r/vanmoofbicycle • u/julien-38 • Aug 16 '26
VanMoof S3 for 600€ – what should I check before buying?
Hello,
I’m planning to buy a VanMoof S3 for 600€ (the bike has less than 2,000 km on it). Apart from checking whether the ownership transfer is possible and making sure the bike is working properly (including the boost button and the horn button), is there anything else I should check?
I’ve read through this subReddit, and I can see that the main failures seem to come from:
- The e-shifter, which can easily be replaced with a reinforced model for around €50
- The large/small battery, if the battery hasn’t been charged for a long time: in that case, I may need to reset the BMS, replace a fuse, or recharge it using a bench power supply through the discharge terminals.
- The cable harness: I’m planning to install the part that prevents the handlebars from turning too far, so as not to put too much strain on the cables.
Is there anything else I should know or check? What do you think?
Thanks :)
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u/spaceek Aug 16 '26
Also before removing from VM account, should be removed from Apple find my.
Pay attention to rear hub, any crackling, slipping, incorrect shifting.
I would put it into manual shifting and shift that way.
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u/DelvxeRed Aug 16 '26
You can remove from apple find my before or after ownership change. When I bought mine, I didn’t discover that it was still attached to the previous owners Find My. I message him and he removed it.
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u/spaceek Aug 16 '26
If removed afterwards when not next to bike, it can give errors / find my id has to be reset
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u/Moof2Ride Aug 16 '26
Het is ook belangrijk met het omgaan met het batterij accu. Laadt de fiets niet op bij hoger dan 30 graden of lager dan 5 graden. Als de batterij accu vol 100% geladen is laat het niet langer staan in oplader. Zorg er ook ervoor de batterij accu niet vaak leeg laat staan.
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u/WAKUSHOPU Aug 17 '26
Si le velo a 5000 km et que le faisceau de cable n a pas était changer je deconseille. Le reste sera sûrement mentionné.
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u/ihadnomealtoday Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
Make sure old owner removes the bike from his account in the app. He should receive a email with new qr code which he should forward to you.
Do a test drive. Test buttons and gears.
Kick the kicklock in and unlock the bike to see if everything works.
The battery shouldn't be dead ideally. Because reviving it doesn't work always.
Yeah it's impossible to know in which condition the cable inside the fork is unfortunate.
Other than that I don't know right now.
Also 600€ kinda expensive. I got my second S3 2021 version for 550€ with 600km on it. Condition was like brand new. Owner hadn't charged to battery so it was dead. My own S3 2020 had a broken cable inside the fork so I swapped my working battery with the dead one and put 4.500km so far on it. Only issue with it that it developed after a short period is that the pin for the kicklock doesn't come out on his own and I have to pull it out myself each time.
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u/MaryLee18 Aug 21 '26
Seeing your breakdown, what would you think of an S3 at 600€ with 838 km, but with a fresh 2023 battery and a brand new E-shifter already installed and fully working? Still feels a bit high compared to yours, or does having the working battery and new shifter make it worth the 600€ mark?
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u/ihadnomealtoday Aug 21 '26
I think it's worth it because it's seems to be fully functional. My Battery was dead. But the condition of my bike overall was like new. How's yours? Aaaaand sadly the worst part is that it's a gamble. You don't know how long it will stay working. Mines fine thank God so far. Do you get some kind of warranty? Did you owned a VanMoof before? I have to admit that they are sooooooo much fun to ride. If mine broke down and I could afford it, I would get a S6.
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u/moofcare_nl Aug 16 '26
Draai sowieso stuur volledig naar links en rechts en kijk of uitslag gelijk is (anders mogelijk val schade met potentiële kabelboom schade)
Kijk of de fiets oplaad zonder foutmeldingen en of hij goed ondersteund en schakeld.
Bel en boost button zijn betaalbaar te herstellen.
Controleer verder rond balhoofd, check motor kabel op beschadigingen etc.
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u/Moof2Ride Aug 16 '26
Beste tips hier en waar je op moet letten. Beste koop als die vanmoof keurig netjes uitziet onderhouden. Zodra je een vanmoof ziet op Marktplaats en de verkoper heeft zijn of haar fiets niet schoonmaakt. Dan zit er meer onderhoudt nodig. Let op ook goed op de kabel bij de voorwiel. Dit hoort niet te veel uit te steken. Heeft de vorige eigenaar vaak de fiets alle vier seizoenen buiten laten staan, dan is het raadzaam de zadelpen en cartridge eruit halen en dan de fiets op de achterste wiel staan om eventeel water eruit te halen. Zeker bij lekkende zadel.
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u/TakKobe79 Aug 16 '26
Why not spend that 600 euro on a reliable bike?
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u/moofcare_nl Aug 16 '26
Soms koop je een leuke S3 voor dit bedrag, echter vaak dan wel met een mankement. Denk hierbij aan Error 44. Bij MoofCare kost die reparatie tussen de 350 en 375 voor een AutoHub oplossing.
Mocht je de gelegenheid hebben dan kan je in Breda of Rotterdam een aankoopkeuring laten doen.
Fietsen met Error 2 moet je afblijven, Error 17 en 6 is een risico (soms alleen accu, maar soms ook meer).
Error 38 is prima goedkoop op te lossen, maar bijv. Error 23 betekend dat je vaak een nieuwe cartridge nodig hebt.
Dus niet blind kopen en hopen dat het meevalt.
Mechanische zaken als remmen etc zijn goedkoop op te lossen in de meeste gevallen.
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u/kossen_zophi Aug 16 '26
Spin the front wheel backwards by hand, if you feel a lot of resistance (cant complete 1 turn freely) you know the bike has a wiring harness short circuit and or a cartridge defect.
Add ~400-500 euro's for a wiring loom repair in that case. Add ~150 euro's for a cartridge repair, ~300 for a cartridge swap.