Blown motor on E3 Dash with 29 miles on it

[HumanitiesHaze]

[important update] The issue with this motor was discovered and has been addressed by Currie Technologies. Magnets were coming loose based on glue quality. If anyone else has the issue please see the PDF description and official response deeper in the thread here.

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Just got my brand new iZip E3 dash the other day! I got it with 9 miles on it from the dealer (another story). I had a blast for the first 20 miles.. But then something let go in the rear, and then this happened. It threw a E1 error code as well.

I live in the city, it was all road miles on a cool day. I literally just started off on my 2nd battery charge when this happened. "Someone @ Curry" has to sign off on "the overnight" for the new wheel, but my dealer is 2 hours away and prolly won't get it until Monday.

20 miles on a motor. My confidence is shaken, and hopefully this won't be a continuing issue.

 

[pcrdude]

It sucks, and I (and I'm sure others) feel your pain.

It sounds like Currie is going to stand behind their product, and do the best they can to make it right. If so, then they are doing the right thing!

I had a catastrophic failure in a new car (slipped timing belt, and it ate a valve). The dealer took care of it for me, and gave me a loaner car for free while they fixed the engine. I got 150k miles outta that car after that fix.

And it was a Honda, known for reliability.

Please post what happens!

I feel your pain, and I know it sucks!

 

[Charly Banana]

Very scary!!!!
I thought these direct drive motor were supposed to be dependable.
And with a failure like this you probably can't even pedal home with the electrics shut off.

 

[DashRiprock]

Very scary!!!!
I thought these direct drive motor were supposed to be dependable.

...my thought as well...and the reason that I didn't go with planetary gears initially...or was it (as I found out later) that a quality geared motor 'probably' would have cost considerably more than $1600 with the bike included.

Sorry about your problem. I hope that you keep in touch with the dealer and/or Currie to find out exactly what happened or the rest of us will never know years from now what to expect (if anything).

 

[Kyle hamor]

This sucks but with any thing you buy their is always a chance to get a lemon. I would say probably 1 out of 25. Keep in mind we bought a izip because it came with a warranty. Now I don't know about you but I take comfort in knowing that because it's a bigger more reputable company. They will honor it and probably in a fraction of the time it would take from a small start up company. And this type of issue is very rare I've been using brushless hub motor's my last 2 bikes and they lasted for as long as I had the bike's. I also put them through a lot, rain, trails, and some beach cruising( these were much cheaper bike kit's as well, so I wil be a lot easier on my izip dash, just because it's so expensive) So keep that in mind these are dependable motors. There's also a unavoidable fact that they export there parts made from factories across the world and whose to say the motor wasn't dropped at the factory in assembly. You never know. But as long as Currie takes care of it in a timely manner I'd still purchase their product again.

 

[HumanitiesHaze]

A warranty isn't too useful if your dealer is 2 hours away and the bike is down more than it's up. I'm willing to chalk this up to a fluke as I'm back to using my homemade ebike with 700+ miles on it for this weekend. The whole buying experience hasn't been the best so far. The dealer (recommended by Larry Pizzi) asked for a down payment on my CC prior to ordering, ended up charging the entire bike on it. Said it'll be ready within 10 days. 15 days later that charge hit my CC without the bike (13% apr @ $2960 = $46.80 charge, I wanted to pay cash for the bike btw). I was fine with this as long as the bike was assembled and charged when I came up (which it was, and they stayed open 10 minutes late for me). The bike had 9 miles on it prior to me receiving it (Not sure if that's normal for testing)
Within 20 miles and one battery charge of me having it; the bike fails. It's now almost 20+ days and I still cannot use my bike, and I'm not paying off my CC as there's protection on it for such an instance. But I'll prolly get hit on another APR charge next month. So now it's 4+ hours just to get it fixed @ $25 a tank of gas and this is quickly becoming an expensive eBike that I should just accept .

I've been waiting for this bike since I saw it leaked in 2013, I was excited for it. I'm used to buying high end equipment for my job and life and when something doesn't turn out how you expect it, it's dishearten to say the least.

Again, I'm not posting this all over the net with negativity. EBR is where I did a lot of research for this bike. I'm willing to give others a chance, but there comes a point where I have to call game. We'll see, I suspect Monday I'll have to take off work to travel and get this fixed and then it'll be 100% perfect for years... I hope.

 

[Admin]

@HumanitiesHaze that is an awesome video! Thanks for taking the time to shoot and share it... I feel your pain and am so sorry for the inconvenience here (both financial and lost time).

Ebikes can be amazing machines but I've had them break on me before as well, I've endured flats and even considered getting insurance but for the most part they've worked well. I hope this gets resolved properly for you and you can enjoy your new ride as much as your older one.

 

[Larry Pizzi]

@HumanitiesHaze - I'm so sorry that you have this problem. I learned about the issue on Friday and we shipped a replacement the very same day via FedEx Priority, 2 day so that it will arrive at the dealer on Monday. I'll will also reimburse you for your expenses as a result of this inconvenience. Please drop me an email @ [email protected] with the details.

I can assure you that we will make this right and its unfortunate that we did not have a stocking dealer near to where you live. We are working on opening two dealers that will be in closer proximity over the next few months. We are anxious to get the week back to determine what went wrong with the motor.

Thanks in advance for your patience as we get this resolved.

-Larry

 

[DashRiprock]

If I can receive the same response as above if I have a problem...it may make me forget that I never had the chance to simply factory accessorize my purchase. Please let us know as well, Larry (if you are able given the circumstances) and thanks for the reassurance.

 

[Larry Pizzi]

@DashRiprock - You can rest assured.

 

[Kyle hamor]

Larry you're customer service is outstanding, I'm impressed.

 

[Larry Pizzi]

Larry you're customer service is outstanding, I'm impressed.

Thank you Kyle. We are trying our best as an company to insure 100% satisfaction.

 

[Paul E.]

Thank you Kyle. We are trying our best as an company to insure 100% satisfaction.

While we're on this subject... I have a dilemma: I'm pretty much set on getting the Dash but the local Currie dealer here doesn't sell it yet (or any of the new IZip models) and can't say when he would. I'm guessing he's trying to get rid of the old ones in stock first. What if I order a Dash from somewhere far, far away and it develops a problem like this, or the bottom bracket one? Should I be able to get warranty service through a dealer I didn't buy from? If he's not cooperative, can I get support from Currie directly in form of parts and instructions since I'm pretty handy myself?

 

[HumanitiesHaze]

@HumanitiesHaze - I'm so sorry that you have this problem. I learned about the issue on Friday and we shipped a replacement the very same day via FedEx Priority, 2 day so that it will arrive at the dealer on Monday. I'll will also reimburse you for your expenses as a result of this inconvenience. Please drop me an email @ [email protected] with the details.

I can assure you that we will make this right and its unfortunate that we did not have a stocking dealer near to where you live. We are working on opening two dealers that will be in closer proximity over the next few months. We are anxious to get the week back to determine what went wrong with the motor.

Thanks in advance for your patience as we get this resolved.

-Larry

Larry, you're always on point with great communication and I respect that. It's not about the money as I just wanted this experience to be awesome. A little patience on my behalf and hopefully I'll have those awesome times on the Dash soon. You'll be getting that wheel back soon, you should yell at it for me.

While we're on this subject... I have a dilemma: I'm pretty much set on getting the Dash but the local Currie dealer here doesn't sell it yet (or any of the new IZip models) and can't say when he would. I'm guessing he's trying to get rid of the old ones in stock first. What if I order a Dash from somewhere far, far away and it develops a problem like this, or the bottom bracket one? Should I be able to get warranty service through a dealer I didn't buy from? If he's not cooperative, can I get support from Currie directly in form of parts and instructions since I'm pretty handy myself?

My dealer special ordered one. Within 15 days I had it. And if the wheel issue happens again, I'll prolly ask them to dropship it to me and I can put it on myself instead of that 4 hour ride.

 

[Paul E.]

My dealer special ordered one. Within 15 days I had it. And if the wheel issue happens again, I'll prolly ask them to dropship it to me and I can put it on myself instead of that 4 hour ride.

I could do that but it just doesn't sit quite right with me that the shipping charge for the special order would be higher than if I order it myself from some store online...

 

[Larry Pizzi]

I could do that but it just doesn't sit quite right with me that the shipping charge for the special order would be higher than if I order it myself from some store online...

While we're on this subject... I have a dilemma: I'm pretty much set on getting the Dash but the local Currie dealer here doesn't sell it yet (or any of the new IZip models) and can't say when he would. I'm guessing he's trying to get rid of the old ones in stock first. What if I order a Dash from somewhere far, far away and it develops a problem like this, or the bottom bracket one? Should I be able to get warranty service through a dealer I didn't buy from? If he's not cooperative, can I get support from Currie directly in form of parts and instructions since I'm pretty handy myself?

@Paul E. - I'd suggest that you order it through the dealer near you, even if they don't have the Dash in stock, they can special order it for you. If for some reason they won't please let me know and we will contact them and attempt to work this out for you. As an aside, every authorized dealer will perform warranty work, even on a bike they have not sold because we compensate them for their time. If for some reason, its inconvenient for you to get into a dealer and are capable of handling repairs on your own, we are also happy to work with you directly if its something that is relatively easy to solve.

 

[DashRiprock]

@Paul E. - we are also happy to work with you directly if its something that is relatively easy to solve.

"..easy to solve (limited handholding)"...is great service none the less (if we respect the definition). This is great to know and appreciated.

 

[Paul E.]

Well that gives options. Very reassuring, thanks.

 

[HumanitiesHaze]

No call from the dealer today about the new wheel.

 

[DashRiprock]

It 'used' to be (keep in mind this was at least a decade ago)...that you didn't gain an extra business day by shipping "2nd day" on Friday...and that only Next Day Air (or NDA Saturday) delivery would guarantee delivery any sooner than Tuesday. I'm guessing that policy has changed and that they will receive your package later today.