Levo Gen 2 Warranty extension & Firmware Update for all 2019/20 Levo/Kenevo with 2.1 motors

[VOOBOY]

For those saying they are being charged for the update, @Specialized Rider Care already addressed this *in this thread*. Put your pitchforks away

We know @Bigtuna00 , what we are frustrated about is the lack of clarity it seems Spesh has given official retailers about the subject and the firmware upgrade. Hmmmmm, something like "dealers upgrade costs shall be covered by Specialized on any in warranty affected bike". A clear instruction, issue resolved, pitchforks put away. Until then I'm looking for my spare pitchfork!

 

[Manxbiker]

For those saying they are being charged for the update, @Specialized Rider Care already addressed this *in this thread*. Put your pitchforks away

Yes that was in reply to me, but I'm still no further on with getting the update, I'm being ignored by the retailer and still waiting for rider care to get back to me to see if anything can be done, at the end of the day specialized don't want people to pay, but gettinge the retailer to actually do it free is another thing

 

[VOOBOY]

Yes that was in reply to me, but I'm still no further on with getting the update, I'm being ignored by the retailer and still waiting for rider care to get back to me to see if anything can be done, at the end of the day specialized don't want people to pay, but gettinge the retailer to actually do it free is another thing

Yep @Manxbiker , fully agree, seems like they have done 95% of a job and the last 5% , i.e.clearly issue instruction to all official retailers to perform the upgrade FOC for the affected customers, has been forgoten

 

[Dirk74]

Yep @Manxbiker , fully agree, seems like they have done 95% of a job and the last 5% , i.e.clearly issue instruction to all official retailers to perform the upgrade FOC for the affected customers, has been forgoten

I don't think so. I guess that's a (business) decision of each retailer.

Every year in the middle of the season the bike workshops have more work as they could do. With Covid19 it's worse. They need to build up the bikes that the shop will sell or even already sold, serve the customers that bought their bike in that shop for urgent repairs and then for other services. All other comes after that.
That's not how we all (incl. the retailers/workshops) like it would be, but that's what it is, by reason.

Today evening I drove to the shop where I bought my bike. Within 15 min the update was done. Thanks Hibike

 

[Bigtuna00]

My point was they already said you shouldn't have to pay for the update. Period. So send the contact info of the offending shops to @Specialized Rider Care. They obviously have a problem brewing and I completely understand your frustration.

 

[VOOBOY]

I don't think so. I guess that's a (business) decision of each retailer.

Every year in the middle of the season the bike workshops have more work as they could do. With Covid19 it's worse. They need to build up the bikes that the shop will sell or even already sold, serve the customers that bought their bike in that shop for urgent repairs and then for other services. All other comes after that.
That's not how we all (incl. the retailers/workshops) like it would be, but that's what it is, by reason.

Today evening I drove to the shop where I bought my bike. Within 15 min the update was done. Thanks Hibike

@Dirk74 , no pal, the retailer is representing the brand. The brand have issued the requirement for an update to limit future issues /potential complete motor replacements. I am fully on board with retailers getting some payment for their time invested in performing this update. The issue I have is that we, the customers, should not be getting charged for this update, period. @Specialized Rider Care have already commented on this matter but it seems from the threads on this post that the message has clearly not been communicated to official retailers who are trying it on with the " you didn't buy it from us" angle. It really isn't that difficult to sort this, Spesh just need to issue a clear instruction about it their approved retailers. I'm pleased you have got your bike updated and it all went well but my local official retailer (JEJAMES in Rotherham) want to charge me £70 to upgrade 2 in warranty bikes. Not happening mate!

 

[Roger20]

What's the big rush to update? Specialized aren't insisting on it as a condition of the warranty extension. Downside of doing it seems to me to be lack of power in walk-assist mode. If Rutland are correct then it may be something owners will eventually be able to do anyway from Mission Control.
Only real reason for doing it sooner rather than later is that it may possibly reduce the risk of the motor breaking out on a trail somewhere miles from base. In the meantime just use Turbo at lower power/assist levels for the time being.

 

[Manxbiker]

My big rush to update is so it will hopefully prevent future issues where I might have to get the motor replaced, if I'm having problems now getting my only specialized retailer to do a 10 minute update for me, I'm sure getting a motor changed under warranty is going to be an absolute nightmare and leave me without a bike for some time

 

[VOOBOY]

What's the big rush to update? Specialized aren't insisting on it as a condition of the warranty extension. Downside of doing it seems to me to be lack of power in walk-assist mode. If Rutland are correct then it may be something owners will eventually be able to do anyway from Mission Control.
Only real reason for doing it sooner rather than later is that it may possibly reduce the risk of the motor breaking out on a trail somewhere miles from base. In the meantime just use Turbo at lower power/assist levels for the time being.

@Roger20 no big rush mate just looking for clarity on the upgrade process situation, it's messy at the moment. Yep, I have already asked for a comment from @Specialized Rider Care on the mission control update angle on a previous comment , that's the best fix for everyone as users can just do it themselves and get back out riding their bikes.

 

[Dirk74]

@VOOBOY dont't get me wrong, I understand your point and frustration and hope that @Specialized Rider Care can sort that out.

 

[TheBikePilot]

It doesn't lower the motor power. Seems Walk Assist is now junk which is a shame. I don't use it often but when I do it is really useful. Not Speshs' fault though.

It seems post update the Power Assist defaults in Mission Control won't be the original defaults or what you had set before.

Best settings I've found and we got this off Marco from Specialized is 30 Assist / 100 Peak Power in Eco 60/100 Trail and 100/100 in Turbo.

Acceleration is personal preference

 

[TheBikePilot]

I so hope @Specialized Rider Care are reading this. It would be so simple to supply the few parts I need to keep these older motors going at a reasonable cost.
We have just finished building a custom made workshop in the hope that companies like Specialized start to take notice of what we can do for them and their customers.
View attachment 37331View attachment 37333

That's superb mate...

 

[VOOBOY]

@VOOBOY dont't get me wrong, I understand your point and frustration and hope that @Specialized Rider Care can sort that out.

no worries @Dirk74 I hope @Specialized Rider Care can clarify this for All of us

 

[jsharpe]

What's the big rush to update? Specialized aren't insisting on it as a condition of the warranty extension. Downside of doing it seems to me to be lack of power in walk-assist mode. If Rutland are correct then it may be something owners will eventually be able to do anyway from Mission Control.
Only real reason for doing it sooner rather than later is that it may possibly reduce the risk of the motor breaking out on a trail somewhere miles from base. In the meantime just use Turbo at lower power/assist levels for the time being.

In my case I just got my motor replaced with the new 2021 spec version. If the firmware update helps reduce potential cumulative damage it might 1) reduce the chance of a failure miles deep from any road access and 2) be nicer on this new motor helping it last longer/indefinitely.

I tend to spin at fairly high cadence under normal conditions so in theory shouldn't be hitting the conditions the update is supposed to address. But every once in a while I misjudge or don't see a trail section and can't get into a lower gear fast enough and end up using turbo as a quick/short get-out-of-jail-free crutch. Under those situations the new firmware might help avoid damage to the motor.

 

[TheBikePilot]

In my case I just got my motor replaced with the new 2021 spec version. If the firmware update helps reduce potential cumulative damage it might 1) reduce the chance of a failure miles deep from any road access and 2) be nicer on this new motor helping it last longer/indefinitely.

I tend to spin at fairly high cadence under normal conditions so in theory shouldn't be hitting the conditions the update is supposed to address. But every once in a while I misjudge or don't see a trail section and can't get into a lower gear fast enough and end up using turbo as a quick/short get-out-of-jail-free crutch. Under those situations the new firmware might help avoid damage to the motor.

I think what you are mentioning, the get out jail free card, is what caused a lot of the issues.

 

[Jsmithjr732]

In my case I just got my motor replaced with the new 2021 spec version. If the firmware update helps reduce potential cumulative damage it might 1) reduce the chance of a failure miles deep from any road access and 2) be nicer on this new motor helping it last longer/indefinitely.

I tend to spin at fairly high cadence under normal conditions so in theory shouldn't be hitting the conditions the update is supposed to address. But every once in a while I misjudge or don't see a trail section and can't get into a lower gear fast enough and end up using turbo as a quick/short get-out-of-jail-free crutch. Under those situations the new firmware might help avoid damage to the motor.

What’s the build date for your 2021 spec motor? I have a 2021 Comp and have a 12/2019 motor build. A couple others here have the same. Not sure If this means we have an older build with newer parts or older build with older parts.

 

[VOOBOY]

My big rush to update is so it will hopefully prevent future issues where I might have to get the motor replaced, if I'm having problems now getting my only specialized retailer to do a 10 minute update for me, I'm sure getting a motor changed under warranty is going to be an absolute nightmare and leave me without a bike for some time

Yep exactly @Manxbiker but as @Roger20 says the only real reason would be to reduce the risk of the motor possibly breaking out on the trail miles from home.......why on earth would we want to update quickly and reduce that risk?......really?

 

[beutelfuchs]

I just don't want the thing to break in summer, best time of the year in the alps and waiting lists of any bike shop mech endless. If that update would really help there, I would try to forget that Specialized renders walk assist useless or that they are charging their customers who already couldn't ride for weeks and months waiting for engine replacements a little extra. After all we got a letter from the CEO, and that man needs to get paid somehow

 

[timmers]

After following this thread for the past few days (interesting posts for a newbie ebike owner, eh!) I just had the firmware update done by my LBS - where I had purchased my Turbo Levo about a month ago. There was no cost for me, but I did buy some nice Specialized flat pedals, so I did spend money in the store while I was there, hah! This morning I read somewhere, how I could deteremine the year of the motor in my 2020 bike. Well, well, it turns out it's from Dec 2, 2019, but the sales slip for the ebike purchase states it's a 2020 Turbo Levo. I'm happy to see that the warranty period covers both those years, and the extra 2 years is great. Since the 2 yr motor warranty covered 2 yrs or 200 charges, does this new 4 yr period increase that to 400 charges? Sri if this question has been asked, but thanks to anyone who can clear this up for me.

 

[Reap3r]

After following this thread for the past few days (interesting posts for a newbie ebike owner, eh!) I just had the firmware update done by my LBS - where I had purchased my Turbo Levo about a month ago. There was no cost for me, but I did buy some nice Specialized flat pedals, so I did spend money in the store while I was there, hah! This morning I read somewhere, how I could deteremine the year of the motor in my 2020 bike. Well, well, it turns out it's from Dec 2, 2019, but the sales slip for the ebike purchase states it's a 2020 Turbo Levo. I'm happy to see that the warranty period covers both those years, and the extra 2 years is great. Since the 2 yr motor warranty covered 2 yrs or 200 charges, does this new 4 yr period increase that to 400 charges? Sri if this question has been asked, but thanks to anyone who can clear this up for me.

No it no would not not affect battery warranty. Thanks for sharing your motor date!

 

[Stp0701]

What’s the build date for your 2021 spec motor? I have a 2021 Comp and have a 12/2019 motor build. A couple others here have the same. Not sure If this means we have an older build with newer parts or older build with older parts.

How do you find out your motor build date?

 

[Jsmithjr732]

To find the date on your motor, got to Mission Control app and look at the serial number for the motor. You’ll see 100 followed by numbers. That’s your build date.

 

[wepn]

Is there any explanation why the EC neutered walk mode ?

Maybe it reduces the potential for moderately painful 1st degree burns from spilling a fairly warm decaf laté on yourself?

 

[timmers]

How do you find out your motor build date?

You'll need Mission Control app (my instructions are based on using the app). Turn on your ebike, open the app. Connect to the ebike. Click on "Diagnose", then click on "Motor" and the top option on that page is "Serial Number" - you'll see it start out with some letters and numbers, then a dash, after which 3 zero's. After that my serial number sequence contains 191202 - so that translates to 2019, December 2.

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Hi @Kiwi in Wales - sorry for missing your question earlier. We extended the warranty for specific bikes featuring the 2.1 motor due to measured field-failure rates, the simplest answer is that we haven't seen the same volume of issues with other bikes/motors so we haven't changed our warranty policy.

A few clarifying points: -

• We work closely with component vendors to ensure we keep sourcing parts far longer than a bike is sold for. We aim for 10 years, sometimes that's not possible but it is our goal.
• We have an assisted-purchase scheme for out-of-warranty bikes - it's on our website under our warranty policy. It means a retailer can purchase a part at a discounted rate and pass that discount onto a rider within a reasonable timeframe.
• We track failures per serial-number - our rider-care teams know if a bike has had multiple warranty claims and are empowered to "do the right thing" where a rider has genuinely had repeat issues that they didn't cause.
• Some repeat issues are not warranty cases (don't shoot me here). Our retailers know the difference between a well-maintained bike and one that has been abused, hacked, jet-washed, crashed etc and we trust them to make fair decisions.

Thanks for your response,

sorry for missing your question earlier. We extended the warranty for specific bikes featuring the 2.1 motor due to measured field-failure rates, the simplest answer is that we haven't seen the same volume of issues with other bikes/motors so we haven't changed our warranty policy.
I am afraid to say my personal experience with the older motors is not much different. 2 motor failures on a second hand 2017 I purchased in early 2018. The original owner also had a motor failure so in total, 3 failed motors. I sold it in November last year as I thought I had best get rid of it with a new motor fitted so the person buying it had some piece of mind and at least some warranty left on it. I purchased a new 2019 thinking 'new improved motor' only to find out I was in the same situation as before.
I have a few friends with the older 1.2 and 1.3 motors and everyone of them has had at least one motor replaced so I hope you can understand that their anxiety is fairly high at the moment and even more so with the announcement of you guys offering a longer warranty period on the 2.1 motors.

• We work closely with component vendors to ensure we keep sourcing parts far longer than a bike is sold for. We aim for 10 years, sometimes that's not possible but it is our goal.
  For the older 1.2 and 1.3 motors are you in contact with people like @Bearing Man who is more than willing to take on the task of repairing these motors for you? If not, you should be as this will take a big task away for you and give it to someone who has the Premises, equipment and tools to carry out the work and does an excellent job. How do I know this? He fixed my good friends motor after it died due to water ingress and put in an additional water seal inside the motor. The problem is, he is struggling to get hold of parts as Brose will not talk to him. Opening up the Brose 'spare bin parts bin' would allow him to do a more cost affective repairs for both himself and the end User. By giving work like this to people like @Bearing Man has another positive. Feedback on why the failure happened, he can give you quick feedback to you or Brose regarding what is failing so possible fixes can be looked at.
  
  
• We have an assisted-purchase scheme for out-of-warranty bikes - it's on our website under our warranty policy. It means a retailer can purchase a part at a discounted rate and pass that discount onto a rider within a reasonable timeframe.
  I know, I had to use it to repair my out of warranty 2017 as at that stage you did not have the transferable warranty in place. This cost me £500. £450 for the motor and £50 to fit it. A hard pill to swallow when the motor had travelled just over 800km before it died. I got around 2000km and a years worth of riding out of the replacement motor before it failed but even so 2000km before failure? This is not a good experience knowing in another year you could be up for another £500 bill when the 2 year warranty runs out.
  
  
• We track failures per serial-number - our rider-care teams know if a bike has had multiple warranty claims and are empowered to "do the right thing" where a rider has genuinely had repeat issues that they didn't cause.
  That is great and I really appreciate this comment, Hopefully you will be able to 'do the right thing' for some of the out of warranty 1.2 and 1.3 motors that will be coming your way and not sting them with a £500 bill.
  
  
• Some repeat issues are not warranty cases (don't shoot me here). Our retailers know the difference between a well-maintained bike and one that has been abused, hacked, jet-washed, crashed etc and we trust them to make fair decisions.
  Not going to shoot you as I agree and most of your retailers are good and make fair decisions. The experience I have had with one of your retailers is why I still have not one but two 2019 Levos.
  Berkshire cycles customer service has been second to none and I am sure you understand how important a role they have played in saving a lot of your customer base from leaving. I hope you have and are still recognising what he and the people that work for him contribute towards Specialized‘s success in the UK.
  There will be always someone out there trying to get around the system and expect a free replacement. I just do not want Specialized to forget about the owners of the 1.2 and 1.3 motors which I am hopeful you wont.

 

[Jassu]

I am an owner of Turbo Levo Expert Carbon 2020 and located in Finland, Europe.

I have contacted several resellers here, and some of them are charging 30-40€'s (40-50 USD) for this update. One is following your will to keep these free, but they are located 2 hours from our place.

Specialized, could you please let people update these with Mission Control and please answer should these updates be covered by you before the user can update these?

I find it very strange to pay 40-50USD for the bugfix. The manufacturer should cover that.

 

[ManuelV]

Same here. At least when you start using the walk assist mode. I would say that if you keep using it, after a few seconds the power is slightly increased but this is yet a thing to be confirmed. Anyway, I wonder if it would be possible to have some control over the walk assist mode through MC app, just like you change power levels in Eco, Trail and Turbo modes.

I quote myself to confirm that if you wait long enough while pushing the button (around 10-15 seconds) the walk assist mode seems to wake up suddenly and recovers the good old times power. I don't know whether this happens only in my bike or it's the "new normality". Anyway, a bit odd.

 

[VOOBOY]

I am an owner of Turbo Levo Expert Carbon 2020 and located in Finland, Europe.

I have contacted several resellers here, and some of them are charging 30-40€'s (40-50 USD) for this update. One is following your will to keep these free, but they are located 2 hours from our place.

Specialized, could you please let people update these with Mission Control and please answer should these updates be covered by you before the user can update these?

I find it very strange to pay 40-50USD for the bugfix. The manufacturer should cover that.

@Jassu yep, welcome to the lack of clarity on this subject. Fully agree with all you have said, we are waiting for @Specialized Rider Care to comment and hopefully issue instruction to dealers to update FOC, better still comment on a Mission Control option

 

[rafaelblu]

Hello all! Just purshased an Levo SW 2020. Bike was ready to deliver on 07/31 and local BS heard about Software update so they decided to update everything before the deliver.

News: after software update motor stop appearing on software and don´t turn on anymore. So they´re waiting for a brand new motor from Specialized (2021 model). Have anyone heard something like this before? Swiss technicians told might be defective TCU, cables or some energy discharge on the update exact moment. But I trully believe should be a software error or an old engine ...

(bike was working perfectly before update).

 

[Specialized Rider Care]

Hello all! Just purshased an Levo SW 2020. Bike was ready to deliver on 07/31 and local BS heard about Software update so they decided to update everything before the deliver.

News: after software update motor stop appearing on software and don´t turn on anymore. So they´re waiting for a brand new motor from Specialized (2021 model). Have anyone heard something like this before? Swiss technicians told might be defective TCU, cables or some energy discharge on the update exact moment. But I trully believe should be a software error or an old engine ...

(bike was working perfectly before update).

Hi @rafaelblu - so very sorry to hear this and our apologies for the trouble. It's the only such case we know about which is why I can speak with confidence (having checked our quality system, we monitor update failures as you'd expect) - our Brazilian support team reached out about this on the day it happened. The motor FW crash was due to an old version of retailer software on the PC being used to make the update. Not the fault of your retailer, but it's a highly unusual case and I apologise that it delayed you picking up your bike. In the background I'll reach out to our team in Brazil to check progress here.