Bosch error code 504 without tuning/ speedbox

[Floyd Pepper]

hi there

today i made another mountain climb on my cube reaction hybrid slt, which I do 3/4 times a week, suddenly I get the error 504.
my bike is original and not tuned or anything like that.

anybody had this and can help me out, I'm living in area where I can't go to a dealer and update.

many thanks in advance..

 

[Jeffrey]

I got the same error after an upgrade and I had to go to the dealer to erase it.
They told me it can happens after an update (even without speedbox).

What's your actual software?

I heard somewhere that if you ride 16km without assistance, the 504 error is automatically cleared (only if the speed sensor is working fine).
I don't know if it's true, maybe give a try on a flat road ?

 

[Mteam]

I think one of the old firmware version was susceptible to throwing a 504 error without having been derestricted.

What version of drive unit firmware are you on?

 

[Jeffrey]

I have now the latest firmware and no more 504 errors since then.

When I got the 504 it was FW 1.0.3.0

 

[Rosemount]

Ride 10 - 15 KM in limp mode .
Turn off - turn back on . Reset .

Or use a battery drill with a tool that fits in your crank bolt and rig it up to turn the crank for an hour / hour and a half . Reset .

4 x 504 and you are talking to BOSCH lawyers about your illegal bike . And how to make it go again .

 

[Floyd Pepper]

hey there
thanks a lot for your feedback, really helpful.

I will try to find a flat part tomorrow and try to keep a steady paste for about 16km.
question, is there a certain speed I should maintain?

I will use the drill or treadmill as second options, smh

my drive unit software is 1.0.2.0 , unfortunately we don't have a dealer in my country to make the update.

many thanks again

 

[Rosemount]

I had error 504 once on a ride .
The limp mode makes it hard to ride more than 10 KMPH on any incline . 1st time I went back to LBS and had them upgrade the firm ware . They asked me did I try to make the bike go faster ?
2nd time 2 hours drive from home . Turned on the motor - 504 error . Packed up and went home . Did the cordless drill hack . 1 1/2 hours at 7 KMPH . Turned off , back on and no error code .

Bosch were involved in the emission scandal with Volkswagon . Didn`t get the headlines VW did but . This makes me think they are complying very rigidly with EU e bike laws to show what good corporate citizens they are .

Since discontinued derestriction . Not interested in explaining to LBS and BOSCH about e bike tuning . So bye , bye BOSCH .
Very disappointed . I was really enjoying the bike .

 

[Floyd Pepper]

I'm going to try some today, before I go down to the sea for some flat roads I would like to how, Limp mode is the same as without assistance?
So I will ride without assistance for about 15km or an hour or hour and a half correct?

Should I maintain a certain speed and not go faster and slower, what if I need to turn?

Apologies for all the questions, any help would be greatly appreciated!
Also I hope not to walk back up the mountain to reach home if it doesn't works yikes

 

[Rosemount]

The assistance cuts out at some where near 10 KMPH .
I haven`t unlocked it by riding myself . There are other posts in this forum where people did ride . I had firm ware up grade and restore at LBS 1st time , then 2nd time I used the drill .

 

[Floyd Pepper]

The assistance cuts out at some where near 10 KMPH .
I haven`t unlocked it by riding myself . There are other posts in this forum where people did ride . I had firm ware up grade and restore at LBS 1st time , then 2nd time I used the drill .

Using driller as we speak but the speed aint too stable, it keeps going down slowly.
If it ain't working I'll try to go for a ride tomorrow.

I still can't believe that we have to do this with a brand new bike in 2020!
Thank you Bosch

 

[Mteam]

Using driller as we speak but the speed aint too stable, it keeps going down slowly.
If it ain't working I'll try to go for a ride tomorrow.

I still can't believe that we have to do this with a brand new bikes in 2020!
Thank you Bosch

If you haven't attempted to derestrict the motor then you shouldn't have to do this. It's a fault in the version of firmware you are running, you need to get it updated to the latest version, which has the side benefit of giving you 85nm of torque instead of 75nm which you get with the version you currently have.

It's worth getting the update put onto your motor.

 

[Sander23]

If you haven't attempted to derestrict the motor then you shouldn't have to do this. It's a fault in the version of firmware you are running, you need to get it updated to the latest version, which has the side benefit of giving you 85nm of torque instead of 75nm which you get with the version you currently have.

It's worth getting the update put onto your motor.

Is That 85 nm update also for my 2018 bosch motor(would like to get that nm update?

 

[Mteam]

Is That 85 nm update also for my 2018 bosch motor(would like to get that nm update?

No its just for the performance line cx which was released in 2019 (performance line cx gen4)

 

[Floyd Pepper]

If you haven't attempted to derestrict the motor then you shouldn't have to do this. It's a fault in the version of firmware you are running, you need to get it updated to the latest version, which has the side benefit of giving you 85nm of torque instead of 75nm which you get with the version you currently have.

It's worth getting the update put onto your motor.

That's true, the update would almost certainly resolve this issue.

Unfortunately I'm living in Beirut and we don't have a official dealer here to go to.
I brought it from cypres, I'm even considering sending the motor only for an update.

 

[Floyd Pepper]

thought i give my update for anybody in the future that has the same problem.

so this morning i fully charged my drill battery and have it a go, 45 min - 9km/h pretty steady on eco mode.
and Thank God the error is gone, what a relieve.

i was already thinking of shipping the motor only for an update, along those lines.
so yeah super excited.

went for a easy (fear) ride, all went well.

thanks to all you guys and the responses, hopefully in the near future bosch would have a system in play where we can update our own engine.

cheers!

 

[Floyd Pepper]

Aaand i got my second 504 error code today, jolly jolly!

So every 4 months, is that what it is Bosch? (just blowing off some steam here)

Truly wish Bosch would let us update from the app or provide/purchase a light software update kit to do it ourselves.
If anything let us at least be able to reset it.

Those birdcages won't last forever

 

[MrSimmo]

I get that derestricting an ebike voids the warranty and may contravene local laws; but if the bike has been sold in entirety to the consumer (not leased/rented/hired etc), I fail to understand how Bosch can legally prevent a bike from working through throwing a 504 error meaning a dealer visit is required or a bizarre workaround involving riding the bike without motor support or connecting it to a power drill.

It may exist, but I've never heard of where Bosch have an acceptable use policy for ebike motors (except the warranty policy which only legally applies to the warranty/support of said bike not the ride-ability) which the rider has to agree to prior to getting on the bike.

If the bike is wholly owned by the consumer post purchase, surely the legal liabilities of riding an derestricted ebike are that of the owner not Bosch; so the owner just accepts that:
1. Any legal proceedings/police intervention etc are nothing to do with Bosch.
2. The warranty on the motor is null and void and through software/dealer/other Bosch will keep a record of said modifications.

I'm no legal expert but the whole disabling the bike approach is bonkers in my mind. If country has a law where Bosch are legally held accountable, then surely this approach should be limited to said country rather than worldwide.

Take the car industry, you can remap engines to unleash the power that the standard map holds back. In the UK it voids the warranty on the car, usually flags a report with the central systems (in VW case its the TD1 flag for example), and you legally have to inform the insurance company of said modification to remain legally compliant. But car manufacturers don't suddenly cut out the car mid journey and leave you stranded.

 

[Mteam]

Yep, agree with all that. Has anyone gone through the 3 strikes and your out process? Ie after the 3rd (or is it 4th) strike where the motor won't reset itself and you have to go to the dealer to get it working again, presumably they void the warranty, but do they then disable the tuning detection system so it doesn't throw any more errors?

Once the two years warranty is up I don't really see why bosch care what I do with the bike.

The sooner someone properly reverse engineers the software on these motors and removes the tuning detection the better.

 

[Beezerk]

I had two 504 errors within a few months of getting the bike, got the firmware update back in April and luckily none since. There's still that nagging doubt in the back of my mind though that it could happen again. It's proper shit that they can brick the bike, I have an email somewhere from Bosch where they said they were aware of some untampered bikes throwing up false positives.

 

[Flo]

Aaand i got my second 504 error code today, jolly jolly!

So every 4 months, is that what it is Bosch? (just blowing off some steam here)

Truly wish Bosch would let us update from the app or provide/purchase an update kit (usb + cable) to do it ourselves.
If anything let us at least be able to reset it.

Those birdcages won't last forever

How you solve this situation ? You sent only the motor in a bike shop ? I have a Bosch CX GEN 4 motor with 1.0.2.0 firmware, i run 600km with my ebike, i don't have any errors but i want to deristrict my bike and i don't have a bike shop in my town. I don't know if it's worth it to buy a tuning cip risking the appearance of an error. Maybe you can help with an advice using your situation. Thank you !

 

[Floyd Pepper]

How you solve this situation ? You sent only the motor in a bike shop ? I have a Bosch CX GEN 4 motor with 1.0.2.0 firmware, i run 600km with my ebike, i don't have any errors but i want to deristrict my bike and i don't have a bike shop in my town. I don't know if it's worth it to buy a tuning cip risking the appearance of an error. Maybe you can help with an advice using your situation. Thank you !

My error is not fixed yet, i have to do the infamous 'reset by hand dril technique' again.
As this only seems to work 3 or 4 times, i hope Bosch will come out with a light version software that lets us update the engine ourselves, this is not a hard thing to do in 2021.
It even should be possible trough the app, software for engine files are usually not so large.

I've been in contact with Bosch about this, here their reply:

"Bosch have heard all of the critics, and in the future there will most likely be possible for any user to update their ebike. But at the moment there is no date or official statement about this."

I am not familiar with tuning, but it seems to work for most who have bought the speed box/chip, there is enough online to read about those results.
If you don't want a headache, don't tune it.

I did not tune my e-bike, i just happened to buy one of the early versions of the performance cx gen 4 engines.
And the rumour goes that Bosch was too aggressive in 'detecting tuning values' in the first versions, that's why they released new updates for gen 4 & gen 2.

 

[Flo]

Thank you for youe answer ! What Cube model do you have ? My Scott is 2020 edition. I think 504 error have another cause, not what Bosch told us. It's a no rules error for us because some guys have it, other doesn't.

 

[JvZweel]

So my 2020 Cube Hybrid Performance 500 got the 504 error. It is not modified. I'm trying to follow the advice with the drill. So I switch the controller on, set to Eco, start the drill and let it run. Few minutes later, I come back to check up, and controller has turned itself off. Same as it does when you switch on the controller, but don't pedal. Is this OK? Will it still fix the error? Should I stand next to it and press some buttons every few minutes to keep it on? The controller shows speed when drill is running. I have no idea why it would switch off by itself? Any advice is appreciated!

 

[da21]

I bought a new Trek Allant+ 5 in May 2021 (Bosh CS line performance), fixed a badass 4B with a 50 km/h speed limit, and in July got my first error 504. I cleared it by riding the bike for over 90 minutes and reduced the speed limit on the badass to 35 km/h. Got my second error 504 at the beginning of September (but I have not used the bike at all in August). Cleared it again by riding for over 90 minutes, increased the badass speed limit to 45 km/h. Got my third 504 after a week (maybe ~ 100 km later). Cleared again with the usual 90 minutes ride, and yesterday (after another ~100 km) got my 4th 504, which meant game over, I could not clear the error anymore (I rode three times for over two hours). Taken to the dealer (restored to factory configuration with no badass, of course) who managed to clear the error for me.

Cons of limping mode is that it limits the rotational speed of the chainring, but there is also a pro because with the longest gear I could get assistance up to 27-28 km/h (even without badass), which is higher than what I can get now with the 504 cleared (and still no badass, of course). This also means that replacing the chainring from a 40T to a 48T or something I would get an extra 20% speed increase.

I am not entirely sure how to proceed, perhaps try again with badass set to 30 km/h and see what happens, presumably if the dealer was able to clear my 4th 504 it should be fine also if a 5th props up again.

 

[big2417]

So my 2020 Cube Hybrid Performance 500 got the 504 error. It is not modified. I'm trying to follow the advice with the drill. So I switch the controller on, set to Eco, start the drill and let it run. Few minutes later, I come back to check up, and controller has turned itself off. Same as it does when you switch on the controller, but don't pedal. Is this OK? Will it still fix the error? Should I stand next to it and press some buttons every few minutes to keep it on? The controller shows speed when drill is running. I have no idea why it would switch off by itself? Any advice is appreciated!

Did you get anywhere, Ive got the same problem

 

[GBikeBoy]

Hi All. Thought I’d share my experiences here. I have a Cube Reaction EXC. I did the low-tech speed fix and put the magnet on the pedal arm. This worked fine for a while until I hit a large pothole and I think the sensor moved. I got an 524001 error (same as the old 504). I put it all back to normal, rode for 90 mins and it cleared. That was strike 1.

I then got a Speedbox 1.0 fitted. I do long rides from Manhattan up to Piermont and after both long rides recently I got the same error again. Thus strikes 2 and 3. Although I left the bike on to do the count down every time, I think somehow the system just works out that I was doing an average of 40km/h and so it throws up the error.

So three strikes and I thought I was out. Well maybe there is hope! I took out the Speedbox and then set the bike up last night inside and cycled for 90 minutes. No joy. I then went out to Central Park today and cycled round and round for 90 minutes and it has just cleared.

Thus in summary :

1. It seems as though it is still possible to reset the system yourself with a limp home mode ride of 90 mins even after the third strike (although keeping my fingers crossed this is indeed the case!)

2. If you have a Speed box fitted and do long rides, be careful. I think trying to keep around 35-40km/h might be the best way to avoid the chip detection.

Hope this helps. If anyone has had similar experiences with a Speedbox 1.0 let me know. With credit to ebiketuner where I bought it, they have been very helpful.

 

[Cobee]

Did you get anywhere, Ive got the same problem

Let us Know.

 

[Cobee]

So my 2020 Cube Hybrid Performance 500 got the 504 error. It is not modified. I'm trying to follow the advice with the drill. So I switch the controller on, set to Eco, start the drill and let it run. Few minutes later, I come back to check up, and controller has turned itself off. Same as it does when you switch on the controller, but don't pedal. Is this OK? Will it still fix the error? Should I stand next to it and press some buttons every few minutes to keep it on? The controller shows speed when drill is running. I have no idea why it would switch off by itself? Any advice is appreciated!

I’ve tested.
I set “off” mode and drill 90minutes.
In every 4-5minutes I was click minus button to change display ( kilometers / range / total distance maybe is not needed I don’t know but purion not turned off. If I used mode eco/Tour: emtb/ turbo - purion was turned off)

After 90minutes drilling I turned off purion and on. And error gone
My motor is Bosch performance line Cx gen2 1.8.6.0

 

[Eagleboy64]

Does anybody know if the 90 minute ride once the bike is in limp mode if it can be done over multiple rides or does it have to be in one session/ride?

 

[Floyd Pepper]

Does anybody know if the 90 minute ride once the bike is in limp mode if it can be done over multiple rides or does it have to be in one session/ride?

Most likely one session