[lrn123]

This is my first official post on here! Been following this forum from 2016, and finally being a part of it is incredible. Greatly appreciate all the moderators and reviewers here.

So this is my 2 week ownership experience of the new 450x with the pro pack, and all the issues ive come across in two weeks.
I had booked the 450x in cosmic black from Ather Mangalore on May 24th, and got it delivered on May 29th. The first week was purely joy filled, and i loved it. The look of other riders when they see a batmobile like scooter silently glide past them, is priceless. However this joy was short-lived, because come the second week, issues began to pop up one after the other, and it got really annoying.

1. I had seen and read reviews about the stiff suspension setup of the Ather, but didnt think it would be that big of an issue. However, in the second week, a really annoying creaking sound began coming from the right side mirror, and it kept coming while riding on roads with the slightest undulations. It was as if the suspensions on this scooter were non-existent. Imagine slowing down to around 30 km/hr on ridge strips, so that you dont lose grip of the handlebars because of the scooter shaking violently. And so I visited the local service centre in udupi on June 8th, and got the screws of the mirror tightened, and the issue was resolved.

2. On 13th, when i went for my usual commute around town, the wheels of the scooter didnt feel free. It was as if something was holding the scooter back, the same feeling of when regen is applied. I usually have the habit of letting go of the throttle at normal speeds, and let the scooter cruise for a bit, and then using the throttle again. However this time, as soon as i let go of the throttle, the scooter would begin slowing down quite aggressively, despite me doing nothing. And when i twisted the throttle the opposite way to engage regen, it didnt work, and nothing happened. And this was when the battery was about 52% SoC. Took it to the service centre again, and after checking, the scooter apparently had a short circuit which resulted in this problem. I was obviously shocked at the news of this, because the build quality of the scooter was in serious question. The service guys told me not to use regen often as it isnt technically "a feature". When i asked for a solution, they said that they cannot do anything as of now since they havent told any of their customers about regen and if they raise a complaint regarding this, the dealership would raise issues or whatever, and instead told me to wait for 2 days to check if it gets resolved.

3. Now this was an issue that was there from the very day of delivery, but i hadnt realised. Whenever i charged the scooter, the charger didnt get locked. When i had gone to the grid for the first time, i had seen a person prior me finish charging very soon. But when i plugged the charger into my 450x, the charging speed was super slow, which was surprising, but i didnt give it much thought. Then i came home and plugged the scooter in, without the key inserted. And this time when it showed the charger was unlocked, it struck me. I then realised that the charger was always unlocked from the very beginning, and so had to visit the SC today as well, i.e June 15th. The guys inspected it, and found out that the solenoid wasnt functional, and they removed the front panel and reconnected the wires, after which it began working.

When i had called the dealer in Mangalore and asked them why hadnt they done a PDI before delivery, they began giving pointless excuses. This was quite a bad experience for me as this is the first electric scooter in our family, and i dont want people telling me, i told you so, especially after spending a lot of money. Ather seriously needs to look into this, as this has left a bad taste in my experience with the scooter.
Also wanted to hear from you guys, regarding when does the fan of the scooter turn on when you all ride, because mine turns on super quick. When i rode out of my home into the highway, the fan turned on within 100m. The SC people told me that its normal, but it felt strange to me as the weather isnt even that hot. Please do comment.

Hoping that there wont be any such problems in the near future. (Will update this thread if they happen)

[shancz]

Valid points and mostly related to adaptation issues with a radically new product for the ASC whose personnel would be accustomed to working on ICE scooters.
Example : I doubt any ASC would be checking if the fuel cap works on a ICE scooter so either they didn't even connect or they just verified whether it charges and didn't check for the lock status which indicates a lack of guideline from Ather/ASC management.

My feeling is the ASC you're visiting is the cause and hope that they sort it out with time.
At least they figured the solenoid wasn't working and knew how to fix it which indicates that the mechanisms are explained well and hopefully designed well too.

Enjoy your Ather and keep us posted.

[shortbread]

OLA owners like 'Wow, you have service centers'!

I know the joke is old now and Ola have learnt their lessons and opened up service centres, but a couple of years back when we bought ours it was very different.

[Bluengel180]

Originally Posted by shortbread

OLA owners like 'Wow, you have service centers'!

I know the joke is old now and Ola have learnt their lessons and opened up service centres, but a couple of years back when we bought ours it was very different.

The - no service needed till something breaks still haunts me. They do not even have a protocol in place yet.

[Sivacar]

I have using the 450X pro pack from 11th May, done 4000 kms (will soon write about my experience in the forum)

Your observation about the fan is correct, it turns on super quick regardless of the driving mode. And it remains on till the scooter comes to a halt.

I think in my case it turns on at around 2-3 minutes of riding.

[Venkat_KM]

First, congrats on your purchase! Ather 450X is one of the best scooters Ather have produced till now which have rectified most of the flaws which previous generations had.

Regarding the issues you have pointed out,

1. Creaking sound near the mirror mount area is a common complaint in previous generation vehicles and Ather have updated the design and torque specs in the newer vehicles. Earlier vehicles would develop multiple cracks near that area in short time, now with the updation this should last much better. I suspect improper torque in mirror mounts have caused the noise. Regarding the suspension being hard, do check the tyre pressure also. Company recommends 30psi for front tyre and 28/32psi for rear tyre (single/dual person respectively). I would suggest 30psi for both tyres.

2. Looks like one of the brake calipers have jammed (again a common complaint in Ather community especially during monsoon season). Check which wheel has jammed and get it resolved from service center. Regeneration happens only when you twist the throttle in opposite direction at speeds above 20 kmph or when brakes are applied. Fan kicking in early indicates that motor temperature have raised quickly due to higher load from jammed brake calipers. This will also lead to higher power consumption inturn leading to less range. Short circuit is not a normal thing to happen and this is bit unbelievable.

3. Since solenoid issue being resolved I would suggest you to check the fast charging once again, just for a peace of mind.

Once again congrats on your purchase and wishing you many many happy miles in it.!

[shandilyapiyush]

Originally Posted by Venkat_KM

First, congrats on your purchase! Ather 450X is one of the best scooters Ather have produced till now which have rectified most of the flaws which previous generations had.

Regarding the issues you have pointed out,

1. Creaking sound near the mirror mount area is a common complaint in previous generation vehicles and Ather have updated the design and torque specs in the newer vehicles. Earlier vehicles would develop multiple cracks near that area in short time, now with the updation this should last much better. I suspect improper torque in mirror mounts have caused the noise. Regarding the suspension being hard, do check the tyre pressure also. Company recommends 30psi for front tyre and 28/32psi for rear tyre (single/dual person respectively). I would suggest 30psi for both tyres.

Agree that Ather have updated their mirror mounting. They are a newer metal mounting brackets rather than being attached to the front shroud that used to crack if one were to overtight or in general was known to be weak. However, the mirror bolt is notorious to loosen out over a rough patch of road and sometimes comes loose enough for it to rotate/dangle freely. I've been using a drop two or Loctite Blue and this does the job well. With respect to tyre pressure, like you've mentioned it's best to stick to the manufacturer recommendation as tyre pressures play a key role in the range of an EV.

Originally Posted by Venkat_KM

Fan kicking in early indicates that motor temperature have raised quickly due to higher load from jammed brake calipers. This will also lead to higher power consumption inturn leading to less range.Short circuit is not a normal thing to happen and this is bit unbelievable.

Originally Posted by lrn123

2. On 13th, when i went for my usual commute around town, the wheels of the scooter didnt feel free. It was as if something was holding the scooter back, the same feeling of when regen is applied. I usually have the habit of letting go of the throttle at normal speeds, and let the scooter cruise for a bit, and then using the throttle again. However this time, as soon as i let go of the throttle, the scooter would begin slowing down quite aggressively, despite me doing nothing. And when i twisted the throttle the opposite way to engage regen, it didnt work, and nothing happened. And this was when the battery was about 52% SoC. Took it to the service centre again, and after checking, the scooter apparently had a short circuit which resulted in this problem. I was obviously shocked at the news of this, because the build quality of the scooter was in serious question. The service guys told me not to use regen often as it isnt technically "a feature". When i asked for a solution, they said that they cannot do anything as of now since they havent told any of their customers about regen and if they raise a complaint regarding this, the dealership would raise issues or whatever, and instead told me to wait for 2 days to check if it gets resolved.

Seems like an issue with the caliper, get it checked and changed at the service center if needed.

Also I've noticed that the newer gen 3.1 athers don't come with the Bybre calipers anymore, they seem to be generic and lack any branding on them. Does your 450x come with the Bybre calipers?

You can use regen all the time and it will not cause any issues. Do note that regen will only work below 80% SOC.
Regarding the short circuit it's amusing that your service center even told you that. From what I know, the scooter enters limp mode with error codes and messages that tell you something is wrong. Also a short circuit isn't something that can be taken lightly. Write to Ather strongly regarding this and mention the service center. If there was a short circuit why didn't your scooter's BMS recognize the same? What was the repair carried out by the SC for this short circuit? How could be assured that it'd not reoccur or lead to anything major in the future?

Escalate this issue, make sure you get in touch with the service center's manager and get a detailed report and the root cause for the so 'rectified' short circuit.

3. Now this was an issue that was there from the very day of delivery, but i hadnt realised. Whenever i charged the scooter, the charger didnt get locked. When i had gone to the grid for the first time, i had seen a person prior me finish charging very soon. But when i plugged the charger into my 450x, the charging speed was super slow, which was surprising, but i didnt give it much thought. Then i came home and plugged the scooter in, without the key inserted. And this time when it showed the charger was unlocked, it struck me. I then realised that the charger was always unlocked from the very beginning, and so had to visit the SC today as well, i.e June 15th. The guys inspected it, and found out that the solenoid wasnt functional, and they removed the front panel and reconnected the wires, after which it began working.

Good to hear that they could fix this issue for you. But as Venkat KM suggested do try out an ather grid and make sure the fast charging works.

When i had called the dealer in Mangalore and asked them why hadnt they done a PDI before delivery, they began giving pointless excuses. This was quite a bad experience for me as this is the first electric scooter in our family, and i dont want people telling me, i told you so, especially after spending a lot of money. Ather seriously needs to look into this, as this has left a bad taste in my experience with the scooter.

Ather service centers need to work upon a lot of things. They sell their product as a premium offering but their service experience in general leaves a lot to be desired. Also not to forget, the spare seem to be super expensive. Ather quality control has certainly gone downhill compared to their older scooters (gen 2). Multiple owners have/are reporting belt issues and belts getting cut on the newer gen 3 scooters. The ribbed belts of gen 2 seems to have been of a better quality.

Also wanted to hear from you guys, regarding when does the fan of the scooter turn on when you all ride, because mine turns on super quick. When i rode out of my home into the highway, the fan turned on within 100m. The SC people told me that its normal, but it felt strange to me as the weather isnt even that hot. Please do comment.

I've observed that the fan kicks in earlier than before on the latest software update as Ather have tried to address the issue wherein the autohold feature wouldn't work for a while after a long spirited ride or strong acceleration in warp mode. The fans kicks in quickly even on cold mornings and I believe ather has gone really aggressive with the fan tuning since Atherstack 11.7 has come out.

Cheers,
Piyush.

[lrn123]

Originally Posted by lrn123

This is my first official post on here! Been following this forum from 2016, and finally being a part of it is incredible. Greatly appreciate all the moderators and reviewers here.

So this is my 2 week ownership experience of the new 450x with the pro pack, and all the issues ive come across in two weeks.
I had booked the 450x in cosmic black from Ather Mangalore on May 24th, and got it delivered on May 29th. The first week was purely joy filled, and i loved it. The look of other riders when they see a batmobile like scooter silently glide past them, is priceless. However this joy was short-lived, because come the second week, issues began to pop up one after the other, and it got really annoying.

1. I had seen and read reviews about the stiff suspension setup of the Ather, but didnt think it would be that big of an issue. However, in the second week, a really annoying creaking sound began coming from the right side mirror, and it kept coming while riding on roads with the slightest undulations. It was as if the suspensions on this scooter were non-existent. Imagine slowing down to around 30 km/hr on ridge strips, so that you dont lose grip of the handlebars because of the scooter shaking violently. And so I visited the local service centre in udupi on June 8th, and got the screws of the mirror tightened, and the issue was resolved.

2. On 13th, when i went for my usual commute around town, the wheels of the scooter didnt feel free. It was as if something was holding the scooter back, the same feeling of when regen is applied. I usually have the habit of letting go of the throttle at normal speeds, and let the scooter cruise for a bit, and then using the throttle again. However this time, as soon as i let go of the throttle, the scooter would begin slowing down quite aggressively, despite me doing nothing. And when i twisted the throttle the opposite way to engage regen, it didnt work, and nothing happened. And this was when the battery was about 52% SoC. Took it to the service centre again, and after checking, the scooter apparently had a short circuit which resulted in this problem. I was obviously shocked at the news of this, because the build quality of the scooter was in serious question. The service guys told me not to use regen often as it isnt technically "a feature". When i asked for a solution, they said that they cannot do anything as of now since they havent told any of their customers about regen and if they raise a complaint regarding this, the dealership would raise issues or whatever, and instead told me to wait for 2 days to check if it gets resolved.

3. Now this was an issue that was there from the very day of delivery, but i hadnt realised. Whenever i charged the scooter, the charger didnt get locked. When i had gone to the grid for the first time, i had seen a person prior me finish charging very soon. But when i plugged the charger into my 450x, the charging speed was super slow, which was surprising, but i didnt give it much thought. Then i came home and plugged the scooter in, without the key inserted. And this time when it showed the charger was unlocked, it struck me. I then realised that the charger was always unlocked from the very beginning, and so had to visit the SC today as well, i.e June 15th. The guys inspected it, and found out that the solenoid wasnt functional, and they removed the front panel and reconnected the wires, after which it began working.

When i had called the dealer in Mangalore and asked them why hadnt they done a PDI before delivery, they began giving pointless excuses. This was quite a bad experience for me as this is the first electric scooter in our family, and i dont want people telling me, i told you so, especially after spending a lot of money. Ather seriously needs to look into this, as this has left a bad taste in my experience with the scooter.
Also wanted to hear from you guys, regarding when does the fan of the scooter turn on when you all ride, because mine turns on super quick. When i rode out of my home into the highway, the fan turned on within 100m. The SC people told me that its normal, but it felt strange to me as the weather isnt even that hot. Please do comment.

Hoping that there wont be any such problems in the near future. (Will update this thread if they happen)

UPDATE: So, most of July was worry free, no issues with the ride. However, on July 28th, the headlight of the Ather began fogging up during my rides in the rain. Usually if the condensation is little, i dont mind much but if you see the photo here, it was quite a lot. Showed this to the SC Lead and he too agreed. When I came back home and gave the scooter a quick wash, the fogging returned yet again and in different places around the headlight. The ASC Manager agreed to replace it under warranty. Still surprising as too how the headlight sealing was so weak.


Another issue was with the paint of the rear shock absorber. Once again as I was washing the scooter, the shock absorber looked like it had some really stubborn dirt stains. However on closer inspection, I found out that it was actually the paint of the shock absorber that had stripped off.
This was really surprising since the scooter had just completed two months. Nevertheless, showed this too to the ASC manager and agreed to change under warranty, but the only gripe is that they dont have the part ready in their SC, so ill have to ride to the SC in the next city, which is about a 105km round trip.

[lrn123]

Exactly, it felt quite weird when the fans turn on even when the weather here is rainy and cold. Hope its normal haha

Thanks for the tips. So there was some issue with the scooter (not the brake calipers), the guys at the SC ran their diagnostics and found out some electronic system had stopped working at the time which caused the wheel not moving freely. The only fix for that as mentioned by them was to wait for two days and see if the issue had resolved by then. Not happy with the answer, but it did get solved.

Yes, the brakes on my scooter are from Bybre.

After they fixed the solenoid, the fast charging thankfully began to work just fine.

[AngelEyes]

We acquired our first EV, the Ather 450x, two days ago. Including accessories, it cost me 1.78 Lakhs in Bengaluru. Currently, I'm encountering the following issues:

1. It won’t charge. The green light on the charger illuminates, but nothing appears on the display. I have tried various power outlets and different methods, but it appears that there is some issue.
2. There's a "factory mode" banner displayed on the screen.

I've attempted to reset the device multiple times, but with no success. What's even more surprising is the below-average response from Ather Rajajinagar. After escalating the issue to Ather through various social media platforms, someone from service assured me that a technician would visit my home to investigate within 24 hours.

Unfortunately, we are unable to use the scooter at the moment because it won't charge.

[lrn123]

Originally Posted by lrn123

UPDATE: So, most of July was worry free, no issues with the ride. However, on July 28th, the headlight of the Ather began fogging up during my rides in the rain. Usually if the condensation is little, i dont mind much but if you see the photo here, it was quite a lot. Showed this to the SC Lead and he too agreed. When I came back home and gave the scooter a quick wash, the fogging returned yet again and in different places around the headlight. The ASC Manager agreed to replace it under warranty. Still surprising as too how the headlight sealing was so weak.
Attachment 2485703

Another issue was with the paint of the rear shock absorber. Once again as I was washing the scooter, the shock absorber looked like it had some really stubborn dirt stains. However on closer inspection, I found out that it was actually the paint of the shock absorber that had stripped off.Attachment 2485704
This was really surprising since the scooter had just completed two months. Nevertheless, showed this too to the ASC manager and agreed to change under warranty, but the only gripe is that they dont have the part ready in their SC, so ill have to ride to the SC in the next city, which is about a 105km round trip.

UPDATE: Hey everyone, I would appreciate a little help from the experienced gurus here regarding my ceramic coated Ather 450x. So i finally managed to free up some time to visit the service centre for the headlight and rear shocks replacement, but there is a small conundrum.

The scooter is completely coated. However, due to poor headlight sealing, the headlight has to be replaced. Now my question is, am I liable to get any compensation to recoat the new headlight from the dealer, or do I have to pay from my pocket again? I hope not because the coat was quite expensive.

Please do advice, thanks in advance.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by AngelEyes

2. There's a "factory mode" banner displayed on the screen.

Restarting won't solve this issue. I too faced this issue. Ather does an OTA update but for some reason it was not updating. Technician visited my home and manually triggered it. After that the banner went away.

BTW, Ather triggers auto update around 3 am if your scooter is plugged in.

Originally Posted by AngelEyes

1. It won’t charge. The green light on the charger illuminates, but nothing appears on the display. I have tried various power outlets and different methods, but it appears that there is some issue.

Could be a genuine issue. Are you following the sequence correctly? You need to plug in the gun and charger in the power socket. After that you have to first turn the key to on position and then to off. After that it takes few seconds and initializes charging.

[ritesh_44]

Originally Posted by AngelEyes

1. It won’t charge. The green light on the charger illuminates, but nothing appears on the display. I have tried various power outlets and different methods, but it appears that there is some issue.
2. There's a "factory mode" banner displayed on the screen.

Escalate to Ather's customer support, they probably forgot to update something before delivering. Rajajinagar is third-party dealer, they don't have much expertise in solving software issues.

Originally Posted by shipnil

BTW, Ather triggers auto update around 3 am if your scooter is plugged in.



Could be a genuine issue. Are you following the sequence correctly? You need to plug in the gun and charger in the power socket. After that you have to first turn the key to on position and then to off. After that it takes few seconds and initializes charging.

Update is triggered even if scooter is not plugged in, just make sure there is sufficient charge and scooter is not in shutdown mode.

There is no specific sequence for initializing charging, as long as the scooter is off and charger is on, it starts charging. I have started charging without having the key with me in parking.

[AngelEyes]

Apologies for not updating the thread earlier. After escalating the issue multiple times to Ather and the Rajaji Nagar showroom, they dispatched someone the next day. Although not a technician, the individual was familiar with the problem.

According to him, numerous customers had encountered this issue recently, and despite the showroom reporting it to Ather on several occasions, no corrective action had been taken at the factory. He proceeded to open the front covers and reattach the power connectors after making some adjustments to the pins. That’s it!