Support that continues long after delivery day

Start with terrain. Smooth mall floors and pavements suit a 3 or 4 wheel indoor scooter. Gravel, grass, farm roads and steep driveways need a 4-wheel all-terrain machine with pneumatic tyres and suspension.

Then range. Add up how far you actually travel in a day, double it, and buy the next size up. Range claims are measured on flat ground at low speed; expect 80% of the claim in real use with hills and a heavier rider.

Weight capacity matters more than people think. Riding at the top of a machine's rating shortens motor and battery life. If you weigh 95 kg, choose a machine rated 136 kg or more.

Transport is the next question. If it must go in a car weekly, prioritise a folding travel scooter between 20 kg and 30 kg total. If it lives in the garage, a full-size scooter is more comfortable and cheaper per kilometre.

Storage and charging: you need a standard 3-pin socket near where you park, protected from rain. A float-mode charger means you can leave it plugged in permanently.

Finally, seating. Adjustable armrests, a swivel seat and a proper cushion prevent back pain and pressure sores. Sit on the machine for ten minutes before you buy, this is what our free 45-minute fitting session is for.

Charge after every day of use, not when the machine feels slow. Partial discharges and frequent full recharges are gentler on AGM cells than deep drains.

Never leave a pack fully flat for more than a week. A flat AGM battery sulphates and permanently loses capacity. If the machine is parked for the winter, use a float-mode charger such as the SmartCharge 8A and leave it connected.

Watch the temperature. Charging in a 40 °C garage in Gauteng summer is hard on batteries. Charge in the shade or overnight when it is cooler.

Test, do not guess. A tired pack shows a full voltage reading within minutes of coming off charge but collapses under load. Measure range: if it has dropped by more than a third from new, plan a replacement.

Replace in matched pairs. Mixing one new and one old 12V battery means the older cell drags the pair down and the new one fails early. Our paired batteries are capacity tested and voltage matched.

Finally, dispose responsibly. Lead-acid batteries are hazardous waste. We take old packs free of charge in Kempton Park and send them to a licensed recycler.

Fold or disassemble the machine with the battery removed if your model allows it. If the battery cannot be removed, isolate the machine with the key or main circuit breaker.

Lift correctly. For travel scooters divide the weight into pieces under 15 kg each. Never lift a 78 kg full-size scooter manually, use our delivery crew or a ramp and winch.

Secure everything. A scooter in a bakkie must be strapped at the frame, not the tiller or seat post. A sudden stop turns unsecured equipment into a projectile.

Airline travel: lithium batteries must be carried in the cabin, never in the hold, and most airlines require 48 hours' notice with the battery's watt-hour rating. We prepare an airline compliance letter for any machine we sell, free on request.

Trailers: load over the axle, use the parking brake and a secondary strap. Check your tie-down points before every trip, a scooter dropped on the N3 ruins more than your holiday.

Ramps: a 150 cm ramp is safe up to about a 45 cm rise. Steeper than that and you risk tipping. If your entrance has a bigger step, talk to us about a platform lift instead.

Most South African schemes treat mobility equipment as a day-to-day or savings-benefit expense rather than a chronic benefit. That means the claim is usually paid from your available savings once you submit a compliant invoice and motivation.

Get a doctor's motivation letter. It should state your diagnosis (with ICD-10 code), your functional limitations, the clinical need for the device and how long you are expected to need it.

Ask for pre-authorisation if your scheme requires it. Send us your scheme name and membership number and we will complete the supplier portion of the form for you, at no charge.

We issue a VAT invoice in the patient's name showing: device description and code, serial number, supplier VAT number, patient details and the date of supply. Keep the job card, schemes sometimes ask for proof of refurbishment on second-hand equipment.

If the claim is not covered, ask us about Mobicred instalments.

Remember that a refurbished machine at half the price of a new one is often fully reimbursed where a new unit would exceed your available savings.

You may use a mobility scooter on pavements and inside shopping centres, and many estates allow them on internal roads at walking pace. Public roads are a different matter: devices are not permitted on roads where the speed limit exceeds 60 km/h.

Approach kerbs head-on and slowly. Take dropped kerbs wherever you can find them, and use a ramp for anything above 8 cm.

Grip the tiller with both hands and reduce speed before turning on wet paving. Sand and fallen leaves on a slope are the most common cause of scooter accidents in South Africa.

Be visible. Use a headlight and reflective vest in low light, and fit an approved flag on tall all-terrain models. Drivers simply do not see a low seat in a wing mirror.

Never carry a passenger unless the machine is rated for two, and never tow anything with a scooter, it voids the warranty and destabilises the machine.

Battery emergency: if range runs out, engage free-wheel mode and push, or phone our support line. Nationwide recovery is available from R650 within 80 km of a major centre.