The issue I see is not directly concerning the cost of repairs but the expectations of the customers.
It really wasn’t my intent to cast aspersions or question the motives of anyone here, least not Andy or the guys at Oxygen. But there is a bigger question that needs addressing as Woosh suggests...
What constitutes reasonable use?
When you buy a car, it’s guaranteed for X years, or X miles – whichever comes first. It is NOT unlimited mileage, is it? You’d otherwise have every Taxi driver in the country driving Kia’s and still expecting free engine and gearbox replacements after ½ million miles within their 7 year warranty.
With e-bikes especially allowing riders the ability to ride (especially commute) increasingly higher mileages, at what point do you draw the line of being “reasonable use” for warranty purposes?
I’m sure Bafang, Yamaha, Bosch, Daum/Impulse (and all the other motor systems) have a design life – where the quality of bearings, materials, components are weighed carefully against cost, and being designed to cover a set number of miles with only minimal failure rates... after which the motor/components are deemed life expired?
I can’t see that it makes much financial sense for e-bike makers/resellers to continue to offer unconditional/blanket “no questions asked” 1/2/5/10 year warranties irrespective of what mileage, terrain, or conditions under which that bike is to be used. History is littered with examples of well intentioned companies with good product going bust by being too helpful/generous/unquestioning in freely replacing product and avoiding bad press.
Maybe warranties will become more tightly specified as more commuters wake up to the possibilities of using e-bikes for considerably higher mileages/longer distances/commutes than were hitherto possible with a “normal” bike?
