Ebike battery failure

[obsolent]

I did 2900 miles on my EBCO ebike, and then my bt-e8000 battery packed up. It had been brilliant up to that point, and I felt confident it would last me for another 2000 miles, but then suddenly neither bike nor charger could connect to it. I took it to Halfords, and they pointed to water bubbles just visible via the charge indicator lights. I had hopes that it could be repaired, but no - the warranty had expired just two weeks ago, and Madison’s (who handle Halfords warranty) would not help.
My mind was boggled. The battery was never dropped into water or hosed down, but it is rack-mounted, and so exposed to the elements. I had no idea that it would be susceptible to rain. In fact I strongly contend it should not be.
So my question is...
... how should I care for my new battery (bought mainly by my home insurance)? Should I assume that any rain could risk killing it? Take it back to the retailer if I get caught in a downpour?
Any help gratefully received

[mattsccm]

I would be pushing somewhat for some more warranty sympathy.

[Brucey]

there are companies that will refurb/repair e-bike batteries. It might be worth getting the old battery repaired. If you are going to do this, do it sooner rather than later; the cells in the battery will die if they are left without charge in them.

I've said this before but most e-bikes are, by and large, not well-made. Lots of makes have problems with water ingress into battery packs. A plastic bag over the top is a prudent measure, but in some cases the water that gets in is spray off the rear wheel.

cheers

[LinusR]

I would be pushing somewhat for some more warranty sympathy.

I agree. It is pretty poor for a major component to fail like that. I note the following from EBCO's website:

How quickly will the battery deteriorate?
e-bikes from EBC use the very latest Lithium Ion Battery cells predominately from leading brand supplies (Panasonic and Sanyo) that will give an average of at least 500 full charges this translates to around 12,000 to 15,000 miles at optimum performance. -That’s an awful lot of miles on one battery! All Lithium batteries (think laptops and mobile phones) experience slight degradation year on year – this is normal and your battery will give many miles of trouble free performance. http://www.ebco-ebikes.co.uk/reference/faqs

But the two year warranty

iv. Does not cover normal wear and tear, including corrosion, rust, hairline cracks in paint, chips in paint, water damage, the results of fatigue and any damage, failure or loss caused by accident, misuse, neglect, abuse, theft or failure to follow assembly, re-assembly or disassembly or other instructions or warnings in the bicycle Owner’s Handbook. http://www.ebco-ebikes.co.uk/reference/warranty

You've done less than 3,000 miles - less than a quarter of the expected minimum life. A cycle should be expected to perform in most weather conditions, ie including wet weather. The battery - just like the rest of the cycle - should be fit for purpose. This is basic consumer protection (I'm not a lawyer by the way).

I would contact EBCO directly http://www.ebco-ebikes.co.uk/contact-us and try to get a free replacement battery from them. Give them a call and then follow up with a polite and short email setting out the facts and saying you want a free replacement battery because the product despite being outside of warranty is "not fit for purpose" for which it is intended.

[Cyril Haearn]

How much does a new battery cost?

[CXRAndy]

I heard a tip to protect a battery is to use a swimming cap stretched over the battery. The sections aren't sealed too well on most batteries, so a simple cover helps against water ingress

[kwackers]

How is it water damaged?

I very much doubt the cells are damaged, more likely just the BMS or possibly just a connector gone dodgy.
I'd get someone who knows what they're doing to look at it.

In terms of mileage my battery has lasted 20k so far and is still fine.

[hemo]

Two of my 14.5ah batteries will be six years old in October and still going strongly, they are use alternately and used 5 - 6 times a week all, year round. I also build my own and the fault is more likely a fairly simple one as already mentioned a BMS, wire issue or quite commonly an internal blown fuse. Nearly all will have one on the discharge side and some also have one on the charge side.

If you lived near me in RH10 I would have quite happily looked at it for you.


The water bubbles mentioned by them is probably just to fob you off and is just weak spot where moisture may ingress.

[tim-b]

Hi
Is there any evidence that the damage is water-related, or is it just a few drops that are visible in a non-critical part?
Your contract isn't with Madison, it's with Halfords and I would be going back to them with good some consumer advice gained beforehand
The only reason that Madison is involved is because the battery is (I think) part of a Shimano system, but it's not their call
How much was the replacement? £500? Definitely worth some good advice and:
a formal letter to Halfords head office
and/or ask your insurers to pursue it
and/or ask your credit card company to pursue it (if that was used in the purchase)
Regards
tim-b

[simonhill]

Seeing as the insurance has already paid out for it, I wonder how they would react if you then tell them it was only a minor fault and didn't need replacing. Would you have to repay the money.

Not a fraudulent claim as you did it in good faith, but certainly an incorrect one, after being misled by the shop. (Edited)

[hamster]

Regarless of the warranty you could have a pretty good case under the Sale of Goods Act this it wasn't fit for purpose. It might be worth having a chat with Trading Standards if you get no joy from the manufacturer.

[obsolent]

Thank you all for your very helpful comments and advice. Matters arising
1. The new battery cost £500, but after a ten minute chat with a very pleasant woman at Aviva, I only had to pay the excess - £100
2. I will write to Halfords HQ
3. I will certainly look for someone to repair the old battery. I did not know it was possible. I live in the Guildford area, not too far from RH10 ...
Meanwhile the new battery arrived yesterday, so now I can cycle my preferred route to Godalming, up the very steep hill!