Another Vado ownership experience that ended well

rochrunner

rochrunner

Well-Known Member
Region
USA
City
Rochester Hills MI
When researching for an e-bike, I liked the Vado but did notice a good number of posts here from people with problems from cracked frames to multiple motor replacements. But my heart overcame my head, and besides I was sure they would have taken care of their problems by now and what were the odds that I'd get a bad one (plenty of satisfied owners in here). Little did I know.

Well, after a bit of a hassle with the LBS understanding my issue and getting a qualified mechanic to work on it, the "ticking noise" that I was reporting on here a few weeks ago turns out to be something for which they have to submit a "warranty claim" to Specialized, which I would assume means they're replacing the motor. I had hoped to have the bike back this week and now I have no idea how long it will take Specialized to process the claim, ship a motor and/or other parts, and then get the LBS to do the rest of the work.

So I basically bought a $3500 bike that's defective. It bites big-time.

By the way, I always hear people saying "support your LBS", but wouldn't it be only fair for them to support the customer better? Mainly what has been frustrating is the lack of communication. I'm not used to other people working on my bikes (one reason I was leery of getting an e-bike in the first place), but when they keep promising to call me and let me know what's going on, so far I'm the one that always gets tired of waiting and has to call them to ask about it. And so it goes. I've bought three previous Specialized bikes from a different and closer LBS who has also done some annoying things over the years, but in the future I think I'll be going back to them...
 
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rochrunner said:
When researching for an e-bike, I liked the Vado but did notice a good number of posts here from people with problems from cracked frames to multiple motor replacements. But my heart overcame my head, and besides I was sure they would have taken care of their problems by now and what were the odds that I'd get a bad one (plenty of satisfied owners in here). Little did I know.

Well, after a bit of a hassle with the LBS understanding my issue and getting a qualified mechanic to work on it, the "ticking noise" that I was reporting on here a few weeks ago turns out to be something for which they have to submit a "warranty claim" to Specialized, which I would assume means they're replacing the motor. I had hoped to have the bike back this week and now I have no idea how long it will take Specialized to process the claim, ship a motor and/or other parts, and then get the LBS to do the rest of the work.

So I basically bought a $3500 bike that's defective. It bites big-time.

By the way, I always hear people saying "support your LBS", but wouldn't it be only fair for them to support the customer better? Mainly what has been frustrating is the lack of communication. I'm not used to other people working on my bikes (one reason I was leery of getting an e-bike in the first place), but when they keep promising to call me and let me know what's going on, so far I'm the one that always gets tired of waiting and has to call them to ask about it. And so it goes. I've bought three previous Specialized bikes from a different and closer LBS who has also done some annoying things over the years, but in the future I think I'll be going back to them...
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Ask your LBS for a loaner Ebike to use as a replacement while the warranty claim is processed... other EBR members have reported this service offer.
 
rich c said:
Without the LBS, would you have been able to diagnose a ticking sound yourself on an internet only sold eBike?
Click to expand...
No. That's why I wanted to buy something that could be serviced locally, such as Specialized or Trek. I'm just disappointed in this specific dealer. OTOH, my wife's Trek dealer has been great, but they didn't make what I was looking for.
 
FlatSix911 said:
Ask your LBS for a loaner Ebike to use as a replacement while the warranty claim is processed... other EBR members have reported this service offer.
Click to expand...
To be honest, it would be more hassle than it's worth. I have two other bikes that have served me well although I can't ride as often or far on them these days. I also doubt they have anything to loan out.
 
rochrunner said:
No. That's why I wanted to buy something that could be serviced locally, such as Specialized or Trek. I'm just disappointed in this specific dealer. OTOH, my wife's Trek dealer has been great, but they didn't make what I was looking for.
Click to expand...

I ordered my first Specialized (Vado SL 5.0). Less than a mile from my house is a Trek dealer that I have a long history with. They are first rate in terms of service. Two miles from my house I have the Specialized dealer. I haven't had good luck with them on a couple of visits spanning several years. I had visited their store a couple of times in my early days of e-bike shopping and was pretty much ignored when I entered. But the Vado SL was the first light-assist e-bike available in the US from a brand with a dealer network. So I held my nose and called them to place the order. That was two weeks ago. Communication with them since has been difficult but I'm willing to chalk that up to the challenges of Covid. I'm really hoping that Specialized has fully tested this Vado SL. I'm dreading having problems given my lack of trust with the dealer I ordered from.
 
Patience Is needed at this time. It is the spring and in normal times shops would be busy. But now imagine trying to keep your business alive and working twice as hard and much longer days to do it. 8am to 6pm for many of our shop guys. This is ok for a short while, but when it drags on for weeks....We are so busy that we are closing a second day a week just to try and keep things to a normal springtime wait period.
I would think that Specialized US is working as efficiently and speedily as they can. I know Specialized Canada is👍.
I work on several brands of ebikes, and IMHO and with a good deal of experience/knowledge, you are riding one of the best ebikes available. Enthusiasm can vary from shop to shop (my boss and several employees use ebikes regularly). But support from Spesh is really good!
 
This chart was posted in another EBR thread... Specialized has had a mixed history regarding reliability.

The failures may be self-inflicted as they tend to push the envelope with new technology and custom motor designs.

I really like their product line up especially the recent light/fast introductions, but I remain concerned about failures. YMMV ;)

#11 Specialized- 1,261 miles/failure
Specialized had the third most respondents and several had major failures, with numerous battery failures, battery mounts, controllers, etc. There were also several minor failures such as a rear rack cracking. In addition, most ranked Specialized low in the ratings, which also hurt their ranking. There were only two respondents without some sort of failure and they were both under 1,000 miles.

Bike reliability survey .png
 
Jimbo08 said:
Patience Is needed at this time. It is the spring and in normal times shops would be busy. But now imagine trying to keep your business alive and working twice as hard and much longer days to do it. 8am to 6pm for many of our shop guys. This is ok for a short while, but when it drags on for weeks....We are so busy that we are closing a second day a week just to try and keep things to a normal springtime wait period.
I would think that Specialized US is working as efficiently and speedily as they can. I know Specialized Canada is👍.
I work on several brands of ebikes, and IMHO and with a good deal of experience/knowledge, you are riding one of the best ebikes available. Enthusiasm can vary from shop to shop (my boss and several employees use ebikes regularly). But support from Spesh is really good!
Click to expand...
Thanks very much for the encouragement. I've actually calmed down a bit today and will try to touch base with the dealer later today. They are indeed "slammed" with work right now. It's mainly that the bike was delivered to me with this defect and I would hope for priority in getting it fixed as opposed to a problem with a more used bike.

And I have been very respectful to the point where the owner thanked me for being "cool" about it. At 73 I just don't get that shook up about much of anything any more. 😁
 
FlatSix911 said:
This chart was posted in another EBR thread... Specialized has had a mixed history regarding reliability.

The failures may be self-inflicted as they tend to push the envelope with new technology and custom motor designs.

I really like their product line up especially the recent light/fast introductions, but I remain concerned about failures. YMMV ;)

#11 Specialized- 1,261 miles/failure
Specialized had the third most respondents and several had major failures, with numerous battery failures, battery mounts, controllers, etc. There were also several minor failures such as a rear rack cracking. In addition, most ranked Specialized low in the ratings, which also hurt their ranking. There were only two respondents without some sort of failure and they were both under 1,000 miles.
Click to expand...

This is the link to the post with the survey results:

electricbikereview.com

Spring 2020 Ebike Reliability Survey Results

Here are the results of the first ever Ebike Test Lab Reliability Survey, which we plan to do every Spring and Fall moving forward. The rankings are based solely on the survey responses. An algorithm was developed to take into account the total number of miles, number of failures, severity of...
electricbikereview.com electricbikereview.com

It's self reporting so it's a little like the consumer reports car statistics but will get better as they get more information with more respondents.

The Specialized customer experience very much depends on your dealer. I have a 2014 Turbo S that I used for a 18 mile one way commute that I purchased from a local multi store shop. I got good support from the store Specialized service focal dealing with Specialized on a motor issue but the mechanics were alway little less enthusiastic when they saw an e-bike. One of the local dedicated ebike shops now carries Specialzed so I've switched to them for the Turbo S maintenance. I have a Vado SL 5.0 on order with them.

My semi-custom normal road bike had the rear wheel come apart on it's first 50 mile ride last year. This was from a shop builder with a very good reputation so things happen. It's gotten quite few miles since then and I would buy it again.
 
rochrunner said:
Thanks very much for the encouragement. I've actually calmed down a bit today and will try to touch base with the dealer later today. They are indeed "slammed" with work right now. It's mainly that the bike was delivered to me with this defect and I would hope for priority in getting it fixed as opposed to a problem with a more used bike.

And I have been very respectful to the point where the owner thanked me for being "cool" about it. At 73 I just don't get that shook up about much of anything any more. 😁
Click to expand...

As a fellow shop owner and Specialized dealer I can certainly understand where both of you are coming from. Often times some of these "defects" aren't readily apparent during the PDI (pre delivery inspection). Granted if things are rushed that doesn't help at all. Patience is always appreciated as you've found out. A little slack goes a long way. Having said that, when you drop $3500 you want it to be perfect and that's a fair expectation. Not to sound too much like a broken record, but we're in an unknown area given the restrictions to traditional retail coupled with an increase in demand not seen in some time.

What Vado did you get? Sounds like the 4.0? I just picked up a 5.0 for my own commute and am very impressed with it! Got any pictures of your bike?

Edit: I want to add that the warranty process in the cycling industry as a whole is completely backwards compared to powersports/motorcycles. Usually the dealer and/or customer end up paying out of pocket for otherwise manufacture failures. I strongly disagree with this as anything that wasn't right from the factory should go back to the folks who built the bike in the first place! Usually the brands will cover the replacement part but the dealer or customer is left paying for labor. Yamaha is working to rectify this, unknown if other brands are moving towards this model (not an easy shift). Typically our move is to move heaven and earth to take care of the customer and pick up the pieces after. If that's ordering a motor, whatever is the quicker and less painless move for the end client, do it. Paperwork can be done later as we don't want $3000+ paperweights not being ridden!
 
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After 7 months ridden on my Vado with more than 1000 miles on the odo, I have to agree with Brendon. Vados need patience. Specialized are slow. The LBS does whatever possible but that takes time. I can only assure you @rochrunner that after your issues have been eventually resolved, you'll be delighted with your Vado. (It took Specialized more than 6 months to deliver the TCD-W conversion set for an S-Pedelec Vado 5.0 to replace the BLOKS display. It took Giant a week to deliver and replace the RideControl One with RideControl Evo). Now, I am more than happy with my Vado, "the e-bike Ferrari" :)

Come think to it, would you believe how imperfect the systems from other e-bike brands are? With the TCD-W, you see such obvious things such as a clock, power meter, calories burnt. Would you believe such simple information is not available with Giant? Do you think Bosch displays are better than the Specialized one? If you think so, you're very very wrong... ;)
 
Stefan Mikes said:
Come think to it, would you believe how imperfect the systems from other e-bike brands are? With the TCD-W, you see such obvious things such as a clock, power meter, calories burnt. Would you believe such simple information is not available with Giant? Do you think Bosch displays are better than the Specialized one? If you think so, you're very very wrong... ;)
Click to expand...
I don't really need to be convinced. I was sold on the Vado's features from the start and really liked the bike until it started making noise. I might actually have considered a Giant at one point except that the version they import here is at the lower end of the range. Right now, the best scenario (which will never happen) would be for Specialized to take the bike back and give me credit towards a Vado SL 5.0, which is the bike that I had hoped for in the first place before I knew it existed. It's what I get for buying my bike too early in the year. :confused:
 
I got a warranty replacement Vado 6.0 (2020 model) because the frame cracked on my 2018 model. Cracked frame wasn't my only issue with that bike, it was just the last fatal blow to a terrible buying decision. I hit 1151 km on the warranty replacement yesterday on my daily commute back home and the motor broke. At least I'm fairly certain that it did. It now just makes this high pitch noise (https://photos.app.goo.gl/iHeEWd5QpX4CaGcAA) when pedaling. There's no resistance at all in the motor. My LBS hasn't gotten back to me yet.

It's unreal that such expensive bikes cannot hold up to basic usage on bike paths. I bought it to commute 2x 20 km per day and I've been without my bike for 120+++ days since October 2018. Appalling brand.

I highly doubt that Specialized can ever convince me to buy another bike from them.
 
Got a surprise today when the LBS called and told me I could pick up my bike. I talked to the mechanic and he said he definitely was hearing the noise. Under guidance (I think) from Spec's warranty group he disassembled everything in the motor case and reassembled it carefully, being sure to torque properly, etc. He did not find anything specific, but since putting it back together several people went out and rode it hard and the noise hasn't come back. So I can pick it up and start riding it, with the commitment that if the symptom comes back, they will immediately swap out the motor.

So once again I'm happy with Specialized and especially with my LBS. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to get it and will be anxious to try it out.
 
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