TLDR: Zero gave me a 2018 FXS to replace my 2016 FXS at no cost to me after being in multiple shops for months.
While I'm tempted to just say nice things since it seems they made things right in the end, I want to try to give a balanced view of what happened so others thinking about buying have full disclosure. I've dealt with several geographically separated dealers, I'll call A, B, C, and D.
July 2016 - Purchased from Dealer A, bike delivered in a crate to my driveway.
Winter 2016/7 - Began to notice unexplained high regenerative braking when under full throttle. This would resolve itself after a second or so, but was still disconcerting/dangerous. I consulted with Dealer A, who reviewed my symptoms and logs. They agreed that there may be a problem, but couldn't do anything further remotely and said the bike needed to be brought in to a dealer to connect to diagnostics with Zero HQ.
March 2017 - Brought bike into Dealer B, which required a 2.5 hour one-way tow. Communication was pretty poor. After a couple of weeks, I started to call them regularly to check on things and they just said they were still working on it. Started to call Zero and they didn't seem terribly receptive to getting calls asking what was going on, but did say they were working on it and the dealer would be in touch. On one of my calls, Dealer B tells me they were just about to call me and that the motor will be replaced, but it will take some time since the motor has be be specially prepped specifically for that bike before being shipped. After a little over a month from when I first brought it in, I call the dealer and they say they were just about to call me to tell me my bike is ready to pick up. I pick up the bike and they say they replaced the motor. No paperwork given.
Winter 2017/8 - The bike has a lot of current limiting. At times, it can't maintain 50 MPH. I consult Dealer A again, who has always been helpful, and after a while, they again conclude that it needs to be brought in to a dealer to connect for diagnosis.
March 2018 - I decide to bring it to Dealer C, since I heard good things from another rider and they are about the same distance from me as Dealer B. After a week, they call and leave a message that they can't reproduce the issue. I delayed in calling back for another week since I was on vacation overseas. I explain in more detail the circumstances when current limiting is most severe - basically when not fully charged. They try again and reproduce the issue. After it's there for about three weeks, I start calling more often to ask for updates. They always say that they've sent data to Zero and are just waiting for them to respond. I start calling Zero, and they seem somewhat bothered that I'm calling them and not working with the dealer. I explain how long it's been out for and that the dealer is pointing the finger at them. Zero tells me that the dealer has not sent them the data that they are waiting for. This continues on and on, with neither party willing to accept responsibility.
April-May 2018 - I tell Dealer C in late April (the bike has been with them for over a month) that I never thought it would take this long, and give them a heads up that I am moving out of state on May 31st. I hope they can fix it by then, but either way, I'll need to pick it up and move it. They assure me that they'll be done in plenty of time. Early May, they tell me that the motor has been diagnosed as faulty and needs to be replaced. I remind them about my moving date and ask about the lead time for the motor based on what Dealer B had told me, and they have no clue. I call Zero to tell them about my move date and ask about the lead time for the motor. They say there is not lead time, they have a motor in stock and will ship it out the next day as long as the dealer puts the order in. I call the dealer back, they say they will put the order in that afternoon. I call Zero back and they say the dealer will have the motor at the beginning of the week. I call the dealer back at the beginning of the week and they tell me times of day when shipments come in. Other parts have come from Zero, but no motor. I call Zero back, and they say matter of factly that it wasn't shipped. We're now in late May, and there's not enough time to get it fixed before I move. I go pick up the bike then finish up packing up the house. I call Dealer D and explain the situation. They say I can bring it in as soon as I get there.
June 2018 - I bring the bike to Dealer D. It's only been a few days since I called, and they already have the motor waiting for me. They are backed up with work, but get the motor installed and back to me before the month is over. (To be fair, I wasn't too concerned about the time at the dealer at this time because I was living out of a hotel and walking to work) On the ride home, I notice that there are some firmware issues associated with the bike model not being programmed correctly. I've seen these posted on the forums and, while disappointed, figure it's an easy fix. I contact Dealer D to arrange a time to get the firmware issue fixed without leaving it in the shop for an extended period of time. They suggest in about a week and a half.
July 2018 - Before I bring it in for the firmware, I experience the same issue as back in the winter of 2016/7. I explain the issue and bring it back to Dealer D. I call the following week. The dealer tells me they were able to reproduce the issue and they'll call me when they know something more. Fearing that this could take a long time to repair and with my warranty about to run out that the issue could come back leaving me stuck with paying for repairs, I submitted paperwork for lemon law arbitration.
August 2018 - I get a call from the dealer saying that Zero is going to give me a 2018 FXS at no cost to me in exchange for the 2016 that they can't figure out. He says that this is the right thing to do and that the decision has already been in the works. Coincidentally, they received communication from the lemon law arbitrator and they were surprised that I had started that process since I've been so cool up to this point. I could tell the dealer was trying to smooth out the relationship and make me feel like a valued customer.
In the end, I think I'm happy with Zero replacing the bike. I was really ready to walk away from the company, and if I pushed the arbitration, I probably could have. I'm willing to give them a second chance and hope that this bike is trouble free. From my limited observations, there's a huge variation in the knowledge and support that you get from the dealers. The higher volume dealers seem to not have issues with communicating with Zero and the lower volume dealers have big problems. It's unclear whether that's the fault of the dealers or Zero, but I suspect it's a combination of both. I tried to be patient with Zero being a small company, but am still disappointed that they didn't seem to be concerned until things hit the breaking point for me. I use my bike as a daily driver, so not having it for 5 months over the course of two years really threw me off. Even something as simple as giving me a loaner bike would have nearly eliminated my grief, but I didn't feel right asking a dealer I hadn't purchased from and suspect I wouldn't have gotten it anyway. Maybe that should be a standard practice/policy from Zero. If they don't want their demo bikes loaned out to owners for extended periods of time, then figure out how to fix things faster. I totally get that my situation was an anomaly, but the anomalies need to be addressed much better if Zero's going to expand to regular users and not just a base understanding fanatics. I watched the forums for a couple of years before jumping in to make a purchase and thought that 2016 was the year that things were ready for prime time. I hope now, with a 2018, that I can join the ranks of people that just ride and believe it's really odd when someone has a problem. I love riding electric and would have had a hard time going back to ICE.
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Topic: Good news after bad - Zero and Cyclemax of Gaithersburg MD made things right (Read 885 times)