R2 - will you buy an extended warranty?

[oregonridet]

Newbie here.
Given all the variables of an R2 purchase, do plan on buying an extended warranty?

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[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I won’t be buying a R2, but given that it is still a premium segment car from a small manufacturer with relatively small production volume (compared to all other legacy brands) and that Rivian’s shop labor rate is still $250/hr… Yes on extended warranty if you plan on keeping the car that long. Or, set aside and maintain a fund. Since most reservations have yet to be fulfilled, you all have a long time until extended warranty is on your radars.

 

[RivAW]

As a general rule, extended warranties are not worthwhile in terms of cost/benefit ("generally", but of course there are outliers), unless the benefit you want is just peace of mind.....

 

[Doggman]

If you flip your vehicles every 3-5 years it's not worth it but...

A ten year/125k warranty on a current model year R1 runs about $4000 today. Maintenance on EV's, when they go right, is likely to be far less expensive than on an equivalent ICE vehicle but repairs (particularly on a low volume start up vehicle), when things go wrong, could be far higher. Hopefully Rivian will eventually be able to achieve the economies of scale that keep Tesla maintenance and repairs on the reasonable side but that won't happen until their annual sales get well into the hundreds of thousands.

If your experience tells you that you're going to spend less than $4k on repairs on any luxury vehicle over 10 years then you've lived a charmed life or you treat your cars very gently. For the rest of us normies factor in the hedge against inflation over 10 years (Lord knows what that will be, I'm not optimistic that we're going back to sub 2%/annum any time soon) and/or the out of pocket costs that you would have spent on equivalent ICE vehicle maintenance over that same period of time and four grand is not that bad of a deal for said peace of mind.

 

[oregonridet]

This thread prompted my question about warranties.
Would you still buy a Rivian today?

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

This thread prompted my question about warranties.
Would you still buy a Rivian today?

Extended warranty has a stigma attached because there are many bad actors in that industry. But reality is more nuanced than generalizations. I too once thought they were all scams, until my previous car—'13 BMW X5 diesel. I bought it (slightly used) before dieselgate was a thing and when diesel was still cheaper than premium gasoline in CA. I was even apprehensive when I bought the warranty, but set fears aside already knowing how expensive BMWs (and any premium brand car) could be to own/maintain. Within the very first year of ownership I started reading about others facing expensive repairs on diesel particulate filters and the DEF injection system. And sure enough, it happened to mine. Twice. First time was close enough to expiration of BMW's warranty and the BMW dealer covered it out of courtesy. Second time, the extended warranty covered it and more than paid for itself. So, lesson learned, generalizations are not 100% true.

 

[rbdavis808]

Does Rivian offer an EW, or are we talking 3rd party only? Stupid question maybe, but I've never considered one of these before. Has R1 had any systemic failures that might transfer to R2?

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Does Rivian offer an EW

Only in certain states so far. 3rd party, Xcare is a proven one. There are existing threads with actual experiences.

Rivian's: https://rivian.com/support/article/what-is-rivian-care

 

[ENVErider]

Newbie here.
Given all the variables of an R2 purchase, do plan on buying an extended warranty?

In general, my philosophy on insurance for anything is that if you can afford to take the hit, don't buy it. I do have home insurance, but not much else. If insurance policies actually saved you money, as some are suggesting they might, insurance policies overall would lose money, and they wouldn't be offered. Whether there's some truth in others' suggestions that the R2 might have more issues than normal, I doubt anyone here on the forum has more real statistical data and knowledge on this subject than the people who write and decide how much these policies will cost you.

All of us humans, including me, filter and remember those rare times we wish we had made a different choice and regret it, but we forget all those times it just worked out fine and went better than expected. If you place a high value on peace of mind, go for it, but insurance is not an investment or money-saving strategy; I see it more as a risk-limiting strategy.

 

[tpberding]

Newbie here.
Given all the variables of an R2 purchase, do plan on buying an extended warranty?

My firm rule when buying any new vehicle is to say "no" to every sales pitch from the dealer's finance office guy — including any extra or extended warranties. Ten or more years ago, I bought a new Porsche with really nice wheels. Usually, I have any curb rash on my vehicles machined out at a local wheel shop for less than $200/wheel. The salesman and the finance guy said the wheels on the new car couldn't be machined out because they had a color stripe on them that the wheel shop couldn't replicate. Foolishly, I accepted a wheel warranty add-on that would replace any wheel with curb rash. The cost was as much as an extended warranty would be on a whole car! I later found out that the wheel shop could have easily replicated the color stripe when taking out any curb rash. I learned a hard lesson. Just say "no"!

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

My firm rule when buying any new vehicle is to say "no" to every sales pitch from the dealer's finance office guy — including any extra or extended warranties. Ten or more years ago, I bought a new Porsche with really nice wheels. Usually, I have any curb rash on my vehicles machined out at a local wheel shop for less than $200/wheel. The salesman and the finance guy said the wheels on the new car couldn't be machined out because they had a color stripe on them that the wheel shop couldn't replicate. Foolishly, I accepted a wheel warranty add-on that would replace any wheel with curb rash. The cost was as much as an extended warranty would be on a whole car! I later found out that the wheel shop could have easily replicated the color stripe when taking out any curb rash. I learned a hard lesson. Just say "no"!

Generalizations aren’t 100% true. Extended warranty from reputable providers have merit and been proven. Dismiss at your own peril.

 

[oregonridet]

OP here. I’ve been a “say no” guy all of my adult life. My father sold tools at Sears back when salespeople were trained and they made commission. He upsold warranties because he made money off of them but he always told me “It’s a scam”. He was a sales-reptile after all.
Were I buying a lawnmower I’d pass. But the R2 is basically a 1st run expensive vehicle. An extended warranty may pay off.
I bought a first run BMW motorcycle years ago. But, I was smitten so I bought it sans warranty. My wife bought the next years model. Mine was rife with issues. Hers was not.
I am smitten with the R2 so I’m reading all I can before pulling the trigger.
I may be able to benefit from the early adopters because I want a launch edition in Borialis with white interior so it’ll be mid 2027 before I can order one.
The reading & research goes on.

 

[JeepEVer]

I usually do not buy extended warranties because they are typically not a good value for consumers. However, I did buy the lifetime bumper-to-bumper extended warranty for my 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Note I have not had issues with Jeep reliability covering 30+ years of ownership. So that common FUD was not a consideration.

I bought the extended warranty because this vehicle was loaded with electronics, air suspension, high- and low-range differentials, a gasoline engine, a transmission, and heavy duty (expensive) hardware for off-roading and towing. And it did provide some peace of mind for this purchase.

After 15 years I have come out slightly ahead financially. The big savings was a water pump replacement. A few other less expensive items were also covered under this warranty.

EVs have so much less to break, although repairs are very expensive. A risk is the warranty underwriter actually honoring the terms of the warranty, and still being in business 10 years from now. Chrysler / Mopar / FCA / Stellantis was not always eager to make the repairs under warranty.

 

[tgrick]

We all need to ask the next question...that is when will 3rd party shops exist that can work or will work on Rivian. I do not own an an EV but I do see some shops offering service for Tesla at a lower rate than what Tesla charges. So, will Rivian supply parts to the end user or to these 3rd party shops? That's important to me as I can do my own work including electronics! Granted, I might not want to, but it's nice to have that option.

 

[tpberding]

Generalizations aren’t 100% true. Extended warranty from reputable providers have merit and been proven. Dismiss at your own peril.

Whether to buy an extended warranty at the new-car dealership depends on how likely you are to keep the vehicle beyond the manufacturer's warranty. I've been offered extended warranties right up to the last day of the manufacturer's warranty, so unless you know for sure at the time of purchase that you'll keep the vehicle a long time and the dealer is offering one at a big discount, I would wait.

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