Known Issues & Problems with Brose Products + Help, Solutions & Fixes

[AlanK]

Hmm, On this very forum I have read posts from quite a few people with very reliable Brose systems. One man says that he has gone 10,000 miles 3 times on his bike. He sends the motor in for service every 10,000 miles as recommended. Others are near to reaching the 10000 mile mark.

I hope mine is reliable and I am sorry about your problem. I think your bike is identical to mine as mine is a 2007 iZip Moda which is the same bike as the Raleigh Redux. I have 1500 miles on mine so far. Also unfortunately, Covid-19 has greatly cut into my biking, normally I would have about 400 miles by this time in May, but this year I only have 177 miles so far.

I actually don't have an ebike yet and am weighing my options. I was just relaying what my local LBS and mechanic has told me about Brose. There was originally a typo in my previous post. He told me Haibike and Raleigh won't use Brose because of difficulty diagnostic issues. Most Bosch and Shimano issues can be diagnosed at the local dealer and fixed there. My LBS told me Brose can't be diagnosed with software at the dealership, so the motor must be removed from the bike and sent to regional distribution center for diagnosis and repair which can take several weeks.

 

[funck]

A new Brose Drive TF (official 45km/h) motor has been mounted on my QWIC Performance Speed MA11 after only 3000 km due to internal mechanical failure. My colleagues motor (same bike/same motor) broke after only 2500km. Another colleague of me has a Specialized Vado with the same motor: same failure at 3500 and 7000km. Replaced by a version '2.0' (whatever that me be) after 10.000km ...

By the way: until now all failures have been repaired under warranty.

In my opinion there is a serious problem with the mechanical reliability of the Brose Drive TF 45km/h motor!

I’m looking for users with the same experience and how to find a durable solution for this problem.

 

[funck]

Remarkable: I think 'Mr. Brose' shows the exact problem of the Brose Drive TF 45km/h motor! Zoom in on the bottom left side of the outer gear ring ...

 

[Ricky]

Wow, chipped tooth. Not good.

 

[funck]

Indeed, althoug Dr. Brose seems to be very proud of it!

 

[TS25]

A new Brose Drive TF (official 45km/h) motor has been mounted on my ...

In my opinion there is a serious problem with the mechanical reliability of the Brose Drive TF 45km/h motor!

I’m looking for users with the same experience and how to find a durable solution for this problem.

Take a look at this very informative YT video esp starting at 18:30 min discussing Specialized motor problems:

 

[Ricky]

Take a look at this very informative YT video esp starting at 18:30 min discussing Specialized motor problems:

Hi, I have a bike with the Brose TF 45 km/h motor and I hope that there isn't problems. I have 1600 miles so far without any issues. What makes you think that there are lots of issues with the TF motor. When you watch the video the problem he is talking about is the new Mag motor made out of magnesium that came out in 2019. He says in the video that the original TF motor is very reliable.
Thanks,
Rick

 

[funck]

At my work we drive 3 speed pedelecs with Brose Drive TF C93882 motors. All of these motors were replaced at 2500-3500 km, that’s why I think there’s a quality issue with this motor.

 

[Ribas1972]

The new bike here at home ... a BH Atom with a 36v 250w and 90nm Brose engine (I think). Battery with 500w.
I bought used with 3000km and battery at 98% of its capacity.
It's my first electric bike.
But I'm unlucky. Today after a small trip, the engine stopped running. There was no error. But I notice that when riding the bike backwards it seems that the engine is in gear and should be able to run freely I think. Any ideas of what it might be before you take it to the workshop?

 

[funck]

If the engine isn’t running at all, first thing I would check is if there is supply voltage at the motor (connector on the left side of the motor).You have to remove the left crank (SST) to remove the plastic hood of the motor.

 

[Ribas1972]

TKS. I'll do that. I hope it might be some connector, because, the last trip,
the motor also stop working but afterwhile start running again, but today definitely stop working.
Its normal issues the failing connectors?

 

[Ribas1972]

Sorry my mistake, it seems my BH Atom use a motor BH-1E 36V made by BH itself. The Brose motor is used on BH Atom X.

 

[funck]

If you have no mechanical issue with the motor (serious cracking noises from the motor and motor hi revving without supporting the bike) I think it’s an electrical problem. Do the brakehandles cut the engine power (for example the Magura 5E braking system)? Could be a problem in the handle switches/cables/connectors. Another problem could be the communication between display and motor (also display/cable/connector problem). Without the possibility of testing the communication with the BMS dealersoftware not easy to determine. Be carefull with the cable connectors (Higo), they have small pins which must be centered (markings on the connector) before plugging in. Otherwise you can easily damage them.
Goodluck!

 

[ChezCheese:)]

Did you detach the battery and reattach it? Sometimes my battery just needs to be popped out and back. The crank suddenly feels like lead - - much worse than when the bike is simply off. And you wouldn't think the battery was disconnected because the controller is still on and displaying. Never go for a ride without your battery key.

 

[Camac]

If the display is working but no power to the motor check out the connection from the battery to the bike. The springs pushing the contacts against the battery get a little tired. A quick spray with Contact Cleaner also helps.

 

[2wheels]

I was posting recently on reddit about my life with ebikes, specifically the Vado brose motor. Someone responded with this video:

I had contacted performance line bearing years ago, there response at the time was they were looking for USA partners. Fast forward to last year and they now have partners in the USA and elsewhere.
The cost of the upgrade appears to be $260.
Has anyone done this upgrade?
I have another 15 months warranty on my current motor turbo 1.3 - brose S motor.

 

[IronChefBoyardee]

I have a Specialized Turbo Vado with a Brose motor and on this morning's commute the motor started making a fast clicking noise. Louder and not the normal electric motor sound it always makes. It was faster/slower with pedaling speed, and doesn't sound like the creaking noise I had before I performed the sequenced torquing fix. It made the same sound in multiple gears. It has about 1k miles (~300 of those I have put on it over the last 6 months).

After a mile or so, it went away on its own. We'll see if it comes back this afternoon.

Is this likely a sign of something like the bearings going out, that I can plan to do preventative maintenance on? I'm well out of warranty, but I don't mind opening it up and performing service if I can correctly diagnose it and get parts.

 

[Edrummer]

Your sprag clutch bearings are going.
This company uses performance line bearings and are located in Tennesse.

Home | eBike Motor Repair

Is your motor out of warranty? Are you facing a voided or expired factory warranty and hesitant to invest in a costly replacement? Tired of your eBike motor ...

ebikemotorrepair.com

 

[IronChefBoyardee]

Your sprag clutch bearings are going.
This company uses performance line bearings and are located in Tennesse.

Home | eBike Motor Repair

Is your motor out of warranty? Are you facing a voided or expired factory warranty and hesitant to invest in a costly replacement? Tired of your eBike motor ...

ebikemotorrepair.com

Awesome feedback thank you! I'll order a kit soon.

I think I spoke with this vendor when I first bought this bike used and had some questions.

Edit: After watching some videos on the process I'll probably just have them repair it. Looks like it could be tricky without the right tools to remove bearings.