Greetings all. I have a 48V 2000 Club Car that I purchased last year. The batteries on it are from 2004. Over the past month or so the cart has had some trouble when it comes to pulling a hill after charging, with it getting progressively worse.

Last night it had a ton of trouble pulling the first hill. The battery gauge on it completely dropped off the entire time even though it had just come off the charger. Even on a flat surface the battery gauge only showed around 1/2 with the accelorator pressed on a flat surface.

I checked the batteries today for water and corrosion build up. The water levels were great and there was no corrosion build up. I then checked the batteries with a meter and they all gave strong 7-8V individual readings but only ready 35-36 volts when checked as a group.

Considering the family budget and the price of new batteries, I thought I would come here and ask for feedback. I have no problem getting new batteries if I'm sure that is the definite problem.

What steps should I go through to make sure that it is in fact a battery issue and nothing else? Is it out of the ordinary for a set of Deka batteries from 2004 to need replaced at this point of 2008? 

You all were great when it came to helping me rebuild my cart last year. Thanks in advance for any additional help.