Early on, The Bat experienced maintenance issues. Engineers discovered premature wear on each car's shock absorbers, so they had to be replaced daily. The ride's wait times would exceed over three hours, as this had much to do with the difficulty in maintaining consistency in operation. The maximizer system proved so temperamental that the ride would often "lock up" requiring a complete track survey by engineers. If the system shut down while operating with riders, the trains would stall while climbing the chain lift hills and they would have to be evacuated. On July 24, 1981, the ride was closed to address the lift hill issues. At the bottom of the second lift hill, the chain dog would sometimes be misaligned, causing it to become bent or break off. The trains would enter this lift hill while the cars were swinging. The paint had been chipping off and quick repair jobs had caused problems as they would flake or drip. The ride had to be repainted as a result. Modified chain dogs were added to the ride vehicles and the ride reopened on July 28.