Difficulty obtaining L-TWOO warranty support

[velostar]

Hi folks,

I bought the L-TWOO eRX groupset from Panda Podium in December and install went well, except for the rear brake. First off, the brake force wasn't as good as the front brake. Thought it was air in the hoses, but after several bleeds, it didn't help. What did was squeezing the brake lever a few times so the brake pistons emerged about a millimeter before installing the pads and wheel.

So begin the first ride. Not long into it, I hear rear brake squealing. Run my finger over the rotor and it's a bit grimy. Get home, remove the pads and notice the back side nearest the pistons have oil on them, whilst the other side are rather slick.

Thinking there may have been some residual oil from the bleeds, with isopropyl alcohol and sanding I thoroughly clean everything - pistons, pads, and rotors. Next ride, same issues return.

At this point, I'm confident the problem is with the brake caliper itself. Contact L-TWOO twice at service@ltwoo.com and receive no response. Try Panda Podium and do get a response, but it's a bit odd. Despite pics and descriptions of the above, they (via L-TWOO apparently) now want VIDEO evidence of

- The exact position where the oil is leaking.
- The presence of the oil leak itself.
- Whether I have noticed a reduction in braking force due to this leak.

I'd already explained that the oil leak is slight and only emerges under riding conditions, i.e., when brake force is applied to pads and rotors. The caliper doesn't leak when the bike is at rest, nor is there oil continuously dripping out. It appears the brake pistons don't have a 100% seal with the caliper housing. So I'm not sure how to provide the requested video evidence.

The performance of the brake caliper is obviously not normal nor is it acceptable, so I'm perplexed by L-TWOO's/Panda Podium's pushback. Neither has offered any troubleshooting tips or solutions.

Anyone with a similar experience with these brakes? Tips how I can resolve it myself?

Do you think L-TWOO's request is reasonable?

Here's a pic of the brake pads after a ride that had little braking activity.

Thanks for your help.

[jonathanf2]

Their request seems reasonable.

First I'd rule out if the hydraulic hose screw is firmly fastened at the brake caliper. Don't over tighten, but make sure it's firmly screwed in-place. Second, I'd make sure the bleed port screw is also fully tightened. Lastly I'd thoroughly alcohol spray the entire caliper, including the pistons and the area around the brake mount. If there's still residual oil leaking after doing all that (while filming the before and after), you should get your replacement caliper no problem.

Also with LTwoo products, it's just best to go directly to Panda Podium, since they're primarily a B2B and not B2C (business to customer) supplier. That might change in the future, but that's how it is for now.

[velostar]

Confirmed that hose screw and bleed port screw are firmly in place. I've installed hydraulic brakes before, so I'm fairly familiar with the process. But if they were loose, wouldn't oil be coming from those areas rather than appearing on the brake pads?

Yeah, my plan is to thoroughly clean the caliper with alcohol again, install everything, pull it apart and show the appearance of the oil - all in a continuous video.

What's just odd to me is LTWOO's specific evidentiary requirements, e.g., "the exact position where the oil is leaking", as if oil is simply dripping out in real time.

Appreciate your response!

[jonathanf2]

Confirmed that hose screw and bleed port screw are firmly in place. I've installed hydraulic brakes before, so I'm fairly familiar with the process. But if they were loose, wouldn't oil be coming from those areas rather than appearing on the brake pads?

Yeah, my plan is to thoroughly clean the caliper with alcohol again, install everything, pull it apart and show the appearance of the oil - all in a continuous video.

What's just odd to me is LTWOO's specific evidentiary requirements, e.g., "the exact position where the oil is leaking", as if oil is simply dripping out in real time.

Appreciate your response!

I'm sure they just want to confirm it's not user error as opposed to an actual defect in the brake caliper itself. If you have the newer 1-piece LTwoo caliper (first gen calipers were 2-piece bonded), the only place I could think oil is leaking from would be the piston itself due to a faulty o-ring.

[velostar]

Yes, this is eRX v3 with the monoblock caliper construction. It's a gorgeous piece of machinery, but I agree there seems to be a problem somewhere with the pistons/o-ring.

[jonathanf2]

Yes, this is eRX v3 with the monoblock caliper construction. It's a gorgeous piece of machinery, but I agree there seems to be a problem somewhere with the pistons/o-ring.

It's not a problem unique to LTwoo. I've had an o-ring issue on a Shimano GRX caliper. I've actually had good luck with my LTwoo calipers performing quite well. There's some Youtube tutorials on how to service the piston and o-rings on hydraulic brake calipers. Though I'd still get a warranty replacement since they arrived defective.

[Serge_K]

ltwoo has some of the worst warranty support around, from my experience. i gave up on it on several products.
they always ask for videos, and they usually do their best to weasel out, when they're not ignoring you altogether.
Panda podium is in the middle though, so you'll probably be treated better.
good luck.