| Flat tire | - Punctured inner tube
- Cut or damaged tire casing
- Dented or cracked rim
| - As for any bicycle: tire, rim, size marking, valve.
- Note whether the flat wheel holds a hub motor, and how its cable is connected.
- E-scooters: solid or pneumatic tire, split rim or one-piece, and whether the maker publishes a procedure.
| - That the electrics work normally — seen, not told.
- Tire size and type.
| Basic to Advanced, depending on the cause Diagnosis time: Minutes Safety-relevant | Tubes and tires are ordinary parts. A hub-motor wheel adds a connector, torque washers and correct axle-nut torque. Some scooter tires are very hard to fit without shop tools. | - Rim damage.
- Motor cable damaged at the axle.
- Electrics cannot be demonstrated.
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| No power — will not switch on | - Deeply discharged or protection-locked battery
- Wrong or faulty charger
- Corroded connector
- Controller or display fault
- Account, app or anti-theft lock
| - Battery seated and locked? Any lights on the battery’s own indicator?
- Is the charger the specified one, and what does its light do?
- Visible corrosion or bent pins at the battery and display contacts.
- Stop there. Do not open anything and do not try other chargers.
| - When it last worked and how it was stored — a battery left empty for months may have switched itself off for good.
- A dealer diagnostic report.
| Professional Diagnosis time: Workshop job Safety-critical | Cannot be estimated without diagnosis. The plausible causes range from a connector to a battery or drive unit, and the battery alone can exceed what the vehicle is worth. | - No dealer report and the price assumes a small fault.
- Any sign the battery was opened.
- Seller suggests it is “probably just the battery”.
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| Short range or battery will not hold charge | - Battery capacity worn down
| - Ask for the dealer report with charge cycles and capacity.
- Compare the display’s range estimate with a real ride only as a rough hint.
| - Battery age and how it was stored over winters.
- Dealer capacity test.
| Professional Diagnosis time: Workshop job Safety-relevant | A worn battery is replaced, not repaired. Only genuine or maker-approved batteries belong on the vehicle, and availability for older systems varies. | - No capacity evidence on an older battery and a price that assumes it is healthy.
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| Error code or motor cutting out | - Speed sensor or magnet out of place
- Controller or display fault
- Motor fault
- Corroded connector
| - Write down the exact code and look it up in the maker’s documentation.
- Check the speed sensor and spoke magnet are in place and aligned — a simple cause on some systems.
- Look at connectors you can reach without dismantling.
| - The code, when it appears, and whether it clears.
- Dealer read-out.
| Basic to Professional, depending on the cause Diagnosis time: Workshop job Safety-relevant | A displaced magnet costs nothing. Controller, motor or wiring faults need dealer tools and often dealer-only parts. | - Intermittent cut-outs with no diagnosis.
- Codes pointing to the drive unit or battery.
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| Locked, paired to an account, or key, charger or papers missing | - Account, app or anti-theft lock
- Battery lock key missing
- Wrong or faulty charger
- Ownership or registration documents missing
| - Ask the seller to log in and remove the vehicle from their account, or disable the digital lock, in front of you.
- Try the battery key.
- Check the frame number against the receipt.
| - Original receipt.
- Charger and keys present.
- Screenshot of the vehicle released from the account.
| Professional Diagnosis time: Under an hour Safety-relevant | There is no legitimate repair for a lock the owner cannot release. | - Cannot be unlocked or released.
- No proof of ownership.
- Filed or missing frame number.
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| Tuned, derestricted or without road approval | - Tuned, or never approved for the road
| - Does assistance continue above the legal limit for its class?
- Look for tuning dongles, altered sensors or non-standard controllers.
- E-scooters: check for the approval label, plate or sticker your country requires.
| - Seller’s statement on modifications, in writing.
- Approval documents.
| Professional Diagnosis time: Under an hour Safety-critical | Removing a tuning device may not restore legality or warranty, and some systems record tampering. | - Tuned and sold as standard.
- A scooter model that cannot be used legally on the road where you sell.
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| Battery swollen, dropped, wet or opened | - Physically damaged battery
| - Look only. Swelling, cracks, dents, burn marks, liquid, smell, or evidence of opening.
| - Whether it was dropped, got wet or was repaired.
| Professional Diagnosis time: Minutes Safety-critical | A damaged lithium battery is hazardous waste to be handed to a proper collection point, not a repair job. | - Always. Do not buy it, charge it or put it in your car.
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