I could smell my Vado motor about to fail

Rome said:
You gotta lube da guy for his audacity.
We all know he's a show off.
@Stefan Mikes . Take us to Hump Tulip next time you riding improving Strava stats. On your Brose TF Specialized Vado.
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You asked and you shall receive:

map.jpg
 
BlackHand said:
Takes a real special type of person to come onto this OPs thread and post all this crap just because you don't like the attitude of another poster who owns the same brand.

Did it even occur to anyone to express any sympathy or encouragement to the OP?

@dollarbin - hope your LBS can get you sorted quickly, sucks to lose the bike at the beginning of summer.
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Thanks BlackHand. I just talked to the LBS today and they had been waiting for a quote on a rebuild--a straight replacement is $1400 plus $300 labor. In talking to them I realized that they were unaware that the motor had been replaced 15 months ago because it was done at a different LBS that is no longer a Specialized dealer, so now I'm hoping they will get a warranty replacement sorted out. Interestingly, they said that there were two forms of rebuild, a straight ahead replacement or a more heavy duty replacement for a little more. I guess I'd be interested in something that would last a little longer.

As far as usage, I have a mostly flat 16 mile commute, the one hill is a very gentle 100 foot rise over a bridge. I'm big and tall and I typically ride fast for commuting, level 3 assist, cruising >20 MPH. I take care not to lug the engine and my legs, keeping my cadence around 80 RPM and always downshifting on stops. I never ride in the rain and store the bike indoors on both ends of my commute.
 
Sorry for your woes dollarbin. Waiting on warranty work sucks. Sadly it generally gets pushed to the back of the line as it pays the least. LBS puts in a good amount of time and only gets what the manufacturers want to pay.
I would be on the phone to Specialized every day I had time. I’d call the motor manufacturer as well. It can’t hurt. Generally the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Good luck.
 
This is why I made them take my bike back after they wanted to replace the entire bike a second time in 1 year. Glad I did because the just left my LBS high and dry for all warranty work.
 
You have 300 miles left, my motor went 4100 miles.

Sounds like most people haven't had the number of miles and/or bad luck that I have. The LBS has sent out a number of motors to someone who rebuilds them and claims to use a more durable belt. If I don't end up getting the warranty replacement I will try that as an option and give the bike one last chance.
 
dollarbin said:
You have 300 miles left, my motor went 4100 miles.

Sounds like most people haven't had the number of miles and/or bad luck that I have. The LBS has sent out a number of motors to someone who rebuilds them and claims to use a more durable belt. If I don't end up getting the warranty replacement I will try that as an option and give the bike one last chance.
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Your Vado 2020 Vado is last generation and has a totally different motor. It doesn’t compare to mine.
 
jigglyjamster said:
What year, and model bike do you have?
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I had a 2017 Vado 5.0 bought in 2019, if that matters. Not the latest one.
Now, what remained from the original e-bike is the original battery, brakes, cranks, and the derailleur/shifter. All the rest was replaced by Specialized according to the warranty/lifetime frame warranty or by myself. Go figure :) (What I have now is technically a 2020 Vado 6.0).
 
Stefan Mikes said:
I had a 2017 Vado 5.0 bought in 2019, if that matters. Not the latest one.
Now, what remained from the original e-bike is the original battery, brakes, cranks, and the derailleur/shifter. All the rest was replaced by Specialized according to the warranty/lifetime frame warranty or by myself. Go figure :) (What I have now is technically a 2020 Vado 6.0).
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Right, so no one knows how long the latest Vado generation motors will last. I'm talking about second generation Vado (2022 - Present).
 
jigglyjamster said:
Right, so no one knows how long the latest Vado generation motors will last. I'm talking about second generation Vado (2022 - Present).
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I think there were significant improvements to the new motors. One of indication is the new motor are louder than the older generation ones. I think Brose went for gears instead of the carbon drive belt.
 
A new 1.2s motor cost me around US$1,300. I hear there are services that can fix the motor at far lower cost.
Do not worry about your motor!
 
I don't think the basic design of the Brose motors has changed, they appear to still use a belt but there might be updates from the original material.

I've been going down a bit of a YouTube Rabbit Hole learning about these motors.

This video seems to present a comprehensive list of ways these motors can fail:


If you prefer essentially the same information, presented in a drier tone:


If seems like the main causes of motor failure are:
1) Failure in the Sprag Bearings/Clutch
2) Water intrusion in the gears or electronics
3) Belt Failure
4) Misc. other mechanical parts failing

Based upon the symptoms described in these videos I'd say that my motors probably had failures in the Sprag bearings. These videos are posted by shops that are trying to sell their services, but it seems reasonable that there are ways to upgrade these features to mitigate the risk, and perhaps the newer stock Brose motors also have these parts upgraded. If I end up having to pay for a non-warranty repair it does seem like there's shops with a track record of repairing these specific motors so I would probably feel better about the prospects for the motor.
 
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