Kalkhof Agattu 2012

[M Joyce]

I bought a new Agattu with 2 batteries back in 2012. I've mobility problems and have a long term illness so have come to rely on it, On the Saturday of the August Bank holiday weekend it died. When I got home I swapped over to the second battery which was showing a full 5 bars of a charge. I got flashing lights on the battery when I put it onto the bike, but there was still no activity on the console. There was clearly no communication between the battery and console. I contacted the dealer I bought it from after the bank holiday, who said I would have to bring it to a dealership (not theirs) about 85 miles away. They had told me when I bought the bike that a bike shop about a mile away would deal with all servicing issues. I don't have any other transport and my illness makes travelling on buses difficult. Irish Rail do not allow pedelecs on the trains either. So I had to arrange for someone living about 60 miles away to help me. I asked the dealer what I could do in the meantime and they directed me to another dealer who the original dealer said would hire me another bike for E50 a week - which is way out of my budget. The dealer said they would order a new console and I should arrive in 8-10 days. A fortnight later I rang again. They said they thought it might arrive the next day. They then said I could take it to a dealership about a six miles away and they would post the part to me. The part arrived and I took it to the dealer, who was very helpful but admitted straight away they had never worked on one of these before. Thy said that Kalkhoff do training only in March and they hadn't been signed up log as dealers so had to wait till next March for the training. A few days later they asked me to bring the second battery in. They couldn't get a charge on that either, though both had been charged before the problem started. They bent over backwards to help but eventually I had to travel the 85 miles to a dealer who actually knew all about this model. They showed me that the charger is giving very little output - so it could be a charger problem. But the batteries weren't charging on their own charger, so it looks like there is a problem with both of these now as well. The new console is still not communicating with the battery either. So it could be a motor problem. Now, because of my illness, I have only been using the bike on short runs round the town. I think I've only had 3 or four longer trips of maybe 25-30 miles - so I've been alternating the batteries about once a fortnight. The dealer I bought it from said they were good for about 1000 charges, so, by my reckoning 5 years x 52 weeks is 260 weeks divided by 2 batteries equals about 130 charges per battery - which is nowhere near the 1000 charges promised. I was directed back to the dealer I bought it from. I rang them and there was a recorded message saying they wouldn't be in the office for another week ( except for one day when there would be someone there dealing with bike hire). They are over 40 miles away so it will mean calling on a friend to help again as I am only managing to cycle at abut 3 mph on the flat and have to push the bike up hills. It will be 6 weeks on Saturday since this problem started. I've been unable to get to the laundrette or buy water (there are lead pipes in my area and no safe drinking water) or anything other than very light shopping during this time. From all the reviews I read before I bought the Kalkhoff, I felt confident that they were a reputable company with an excellent product. The dealer I bought it from was very helpful when I was buying it, bringing the bike to me and no talk of having to travel long distances to collect it. I am pretty much housebound without it as it takes me an hour and a half to get into town (normally a 10 minute ride) and I am unable to carry the weight of shopping and am having to hand wash clothing and bedding. I feel totally frustrated, disappointed and angry about this and don;t know what to do.

 

[Nealh]

For the forum to advise battery chemistry may be of use.
Are they old chem like Nimnh or newer chem Lithium ion.

 

[flecc]

They're lithium and being from 2012, probably the Kalkhoff-BMZ batteries with 18650 cells, rather than the Panasonic polymer ones.

At five years old one or both may be at end of life due to age as much as usage, five years being a good life for these.

I'm not sure whether the motor unit is Panasonic or the Impulse 1 at this age, but either way it seems it may have a problem. Both are unrepairable sealed for life units, repair only being by replacement.

I'm sorry none of this is good news, but electric assist bikes very lightly used can be an expensive transport option.
.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

This shows the problem people have buying a quality brand bike. There's very few people who can fix them. You're covered during the warranty period, but once that run out, you can find yourself in the hands of people that don't have a clue, being passed around from pillar to post with the bill rising higher and higher.

I hope you get it fixed soon.