, turn their back and never support your vehicles wants and needs, that would be a scam artist.

[@JamesThomas-wi2ro]

​@bacartsvw I must agree with you. In July of 2019, we purchased a new 2020 Yamaha Drive 2 EFI from a dealer 35 miles north of our home here in northeast Alabama. While the sales experience itself could have been better, the after sale service has been top-notch. Additionally, we have experienced zero issues with the cart over the last 5 years. On another note, how do the Atlas and Evolution carts compare to Yamaha in terms of roominess in the cabin? Let's just say I'm quite "horizontally-challenged" and need more room than our old Club Car used to provide. That's one of my most favorite aspects of our Yamaha. Finally, do you offer shipping? Our dealer here offers minimal cart upgrades.

[@RodGriff]

So, your carts are more expensive because you tighten some bolts? And charge more for a new cart that wasn’t shipped in perfect condition in the first place? Gee thanks.

[@timcaviness5933]

Qc at the factory is horrible. They need to pay attention instead of hurry hurry build it

[@scott-og6iu]

Some of the issues with the Evolution were so obvious why on earth did the people buy it

[@bacartsvw]

Price. And the confidence customers have in their dealerships, hoping that they're buying a vehicle that is road ready.

[@thomaswattle9828]

most golf cart show up with issues

[@cidfacetious3722]

Damn, I thought Vcarts were bad

[@bacartsvw]

Can't say I've heard of Vcarts!

[@cidfacetious3722]

@@bacartsvw well they’re not a lot different than what you posted

[@reverett0508]

1st thing I noticed was the herky jerky camera work and the rapid fire ADHD delivery. I could only take about 3 minutes of this.

[@Billy18bm]

what an ass ^^^.

[@keithbarnum9470]

Your enthusiasm is great, and it doesn't interfere or take away from you being able to explain in almost thorough detail throughout the video. Great composure, didn't skip over major or minor issues we ss viewers need to know. I need you to do this with crypto currency mining for me, as a lot of these videos on mining are all over the place. Thanks, man!

[@BB-ub9qt]

For the price I’ll just buy a side by side these thing are overpriced for that they do

[@bacartsvw]

A new quality side-by-side is nowhere near the same price as a lot of golf carts nowadays. You''ll atleast pay double.. You're also comparing apples to oranges. Both vehicles are built for very different reasons and purposes. 99% of golf cart purchasers aren't buying them to perform work related jobs, they're just fun transportation around the neighborhood or campground (where SXSs aren't allowed in most counties or states). We sell both SXSs and golf carts and we regularly have people tell us golf carts aren't enough power or machine for them but they end up strongly disliking the loudness and heavier duty feel of the SXS and go for a golf cart instead because it's easier to use. We also have the opposite where people try to use a golf cart for certain purposes and realize they need a SXS.

[@solardiver7]

#1 problem is that it is an Evolution. Where I live in Florida a lot of people regret buying Evolution. Stick with Club Car or Ezgo.

[@thomaswattle9828]

Micheal and Tiffany don't agree, Evolutions parent company was HDK . HDK has been making carts since 1947, with sales world wide America being one of the last countries. If it were the intention of Evolution to put their carts on the American market and not back them up with service and parts, then why do the occupy floor space Club Car, E Z Go carts in the same dealerships? That would be bad business practice for Evolution and the dealerships that sale them.

[@pbr2805]

Good videos but but way too much arm movement. You are all over the place. Calm down a bit when demoing. No need to continue to swat flies and insects. I think that you wave too much because you are too young. A lot of kids have a tendency to talk too fast and move all over the place. But again a good video!!!!

[@Batten-jc6ws]

No one cares except you.

[@akita96th]

Are these golf carts made in china?

[@thomaswattle9828]

Partially assembled in China, shipped to three assembly sites in U S then fully assembled, then shipped to dealer across the country. Even E Z Go, & Club Car get parts from China.

[@akita96th]

Probably cheaper to rent one from the golf course lol