Got water in battery compartment?

Your N1s is behaving strangely after some time in the rain? Maybe there’s water in your N1s battery compartment – the front edge of the battery compartment lid is prone to letting water into the compartment .
So open it, pull out the battery and have a look (and feel) for water or moisture. Also check the battery plug and socket (Careful! Water and electricity aren’t the best friends!)

If you got wet fingers or already found fish swimming down there, here’s a fix!

Get yourself some self-adhesive sponge/foamrubber-tape. eBay is full of it… it should not be thicker than 1mm. Also try to get some which is


If you want to make the tape to stick for longer, use some 94-primer. This will make the glue to stick really hard.


These are the simple steps to apply this fix:

1 – Open the battery-compartment lid and clean its edge (if neccessary)

2 – (Optional) Apply a thin layer of primer onto the lid

3 – remove the protective layer from the rubberfom-tape

4 – stick the tape all along the edge and cut the excess when reaching the end of the lid

Let it dry for some minutes – done!

The difference should be clearly visible:

8 thoughts on “Got water in battery compartment?

    1. These pics are taken from a Chinese how-to. So it’s either an original N1 “Civic” battery or some Chinese aftermarket model.

  1. I washed our N1S scooter and since then I can’t start it. When starting the display shines up for a second, the front lamp flashes shortly and then it turns of. Some seconds later the display flashes again and then it’s dark.

    What can I do to get our scooter back alive again?

    1. Ok, this sounds like water got into the front-compartment underneath the dashboard/handlebar.
      Besides the NCU (which is pretty well sealed) there are many connectors which might got wet. So remove the front (see my videos how to do that) and unplug all connectors to check them for humidity. My first suspicion goes towards the ignition switch…

      1. Hello Axel and thanks for your advice!
        I’ve put the scooter in a dry, warm space and have now disconnected and dried (hairdryer) all 13 connectors – outside and inside – three times. From start there was no visible water or humidity under the front cover. While washing the battery was not mounted. I’ve also given the box and tube around the ignition a thorough dry. As it looks so well sealed I can’t imagine how water could enter.
        I sence the dashboard lits up somewhat longer after the first round of hairdrying. I’ve spoted that the engine mode switches from 1 to 2 and somtimes to 3. Is thst normal? I can’t make any funktion work, as front light, just the flashing dashboard. I wonder if I’m doing the right thing. I think I’ve found the specific connector for the dashboard (a black one) and given it an extra dry. Could it be that I should look somewhere completly different?

        1. Mh, strange… as the scooter will work without its dashboard connected (see my video about my broken dashboard), try to disconnect and check if your NIU runs. It might ‘play’ into the CAN bus preventing the scooter to work.
          There must be a reason why Chinese sellers offering those dashboard covers…

  2. The dealer called me today saying that it is the BMS. It’s a hefty amount to make a change! Some 400 eur. Do you or anyone know if I can open the BMS and have i cleaned/checked?
    Would there be any instructions how to open it?

    1. Well, the BMS is inside the battery. So it’s pretty easy to validate your dealers assumption: Swap the battery for a quick test – your dealer should be able to lend you one for a minute or two.
      Getting a battery repaired is a nightmare – been there, done that but if it is really your battery and it is still within its 2yr warranty, it’s probably time to bite the bullet.

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