Beware the Specialized "Warranty"
- Thread starter chriscv
- Start date
Two months in?
Bill R
Member
Trek is the same they don't warranty any parts not made buy Trek. I found this out when Fox Factory parts fell apart first 50 miles and Fox Factory never reasoned to warranty claim. I Now do not buy Fox Factory and a Trek bike would be a hard sell also Bosh after the Nikola shadiness can not trust Bicycle manufacturers anymore all are poor.
Art Deco
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Selinsgrove Pennsylvania
Lots of Specialized dealers around. Might be worthwhile to try a different one if you think you got a bad one ... they do exist.
Allan47.7339
Well-Known Member
The key to the Specialized warranty is the dealer. It is hard to tell from what was written what the OP's brake issue was but I would not expect consumables like rotors and disk pads to be a warranty item. A caliper or undamaged lever should be covered. I would never ride intentionally without a front brake other than to limp back from a ride. When I bought my Turbo S in late 2014, some of the mechanics at the shop were not completely on board with ebikes and could be a little difficult at the time but the shop always came through with warranty issues. Generally the shops in the greater Seattle/Bellevue area are are pretty good.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
True. There is a Specialized dealer in Warsaw I don't want to have anything in common for the future, and there is a new Specialized dealer there I'd love to buy another e-bike from! Two different worlds.
Art Deco
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Selinsgrove Pennsylvania
Agreed. But the company usually doesn't "police" the individual shops. When I mention taking test rides to new buyers, I also mention checking out the shop and speaking to the mechanic(s) if possible. In some cases, the LBS is more important than the bikes they sell.
jabberwocky
Well-Known Member
This sounds like a shop issue, not really a Specialized issue. Brakes advancing while riding is usually air in the lines (happens with hydraulic systems, brakes are ok when cold, but as they heat up the air expands and the pads start rubbing or clamp the rotor). If there is air in the lines the brakes just need a bleed. All hydraulic brake systems need to be bled every once in a while.
The solution is not removing the pads; riding without pads will damage the brake caliper (the pistons are not designed to do anything but push on the back of the pads; hydraulic systems are self advancing so removing the pads just means the pistons will advance out until they are touching the rotor. Did the shop tell you to remove the pads and continue riding? Because if so... find a new shop.
Pulsing can be a warped rotor, which can usually be straightened in a truing stand, or if they are bad enough, just replaced.
This is all fairly normal maintenance stuff, and either the shop is jerking you around or we aren't getting the whole story. Even if the entire brake system has completely imploded, replacing a brake is a fairly simple thing for a shop to do, and MTB brakes are totally modular (meaning they almost certainly have something laying around the shop they could swap on). The wildcard is that shops are swamped right now, and bikes and parts are hard to come by. What part did they order to fix the original issue?
The solution is not removing the pads; riding without pads will damage the brake caliper (the pistons are not designed to do anything but push on the back of the pads; hydraulic systems are self advancing so removing the pads just means the pistons will advance out until they are touching the rotor. Did the shop tell you to remove the pads and continue riding? Because if so... find a new shop.
Pulsing can be a warped rotor, which can usually be straightened in a truing stand, or if they are bad enough, just replaced.
This is all fairly normal maintenance stuff, and either the shop is jerking you around or we aren't getting the whole story. Even if the entire brake system has completely imploded, replacing a brake is a fairly simple thing for a shop to do, and MTB brakes are totally modular (meaning they almost certainly have something laying around the shop they could swap on). The wildcard is that shops are swamped right now, and bikes and parts are hard to come by. What part did they order to fix the original issue?
I am really sorry for your troubles, and others who have experienced similar issues with other major brands warranty claims. It makes you doubt the veracity of the commonly accepted "fact" that's bandied about on this forum that buying a BIG BRAND bike from a LBS is a guarantee of good after-the-sale service. I've seen plenty of posts on this forum saying this is WHY we pay the BIG BUCKS to the LBS for these brands. When push comes to shove, I am hearing that these MASSIVE companies are acting more and more like DTC companies: Essentially ignoring clients with valid warranty issues. Maybe it's because business is SO GOOD that they can piss on their dissatisfied customers and not worry about the consequences. The real crime is the ridiculous prices they charge because so many believe they will back their product when they break.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
In case of big trouble with an e-bike, Specialized typically furnish a brand new e-bike as a replacement.
Stefan,
That has not happened here. It should not have to be a death-match to get a company to honor their own policies. It seems the the Bicycle manufacturers have decided that the components they hang on their bikes that they source from other companies are not their issue and do not fall under their warranty protections. That is utter CRAP and an abuse of consumers' good will.
jabberwocky
Well-Known Member
Service with any of the major brands is more about the shop than the brand itself. None of the major companies own the bike shops outright (ok, I think Specialized and Trek have a few factory stores around the world, but the vast majority are independent). The shop acts as the eyes and hands of the brand. Specialized (and Trek, and Giant, and..etc) don't pay mechanics directly. They offer high level support to their dealer, who actually interacts with the customer and handles the repair. Most of the threads on this forum throwing various brands under the bus don't seem to get this. 95% of the complaints about [insert brand here] are people dealing with a shop that is passing the buck.
Reading the OP, I'd say he escalated straight to Specialized very quickly, when it should have been a shop issue. Reading his original issue (brake dragging and then locking up), thats almost certainly a brake with air in the system. I've had the same thing happen to me. Its possible the brake had dragged long enough that the pads had glazed. If so, thats completely not Specializeds problem (the shop should have checked the bleed on the brake before selling it, and pads are wear items and generally not covered under warranty). His subsequent comment about SRAM not warrantying whatever the issue is probably falls under the same umbrella (or he damaged the brake riding without pads in it, and they are understandably refusing to replace a component the customer damaged).
If I were the OP, I'd be going back to the shop to ask how they represented the problem to Specialized, and what part they ordered, and if they have something in the shop they can use to get the bike rolling and just put the warranty item on when it shows up. Bearing in mind that shops are slammed right now, and their mechanic is probably swamped and working overtime to keep up (I have friends who work in shops and thats the boat they are all in). I'm not personally a fan of Specialized as a company for various reasons, but I know plenty of people with their bikes/ebikes and their service has generally been excellent.
Dallant
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Typically? Is that something you’ve had experience with?
Alaskan
Well-Known Member
Where did you buy your Trek bicycle? Clearly not at our local Trek shop or at the majority of shops with which other Trek owners have detailed their experiences.
I had repeated problems with the Shimano microspline hub on my new Trek Allant +9.9s. The local Trek shop and the folks at Trek corporate were incredibly helpful in first rebuilding the hub and then after it failed the second time, replacing it with a much higher cost, different brand and functionally superior hub. At the same time, they put a replacement wheel on my bike while we were waiting for parts.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
@Dallant:
I read the Specialized Forum here.
From my personal experience, a Specialized dealer in Warsaw has rebuilt my 2017 Vado 5.0 to replace the older BLOKS display with the modern TCD-W one. In reality, it meant dismantling half of the bike and replacing many parts including horn, lights (Supernova M99 Pro worth US$550 alone as well as a Supernova tail-light), a new rack etc etc. All these changes were necessary to maintain Euro S-Pedelec certification for 2020. Guess what I paid for the overhaul?
Zero.
2017 Specialized Turbo Vado 5.0 Review | ElectricBikeReview.com
Price: $4600.00 | Model Year: 2017 | A high-speed urban electric bike with premium tubular fenders, minimalist rack with integrated light, 600 Lumen headlight, reflective stickers on fenders and rims
electricbikereview.com
A killer machine, eh?
Last edited:
Mike TowpathTraveler
Well-Known Member
"As it stands I am now riding the bike with no front brakes and as of yesterday, the high frequency vibration and noise returned and happens on every ride after approximately 20 minutes. Once the bike is left to rest it goes away only to return later. I have looked at the brakes and there is zero contact between the cylinders and the pad leading me to believe it may be another issue. The fact that it happens after extended riding makes me suspect that something is warming up and expanding, possibly the axle, but I don't have the time to troubleshoot.
Troubleshooting issues should be a fun part of bike ownership; cause to do without then completely puts your problems with the bike in the hands of people who don't intimately know your bike the way you, the owner, does.
Never heard of removing the brake pads and continuing to ride on, unless this was one of those "I'm 30 miles from home on this ride and I need what I need to do in order to get home kind of deals." Do not hit that front brake lever as you could force the pistons out, causing more damage to the caliper and piston sealing.
Without brake pads touching the rotors, you can safely remove the idea of a brake pad/rotor contact problem. That boils things down to either a front hub bearing issue or a thru axle issue. The easiest thing you can do right now is to see how tight that thru axle is. Too tight and I can see that putting alot of side pressure on your hub bearings. Remove that axle with the idea of seeing just how tight the pressure is on it. Spin the bearings on the front hub while on the bike and look and listen for anything abnormal.
When I bought my 2015 Fatboy, stories were all out there of rear hub bearing failures, forcing Specialized into replacing those failed hubs that came in on warranty repair, coming out with an expensive Hope FatSno rear hub. They even had issues with the bottom bracket bearings or the entire press fit unit loosening up, causing creaking when pedaling. I had neither problem, but with the garbage Tektro Gemini calipers and rotors, the bike sounded like a pig getting murdered when I rode the brakes hard down any substantial hill. Embarrassing, for sure. But these companies like Specialized bean counter every component, wringing the most profit out of the cheapest possible component they can get away with (my opinion). Even after replacing the cheap rotors with expensive Shimano Ice Teks, the bike still squeals with the Tektro calipers and pads.....
Good luck, look at troubleshooting as a way to learn more about your bike and as a means of giving the bike tech more info to better help him help you with your bike issues. Let us know how this works out for ya!
Troubleshooting issues should be a fun part of bike ownership; cause to do without then completely puts your problems with the bike in the hands of people who don't intimately know your bike the way you, the owner, does.
Never heard of removing the brake pads and continuing to ride on, unless this was one of those "I'm 30 miles from home on this ride and I need what I need to do in order to get home kind of deals." Do not hit that front brake lever as you could force the pistons out, causing more damage to the caliper and piston sealing.
Without brake pads touching the rotors, you can safely remove the idea of a brake pad/rotor contact problem. That boils things down to either a front hub bearing issue or a thru axle issue. The easiest thing you can do right now is to see how tight that thru axle is. Too tight and I can see that putting alot of side pressure on your hub bearings. Remove that axle with the idea of seeing just how tight the pressure is on it. Spin the bearings on the front hub while on the bike and look and listen for anything abnormal.
When I bought my 2015 Fatboy, stories were all out there of rear hub bearing failures, forcing Specialized into replacing those failed hubs that came in on warranty repair, coming out with an expensive Hope FatSno rear hub. They even had issues with the bottom bracket bearings or the entire press fit unit loosening up, causing creaking when pedaling. I had neither problem, but with the garbage Tektro Gemini calipers and rotors, the bike sounded like a pig getting murdered when I rode the brakes hard down any substantial hill. Embarrassing, for sure. But these companies like Specialized bean counter every component, wringing the most profit out of the cheapest possible component they can get away with (my opinion). Even after replacing the cheap rotors with expensive Shimano Ice Teks, the bike still squeals with the Tektro calipers and pads.....
Good luck, look at troubleshooting as a way to learn more about your bike and as a means of giving the bike tech more info to better help him help you with your bike issues. Let us know how this works out for ya!
Ckbtvl
New Member
I have an interesting suggestion. www.elliott.org He owns an advocacy agency. He and his staff write in many newspapers and resolve many issues. Travel, credit card, rentals, etc. He has a free form on the site to address issues. I probably blog more there than on EBR. As a travel agent I find his travel resolutions fun to read. It's free and they are quite good at their jobs. so why not give it a try? We know how hard that out LBS people try, but we are in a huge excuses world right now, so maybe..... Make sure that you have your entire paper trail, it helps a lot.
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