Levo Gen 2 Snapped upper rear shock bolt

[Zakb]

Hi everyone, so basically I was on a ride a few weeks ago and noticed the upper rear shock bolt was loose and snapped inside the frame. I took it to the closest specialized service centre as I'm from Sheffield and they damaged the thread trying to drill the bolt out.

They then drilled it out to a M8 and fit a motor bolt there all without consulting me first and it looked horrible protruding about half an inch from the frame.

I payed them £40 and took the bike home, it then came off 5 mins after riding again so I called them and took it back to the service centre. 2 days later they called to say it was fixed, I picked it up again and it still didn't work so I had to take it back for a third time.

It's now currently in the service centre and I have told them I am not happy with the bodge they did especially without speaking to me first.
I expected them to have got the bolt out and repair it but that didn't happen, I said I want it to look professional again.

I don't have warranty because I got the bike second hand, it is deristricted and it was made in August 2020.

They just called me and said it was only about 3 threads deep which is why it kept coming out, they said it Is now fixed and should be fine.

What do you guys think I should do? Do you think I should expect better and a new frame or just take my bike back and hope it works now?

Any advice is much appreciated thanks guys.

 

[Alexbn921]

Drilling out to 8mm is a good fix and probably the only way to save the frame. The bolt they used is not the right one and you should be able to find one that fits better.

 

[Zakb]

 

[Zakb]

They've sent me a picture of what they've done, they have drilled it and tapped it deeper and the same bolt now goes more flush with the frame. Should I accept the bike back and get on with it or expect a new bolt from them or new frame?

 

[KnollyBro]

Hi everyone, so basically I was on a ride a few weeks ago and noticed the upper rear shock bolt was loose and snapped inside the frame. I took it to the closest specialized service centre as I'm from Sheffield and they damaged the thread trying to drill the bolt out.

They then drilled it out to a M8 and fit a motor bolt there all without consulting me first and it looked horrible protruding about half an inch from the frame.

I payed them £40 and took the bike home, it then came off 5 mins after riding again so I called them and took it back to the service centre. 2 days later they called to say it was fixed, I picked it up again and it still didn't work so I had to take it back for a third time.

It's now currently in the service centre and I have told them I am not happy with the bodge they did especially without speaking to me first.
I expected them to have got the bolt out and repair it but that didn't happen, I said I want it to look professional again.

I don't have warranty because I got the bike second hand, it is deristricted and it was made in August 2020.

They just called me and said it was only about 3 threads deep which is why it kept coming out, they said it Is now fixed and should be fine.

What do you guys think I should do? Do you think I should expect better and a new frame or just take my bike back and hope it works now?

Any advice is much appreciated thanks guys.

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The title of this thread says "SNAPPED". Did the bolt actually break or did it loosen off and strip the threads on its way out? If so, there are only two ways to fix it. Drill the threaded side out and put a nylock nut on it (cheapest fix) or drill the threaded side out and press in an 8mm insert (expensive) but I doubt Specialized would have the tools or a machinist on site who could do that as it would a fussy job to set up.
I don't think you can expect Specialized to repair a problem which would classified as a maintenance issue if you are not doing a routine inspection of the bolts on your bike.

 

[Zakb]

The bolt snapped inside the frame so when I removed the bolt half of it was inside the frame.

I probably should have took it to a machinist or someone professional but I thought the lowest risk route would be to take it to specialized

 

[KnollyBro]

The bolt snapped inside the frame so when I removed the bolt half of it was inside the frame.

I probably should have took it to a machinist or someone professional but I thought the lowest risk route would be to take it to specialized

Ah... I misread that. So Specialized damaged the frame removing the threaded part of bolt that was still in the frame? In your last pic it shows the bolt is now recessed into the frame. I hope they didn't machine a soft/flat face into the frame to reduce the bolt protrusion as that would make the frame weaker. I would check that. Specialized should have used a bolt with a shorter head on it as doesn't need to be torqued up that much. It seems they used what they had or hopefully turned down the bolt to make the head smaller. What does the other side look like?

 

[escrs]

First thing i would do now is remove that bolt and fit a thin washer behind it!

Looks like the shop didnt fit one so when they tightened the new bolt it would of rubbed against the frame

The warranty is tranferable so if your the 2nd owner and have the original receipt then id be talking to Spesh direct

Its only a couple of weeks out of warranty when the bolt snapped then they should be quite helpful and i bet that your frame wont be the first one they have seen with this issue

Also tell them everything the shop has done

Maybe @Specialized Rider Care can help?

 

[Zakb]

Yeah they damaged the frame whilst trying to get the threaded part of the bolt out.

I have an email which explains it better I'll put some of it below.

'Here are the updated photos of the repair to your Levo top shock bolt. As you can see I have managed to do without the spacer that was on there before which has made the bolt sit much nicer on the mount.

I have drilled the hole slightly deeper and re-tapped the threads to give the bolt threads more surface area to engage with. I also applied extra strong Loctite thead locking compound to the threads and left it to set overnight, as well as torquing the bolt up to 22Nm so I had a definite figure to compare it against after my test ride.'


I think they just got rid of the spacer they used as it is now threaded deeper into the frame so it sits better. It's a motor bolt they had spare.

This is the only other pic I have as it's currently at the service centre Im not sure if I should accept it as it is or not as they damaged my frame.

 

[boBE]

Helicoil. All threads into aluminum/soft material should use them.

 

[Zakb]

I think your right but the bike is 40 miles away from me at the shop so will have to collect it Tuesday. Unfortunately I don't have the receipt but I am the second owner and it is registered in my name on specialized website. They didn't fit a washer it looks like and the spacer fitted previously had already done damage to the frame.

I have written an email to specialized 4 or 5 days ago but still haven't received a reply. Hopefully something can be done about this

 

[RebornRider]

I'm sorry for your pain, but this is an example of why I cringe when somebody writes that they don't want to tackle maintenance/repairs themselves. "Better to have a professional take care of it."

In my 50 years of amateur mechanicing, I've seen countless examples like this one. My favorite happened to a friend who had a "professional" shop install a supercharger on his car. Some time later, the friend brought his car to my house because the cylinder heads needed to come off. He was reluctant to DIY, but I persuaded him that we would do a better and more careful job. I called him over to inspect one of the first bolts I loosened because the "professional" shop had snapped the bolt off and then used RTV to glue the bolt head back in place.

Not only exceptionally shoddy work, but deceptive as well. Of course there are contentious mechanics, but you have to roll the dice to find one.

Example 2 is the bike mechanic who bled my Magura brakes at Mammoth Mountain bike park (too far from home for me to DIY!) He used a T25 to remove the caliper bolts because "Magura always uses T25". In this case, however, I had bought and installed the caliper mounting bolts myself, and they were socket head (allen head). He screwed the heads up enough that neither Torx nor hex keys fit properly. I had to replace the bolts when I got home. "Professional".

FWIW, this is what I work on when I'm not wrenching or riding the bike: My Noble M400 Click on the Upgrades button if you want to see the mods.

 

[Mikerb]

I see no reason why the fix as is should not work properly provided the shock remains free to pivot. As the suspension compresses the angle of the shock changes slightly and it should pivot around the fixing bolt. So if the LBS has now fitted a bigger diameter bolt how have the bushings been modified..or changed?
The shock not being free to pivot around the bolt is what typically causes the bolt to come loose in the first place. I would be a little concerned about the amount of torqued used to secure the new bolt. The original torque setting is C 10nm and because it is an open flange on side side into a fixed bolt hole on the other there is a danger of excessive torque pinching the bushings and closing the gap across the flange and fixed side.

 

[Pdoz]

Do you really want to leave the bike with the mechanic who thinks this is OK ?

 

[Zakb]

Okay guys I'm going to try and take this further with specialized as it seems like what the LBS has done is only going to cause further problems down the line and they have permenantly altered my frame without my permission. On Tuesday I'm going to pick the bike up and speak to specialized directly

 

[Zakb]

I think they drilled straight through the bushing so the bolt would fit. I don't understand why they would f**k it up so bad without speaking to me? I think it's because the tried to remove they snapped bolt and damaged the thread/frame in the process which forced them to drill it out to 8mm.

 

[Zakb]

I would have thought I'm in the right to demand a new frame from the LBS as it is a specialized service centre what do you guys think?

 

[Mikerb]

I am not too sure!! If the shock bolt had snapped leaving a stub in the frame it may have partially destroyed the thread leaving few otions other than to ream it out to a larger size. That top bolt is not under much pressure to cause it to snap except for 2 scenarios. One scenario is that the shock bottomed out quite violently. The other is that the bolt became loose and the shock eye plus bushing became in effect a hammer on the bolt. Either way it is a maintenance issue rather than a faulty component. I agree the LBS should have discussed their proposed repair method with you prior to proceeding but they were clearly not acting on instruction by Specialized as a warranty repair so it effectively has nothing to do with Specialized.
As I said a bove I see no reason why the repair should not be effective but I would want to remove the bolt on the bottom of the shock to check that the shock is free to pivot on that top bolt fix.
For the future it really only means that if you change the shock or renew the bushings in the top shock eye, you will need to drill the bushings out to accomodate the new bolt.

 

[KnollyBro]

I would have thought I'm in the right to demand a new frame from the LBS as it is a specialized service centre what do you guys think?

I think that BEFORE you go to pick up the bike you ask them to send you pictures of the work they did. If THEY modified the frame (machined in a soft shoulder into the counter sunk shoulder [I am going by what I have on my Levo SL], which is what it sounds like they did) to accommodate a different bolt or did they machine a taper on the bolt head to match the taper in the frame (which would be fine). I don't like that they used "extra strong Loctite thread locking compound" as you will have a lot of trouble getting that bolt out without heating up the area. If they modified the frame, I would call Specialized and file a complaint. You will have pictures and receipts to prove your case.

 

[DS.]

I’m 3 bolts in bent all of them luckily not snapped any on a 19 alloy I noticed on my gen 3 the bolt is bigger looks stronger

 

[Zakb]

I will ask them to send me a picture tomorrow of the bike with the bolt removed. I have seen what they have done and that have drilled an 8mm hole on this part of the frame shown in the image.

I guess they did that to accommodate the drill when drilling out the other side to then tap and re-thread it.

I don't like they used that after as it just seems like further down the line I am goi g to have trouble with it again possibly damaging something when trying to remove it.

The reason they emphasised using extra strong loctite is because it kept falling out and I have been to the shop 3 times because of that.

 

[boBE]

"Extra strong" loctite is just a coverup for something that is not right. I doubt the LBS has the tools to drill/tap the hole square and true, it should have been done at a machine shop if at all. Specialized may not take any responsibility for a frame that has been modified like this.

 

[Zakb]

The LBS I used was a specialized service centre who was reccomended to me when I emailed specialized explaining my initial problem of the snapped bolt.

If they wouldn't accept responsibility who should, the service centre I used in Nottingham? I'm unsure of what route to take in order to make this right as I know the bike will never be right.

 

[Zakb]

I never wanted the frame to be modified, I went to the shop with a snapped bolt and this was the result without them ever consulting me.

 

[Zakb]

Who should I be asking the specialized service centre or specialized direct? I agree I am willing to do that be honest as I believe they have ruined my bike and its only their fault for making that decision.

 

[Zakb]

Okay tomorrow I will call the service centre and tell them I want a new frame. I will also ask for pictures of what they have done to the bike so I have all evidence. Should I leave the bike there for now or take it back?

 

[Zakb]

Okay thanks for your help, I'll keep you updated tomorrow once I tell them I want a new frame.

 

[escrs]

Call Spesh UK direct on Tuesday on 0330 460 9909 and explain everything that has happened

Personally i would not accept the bike back until you have spoken to Spesh and they have contacted the bike shop to find out what they have done

The other option is to call Berkshire Turbo and speak to Chris and explain the situation, he is very helpful in these situations and is good friends with the guys at Spesh UK, well worth the drive down to Berkshire to get Chris to sort it out and have them check the bike over properly

 

[Zakb]

I'll call spesh first of all tomorrow before I speak to the service centre again. I won't accept the bike back yet and I will keep you all updated as soon as I have any more info. In hind sight I should have taken it to Berkshire Turbo in the first place because they would never have allowed this to happen. Thanks for your advice.

 

[Mina08]

Do they know the bike is de restricted? If so they can refuse any warranty.