How to Repair a Mamas and Papas Stroller

The Mamas and Papas Sport-03 three-wheeler stroller might look the part, and its chunky tyres are handy for negotiating rough ground. However, it also suffers from a fundamental weakness which means that the front wheel can just snap off.

The plate that supports the front wheel is very thin and is made from a brittle aluminium alloy. After a while this plate simply snaps in two, which could present a serious safety risk.

In our case we had two options:

  • Pay the nice Mamas & Papas people £50 to replace the defective part that they had built badly in the first place;
  • Fix it ourselves, and do a proper job this time.

Clearly there are moral issues with paying someone to replace a part which should never have broken in the first place, and replacing it with a part which would probably just fail the same way. So, we took the DIY repair route.

Materials and Equipment for Repair

  • T-profile or L-profile steel or aluminium bar
  • 5mm or 6mm bolts, around 2-3cm long
  • 6mm bolt, around 5cm long
  • Metal-bonding resin kit
  • Aluminium mesh
  • Drill, drill bits, metal file, metal hand saw

Procedure

The first action is to drill a 6mm hole horizontally, just behind the buggy wheel hub, though the four vertical aluminium sections. Run the 5cm-long bolt through the hole and tighten it; this bolt should now be holding the broken-off section to the rest of the buggy.

Now apply the aluminium mesh and metal-bonding adhesive resin under the plate area, across the break line. Apply some of the resin to the break line on the top surface so that you have filled over any sharp metal edges. This step is more for a smooth finish than strength, but can't hurt.

Cut the new metal sections to length, bending at the end where necessary to match the profile of the broken plate. Drill holes through the sections and buggy plate, and secure them in place with the shorter bolts.

When the metal adhesive has dried, you can smooth it down with a file. Also use a file to smooth down any sharp metal edges around the repair.

Exactly how you do all this depends on the nature of the breakage and what replacement metal sections you have available.

Precautions

Check whether your buggy is still in warranty before thinking about doing your own repair. If it's under warranty, get Mama's & Papas to do the work themselves, and let them know how upset you are that the buggy has such a dangerous weakness.

Any instructions you follow here are entirely at your own risk, and it is your responsibility to verify the integrity of the repair whenever the buggy is used.

Follow all manufacturer's instructions carefully, particularly with the adhesive.

Be very careful when using tools, and do not proceed if you are not experienced with metal-working and the use of drills, saws and files.

Update: Front Plate Replaced!

After further disintegration (and fixing) of the buggy's alloy front plate, we decided to give in and leave the buggy at a Mama's & Papa's store in Norwich. For a charge of £50 the plate was replaced and returned to us a week or so later in an enormous box. We had to re-attach the front wheel into the pair of metal prongs - harder than it looks - but from then on it was as good as new. The plate looks identical to the old one, so we will need to be careful with it and try to avoid any amount of frontal impacts or loads.


5 Comments

by indry on 19 September 2017
Hi, I got this type for my baby but it's cannot be flip. Is there anyone can suggest me how to fix my buggies so it can be flipped again?

Thanks.

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by Amanda on 15 May 2015
Hi I know this is an old post but hope you Can help!the front wheel on our sport is buckling badly on and off its shakes violently while walking. Any ideas? The alloy itself isn't buckled as far as we can see. But feels like wheel will fall off! Many thanks
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by Julii Swindells on 15 May 2015
The wobbly wheel is famous problem on the Sport 03, we ended up adding a weight but that didn't totally fix it. From discussions I've read online the most common effective solution is to tighten up the wheel nut. Else I find that M&P will take a look & try to diagnose. Good luck!
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by Robin bramwell on 11 September 2012
Any idea on how to get the front wheel off as it not coming off freely ? Also any body had any issues with the main frame where it clicks together moves about when pushing ?
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by John Swindells on 11 September 2012
Hi Robin, on the inside of the forks are two metal pins, and you need to push these in whilst trying to pull the wheel out. The pins may have got corroded, so may need spraying with lube (eg, WD-40). You won't be able to pull the wheel off until you can push those pins in!

I don't know about the frame moving about - maybe worth asking at a Mamas & Papas store...

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by jenna barrow on 29 August 2012
I have a different bit that has broken on mine, The breaks have completely gone. Any idea on how to fix them?

Jenna

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by John Swindells on 01 September 2012
I've put together a little bit of guidance on how to check the stroller's brakes: checking the brakes on a Mamas & Papas stroller. I hope this helps!
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by Kazan on 07 October 2010
Great idea! Thanks.

Have the same problem.

Do you know where I can get T bars. B&Q?

Was trying to find but no luck :/

Thanks.

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by John Swindells on 07 October 2010
You're welcome Kazan, glad you find it useful :)

A hardware or model store should sell lengths of angle iron or T-section bars. Mine were actually leftovers from polycarbonate roofing bars.

Be warned though - I've had to repair our buggy twice more, as the plate is gradually falling apart in different places. It's currently held together with lumps of wood! The bolt I put through behind the wheel has held well, though.

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