Tip Tuesday

Problem:  Power Wheels Tires worn or cracked

Power Wheels vehicles are the No. 1 battery-powered ride-on vehicles for children.  With over 25 million sold and over 100 models these vehicles all have one thing in common: Big plastic wheels.

Because the wheels are plastic, they tend to lose traction causing the vehicle to slip and wearing out the wheels more quickly.  



Here are a few suggestions so your tires will last just a bit longer:

• Drive the vehicle on generally level ground only
• Use on grass, asphalt and other hard surfaces only
• Teach your child to stop the vehicle before switching directions
• Rotate the tires: swap the front with the back so the wheels wear evenly
• Teach your children not to allow the wheels to spin if they run into an object (use reverse if they run into something)

• While donuts, power slides and drifting may be fun, this will also very quickly cause significant wear on the tires.

Beware of traction bands, or other solutions that tell you to put rubber around the plastic tire.  Traction bands do improve traction, and reduce the wear on the wheels, however they can void the product warranty and pose both safety and reliability issues.  Your vehicle has a patented, electronic braking system that automatically stops the vehicle when your child's foot lifts from the pedal, when your have traction bands on the wheel this causes a lot of stress on the motor and gearbox, and will greatly decrease the life of the motor.

The truth of the story is, tires are tires and they are going to wear.  Use these tips and you should get several fun years out of your Power Wheels tires.

Remember here at The Mending Shed, we are an Authorized Service Center for Power Wheels, and can help you with all of your repair or warranty needs.

If you need wheels visit the tire page on our website:  http://www.mendingshed.com/pwtires.html

Thank you,

The Repair TeamMendingShed.com

Tip Tuesday

Problem:  Dead Power Wheels Battery

6 Volt Blue Battery

Spring is here, and now is the time to clean out the garage and dust off those Power Wheels vehicles!  One of the most common problems people discover when getting the vehicles ready for the season is the battery is completely dead and wont hold a charge.  

It's time to get a new battery.  Batteries do wear out over time, but following these guidelines will help keep the battery working for as long as possible.

12 Volt Gray Battery

Use these following guidelines to help lengthen the life of your next Power Wheels battery:

• Use Charger in dry locations only
• Keep battery charged to capacity
• Don't leave battery uncharged for long periods of time
• Never charge the battery longer than 30 hours
• Do not charge the battery partially, it shortens the life of the battery
• Disconnect battery from vehicle when vehicle is not in use
• When storing the battery for winter, charge battery to capacity, then store it in a dry place.  Take the battery out once a month and recharge it to keep it in working condition.  
• Battery should be charged 18 hours for the first time (should be charged before first use), and then 14 hours for each additional charge.  For best results do not charge the battery longer than 18 hours, over 30 hours on the charger will damaged your battery.

Extra tips from Power Wheels:  

1. Never short-circuit the batteries.
2. Examine the battery, charger and connectors for excessive wear or damage each time you charge your battery. If damage has occurred or excessive wear is detected, do not use the vehicle until you have replaced the worn or damaged part as it could result in a fire causing in injury or property damage.
3. Examine the battery case for cracks of other damage which could cause acid to leak during the charging process. If damage is detected, do not charge or use. Contact your local service center for assistance.
4. Please take precautions to protect the surface on which you charge your batteries. It is not recommended to charge on kitchen counter tops.
5. Only adults should charge batteries. Never allow children to charge batteries.
6. Carry the batteries by supporting the bottom and sides of battery case. Never lift or carry batteries by wires or connectors.
7. Do not store batteries in extreme heat (85 degrees or higher) or extreme cold (-10 degrees or below) during snowy or rainy weather ,the vehicle should be stored inside or under a protective cover, remember to charge the batteries for 18 hours at least once a month while the vehicle is not in regular use.

Remember, here at The Mending Shed we are a Authorized Power Wheels service center, and can help you with all of your repair or warranty needs.

Thank you,

The Mending Shed

Repair Team

5 Part Spring cleaning.  Tools to help you get the job done, quick and easy.

Part one:  Clean the Grill

Save yourself time, easily clean even the most burnt on food, on the largest grill in under a minute with this genuine Brushtech Heavy Duty Wide Faced BBQ Grill Brush!

It's easy to get any cleaning job done with the right tool, using this Heavy Duty Wide faced BBQ Grill cleaning brush will clean even the biggest grills in less than one minute! This brush will work on both hot and cold grills, the brass high tensile brushes will clean even the messiest burnt mess on grills and the bristles are long lasting!

This brush is made in the USA, and has a heavy duty, strong, sturdy construction. The brush head is a 7" spiraled bristle triangle, the bristles on the brush are stiff, high tensile strength brass bristles, this will provide you a long lasting brush that is even safe to use on porcelain grills! The handle is 9 1/2" long and made of durable black plastic, with a hanging string on the end so it can be stored on a hook. The brush is available in 21" or 16" in length from the handle to the brush and lets you apply as much pressure needed to remove burned food and grease from your grill.

Features and Benefits:

• Cleans grill in under 1 minute
• Heavy Duty high tensile strength Brass bristles
• Will not scratch porcelain grills
• Made in USA

16" Brush can be found here:  http://www.mendingshed.com/bbqbrush2.html

21" Brush can be found here:  http://www.mendingshed.com/bigbbqbrush.html

The Mending Shed

Tip Tuesday

Problem:  Oil Leaking from KitchenAid Mixer.

KitchenAid mixers are built to last.  We have customers call in all the time about mixers that are 30-40 years old and still going strong!  

One of the common problems we see with the KitchenAid mixers is oil leaking from the agitator shaft (beater shaft) or from the drip ring.


KitchenAid uses a Benalene 930-2 grease inside their mixers.  It is a dark, thick grease that can break down and leak out of the mixer, sometimes getting into the bowl/food.  The grease KitchenAid uses is a food grade, non-toxic vegetable based grease.  Over time, or if you do not use your mixer often, the grease can break down, and it will appear that there is oil leaking from the mixer. 

How to fix the mixer if grease is leaking:  
You will need to take the mixer apart, clean out all of the old grease, replace it with about 6 ounces of new Benalene grease .  To prevent further leaking, it is also recommended that your replace the o-ring on the center shaft and the gearbox gasket.  

Here is a link to these items:
Grease:  http://www.mendingshed.com/kagrease.html
O-Ring:  http://www.mendingshed.com/67500-55.html
Gasket:  http://www.mendingshed.com/mixergasket.html

How to Prevent the problem:
To prevent the grease from breaking down in the future, especially if you do not use your mixer frequently, it is recommended that you pull the mixer out and run it for about 2 minutes every 3-4 weeks, this should stop the grease from breaking down.

KitchenAid Grease

One other useful tool to help you get the job done would be the KitchenAid service manual.  This will walk you step by step on how to take the mixer apart, clean out the grease, and put everything back together correctly.  Here is a link to the KitchenAid Service Manual:  http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/mendingshed/kitchenaidservicemanual.pdf


This applies to mixer models:  K45, K45SS, KSM75, KSM90, KSM103, KSM110, KSM150, KSM151, KSM152, K5, K5A, K5SS, KSM5, KSM50P, KP50 AND KPM5. 

Don't forget, we are one of KitchenAid's largest service centers within the US, this means all of our parts are genuine KitchenAid parts, and we can help you with any repair questions you may have.

Thank you,

The Mending Shed
Repair Team

Power Wheels Tune-Up

As summer fast approaches, the children yearn to spend time outdoors after being cooped up all winter long.  They’ve begged you to get out their Power Wheels vehicle from the garage, but upon doing so, you discover that the car battery no longer holds a charge or the wheels are worn from the use the vehicle received the previous year.

Now what?

We, here at The Mending Shed, pride ourselves on helping our customers to get their Power Wheels vehicles running once again.  We carry batteries and chargers, replacement wheels, decals and too many other accessories to list.  If you have questions or concerns of any kind don’t hesitate to give us a call at 800-339-9297.  Our customer service staff will be happy to help you.


Don’t forget, we are an authorized Power Wheels Service Center, which means our replacement parts are genuine Power Wheels brand and we can help you with any warranty issues you may have.