Levo Gen 2 Dispute with Specialized

[PanosSam]

Hi all,

I thought I would share my experience with Specialized that has me fuming.

I own a 2021 Turbo Levo that ran into some trouble just over a month ago when I updated the tcu with the latest firmware. Once the update was finished I of course turned the tcu on and immediately got an error message saying it cannot find the motor. Turns out the motor controller is dead and I am sitting here without my bicycle for over a month with Specialized blaming me for installing a bicycle lamp that they do not approve.

The lamp in question is a Supernova M99 Pro which is essentially a slightly more powerful M99 that bypasses Specialized’s firmware which doesn’t allow anything more powerful to be used. According to Specialized this voids the warranty which I fully understand, but what makes my blood boil is that the bicycle has been problem free for six months with the lamp installed from day one. Specialied comes back with the most vague of responses that they use a closed CAN system and that “altering the voltage causes the motor to go into protection mode and renders it unusable”. I know enough electronics to know they are lying and have also been in contact with a designer who has worked on CAN systems and knows that they are very resilient. He also mentioned something I already knew which is that any shorts would trigger a software fault which could then be reset.The motor controller unfortunately shows zero communication when connected to a pc which obviously means it has somehow been damaged by the firmware update.

Here in Sweden where I live one has the possibility to report a company to the complaints board and receive free legal help. I have of course done that, but I know there is little chance that I will win so my question is whether anyone knows if it’s possible to replace the motor controller on a Specialized motor assembly without having to replace the entire thing?

I apologise for the long post, but I needed to vent . I have been without my bike for almost a month and a half and I am missing the very short summer here in Stockholm.

Is there anyone here that has had the same motor problem as me?

Panagiotis

 

[Aussie78]

Who did the install?

The light was integrated into the CANbus by splicing into the cables between charge port and motor? Do you have some photos to share?

The motor has a pair of small 2 pin connectors for lights. These are rated at 12v 1 amp and 12v 0.5 amps for lights. The M99 Pro does not use these, instead taking power from the battery lines (36-42v) and uses CANbus for light control.

During an upgrade, it’s plausible the lights electronics corrupted the comms on the CANBus and so the motor ended up with a bad firmware write.

Replacement motor pcbs are available. If you have a local motor repair shop, they can sell you a pcb for your motor, then you take the bike back to the dealer for Specialized firmware to be loaded.

 

[PanosSam]

Who did the install?

The light was integrated into the CANbus by splicing into the cables between charge port and motor? Do you have some photos to share?

The motor has a pair of small 2 pin connectors for lights. These are rated at 12v 1 amp and 12v 0.5 amps for lights. The M99 Pro does not use these, instead taking power from the battery lines (36-42v) and uses CANbus for light control.

During an upgrade, it’s plausible the lights electronics corrupted the comms on the CANBus and so the motor ended up with a bad firmware write.

Replacement motor pcbs are available. If you have a local motor repair shop, they can sell you a pcb for your motor, then you take the bike back to the dealer for Specialized firmware to be loaded.

Hi Aussie78,

Thanks for your reply.

I don’t have any photos, but you pretty much described exactly what I did when installing the lamp.
Even if the firmware write was corrupt, isn’t it still possible to recover the pcb?

 

[Mikerb]

If you already knew the principles of a CAN bus I am surprised you messed with it. Each component on a CAN communicates direct with each other without having to work via a central processor meaning every component needs its own controller. As every manufacturer is taking additional software steps via firmware upgrades to identify and disable hacking devices I suspect this firmware upgrade included an interrogation of each CAN component and having found a rogue component disabled the motor. I wonder if you can reverse that by reverting to the previous firmware..............or disconnecting the lamp and re-installing the latest fimware??
I dont think you can criticise specialized for refusing warranty if you did an unauthorised modification of the CAN. The same would apply in any car!!

 

[PanosSam]

If you already knew the principles of a CAN bus I am surprised you messed with it. Each component on a CAN communicates direct with each other without having to work via a central processor meaning every component needs its own controller. As every manufacturer is taking additional software steps via firmware upgrades to identify and disable hacking devices I suspect this firmware upgrade included an interrogation of each CAN component and having found a rogue component disabled the motor. I wonder if you can reverse that by reverting to the previous firmware..............or disconnecting the lamp and re-installing the latest fimware??
I dont think you can criticise specialized for refusing warranty if you did an unauthorised modification of the CAN. The same would apply in any car!!

Why would they need to add such a precaution to the firmware? Why can’t I do whatever I want with my bicycle that I paid a considerably large sum for? Why can’t they just warn the user that modifications that damage the system voids the warranty? Was it really necessary to not include the M99 Pro in the authorised list of bicycle lamps? No, it wasn’t. That lamp simply draws more power from the battery meaning the motor might not receive as much power for max performance. Does that affect the motor in a bad way? No. Does it bother me if the motor underperforms when the lamp is on at full brightness? No, because I live in Sweden where the daylight during winter time is limited or disappears very fast and I have a problem with low light conditions. This lamp is so bright that I can see properly and don’t risk crashing. Whatever Specialized is doing affects my ability to use the bicycle safely during the winter time. You might say, just don’t use it during winter or use it during the brightest part of the day, bit at the end of the day I payed alot of money to buy a bicycle to use however and whenever I want and not according to what they want.

Either way this would be a modification of the CANbus if the lamp itself did anything to it, but it doesn’t. All it does is listen to the CAN-L and CAN-H signals to know when to turn on and off. Irrespective of what the firmware does it’s illogical that something like this would disable the motor to the point that it’s unusable. The bicycle has been tested with a new tcu, with a new tcu and new motor cable (i.e. no lamp connected), new tcu/old firmware and nothing works. The motor controller is dead. Does that sound like a plausible result of the CANbus being “modified”? Specialized are the ones that have modified their firmware so that any sign of an unauthorised “modification” kills the motor controller and force you to cough up another 1000 euros for a new motor assembly when that is unnecessary not to mention illegal.

I appreciate your input but I am convinced I am in the right irrespective of whether I modified my bicycle with an unauthorised lamp or not. My bicycle worked like a charm since day one with that lamp and the fact that it stopped working after a firmware update does not inspire confidence in the manufacturer. Like my contact told me, CANbus is a very resilient system that is designed to be tough against shorts and any modifications that would force a system fault to shut the system down and simply removing the offending device and clearing the fault should restore the system.

//Panagiotis

 

[PanosSam]

my bosch motor also uses can bus with locked controllers it is a fkn pita as have to get the dealers to get the firmware updates and pay 40 quid each time.

and like bosch they dont sell the controllers so if it has a problem the only option is a new motor because they dont want you to fix it yourself or recell the batts as there also locked.

like a old pc motherboard getting a firmware update wrong bricked the boards and in the bin they went.

but with these motors there is no way to clear the bios and try again so force you to buy a new motor it is a fkn joke and take the pi$$

Exactly!

Specialized does allow you to perform the update yourself via the mobile app, but whether the update was corrupt and bricked the motor or whether the firmware bricks the motor when they detect some unauthorised device I don’t know, but luckily there are third party dealers that sell the motor controller so I know I can replace just that part essentially telling Specialized to go f*** themselves.

 

[Planemo]

If you already knew the principles of a CAN bus I am surprised you messed with it. Each component on a CAN communicates direct with each other without having to work via a central processor meaning every component needs its own controller. As every manufacturer is taking additional software steps via firmware upgrades to identify and disable hacking devices I suspect this firmware upgrade included an interrogation of each CAN component and having found a rogue component disabled the motor. I wonder if you can reverse that by reverting to the previous firmware..............or disconnecting the lamp and re-installing the latest fimware??
I dont think you can criticise specialized for refusing warranty if you did an unauthorised modification of the CAN. The same would apply in any car!!

I'm with you. I wouldn't connect anything that wasn't an authorised component to my Bosch system and expect to get continued warranty support. Doesn't matter if thats a dongle, a secondary battery or indeed a lighting system.

It is what is is. As you say, the same with cars. All of which would be far more expensive than the 'considerably large sum' that the OP paid for his bicycle so it's a flawed argument to suggest that the more expensive something is, the more you should be able to dick with it.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Why can’t I do whatever I want with my bicycle

you can, you did

Was it really necessary to not include the M99 Pro in the authorised list of bicycle lamps? No, it wasn’t

Does that affect the motor in a bad way? No

and you're certain of that are you ? a high current draw device attached in parallel with a motor that could be damaged by a voltage drop caused by your device..

Does it bother me if the motor underperforms when the lamp is on at full brightness? No

might bother the motor though eh.. and also sounds like you are contradicting yourself.. this quote again.

Does that affect the motor in a bad way? No

sigh

This lamp is so bright that I can see properly and don’t risk crashing. Whatever Specialized is doing affects my ability to use the bicycle safely during the winter time.

what a load of crap, other very bright lamps are available, specialized isnt responsible for the conditions you ride the bike in, dont cry about them risking your safety because they wont allow you to compromise their drive system..

so you fitted something you knew you shouldnt
it fucked up your bike
you moaned about it to specialized
they point this out
you cry about it and when they dont listen, you cry about it on the internet

 

[PanosSam]

I'm with you. I wouldn't connect anything that wasn't an authorised component to my Bosch system and expect to get continued warranty support. Doesn't matter if thats a dongle, a secondary battery or indeed a lighting system.

It is what is is. As you say, the same with cars. All of which would be far more expensive than the 'considerably large sum' that the OP paid for his bicycle so it's a flawed argument to suggest that the more expensive something is, the more you should be able to dick with it.

Me mentioning that the bicycle is expensive has nothing to do with how much one should be allowed to mess with it. I’m only pointing out the fact that it’s expensive because I expect a slightly more extensive response than a simple you installed something that is not authorised therefore the warranty is not valid. They obviously did something to the perfectly fine firmware that fucked up my bicycle otherwise I wouldn’t be here complaining. If you blindly follow what they tell you it’s your choice. Specialized is no better than any other billion dollar company that creates a system/device that is“unhackable” to make sure that once it breaks you pay for more than is actually necessary.

 

[PanosSam]

you can, you did



and you're certain of that are you ? a high current draw device attached in parallel with a motor that could be damaged by a voltage drop caused by your device..

might bother the motor though eh.. and also sounds like you are contradicting yourself.. this quote again.

sigh



what a load of crap, other very bright lamps are available, specialized isnt responsible for the conditions you ride the bike in, dont cry about them risking your safety because they wont allow you to compromise their drive system..

so you fitted something you knew you shouldnt
it fucked up your bike
you moaned about it to specialized
they point this out
you cry about it and when they dont listen, you cry about it on the internet

Do you even know any electronics? If you’re suggesting that a simple undervoltage or overcurrent event can cause a system to crash catstrophically then you clearly have no clue about systems design. Are you even aware of how lithium packs are designed to work? Do you realise that the motor is designed to work throughout the entire capacity of the pack? Are you aware that these lithium packs shut down once they reach a certain voltage level to prevent damage to the cells? Do you even know how a motor works? The controller does exactly what its name suggests meaning an under voltage/overcurrent event would cause the controller to send a fault message to the battery pack so that it shuts down while also shutting down itself.

How’s your eyesight? Any issues? If Supernova thought the M99 was bright enough then the Pro would never have been designed and sold.

Bullshit, Specialized doesn’t give a rats ass about their system being compromised. They just want to make sure they make as much off of you as possible.

 

[Planemo]

I’m only pointing out the fact that it’s expensive because I expect a slightly more extensive response than a simple you installed something that is not authorised therefore the warranty is not valid.

I'm not sure how much of an 'extensive response' you expect. What more could they tell you other than what they told you? Maybe add a 'sorry' I guess but I feel that would in no way placate you anyway.

It sounds like the only response (extensive or otherwise) you would be happy with is them saying 'no problem, roll it in, we'll fix it all free of charge within 48hrs'.

If it makes you feel any better, had you bought a £150k Lambo you would get the same response. Albeit maybe with a cup of darjeeling thrown in and a nice couchette, to aid the shock recovery that I suspect you would require.

If you blindly follow what they tell you it’s your choice.

I'm not blindly following anything. I know that if I dick with electrical systems then theres every chance it will go wrong. whether that be my mobile phone, my car, my ebike or any number of other things these days that are built by people who don't like end user tampering.

Specialized is no better than any other billion dollar company that creates a system/device that is“unhackable”

And there you said it yourself. It's not like Specialized are doing anything that just about every other large company isn't doing as well.

 

[PanosSam]

i have to get a bosch dealer to turn on the light outputs on my bike as defalt to off, but the lights power draw could have shorted the controller light output circuit and bricked the controller.

soon as you tell a dealer you fitted a dongle or tried to use a 3rd party device you installed yourself your warranty will be gone so best to keep quiet about ur balls up and hope they just sort out a new motor.

like apple everything is being serialized to controllers display and batts and changing things it has not seen on the bosch diagnostic software brings up dealer update required.

i fitted a new gen 2 cx motor all up to date to my bike last year with the purion display 2 batts and sport mode instead of embm and not a problem.

i then got a kiox display and embm is back and dealer update required every time i turn it on £40 to push a fkn button! i said i have 2 batts and said just bring one and it will be fine.

the kiox wanted a canshake of the sn of the motor controller and the batt because nothing was updated firmware wise and in and out i 5 mins.

week later i put my other batt on it and fkn dealer update again so had to go back down there with that batt for a canshake from bosch so it get rid of the fkn update required when i turn it on.

i only got the kiox becouse the batts display is in % than just 5 bars.

That really sucks man. Every company out there with an emtb have their own design so that the possibility for cross-compatibility is much zero and every aspect is controlled to the end, that way they make sure they earn as much as possible from the people who actually buy their products. Just like Apple and any other similar company.

 

[PanosSam]

I'm not sure how much of an 'extensive response' you expect. What more could they tell you other than what they told you? Maybe add a 'sorry' I guess but I feel that would in no way placate you anyway.

It sounds like the only response (extensive or otherwise) you would be happy with is them saying 'no problem, roll it in, we'll fix it all free of charge within 48hrs'.

If it makes you feel any better, had you bought a £150k Lambo you would get the same response. Albeit maybe with a cup of darjeeling thrown in and a nice couchette, to aid the shock recovery that I suspect you would require.



I'm not blindly following anything. I know that if I dick with electrical systems then theres every chance it will go wrong. whether that be my mobile phone, my car, my ebike or any number of other things these days that are built by people who don't like end user tampering.



And there you said it yourself. It's not like Specialized are doing anything that just about every other large company isn't doing as well.

My point is that they fucked up my bicycle knowing full well that that’s the case but refuse to take responsibility.They are full of bullshit trying to convince me that the lamp has in anyway done any damage. The bicycle was working before the update, hence they damaged my bike and should therefore pay up. I am intelligent enough to know when I have done something colossally stupid that would damage a 6000 dollar bike.

The only response I would be happy with is either them explaning to me in detail why my lamp killed the motor (which they clearly don’t want to give since they know that’s not what damaged it) or them owning up.

 

[RustyIron]

Do you even know any electronics?

you clearly have no clue about systems design.

One would think that someone with your vast experience would
have been able to fix his bike that has been down for a month and a half.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

If you’re suggesting that a simple undervoltage or overcurrent event can cause a system to crash catstrophically then you clearly have no clue about systems design. Are you even aware of how lithium packs are designed to work? Do you realise that the motor is designed to work throughout the entire capacity of the pack? Are you aware that these lithium packs shut down once they reach a certain voltage level to prevent damage to the cells? Do you even know how a motor works? The controller does exactly what its name suggests meaning an under voltage/overcurrent event would cause the controller to send a fault message to the battery pack so that it shuts down while also shutting down itself.

no, you're suggesting that..
I have some knowledge however, your knowledge has led you to where you are now..

My point is that I fucked up my bicycle

FTFY

Specialized doesn’t give a rats ass about their system being compromised

their reply to your situation seems to suggest otherwise.

 

[Planemo]

My point is that they fucked up my bicycle knowing full well that that’s the case but refuse to take responsibility.

Hmm...I'm trying to see this logically. You had the lamp fitted from day 1 and it was OK for 6 months. You then had a firmware update which Spesh are suggesting could now 'detect' the lamp was fitted and immediately bricked the controller as a result.

So I can't see how Spesh 'fucked up' your bike. I presume you voluntarily went for the FW update? It's certainly shit luck and I would deffo be pissed that they modded the firmware to sense that your accessory had been fitted, but I don't think I would be in a position to blame them. Especially when you stated that the light you used 'According to Specialized this voids the warranty which I fully understand'.

I liken your scenario to a hypothetical situation of me fitting a dongle for 6 months. Everything goes perfectly. I then take the dongle off to get a firmware update. I happily trundle back to my shed, refit the dongle and everything bricks. Unbeknown to me Bosch had tweeked the firmware to be more sensitive to dongle fitments.

Would you consider that my shit luck or Specializeds fault?

 

[PanosSam]

Hmm...I'm trying to see this logically. You had the lamp fitted from day 1 and it was OK for 6 months. You then had a firmware update which Spesh are suggesting could now 'detect' the lamp was fitted and immediately bricked the controller as a result.

So I can't see how Spesh 'fucked up' your bike. I presume you voluntarily went for the FW update? It's certainly shit luck and I would deffo be pissed that they modded the firmware to sense that your accessory had been fitted, but I don't think I would be in a position to blame them. Especially when you stated that the light you used 'According to Specialized this voids the warranty which I fully understand'.

I liken your scenario to a hypothetical situation of me fitting a dongle for 6 months. Everything goes perfectly. I then take the dongle off to get a firmware update. I happily trundle back to my shed, refit the dongle and everything bricks. Unbeknown to me Bosch had tweeked the firmware to be more sensitive to dongle fitments.

Would you consider that my shit luck or Specializeds fault?

Specialized’s. They modded the firmware to make sure someone who has such an accessory bricks their bike. They did not need to do that and they defo did not advertise this change. They did something which in my eyes is despicable and should own up for purposely making a change that would brick the system.

I absolutely went for the update because I didn’t expect them to do something like this and feel like I shouldn’t have to worry about this. In my eyes you are being complacent instead of questioning their actions.

 

[PanosSam]

with can bus if it is not broke then dont try to fix it esp with a firmware update and 3rd party parts like dongles connected to the motor.

either the can bus update has been corrupted or it has detected the light power has been exceeded and the new firmware has bricked the motor.

or the light has burnt out trhe voltage rail the light works on and and had a damaged component on the controllers pcb and stopping the motor from turning on so check the controller for damage as all it takes for one cap to go bad and will shut the lot down.

The lamp is directly connected to the battery, therefore a burnt power rail seems unlikely especially since the lamp simply piggy backs on the can high and low signal wires. Either way I will definitely check that, thanks for the help

 

[Planemo]

Specialized’s. They modded the firmware to make sure someone who has such an accessory bricks their bike. They did not need to do that and they defo did not advertise this change. They did something which in my eyes is despicable and should own up for purposely making a change that would brick the system.

I absolutely went for the update because I didn’t expect them to do something like this and feel like I shouldn’t have to worry about this. In my eyes you are being complacent instead of questioning their actions.

OK so we look at this totally differently and I don't think thats going to change anytime soon.

I do find it somewhat odd that you call me complacent though. Contrastingly, I would have thought that you knowingly fitting something to your bike which would or could void the warranty (irrespective of what Ver FW was fitted) would be deemed complacent.

So I'm out. Good luck with getting to grips with the modern world.

 

[PanosSam]

no, you're suggesting that..
I have some knowledge however, your knowledge has led you to where you are now..


FTFY

their reply to your situation seems to suggest otherwise.

Dude if you have any concrete knowledge in systems design I would be more than happy to hear what you have to say, you’re refusal to enlighten me on the subject though suggests otherwise.

Specialized tells me I have to replace the entire motor assembly for a simple bricked controller, that proves unequivocally that they are full of shit and give zero fucks about me as a client.

@shockwave clearly has knowledge in CANbus systems and gave me a reasonable explanation for the problem. Like I said, if you have any proper explanation/theory I would be more than hapy to hear it.

 

[PanosSam]

OK so we look at this totally differently and I don't think thats going to change anytime soon.

I do find it somewhat odd that you call me complacent though. Contrastingly, I would have thought that you knowingly fitting something to your bike which would or could void the warranty (irrespective of what Ver FW was fitted) would be deemed complacent.

So I'm out. Good luck with getting to grips with the modern world.

As a counter point, I wasn’t aware at all of the warranty being an issue when installing the lamp because I knew that there was absolutely no way that there was any sort of chance of electrical failure/bricking unless this was purposely done through firmware manipulation, which is exactly the case.

So your version of the modern world is one where you listen and follow blindly what they feed
you and would simply cough up the money to replace the unit had something similar happened to you. I am astounded by your ignorance and all I can do is bid you good luck and wish you all the best.

 

[PanosSam]

peter at the ebike motor centre used to service shimano motors he does not now as they bricked all the ones he fixed with new bearings on the e8000 motors and cost him a fortune so wont touch any of them any more and even if you pay shimano wont even fix them so £900 for a new motor if you fit it yourself that is the only option.

bloody things have sensors everywhere esp in the new motors and plugging in anything anywhere that is 3rd party is not a good idea at all with these things esp tring to power a tv from a 1000 quid batt is just fkn crazy the bms in the batt has a can bus chip as well it is locked down that much and a firware update can kill the lot.

is the batt ok and and charging? or is that dead as well ?

The battery is good and charging yes. So the only issue right now is the motor controller.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Dude if you have any concrete knowledge in systems design

yes I do.

I would be more than happy to hear what you have to say

wait for it....

Specialized tells me I have to replace the entire motor assembly

voila !

but, on no !!!

that proves unequivocally that they are full of shit and give zero fucks about me as a client.

check mate

I'm glad this thread popped up, it reminds me why I quit automation and control.

 

[Planemo]

I am astounded by your ignorance.

I will be benevolent and put that down to my suspicion that you are not a native English speaker otherwise I would be telling you to go fuck yourself.

 

[PanosSam]

yes I do.

wait for it....

voila !

but, on no !!!

check mate

I'm glad this thread popped up, it reminds me why I quit automation and control.

You are clearly a master in systems design, yet you clearly deflect. You quitting automation and control doesn’t seem to have been voluntary.

 

[PanosSam]

I will be benevolent and put that down to my suspicion that you are not a native English speaker otherwise I would be telling you to go fuck yourself.

Throw in as many fancy words as you oh fearful yet benevolent master of the English language want, the fact remains unchanged. Like I said, good luck to you and I wish you all the best, and this is me being sincere. If you find it necessary to tell someone who doesn’t share your opinions to “go fuck yourself” be my guest. Everyone on this planet is entitled to their own opinion. I will leave you with this: next time you find yourself in an argument with someone who doesn’t share your thoughts, stop count to ten and then reply. But then again who am I to tell you what to do. Peace

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

You are clearly a master in systems design, yet you clearly deflect. You quitting automation and control doesn’t seem to have been voluntary.

You might find people more helpful if you don't act like an entitled little zoomer, good luck with your bike.

 

[Zimmerframe]

@PanosSam I'm sure everyone can share some sympathy with you for having a bricked bike.

What you did is a creative solution, but not without risk.

However, to claim that Specialized have made a firmware upgrade with the intention of bricking people's bikes - who've made modifications outside of the guidelines, seems somewhat unreasonable.

Specialized are one of the more proactive companies with regard to firmware upgrades to improve performance, longevity, safety.

For instance when they introduced voltage compensation so the motor could pull higher amps at lower voltages so you still maintained the same performance throughout the ride.

It's possible that a firmware upgrade was made to monitor for current loss - which could have been traced to a potential fire risk for example. You couldn't expect a company not to implement something which increases safety just in case someone's made some third party modification to the standard wiring ? However, I'm not aware of the Mag S having any fuse which can be electrically blown on purpose when a fault is detected - like on some shimano batteries.

It's equally possible that they changed something to increase performance, but with your light modification, this blew a component on the PCB. There's also the possibility of unfortunate co-incidence.

Specialized, like nearly every company, only seem to do complete motor exchanges. That's a separate problem and yes, it sucks.

One advantage you do have is that a lot of Mag S motors fail, so there's a reasonable chance you might find a scrap one second hand and take the pcb out of that.

 

[PanosSam]

@PanosSam I'm sure everyone can share some sympathy with you for having a bricked bike.

What you did is a creative solution, but not without risk.

However, to claim that Specialized have made a firmware upgrade with the intention of bricking people's bikes - who've made modifications outside of the guidelines, seems somewhat unreasonable.

Specialized are one of the more proactive companies with regard to firmware upgrades to improve performance, longevity, safety.

For instance when they introduced voltage compensation so the motor could pull higher amps at lower voltages so you still maintained the same performance throughout the ride.

It's possible that a firmware upgrade was made to monitor for current loss - which could have been traced to a potential fire risk for example. You couldn't expect a company not to implement something which increases safety just in case someone's made some third party modification to the standard wiring ? However, I'm not aware of the Mag S having any fuse which can be electrically blown on purpose when a fault is detected - like on some shimano batteries.

It's equally possible that they changed something to increase performance, but with your light modification, this blew a component on the PCB. There's also the possibility of unfortunate co-incidence.

Specialized, like nearly every company, only seem to do complete motor exchanges. That's a separate problem and yes, it sucks.

One advantage you do have is that a lot of Mag S motors fail, so there's a reasonable chance you might find a scrap one second hand and take the pcb out of that.

Thanks for you input. I appreciate your knowledge on this. At the end of the day the motor failed directly after the update, meaning I only turned on the tcu and did not try riding it. That it would detect current loss is out of the question as there was no load on the motor.

I’ll agree to my bricking claim being unreasonable, as you can understand this is extremely frustrating. As I said the motor failed right after the update, to me it is clear as day that it has nothing to do with the lamp since there was no issue with it before. I think I am being very reasonable in expecting for Specialized to agree that this is a warranty issue and not use the lamp as an excuse. The chance of a failure occuring when turning on the tcu after an update in my opinion is close to zero. Under load, yes absolutely.

You mention that s-mag motors fail all the time, that doesn’t inspire confidence tbh.

 

[PanosSam]

You might find people more helpful if you don't act like an entitled little zoomer, good luck with your bike.

I’m sorry but when someone goes into attack mode right away instead of trying to be constructive with their criticism warrants a similar response. Like I already said, if you have any reasonable explanation as to why my motor failed I would be more than happy to accept it, but all you’ve done is be rude to me simply because you don’t agree. I apologise for being rude to you, my frustration did get the better over me which is not an excuse, but it is what it is.