I think ive just been sold a lemon... 2nd hand ebike 90% dead battery

[Creativechip]

Hello all,
I thought I would jump on the e bike wagon because of the most valued asset of going further and using less physical energy, the later being the main reason after years of having Cfs (chronic fatigue syndrome).
I have just bought a 2nd hand cyclamatic power plus, went to collect today and test rode for 10 mins and everything seemed ok. Got home, tryed again, battery dead. Tryed to charge, got the green light after 15-20 minutes on the charging pack, tryed again, got just over 10 mins ride before it died again. Basically been sold a good bike with a nearly dead battery. Im fairy certain its the battery, but will get it checked tomorrow via an electrician or mechanic with meter reading equipment.. if thats correct? just to pinpoint that is the problem. Now if the battery is the problem, my next problem is sourcing a reasonably priced replacement battery. I have only found one on Ebay at £250 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CYCLAMATIC-Power-Plus-24v-11ah-Battery-Li-ion-and-Charger-Brand-New-/161729971301?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item25a7db8465) which im not really sure I want to pay. Can anyone suggest anywhere I can source a battery?

Much appreciated

 

[Alan Quay]

£250 is a reasonable price for a UK landed battery. You may be able to get one cheaper, but not by much.

There's a chance its repairable, but it's a slim chance. Where are you based?

How much did you pay for the bike? I think I'd be asking for a refund.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

How much did you pay and where do you live?

 

[Creativechip]

Hi Mike, I paid £225 and its 3 years old, the guy reckons it was for his wife that only rode it a handful of times in 3 years and mostly been sat. The bike itself looks in good condition and so was believable. I haven't contacted him yet because I want to give it a proper charge and try one last time and then go get it checked in the morning before i contact him. What makes it worse was when I was communicating with him before the sale over the phone i told him one of the reasons i wanted an e bike was because of my cfs.. that in itself makes the whole thing a little worse if he knew the battery was on its way out and still sold it, but then again maybe he didnt know. The 250 mile round trip was quite the joy too!

 

[Creativechip]

Hi d8veh, I paid £225 and live in Lincoln, bought e bike from Sudbury Suffolk.

 

[Alan Quay]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but 3 years is about the right time for one of these batteries to give up.

 

[Black Dog]

Assuming a full charge doesn't solve it and the battery is dead in the water, I would approach the seller for a refund or perhaps a request to go halves on the new battery. But I wouldn't expect much from that approach. Buyer beware, and all that. Unless the bike was actually misrepresented ("good battery", etc), you are relying on the seller's goodwill only.

On the plus side, if you get a new battery, you have the knowledge that it is fresh and will do what you want for a long time. As a former CFS/ME sufferer, I can tell you that the ebike will transform your life. I'm back to cycling 4 or more times a week and commuting every other day, which I thought was in my past, not my future. I've lost weight and I am fitter. I love mine.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

A Cyclamatic is now £600, so you have £350 for your battery. You paid way below the price for one with a good battery. They normally go for about £400 in working condition., so I don't think you should trouble the seller. If you had found one advertised with a duff battery in rough condition, you'd probably pay £200.

Before you both anybody, you need to get the battery balanced. Try leaving it on charge for a day. Don't switch it off when the light goes green. If you get slightly more range. Keep doing that until the range increases to normal, which is about 20 miles.

If that doesn't work or you're just impatient to get it sorted, you have to open the case and measure the cell voltages on the multipin connector that attaches to the BMS. You unscrew the top and bottom pieces, then turn the bottom one sideways on and use it to push the contents up. You need to remove the contents, and cut the cellotape that holds the fibreglass around the cell-pack (unless they've changed their construction). If you're not sure what to do when you get that far, photograph what you have and post them here.

 

[Geebee]

I would definately try d8veh's advise regarding cycling the battery as they dislike not being used and you may not need to replace it, hopfully

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You spend all that time anf effort trying to help people and they can't even be bothered to let you know how they got on. I don't know why we bother.