This is truly appalling and not good news for anyone (like me for instance) who has a Shimano motor in their expensive e-mtb
l will just have to hope that mine doesn't fail. And what happens to all the £4,000+ bikes when Shimano decide to stop making these motors?
You can't fit a different motor, it's not like a hub motor where you can just change the wheel.
Depending upon the materials used in the frame, a clever person may design a way to completely replace that area of the frame, for a part that will acceppt a different make/model of mid motor. Or they may make a standard bottom end so that a hub motor may be used.
One question how did Shimano "brick" the repaired motors? ls it some sort of anti tamper software?
The fine details will be a well hidden company secret, but probably something like using RAM storage, (which loses its contents if power fails) to contain important proprietry information.
l just checked online
There is a company in the U.K. called "emoter repairs" that's offering service/repair to shimano motors. Well, some repairs anyhow
Some companies apparently like to lead their customers around by the nose, plucking Euros, Pounds and Dollars at the same time from their pockets.
They are really just legal "Pickpockets" IMHO.
A purchaser must simply make his own mind up at the point of sale, as to what he will accept or not. It's his/her personal choice!
Some of these companies though, Bosch comes to mind but they are not alone it would seem, have "improved" (made it worse for the customer), with software updates that are basically "forced" in some manner onto the customer's property, without telling him fully why - sadly!
My bet is any company that uses CANBUS or similar to extort its customer base (there are other BUS systems that could be used, i2C comes to mind, which is very cheap and easy to implement), will get steadily worse for the user/owner....hopefully such companies are going to go out of business sooner rather than later.
As the old British saying goes:-
"you pays your money and you makes your choice!"
I intensely dislike such money making schemes on principle...and avoid them whenever possible.
Regards
Andy