Bosch power tool batteries failed (1 Viewer)

[GWAYGWAY]

I have a slight problem???? with 36-volt tool, batteries and wonder what any of you lot think, is the problem. they were to fit my electric Brompton which has only one battery now after getting a total of six altogether, now returned two batteries to the first seller and one to the local main seller, also two chargers, back to main dealer. All new both batteries and the chargers, only two went on the bike as they gave trouble on the first charging from new. I have one new battery that has not been on the new battery charger but on a borrowed old model charger.
I enclose a copy of an email to Bosch and I am still awaiting a reply from them.



The charging fault I am experiencing.
1. I have 3X 36 volt 6ah batteries for professional range tools.
2. I have a GAL3860 CV charger
3. I have borrowed a GAL 3640 Charger to check with
The problem arose when I bought two batteries online, and a charger from
a local main dealer. The batteries were half charged on receipt so I put
them on the charger, they both accepted a fast charging and the green lights
were flashing as per the manual.
I used about half of the charge on both and put them back on the charger.
Both of which flashed green then went onto a steady red light , and appeared
not to charge. The temperature was at room temp for both.
I thought that the charger was at fault so took it back and was exchanged
for a second charger. This also showed the fault. I sent both batteries
back to the seller and was given two replacements. These charged up fully
on the new charger on first charge, then red-lighted on the second charge.
Same as the first two.
I then bought another battery from the local dealer for a lot more money,
It charged OK but the second time from half discharged did the same, solid red
light only . also at room temperature. I took the battery back and it was
exchanged again by the main dealer. New one today charged only on the
borrowed GAL 3620 charger, it appears to be OK at the moment, but I am
not going to put it on the 3680 charger just in case. Telephoned the
service dept and advised to email the details as attached.
The outcome so far is that I have had 5 batteries and two chargers plus a
borrowed charger Three batteries went back to the suppliers, two
replacements have also done the same and one left that I have not dared try
on the 3680 and it might be fine, and has received a proper recharge on
the older borrowed charger. However on the 3680 charger, they seem to
accept a very slow charge. The two older batteries do not accept a fast
charge from the 3620 charger, so something has happened to those two from
being on the 3680 chargers but will take a very slow charge off that as
well
I am at a loss as to what is happening with these batteries as 4 out of
five failures all pointing to both the chargers, fast charge, not being
correct. It seems a bit of sods law that all those batteries are dud, at
but also that both chargers are dud????????????? I am at my wits end over
this matter and would be willing to drive up from Dover to Denham to
explain what has happened and ask a technician what is happening and get a
resolution. It may be that the chargers have a similar fault as they were
from the same batch, leading to the damaging of the batteries thermistors.
I am not an idiot , but I am beginning to feel like one, the instructions in
the manual are simple enough. I feel thank I might be very unwelcome at
the sellers after this problem.

What are the chances of two chargers and 5 new batteries going wrong together? Both chargers were from the same batch number from the makers, Bosch.
I think the chargers were defective and killed the fast charge circuits in all the batteries which will now only accept a very slow trickle charge overnight.
Just to comment these batteries at full retail are £245 each. so I am not happy about it at all and neither are the sellers.

 

[sonny]

Alough it might have Bosch on the battery make sure it is genuine Bosch you cannot tell visually .good luck.

 

[Portland]

I don't rate Bosch at all, always buy Japanese.my experiences with Bosch have never been good, particularly batteries. I'm sure others have great faith in the name

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[tonka]

Go on youtube and look up ref Lithium batteries and restoring / dead battery repair. Mainly related to power tools.
There seems to lots of issues once they go down to a low voltage and need a kick start to get them charging again. Not saying this is the issue but worth some watching

 

[Jaws]

Watching with interest..
What have Bosch had to say about it ?

 

[GWAYGWAY]

I have been on to Bosch this morning and they confirmed that the query has gone to the technical dept and a copy was sent to them again as a gee-up. they are expected to come back on the phone to me direct. Altogether there are six batteries involved only one is OK at the moment and that has never been near the fast charger 1 or 2 that I bought and the replacement. It seems to me there is a fault on those chargers, both from the same consignment and cosequtive serials.
We will find out soon, as I will be going up there along with all the batteries I still have and the charger I got along with the borrowed lower grade older charger which seems perfect. I together there is a LOT of money tied up with this problem not including the three batteries that have gone back as returns. They are all GENUINE Bosch professional 36 volt batteries and they are not the DIY greem ones for the gardening tools. guaranteed for three years and never made it passed the second charge.

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[GWAYGWAY]

Two more batteries from Bosch and one has gone tits up already second charge then refuses to accpet any cuttent from the charger. I am really pixxed off now as this was the 7th battery on return from them. The virus lockdown has taken a whacking chunk out of the warranty Time .
ALL these unit were made in Poland and the dates are all from 6/2019, the thermistor inside them must be a faulty batch but they will not confirm anything. So far 7 batteries and two chargers plus a borrowed one. These batteries retail at £240 each so not a laughing matter, There is the common date for the whole batch so somebody else must be having it as well.

 

[steve 6644]

I stopped buying into cordless systems years ago. I prefer falling over leads. I still have a Makita 9.6 volt driver (38 years old!) that has out lasted all the other crap I bought. A few years ago I bought two new non oen batteries and I recon it will see me out.

 

[crich]

I have exactly the same problem with 2 36v 4ah batteries. I had two chargers that came with my two nano bikes kits. One charger stopped working ( a 3620 I believe) so I replaced it with a 3680 , both batteries went to overheat on the second charge and will now no longer accept a charge. Rang Bosch , they don’t want to know as they are 2019 batteries. Did you ever get to the bottoms of this ?

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[crich]

I have exactly the same problem with 2 36v 4ah batteries. I had two chargers that came with my two nano bikes kits. One charger stopped working ( a 3620 I believe) so I replaced it with a 3680 , both batteries went to overheat on the second charge and will now no longer accept a charge. Rang Bosch , they don’t want to know as they are 2019 batteries. Did you ever get to the bottoms of this ?

 

[Jamesh]

Are they used on an electric bike??

Do they drain too quickly and hence trip the thermister?

Cheers James

 

[crich]

Yes they are used on an electric bike and no they don’t drain too quickly. Both have the same faults as the op. Bosch don’t want to know and I stumbled across this thread with someone having exactly the same fault. Even to the fact the fault appears after the second charge on the 3680 charger.

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[crich]

Oh and the thermistor isn’t one that re sets itself after it cools! They never work again

 

[fomblard]

Hi I have the same problem, using Bosch batteries for nano electric bike, and I have had to buy 4 batteries in a year, they all usually fail after 2month of use, much more quickly if I drive on hills. I have seen on other forums that some people who use the batteries for something else than bikes (forestry) have the very same problem.
Did you find the cause of the problem ?

 

[SteveRallye]

If you have ever read The Saturday Telegaph newspaper Honest John wrote the Saturday motoring articles and he was forthright, and wrote that too many people buy into the myth that German products (ie BMW/VW/ Audi) are the best, he wrote on more than one occasion that they are not and said that the best and most reliable products come from Japan and later South Korea. The same myths appear about German motorhomes. So as long as you are aware you will not be too shocked when things go pearshaped!

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[lucabrasie]

I have similar issue. 6Ah 36v Honda battery (rebadged Bosch) that I use in a homemade Brompton e-bike conversion. Stopped charging after about a year (green light comes on charger then quickly switches to red). Took to Honda service centre and left it with them. They put on charger (my one) no joy. Put battery into Honda lawn mower and ran it for a bit (there was still charge in battery). Put back on charger and it started charging. Had the charger and battery back for a couple of months and did the same again. Took back, same thing (put in mower) started charging again. Really weird. So, either the mower draws a lot of power thereby kicking the cells into action, or there is something else that happens when these batteries are in a ‘valid device’. The middle battery connector is for the thermostat I think, but what is the spring/ red plastic bit for that is in the same location as that pin. Does that ‘trigger’ an ‘I’m plugged into a Bosch/Honda device’ for the battery? Bit of a loss but seems really odd

 

[wheelyb]

I have a slight problem???? with 36-volt tool, batteries and wonder what any of you lot think, is the problem. they were to fit my electric Brompton which has only one battery now after getting a total of six altogether, now returned two batteries to the first seller and one to the local main seller, also two chargers, back to main dealer. All new both batteries and the chargers, only two went on the bike as they gave trouble on the first charging from new. I have one new battery that has not been on the new battery charger but on a borrowed old model charger.
I enclose a copy of an email to Bosch and I am still awaiting a reply from them.



The charging fault I am experiencing.
1. I have 3X 36 volt 6ah batteries for professional range tools.
2. I have a GAL3860 CV charger
3. I have borrowed a GAL 3640 Charger to check with
The problem arose when I bought two batteries online, and a charger from
a local main dealer. The batteries were half charged on receipt so I put
them on the charger, they both accepted a fast charging and the green lights
were flashing as per the manual.
I used about half of the charge on both and put them back on the charger.
Both of which flashed green then went onto a steady red light , and appeared
not to charge. The temperature was at room temp for both.
I thought that the charger was at fault so took it back and was exchanged
for a second charger. This also showed the fault. I sent both batteries
back to the seller and was given two replacements. These charged up fully
on the new charger on first charge, then red-lighted on the second charge.
Same as the first two.
I then bought another battery from the local dealer for a lot more money,
It charged OK but the second time from half discharged did the same, solid red
light only . also at room temperature. I took the battery back and it was
exchanged again by the main dealer. New one today charged only on the
borrowed GAL 3620 charger, it appears to be OK at the moment, but I am
not going to put it on the 3680 charger just in case. Telephoned the
service dept and advised to email the details as attached.
The outcome so far is that I have had 5 batteries and two chargers plus a
borrowed charger Three batteries went back to the suppliers, two
replacements have also done the same and one left that I have not dared try
on the 3680 and it might be fine, and has received a proper recharge on
the older borrowed charger. However on the 3680 charger, they seem to
accept a very slow charge. The two older batteries do not accept a fast
charge from the 3620 charger, so something has happened to those two from
being on the 3680 chargers but will take a very slow charge off that as
well
I am at a loss as to what is happening with these batteries as 4 out of
five failures all pointing to both the chargers, fast charge, not being
correct. It seems a bit of sods law that all those batteries are dud, at
but also that both chargers are dud????????????? I am at my wits end over
this matter and would be willing to drive up from Dover to Denham to
explain what has happened and ask a technician what is happening and get a
resolution. It may be that the chargers have a similar fault as they were
from the same batch, leading to the damaging of the batteries thermistors.
I am not an idiot , but I am beginning to feel like one, the instructions in
the manual are simple enough. I feel thank I might be very unwelcome at
the sellers after this problem.

What are the chances of two chargers and 5 new batteries going wrong together? Both chargers were from the same batch number from the makers, Bosch.
I think the chargers were defective and killed the fast charge circuits in all the batteries which will now only accept a very slow trickle charge overnight.
Just to comment these batteries at full retail are £245 each. so I am not happy about it at all and neither are the sellers.

 

[wheelyb]

I have a slight problem???? with 36-volt tool, batteries and wonder what any of you lot think, is the problem. they were to fit my electric Brompton which has only one battery now after getting a total of six altogether, now returned two batteries to the first seller and one to the local main seller, also two chargers, back to main dealer. All new both batteries and the chargers, only two went on the bike as they gave trouble on the first charging from new. I have one new battery that has not been on the new battery charger but on a borrowed old model charger.
I enclose a copy of an email to Bosch and I am still awaiting a reply from them.



The charging fault I am experiencing.
1. I have 3X 36 volt 6ah batteries for professional range tools.
2. I have a GAL3860 CV charger
3. I have borrowed a GAL 3640 Charger to check with
The problem arose when I bought two batteries online, and a charger from
a local main dealer. The batteries were half charged on receipt so I put
them on the charger, they both accepted a fast charging and the green lights
were flashing as per the manual.
I used about half of the charge on both and put them back on the charger.
Both of which flashed green then went onto a steady red light , and appeared
not to charge. The temperature was at room temp for both.
I thought that the charger was at fault so took it back and was exchanged
for a second charger. This also showed the fault. I sent both batteries
back to the seller and was given two replacements. These charged up fully
on the new charger on first charge, then red-lighted on the second charge.
Same as the first two.
I then bought another battery from the local dealer for a lot more money,
It charged OK but the second time from half discharged did the same, solid red
light only . also at room temperature. I took the battery back and it was
exchanged again by the main dealer. New one today charged only on the
borrowed GAL 3620 charger, it appears to be OK at the moment, but I am
not going to put it on the 3680 charger just in case. Telephoned the
service dept and advised to email the details as attached.
The outcome so far is that I have had 5 batteries and two chargers plus a
borrowed charger Three batteries went back to the suppliers, two
replacements have also done the same and one left that I have not dared try
on the 3680 and it might be fine, and has received a proper recharge on
the older borrowed charger. However on the 3680 charger, they seem to
accept a very slow charge. The two older batteries do not accept a fast
charge from the 3620 charger, so something has happened to those two from
being on the 3680 chargers but will take a very slow charge off that as
well
I am at a loss as to what is happening with these batteries as 4 out of
five failures all pointing to both the chargers, fast charge, not being
correct. It seems a bit of sods law that all those batteries are dud, at
but also that both chargers are dud????????????? I am at my wits end over
this matter and would be willing to drive up from Dover to Denham to
explain what has happened and ask a technician what is happening and get a
resolution. It may be that the chargers have a similar fault as they were
from the same batch, leading to the damaging of the batteries thermistors.
I am not an idiot , but I am beginning to feel like one, the instructions in
the manual are simple enough. I feel thank I might be very unwelcome at
the sellers after this problem.

What are the chances of two chargers and 5 new batteries going wrong together? Both chargers were from the same batch number from the makers, Bosch.
I think the chargers were defective and killed the fast charge circuits in all the batteries which will now only accept a very slow trickle charge overnight.
Just to comment these batteries at full retail are £245 each. so I am not happy about it at all and neither are the sellers.

Hi - I had exactly the same problem with my Brompton. I use the Nano electric motor and fittings and have had problems with four batteries now. On all the batteries the fault was the same - use the battery for awhile, place in the charger and the charger light starts green then immediately goes to red. I found a temporary solution purely by luck, this has worked every time : I take the faulty batteries and place them in my Bosch hedge cutter, use it for about two minutes then place it on the charger and it charges just fine. This is not an ideal solution as it means for long trips I have to carry a Bosch hedge cutter with me.
I have been in touch with Nano (who are excellent) to see if they can help. - they have informed me that they do not recommend the Bosch 6AH battery is due to reliability problems. They do have a possible permanent solution, which is to use one of their battery chargers which should solve the red light problem. Unfortunately once this charger has been used you can no longer use the normal Bosch charger.
This has been a lesson for me never buy anything made by Bosch.

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[RachelF]

I also had this problem, also with batteries I was using with my electric brompton. I ended up with all my 3 batteries not charging. I contacted Lynda at https://www.nanoelectricbikes.co.uk/ (who really are very excellent), and she sold me a different type of charger. Now all the batteries charge fine again, plus the new charger is much smaller and lighter for travelling with.

 

[RAB3L]

I had the same problem - continuous charger red light with one battery. Tried two different chargers, multiple times with no success. Then I put the battery in a recently acquired 36v Bosch hammer drill and ran it for a few seconds. Put the battery back in the charger and hey presto! I suspect that the red button on the battery connector has a reset function but that this only works if you have power in the battery. One good reason not to completely discharge the battery. Placing the battery back in my ARCC Brompton would probably have had the same effect. Perhaps the cause is the fact that the battery gets too hot in use and has a memory function.

 

[Henry Walpole]

I had the same problem - continuous charger red light with one battery. Tried two different chargers, multiple times with no success. Then I put the battery in a recently acquired 36v Bosch hammer drill and ran it for a few seconds. Put the battery back in the charger and hey presto! I suspect that the red button on the battery connector has a reset function but that this only works if you have power in the battery. One good reason not to completely discharge the battery. Placing the battery back in my ARCC Brompton would probably have had the same effect. Perhaps the cause is the fact that the battery gets too hot in use and has a memory function.

That's very interesting RAB3L I too have the ARCC Brompton conversion and I have just returned a battery to BOSCH under warranty as I had the same issue you described. In my case the battery wasn't flat when it developed the fault. I did put it in the Brompton and it ran fine for a couple of hours use before going flat. It still wouldn't charge after that. Maybe having a power tool (which I don't have) is the only way to 'reset' it.

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[BusyBuilder]

I've bought mainly Festool and Makita and one Mafell saw, for my joinery business, thought I have had two (Blue) Bosch tools, both lasted till just outside their warranty, so never again. My Makita and Festool have never let me down, though I have worn them out, I even wore out a Mafell KSS300 which costs almost £800 new. I don't rate Bosch at all.

 

[RAB3L]

That's very interesting RAB3L I too have the ARCC Brompton conversion and I have just returned a battery to BOSCH under warranty as I had the same issue you described. In my case the battery wasn't flat when it developed the fault. I did put it in the Brompton and it ran fine for a couple of hours use before going flat. It still wouldn't charge after that. Maybe having a power tool (which I don't have) is the only way to 'reset' it.

I used the battery again today and it is still working/charging normally. Not sure what caused the problem - reading other forums, it could be that one cell was not working well. The batteries don't have a BMS. Or perhaps that the battery overheated in use but that would be a first. I suspect that if I'd put the battery back in the Brompton, it would have had the same effect as the drill. I bought the drill recently because it had two 6Ah batteries for the same price that two 6Ah batteries would have cost at ARCC. So I got the drill and the charger for free! I do have a use for the drill though!

 

[RAB3L]

It's happened again. I then placed the battery back in the Brompton and switched it on briefly. It had same effect as the drill. I suspect that one of the cells is suspect. It will probably have to go back to Bosch.

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