Buying 2nd hand V8 - anything to look out for?

[Retrovertigo]

Hi there. I have an opportunity to buy a second hand V8 here in the U.K. The guy is asking a reasonable price for it (seems a little too cheap maybe?) - he is asking £450, which is less than half of what they usually sell for here when brand new. It has apparently only done a low mileage....can that be verified?

Seems like a straight up guy and has offered to do a diagnostic via Facetime to show me any details of it. Never owned one, so no idea what that entails really. Just not sure if there is anything else I should be asking him? I'm just slightly wary of buying second hand as this will be my first EUC and I'm erring towards a new one for the warranty aspect.

Thanks for any advice

[BarrettJ]

On 7/4/2019 at 2:13 AM, Retrovertigo said:

It has apparently only done a low mileage....can that be verified?

If you connect via bluetooth to the InMotion app there's a spot where it will show you lifetime miles (though it's possible someone with more knowledge of the wheels than I would also know how to reset that).

 

I got my V8 refurb'd from InMotion themselves and it came with a 3 month warranty so that may be adoption if you want some warranty (though they seem to always be out of refurb stock now) - that was also my concern being my first EUC (and I live in the midwest in the US - it'd literally take me hours to drive somewhere to even see someone with a wheel, let alone one for sale)

[Mono]

There is a wheel error diagnosis that can be run from the app. This I would certainly run and consider buying the wheel only if it does not give errors. You may check for cracks in the shell around the trolley handle, though they should not be a deal breaker.

[alcatraz]

I got two v8's second hand. My first one is perfect even to this day. It's done 8200km through snow and mud and charged hundreds of time. Bearings are smooth, motor pulls evenly, battery is perfectly balanced.

The second one had two issues. The battery had some corrosion inside so a few cells were off. If I had continued to use it and charge it fully it would have overcharged some cells. The way to notice this was that it had a lower mileage on one charge despite it's lower total mileage. That's warning no 1.

The second issue was a more serious one. The wheel seemed fine on the first few rides until I noticed the motor had a malfunction. I didn't notice it until I tried to ask for torque at slow speeds. Then the issue reveals itself. Try going up a slope (~10 degrees at slow speed). If the motor is 100% then it will pull smoothly all the way. If not it will have some jerkyness. The jerk is very easy to feel going slow. It's like the motor loses all power in a certain position and then catches up after passing that. Going on flats you feel nothing. That's warning no2.

Also if it's got a long mileage maybe check the wheel bearing by trying to wiggle the wheel sideways. Also spin the wheel and listen/feel for grittyness or friction.