No one likes losing keys. Whether it’s the key to your apartment, your car, or even your wardrobe, it becomes a hassle to search for it while trying to open the locked door.
If the mobility scooter’s key gets lost, that’s a whole other story.
Luckily for you, there are a couple of ways to start your mobility scooter without a key. It’s a risky procedure, but it’ll save you the hassle of having to wait for a replacement key.
Here’s how to start a mobility scooter without a key.
What You'll Learn...
How to Start a Mobility Scooter Without a Key in 4 Steps
To start a mobility scooter without a key, you’ll need a multi-head screwdriver, a rubber mallet, and needle-nose pliers.
You should also have a pair of electrician gloves to prevent getting electrocuted.
If you have all the necessary tools, proceed with the steps.
Step 1: Locate the Scooter’s Wiring System
In most mobility scooters, the wiring systems are found under the scooter’s control panel. That’s where you can find the ignition, dials, and speed gauges.
You’ll find screws holding the cover in place. Using the screwdriver, remove them, and you’ll find the panel coming off easily.
You may need to use the rubber mallet at this step, depending on the design of your control panel.
When you detach the cover, you’ll see the cable system, which is basically a bunch of wires in different colors.
Now, you have to take care because there are two live wires, which means there’s an electric current running through them.
Firstly, you’ll identify the purpose of each cable because you need the two live wires for starting the scooter.
The live wires are usually black and red, but some odd scooters may have wires of different colors. You’ll test them either way, so don’t worry about the colors.
Step 2: Take off the Wire Cap
After you locate the wiring system, you’ll see the wires held together by a plastic cap, keeping them in place and connecting them. To start the scooter without a key, you’ll have to remove this cap.
To do this step, you need a pair of pliers with rubber handles for your safety. Rubber will keep your hands safe from the electric current running through the wires.
Grab your pliers, and keep twisting the cap until it eventually comes off. Make sure to keep holding the wires from their insulated parts here to prevent them from falling.
When the cap comes off, you’ll see the uninsulated ends of the three wires.
Step 3: Attach the Live Wires to the Ignition
When the wire ends are exposed, you’ll select the live wires, which are the black and red ones, and attach both of them to the ignition. All you have to do is push the wires into the keyhole.
Put each wire one by one, pushing its uninsulated end into the socket. When putting the second wire, make sure it’s in the opposite position from the other wire.
When both wires are in the socket, the engine should start humming. At the very least, you should hear a click. If that happens, it means you’re on the right road, so proceed to the next step.
If you don’t hear any noise, it means you probably used the wrong wires. Test again with a couple of different combinations until you hear the humming.
Granted, most scooters have black and red live wires, but yours may be an odd one. So, a test is always a good idea.
Step 4: Start the Mobility Scooter
Once you put both wires in, and you hear the engine humming, it means an electric current is flowing through. In other words, the scooter can start, but you’ll still have to turn the ignition for that to happen.
All you need to do is turn the wires inside the keyhole like you’d have done with the key. Turn them gently but firmly until you hear the purr of the engine starting.
If the engine starts, it means your mobility scooter is all set to move, but you have to recap the wires first.
Put them back in the control panel, and re-attach the cover using the screwdriver. After you’re done, you can ride your scooter all you want.
Is Hotwiring a Mobility Scooter Dangerous?
Well, I wouldn’t say hotwiring the scooter is a dangerous procedure, but there’s still some risk to it nevertheless.
The wires may get damaged if you connect them the wrong way, and fixing the issue will be expensive—it’ll definitely cost more than if you just went and got a replacement key.
If you haven’t tried something like this before, it’d be better to have someone else do it. You can call the company or the handyman who does regular maintenance of the scooter.
They’ll hotwire the scooter for you, so it’ll be less risky.
Even if you’re able to hotwire the scooter, you can call a technician to meet you at home and remove the hotwire, so you can park the scooter safely.
How to Get Replacement Keys for Your Mobility Scooter
Most mobility scooter manufacturers offer spare keys for their scooters. At least some high-end companies do so, such as Solax Mobility and Pride Mobility.
If your manufacturer doesn’t provide spare keys for sale, you can opt for some online service providers.
To do that, you’ll need to provide some sort of ownership proof, the scooter’s serial number, and the numbers on the lock. It may take a week for your key to arrive, or less if you’re in a large metro area.
Wrapping it Up
Now that you know how to start a mobility scooter without a key, you shouldn’t have a problem if yours gets lost.
Granted, you should try to keep it in one place, so you don’t lose it, but it happens to the best of us.
Hell, it happens to me, and I’m not even the best of us!
As long as you know how to hotwire the scooter, you’ll be able to keep using it. That said, you’ll need to be cautious when dealing with the wires, especially if it’s your first time.
