Specialized Warranty Question

[Troutwrestler]

My 2018 Levo has started misbehaving, with intermittent then total power loss occurring on Saturday. I am taking it in to the local Specialized Dealer this week. They tell me that as I did not purchase the bike from them, I will need to cover the Labour charges.

This is different from my experience of warranty cover on my car, and seems to be contrary to what it says in the Specialized Warranty Policy. - " You will not be charged for shipping the Product to Specialized or receiving any replacement product, or for labor charges incurred in processing the Warranty."
The local dealer explained that Specialized do not reimbourse them fot the labour carried out. Is this correct?

 

[Al Boneta]

My 2018 Levo has started misbehaving, with intermittent then total power loss occurring on Saturday. I am taking it in to the local Specialized Dealer this week. They tell me that as I did not purchase the bike from them, I will need to cover the Labour charges.

This is different from my experience of warranty cover on my car, and seems to be contrary to what it says in the Specialized Warranty Policy. - " You will not be charged for shipping the Product to Specialized or receiving any replacement product, or for labor charges incurred in processing the Warranty."
The local dealer explained that Specialized do not reimbourse them fot the labour carried out. Is this correct?

Some shops charge for processing a warranty or a diagnostic fee. Specialized will sometimes reimburse the shop for installing warranty parts.
I charge a diagnostic fee if the bike warranty has expired, but I credit it back to the customer if I conduct repairs in the bike.
My time and expertise is valuable and I don’t give my labor away.
In my area I have a reputation for sorting out problems other shops can’t figure out. I have had the local concept store send a customer to me to diagnose the bike, only to have them take it back to them for the service.
A shop is more likely to take care of the labor costs if you are a regular customer.
I have had customers come to my shop and throw their weight around making demands telling me what I am going to do for them.
This approach doesn’t work for me

 

[Mina08]

if you have registered the bike with specialized when you bought it, (frame number) the bike its self is under warranty for 3 years and all electrics 5 years no matter who owns it and you still have the receipt (Europe)

it seems your problem is the power cable its broken, its a known problem when the c clip holding it rubs through the cable

 

[Thomas]

My time and expertise is valuable and I don’t give my labor away.
In my area I have a reputation for sorting out problems other shops can’t figure out. I have had the local concept store send a customer to me to diagnose the bike, only to have them take it back to them for the service.
A shop is more likely to take care of the labor costs if you are a regular customer.
I have had customers come to my shop and throw their weight around making demands telling me what I am going to do for them.
This approach doesn’t work for me

I completely agree with you on that.
But would like to know, how Specialized is playing that. For products bought in EU there is EU warranty, which can be claimed at any importer for the specific country.
When I have screen problems with my Samsung TV, just 1 month before the warranty expired, local Samsung importer told me, to just bring the TV to them, no questions asked, only the date of purchase. They even provided me with free replacement in the mean time. TV was of course bought in a different country and labor, material has to be covered by Samsung.
In my opinion Specialized will have to reimburse the shops for the labor, no matter where the product was purchased. The same thing is with cars.
I know Specialized is tiny, compared to this big corporation, but still, it is the biggest in the cycling industry. This small thing, regarding labor, should be covered by Specialized somehow, so that the shops don't charge the customers, if the bike was purchased elsewhere.

 

[super_claret]

Very interesting to read this. I'm still pondering a Levo purchase and I assumed that if I bought the bike mail order, any warranty work could be carried out at my local Specialised Concept Store and Specialised would reimburse them.

This has thrown another spanner in the works with my decision making.

My Wife has a Giant Liv Intrigue E+2 bought from a shop in Lancashire and it's been in for warranty work 3 times but never have I been asked to pay any labour charges.

 

[Donnie797]

Very interesting to read this. I'm still pondering a Levo purchase and I assumed that if I bought the bike mail order, any warranty work could be carried out at my local Specialised Concept Store and Specialised would reimburse them.

This has thrown another spanner in the works with my decision making.

My Wife has a Giant Liv Intrigue E+2 bought from a shop in Lancashire and it's been in for warranty work 3 times but never have I been asked to pay any labour charges.

Any warranty is worked out by any specialized dealer, no matter where you bought the bike. This is out of question and clearly stated in the specialized warranty details and the helpdesk as well.

But if a bike-shop charges a fee for investigating a problem on a bike (you didn't buy there) (and they have to put work in to check if it's a warranty problem in the first place), is up to each shop itself. So if a bike-shop charges a fee for that work they would do that for every brand.

So in your decision about buying a bike you should always take into account what (good) lbs you have available, because they will sort out your problems, not the brands headquarter.

 

[Mina08]

Very interesting to read this. I'm still pondering a Levo purchase and I assumed that if I bought the bike mail order, any warranty work could be carried out at my local Specialised Concept Store and Specialised would reimburse them.

This has thrown another spanner in the works with my decision making.

My Wife has a Giant Liv Intrigue E+2 bought from a shop in Lancashire and it's been in for warranty work 3 times but never have I been asked to pay any labour charges.

yes it would be as its a "specialized concept store"

 

[Al Boneta]

Very interesting to read this. I'm still pondering a Levo purchase and I assumed that if I bought the bike mail order, any warranty work could be carried out at my local Specialised Concept Store and Specialised would reimburse them.

This has thrown another spanner in the works with my decision making.

My Wife has a Giant Liv Intrigue E+2 bought from a shop in Lancashire and it's been in for warranty work 3 times but never have I been asked to pay any labour charges.

“Specialized” not “Specialised” it’s being used as a proper noun in this case

 

[Doomanic]

if you have registered the bike with specialized when you bought it, (frame number) the bike its self is under warranty for 3 years and all electrics 5 years no matter who owns it and you still have the receipt (Europe)

Can you cite a source for this? I'm particularly interested as my 2 year warranty is up soon.

 

[Donnie797]

Can you cite a source for this? I'm particularly interested as my 2 year warranty is up soon.

Check out the warranty details of your country here.

 

[Doomanic]

So it’s a Spesh thing not an EU thing then?

 

[Donnie797]

So it’s a Spesh thing not an EU thing then?

Yes sure, EU law is not caring about frames, motors or other particular bike parts - that's up to each manufacturer. Some (incl. sSpecialized) give lifetime warranty on frames, others don't.

 

[Zimmerframe]

So it’s a Spesh thing not an EU thing then?

You do sound grouchy when your suntan is fading

Can't help but think that the earlier posting implied an EU thing rather than a Spesh thing ?

 

[Maastricht]

if you have registered the bike with specialized when you bought it, (frame number) the bike its self is under warranty for 3 years and all electrics 5 years no matter who owns it and you still have the receipt (Europe)

it seems your problem is the power cable its broken, its a known problem when the c clip holding it rubs through the cable

@Mina08 , may I ask you where I can find more information about this?

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

if you have registered the bike with specialized when you bought it, (frame number) the bike its self is under warranty for 3 years and all electrics 5 years no matter who owns it and you still have the receipt (Europe)

it seems your problem is the power cable its broken, its a known problem when the c clip holding it rubs through the cable

Well at the moment we are still in Europe
Next week we may be out or back in......, next month we might be out or back in......, next year we might be out or back in......, next decade we might be out or back in.........Moving on swiftly.... actually no, we are not moving on swiftly are we?

Are you sure about the warranty period you are quoting?

 

[ifu03558]

I've had a look at the UK warranty and its states its lifetime for the frame and 2yrs for everything else (battery, motor, components etc). Can't find any mention of the 3 and 5 yrs that was quoted?

 

[DanDilla]

Specialized changed the policy as far as I know, if you purchased it before the 1st July of 2018 you will be charged, after that date they will cover the Labour cost.

In my case (bought on 18th June) I needed a new Frame (crack at battery bolt) and Motor (broken belt) they did send a frame without a motor and a motor separately and covered 80€ work for that.

If you can bring it to the dealer you bought it from they will have to cover the cost as far as I know (EU). I bought the bike via a friend who worked at a shop at that point. And that shop stopped to work with specialized.
so I had to go to a third party.

That left me with 498€ for work, some little parts and brake fluid -all together under 20€. And it took after all 9 weeks.
But I got an s works frame for my expert so I think that’s okay as it was off season.

I had my bike shut off some times while pushing it with assist and then totally dead after a few times.

I checked the motor-battery cable, one of the 4 little pins was dead.
Ordered a new one, fitter in 10 minutes. Make it a little warm with a hair drier, form it that there is no tension on the cable. I also fittet a layer of electrical tape at the clamp area to protect the cable.

should be very easy as you buy a revv2 of the cable which is 20mm longer, the 2018 got the 1st version fittet which is very likely to break because it is so short.
SPECIALIZED LEVO CUSTOM WIRING HARNESS W/ ROSENBERGER PLUG, CABLE LENGTH W/O PLUG: 180MM

 

[Mina08]

Well at the moment we are still in Europe
Next week we may be out or back in......, next month we might be out or back in......, next year we might be out or back in......, next decade we might be out or back in.........Moving on swiftly.... actually no, we are not moving on swiftly are we?

Are you sure about the warranty period you are quoting?

thats what i was told by specialized Sweden

 

[outerlimits]

I do a 3 hr trip for any warranty work as this is where I brought the bike from. And the local dealer 10min away wants to charge Labour for warranty work, firmware updates ect ect
I have spent a bit of coin in parts, labour and accessory’s at the shop I brought the bike from. The un helpful dealer nearby has missed out on a lot of sales, because their attitude sux.

 

[escrs]

I think Specialized Sweden have got a little bit confused

Motor and batteries have 2 years warranty from date of the purchase of the bike

The frame and parts come under Specialized's assisted replacement policy, which for motors and batteries is upto 5 years

It states on their website that

Assisted Replacement Pricing

Under 3 years35% off
3 and 4 years 25% off
4 and 5 years 20% off

Scroll down to assisted warranty replacement section and discount section to see

Global Warranty Page | Specialized.com

 

[Donnie797]

thats what i was told by specialized Sweden

When was that? Because the actual specialized warranty details tell something else (there's a lifetime warranty on the frame for the first owner).

 

[Mina08]

When was that? Because the actual specialized warranty details tell something else (there's a lifetime warranty on the frame for the first owner).

interesting i am dropping my bike off on monday and will ask again, i know sweden has different policy's to the rest of europe with regard to customers warrantys.
They must mean the assisted warranty

 

[Donnie797]

interesting i am dropping my bike off on monday and will ask again, i know sweden has different policy's to the rest of europe with regard to customers warrantys.
They must mean the assisted warranty

That might be, because swedish people do shred bikes up to an age of 100 so a "lifetime" warranty would totally ruin them

 

[Mountie]

My 2018 Levo has started misbehaving, with intermittent then total power loss occurring on Saturday. I am taking it in to the local Specialized Dealer this week. They tell me that as I did not purchase the bike from them, I will need to cover the Labour charges.

This is different from my experience of warranty cover on my car, and seems to be contrary to what it says in the Specialized Warranty Policy. - " You will not be charged for shipping the Product to Specialized or receiving any replacement product, or for labor charges incurred in processing the Warranty."
The local dealer explained that Specialized do not reimbourse them fot the labour carried out. Is this correct?

i would contact specialized directly as this seems very strange and totally the opposite from what I have experienced.
get them to check the power wiring harness.

 

[Troutwrestler]

Update: It has been in the workshop. They couldn't find anything wrong with it, but didn't appear, when questioned, to have looked at any of the Mission Control data from the ride in question. They updated the motor firmware.

There was no charge.

I went for a ride this morning for about an hour and everything was fine. I am dubious how long 'fine will last...

 

[Mountie]

I had a similar issue with an intermittent fault and replaced the wiring harness and all had been fine since. Also had similar issue and had debris in the power connector cleaned and all good.

 

[brizi2003]

My 2018 Levo has started misbehaving, with intermittent then total power loss occurring on Saturday. I am taking it in to the local Specialized Dealer this week. They tell me that as I did not purchase the bike from them, I will need to cover the Labour charges.

This is different from my experience of warranty cover on my car, and seems to be contrary to what it says in the Specialized Warranty Policy. - " You will not be charged for shipping the Product to Specialized or receiving any replacement product, or for labor charges incurred in processing the Warranty."
The local dealer explained that Specialized do not reimbourse them fot the labour carried out. Is this correct?

You are correct Specialized dealers are not reimbursed for labour incurred during a warranty claim, however, in my view as they've signed up to be a Specialized dealer and that comes with the territory. Of course this would only apply if it was a genuine warranty claim. I did not buy my bike from my local Evans store but they have processed all my warranty claims (3 so far) with no charge at all. If the dealer wants to charge you for warranty work I would take it somewhere else. UK warranty clearly states: "The first step is to visit your nearest Authorized Specialized Retailer. Your retailer will inspect the Product and contact Specialized for next steps." & "You will not be charged for shipping the Product to Specialized or receiving any replacement product, or for labor charges incurred in processing the Warranty."

 

[brizi2003]

Can you cite a source for this? I'm particularly interested as my 2 year warranty is up soon.

UK warranty is 2 years for motors/batteries, Specialized branded items.

 

[Dee Scee]

im in california. my 2017 levo is still under warranty until july. (2yrs) luckily, was able to buy from my lbc and they’ve been great. battery failed, no charge, no hassle and had my bike back in a week. now, my wiring loom is being replaced under warranty, but it’s been over 2 weeks!!! i could shit. the new head mechanic (probably the problem in this case?) tells me today that the part came in today but that he won’t have it installed until the end of the day tomorrow. conditions have been epic and everyday is misery. so frustrated!!!

 

[Mountie]

im in california. my 2017 levo is still under warranty until july. (2yrs) luckily, was able to buy from my lbc and they’ve been great. battery failed, no charge, no hassle and had my bike back in a week. now, my wiring loom is being replaced under warranty, but it’s been over 2 weeks!!! i could shit. the new head mechanic (probably the problem in this case?) tells me today that the part came in today but that he won’t have it installed until the end of the day tomorrow. conditions have been epic and everyday is misery. so frustrated!!!

Fully understand always when the weather is great.