Another disappointment from Bosch updated

chromatose

Member
Into my 2nd week waiting for ANOTHER (#3. #2 lasted a whole 2900km) Bosch DU replacement under warranty.
Tech is having 'difficulty' communicating with the rep here in Vancouver. Says the DU was programmed last Friday, now Wednesday and NADA
Beware if you are considering an eMTB w/a Bosch DU. Cheers all
 
2017 : Kalkhoff Integrale
  • 4,000 km
  • Kalkhoff Impulse RS motor
  • Junk: very expensive write-off.

2018 : Trek Powerfly
  • 11,500 km
  • Bosch CX Gen 1 motor
  • No problems.

2019 : R&M Homage Rohloff
  • 28,500 km
  • Bosch CX Gen 1 motor
  • Motor failed at 22,000 km. Replaced promptly without charge.

2021 : R&M Homage Touring
  • 10,000 km
  • Bosch CX Gen 4 motor
  • Perfect!

Total : 54,000 km
 
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I'm a big Bosch fan, I have 3 bikes. But DU is a mystery to me. I have about 11,000 miles on the three and have never been back to the store. One is a Haibike Full Seven mtb.
 
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But DU is a mystery to me.
'DU' had me stumped. I guessed it stood for 'drive unit' and, therefore, replied by outlining my experiences with ebike motors.

And 'NADA', in all-caps? Another abbreviation, or simply an angry version of nada (slang for 'nothing')?

Perhaps, one should clarify what one is writing about before resorting to arcane abbreviations… as well as using Caps Lock sparingly.
 
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I had no idea what DU was either. Nada is Spanish for nothing, that I knew.
 
If this is gen 2 CX with small chain ring, water ingress can be issue especially if MTBing. Make sure you keep rubber seal on crank shaft greased, will need to remove chainring. There should a thread on this. Don't use high pressure hose on motor and degrease chain off the bike, and don't ride through deep streams, 2-3inches is about it. In saying all this my motor died after 2 days of riding offroad in steady rain, lasted 1/2hr on 3rd day then stopped. Happened to be 3months out of warranty.
New guts have been installed and back to riding... Fingers crossed
 
I'm Curious what @chromatose typical ride conditions are. That is an alarming and unusually high rate of failure on a Bosch motor. These bikes are not waterproof, just water resistant. Corrosion and rust take over quicker than most people realize and can quickly compromise an ebike motor, especially and an actively ridden mountain ebike.

Living in Cascadia, mountain biking can really challenge electrical components with water ingress. Bearings and gears are more easily compromised in addition to interfering with electrical connections and affecting continuity or causing outright shorts. Mountain bikes needs to be cleaned and dried out right away after getting wet gooey mud plastered on the bike and pushed into every nook and cranny

Extra care should be used in cleaning the bike, without using a pressure washer or a hard stream nozzle. always, rinsing with the water stream pointing down, starting top to bottom, and by placing a fan by the freshly washed bike to dry it off quicker and more thoroughly. Lube and grease need to be applied more often, especially in the kind of cold wet weather that has persisted around here since September.

Granted I am more obsessive about cleaning, lubrication and adhering to a rigorous maintenance schedule than most riders. I have had seven Bosch ebikes with a total of over 27,000 miles on them and not one problem with a motor. I don't know if I have just been lucky or my OCD has payed off.
 
yes they are not waterproof. even rain if the bike stays wet for long periods of time causes issues. we found out you cant change and re grease the seal on the left side of the motor.
 
I'm Curious what @chromatose typical ride conditions are. That is an alarming and unusually high rate of failure on a Bosch motor. These bikes are not waterproof, just water resistant. Corrosion and rust take over quicker than most people realize and can quickly compromise an ebike motor, especially and an actively ridden mountain ebike.

Living in Cascadia, mountain biking can really challenge electrical components with water ingress. Bearings and gears are more easily compromised in addition to interfering with electrical connections and affecting continuity or causing outright shorts. Mountain bikes needs to be cleaned and dried out right away after getting wet gooey mud plastered on the bike and pushed into every nook and cranny

Extra care should be used in cleaning the bike, without using a pressure washer or a hard stream nozzle. always, rinsing with the water stream pointing down, starting top to bottom, and by placing a fan by the freshly washed bike to dry it off quicker and more thoroughly. Lube and grease need to be applied more often, especially in the kind of cold wet weather that has persisted around here since September.

Granted I am more obsessive about cleaning, lubrication and adhering to a rigorous maintenance schedule than most riders. I have had seven Bosch ebikes with a total of over 27,000 miles on them and not one problem with a motor. I don't know if I have just been lucky or my OCD has payed off.
I live on the wet coast of Canazuela probably just north of you. I ride a lot in all conditions. I take every precaution when prepping for rides. I tape up seems and the skid plate. Also, after every ride I washdown the bike with a garden hose and car wash and spray WD40 around joints and the drive line. I just got another DU installed under warranty. Apparently this will be my last warranty claim
 
WD-40 isn't meant to lubricate things like chains or suspension pivots. It really doesn't serve any purpose on a bicycle. And maybe by taping up so many seams it's actually preventing water from draining away? Do you have an air compressor that you can use to gently blow water out of nooks and crannies?
 
The Bosch motor housings are designed to be open and breathable and work with gravity so that water does not collect inside but rather drains and evaporates. It is a mistake to close off any of the openings. after a gentle wash down or a ride in the rain or in wet conditions, use an air compressor to blow out any remaining water. A hair dryer can be used to gently warm up the whole enclosure, never stopping on any one are but warming up the whole thing by moving the warm airstream all around the motor.
 
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