Specialized Turbo Vado/Como/Tero/Tero X User Club
- Thread starter Stefan Mikes
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Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
The News After The Failure of my MY2017 45 km/h Vado 5.0 (2019-2022)
My Vado 5.0 lasted for three years. The first ride on 1st of November 2019, and the major failure on 18th of October 2022. (I delivered the warranty card and the proof of purchase on 3rd of November this year to Specialized Warsaw).
Firstly, it turned out the carbon drive belt inside the Specialized 1.2s motor broke (the e-bike was out-of-warranty). Next, the Spec people discovered a frame crack around the motor area (a known design flaw for that e-bike series). The frame was on a lifetime warranty as I:
I was worried. My Vado is registered and insured (technically speaking, it is a "moped" here). In any case I would need to complete the formalities such as deregistering the e-bike and terminating the insurance policy.
On 29th of November, I got the call from Specialized WAW: My frame warranty was accepted by Specialized. Unfortunately, the choice of the new frame colour was limited to beige-brown or red. I chose the red, as the fasterestest colour
I will have to pay for the new motor, as agreed before.
There will be many formalities to complete. The new frame will come with the new VIN, so I will need to properly update the registration... Cannot wait to get my Highway Star again!
My Vado 5.0 lasted for three years. The first ride on 1st of November 2019, and the major failure on 18th of October 2022. (I delivered the warranty card and the proof of purchase on 3rd of November this year to Specialized Warsaw).
Firstly, it turned out the carbon drive belt inside the Specialized 1.2s motor broke (the e-bike was out-of-warranty). Next, the Spec people discovered a frame crack around the motor area (a known design flaw for that e-bike series). The frame was on a lifetime warranty as I:
- Duly registered my Vado on specialized.com post the purchase
- I allowed Specialized do the "obligatory 1st service" after the first 200 km ridden.
I was worried. My Vado is registered and insured (technically speaking, it is a "moped" here). In any case I would need to complete the formalities such as deregistering the e-bike and terminating the insurance policy.
On 29th of November, I got the call from Specialized WAW: My frame warranty was accepted by Specialized. Unfortunately, the choice of the new frame colour was limited to beige-brown or red. I chose the red, as the fasterestest colour
I will have to pay for the new motor, as agreed before.There will be many formalities to complete. The new frame will come with the new VIN, so I will need to properly update the registration... Cannot wait to get my Highway Star again!
Last edited:
GuruUno
Well-Known Member
So, do you get a 2022 frame?The News After The Failure of my MY2017 45 km/h Vado 5.0 (2019-2022)
My Vado 5.0 lasted for three years. The first ride on 1st of November 2019, and the major failure on 18th of October 2022. (I delivered the warranty card and the proof of purchase on 3rd of November this year to Specialized Warsaw).
Firstly, it turned out the carbon drive belt inside the Specialized 1.2s motor broke (the e-bike was out-of-warranty). Next, the Spec people discovered a frame crack around the motor area (a known design flaw for that e-bike series). The frame was on a lifetime warranty as I:
(Be aware your Specialized frame would have its warranty limited to 2 years if you do not do the [1] as above).
- Duly registered my Vado on specialized.com post the purchase
- I allowed Specialized do the "obigatory 1st service" after first 200 km ridden.
I was worried. My Vado is registered and ensured (technically speaking, it is a "moped" here). In any case I would need to complete the formalities such as deregistering the e-bike and terminating the insurance policy.
On 29th of November, I got the call from Specialized WAW: My frame warranty was accepted by Specialized. Unfortunately, the choice of the new frame colour was limited to beige-brown or red. I chose the red, as the fasterestest colour
There will be many formalities to complete. The new frame will come with the new VIN, so I will need to properly update the registration... Cannot wait to get my Highway Star again!
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
No! That would be impossible because of the battery and motor format. Additionally, there is that Type Approval thing. I assume that would be the 2018-present frame of Vado 6.0. I can predict some issues there but let us wait and see.
I absolutely need to get a pre-2022 Vado as I own as many as three 604 Wh batteries from the Gen 1.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
It was exactly 13,858.9 km as registered on my Strava. However, there were also other people riding my Vado, so the correct figure would be closer to 15,000 km (I have not checked the odometer status on the day of failure).
That e-bike was only ridden with assistance, as it was too heavy to be really ridden unassisted. (That is, I had two or so "emergency rides" on the pedal power but that was really slow!)
I was typically using 40/40% assistance on the flats. During my mountain vacations, I often had to climb in Turbo.
I think it was rather the distance that killed the carbon belt. Regarding the frame, frame cracks often develop in bikes with the rigid fork such as my version of Vado, and I tell you I was not saving my "big" Vado hard terrain rides!
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Would another option be to buy a new Vado at a 35% discount? My lbs suggested this when I needed a new motor replacement on my Vado SL that was 2 years old? Unfortunately Specialized approved the new motor before I could check this option out. I was concerned I might have to buy a new battery sometime soon so starting out with a new Vado SL at a 35% discount sounded like a good option. According to Specialized website-“In addition to our limited warranty, many Specialized and Roval-branded products are covered under our Assisted Replacement Policy. If you damage an eligible product while riding and it’s not covered under warranty, we’ll replace or repair it at a discounted price. The discount structure for assisted replacement pricing for 3 years of ownership is 35%.”
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Yes. Additionally, there's only one 45 km/h Specialized e-bike now (Vado 6.0) that is Gen 1 too, the main difference is a suspension fork. The trouble is, Euro 45 km/h e-bikes are treated as motorized vehicles. Every single 45 km/h Vado comes with an individual Certificate of Compliance, etc. To deregister my old Vado would require making "the protocol of destruction" etc.
Brendon@OEB
Well-Known Member
The News After The Failure of my MY2017 45 km/h Vado 5.0 (2019-2022)
My Vado 5.0 lasted for three years. The first ride on 1st of November 2019, and the major failure on 18th of October 2022. (I delivered the warranty card and the proof of purchase on 3rd of November this year to Specialized Warsaw).
Firstly, it turned out the carbon drive belt inside the Specialized 1.2s motor broke (the e-bike was out-of-warranty). Next, the Spec people discovered a frame crack around the motor area (a known design flaw for that e-bike series). The frame was on a lifetime warranty as I:
(Be aware your Specialized frame would have its warranty limited to 2 years if you do not do the [1] as above).
- Duly registered my Vado on specialized.com post the purchase
- I allowed Specialized do the "obligatory 1st service" after the first 200 km ridden.
I was worried. My Vado is registered and insured (technically speaking, it is a "moped" here). In any case I would need to complete the formalities such as deregistering the e-bike and terminating the insurance policy.
On 29th of November, I got the call from Specialized WAW: My frame warranty was accepted by Specialized. Unfortunately, the choice of the new frame colour was limited to beige-brown or red. I chose the red, as the fasterestest colour
There will be many formalities to complete. The new frame will come with the new VIN, so I will need to properly update the registration... Cannot wait to get my Highway Star again!
Sorry to hear about the drive unit failure, especially on the 1.2 motors. I broke my 1.3 motor and was able to warranty that as it was within the first 6 months of riding the bike to the shop, approx 4500mi. Frustrating that the belt failures are to be expected on these drive units. Did the dealer make any attempt to get a good will warranty coverage of the drive unit? You seem to have extensive service records, that usually goes a long way trying to get a drive unit covered outside of the warranty period. At least with Bosch it does, not that I've had to warranty many drive units.
Brendon@OEB
Well-Known Member
It's the belt within the drive unit. The actual drivetrain doesn't suffer anything typically, but the drive unit is toast.
So the belt takes a dump and the motor with it?
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
We are talking about the internal drive belt of the Specialized/Brose motor. That belt is responsible for the silent operation of older motors such as 1.2e, 1.2, 1.2s, 1.3 or 2.1.
Once the carbon fibre belt gets worn (everything gets eventually worn), it will break, making the motor useless. Yes, it is possible to find the appropriate belt and replace it. However, replacing the whole motor is simpler, and that's what is typically done. (Photo taken in Specialized Warsaw: an exhibit motor).
The frame crack is unrelated to the motor failure. There is a design flaw in old Vados making the frame crack in the motor area due to the material fatigue. Unfortunately, that was the case with my model-year 2017 Vado.
Are there any third party motor repair/recondition companies you could take the motor to? Like Rab did with his Giant motor in Scotland? Possibly save you several hundred euros...
Okay, I see what is happening then. There is a shop in UK that rebuilds the Brose that I have watched before on youtube. They do kind of a bullet proof version for the emtb crowd you might want to check out. It is titled Ebike Motor Centre (Performance Line Bearings).
Good luck on the replacement setup.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Certainly. the motor could be rebuilt, and such services do exist in the EU (we do not do much trade with the UK now). If I rebuild the motor, it will be kept as a spare.
I am more worried with the e-bike rebuild. There might be numerous issues with the Vado rebuild simply because 2018-present Vado 6.0 is not exactly the MY2017 Vado 5.0. I could name a different fork, axles, wheel hubs. Let us wait and see.
Specialized would be the best off just to give me a new Vado 6.0 without the battery, and I would pay for the motor. I expect many problems with de-registering my Vado 5.0 moped now: It needs to be officially destroyed to get proper papers, the "demolition service" is not very positive to spend their time on such a trifle as my "moped", and they will ask me to pay for the old frame demolition...
I am more worried with the e-bike rebuild. There might be numerous issues with the Vado rebuild simply because 2018-present Vado 6.0 is not exactly the MY2017 Vado 5.0. I could name a different fork, axles, wheel hubs. Let us wait and see.
Specialized would be the best off just to give me a new Vado 6.0 without the battery, and I would pay for the motor. I expect many problems with de-registering my Vado 5.0 moped now: It needs to be officially destroyed to get proper papers, the "demolition service" is not very positive to spend their time on such a trifle as my "moped", and they will ask me to pay for the old frame demolition...
Sorry to hear about your bike Stefan. I come with similar bad news on my 2022 Vado. Shortly after hitting 1,000 miles, my motor completely cut out while riding (with the battery near full). The display said to check the app for an error message, and the app said "The motor had an internal error. Switch off the bike completely, wait a few seconds and then restart it."
After the restart, I got motor support for about 2 seconds before it died again. Has not come back since. Oddly, the walk assist still works.
My LBS did a firmware update, which didn't fix it, and just filed a warranty claim with Specialized. My bike is my main method of transportation, so I'm concerned about how long it's going to take. I have access to a car most of the time but am debating getting a cheaper pre-owned manual bike while I'm waiting.
After the restart, I got motor support for about 2 seconds before it died again. Has not come back since. Oddly, the walk assist still works.
My LBS did a firmware update, which didn't fix it, and just filed a warranty claim with Specialized. My bike is my main method of transportation, so I'm concerned about how long it's going to take. I have access to a car most of the time but am debating getting a cheaper pre-owned manual bike while I'm waiting.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
As long as your warranty is valid, you should get a satisfactory solution from Spec. Only pity you have been deprived of your favoured way of transportation. Good luck!
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