Ownership practicality living >100 miles from SC

[Mysta]

Good to know. Since I belive this maybe a recurring needed service. Thanks!

Yeah he did mention they're still planning out a solution, though it did sound like maybe the tonneau fix was close to deployment(mine is fine so not too worried about it)

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[bd5400]

I'm in Milwaukee, so I'm closer to Chicago than you are, but I haven't found service to be that burdensome yet. I've only had one service visit and was given a rental car from Enterprise. Luckily, my company has an office in Chicago so I just worked from that office when I dropped my R1T off.

I also went into this process fully aware of what it is like to own an electric vehicle without a local service center. We had a Tesla before there was a service center in Milwaukee and would have to drive down to Highland Park, IL for service.

Thus far, the R1T outweighs the service inconvenience.

 

[68wske]

I am in this with both feet living near the Outer Banks, with the nearest SC being Richmond, VA (128mi) away. The only issues I've had yet is gear guard stopped working a week ago, and my carabiner key has never worked. Other than that, I commute to Parkton, MD to work in York, PA 5hrs away and come home on days off. I believe RVA is still the closest SC, I'm sure the fact that I have backup transportation (motorcycle) is a large part of why I'm not more worried about a catastrophe, but so far so good. I really enjoy having the Rivian outside.

 

[VermontR1T]

FWIW, when our mobile technician came to my house for the recall (I’m in northern VT, well over 200mi from nearest SC) he said he’s trying to rent a bay with a lift in a local garage so that he can take care of any repair that would otherwise require a tow to the SC. If that’s part of the strategy, along with the more capably equipped EDV’s, then let’s hope living far from and SC won’t be a burden (financial or time wise).

As an aside, he was driving a large ford transit (may have been a dodge). Asked him about the EDV service vans and he said the didn’t want one because the range isn’t good enough to cover the breadth of territory he manages so don’t expect to see many of those setups out in rural areas.

 

[R1Tom]

FWIW, when our mobile technician came to my house for the recall (I’m in northern VT, well over 200mi from nearest SC) he said he’s trying to rent a bay with a lift in a local garage so that he can take care of any repair that would otherwise require a tow to the SC. If that’s part of the strategy, along with the more capably equipped EDV’s, then let’s hope living far from and SC won’t be a burden (financial or time wise).

As an aside, he was driving a large ford transit (may have been a dodge). Asked him about the EDV service vans and he said the didn’t want one because the range isn’t good enough to cover the breadth of territory he manages so don’t expect to see many of those setups out in rural areas.

That "rent a local lift access" would be a game changer in my opinion.

 

[roberttatefan]

In doing some sleuthing, it does at least look like Rivian is trying to hire mobile techs in my area based on job postings.

I've also sent a few e-mails to Rivian support asking for clarity. Here was my original question:

Hi - I have an R1T reservation and am based in Madison, WI, with the nearest service center being approximately 150 miles away in Chicago. I want to clarify expectations prior to delivery as others are reporting policy changes including customer-incurred towing charges to/from the service center.

My understanding when reserving/preordering is based on this article:

"How do I service my vehicle if I do not live near a Rivian Service Center?
Rivian will come to you.

Our fleet of mobile service vans can perform a majority of vehicle care needs at your home, place of work or wherever your vehicle might be.

Mobile service is available for all Rivian owners anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.that mobile service would be available for "any repairs that don’t require a vehicle lift."

In instances where the vehicle is operable but mobile service cannot be performed, what is the expectation of me as a customer and what accommodations will Rivian provide? Additionally, are you able to provide information regarding the establishment of a service center that better covers this region (e.g. Madison/Milwaukee)?

The response I was given:

Hi Zach,

Thank you for reaching out to us. We love connecting with our community! I hope this email finds you well. I do apologize as it has taken us a bit of time to work through our emails. This is a great question.

Rivian will provide complimentary emergency towing to transport the Vehicle to either the nearest authorized Rivian service location or to a mutually agreed-upon location for warranty-related issues (you may be charged for towing expenses resulting from non-warranty issues). Review our Roadside assistance terms here!

Also, we are rapidly building more service centers and will be sure you know where the closest service center is to you upon delivery!

Please let us know if you have any more questions. In the meantime, I hope you have an excellent rest of your day!

Your fellow adventurer,
Kelsey

I agree with the ideas of letting little things pile up and then taking care of them all at once. I'm just nervous based on the reports of folks who've had 3+ service visits in 3 months of ownership and continue to have the same problem repeat.


I've since followed up more directly:

Unfortunately, I'm not sure this answers my question. Will Rivian provide towing and/or mobile service, free of charge, for any warranty-related issue? Unfortunately, I'm not sure this answers my question. Will Rivian provide towing and/or mobile service, free of charge, for any warranty-related issue?

 

[Bmitch24]

FWIW, my truck is bound for a SC appointment November 1st to fix a variety of cosmetic and functional issues under warranty. I live 217 miles from the nearest service center. Rivian has arranged for a tow from my office to the service center and back and they have also arranged for to closest thing to a comparable rental (After 1700 miles I am convinced that there is no comparable vehicle. The Rivian is the teenager that would exist if a Supercharged Range Rover and an F150 had a baby). They have also provided me with UBER vouchers to pickup and drop off the rental. My expected cost for the entire experience is zero dollars and only mild inconvenience. The biggest let down for me is I will have to live without my Rivian for a bit.

 

[roberttatefan]

FWIW, my truck is bound for a SC appointment November 1st to fix a variety of cosmetic and functional issues under warranty. I live 217 miles from the nearest service center. Rivian has arranged for a tow from my office to the service center and back and they have also arranged for to closest thing to a comparable rental (After 1700 miles I am convinced that there is no comparable vehicle. The Rivian is the teenager that would exist if a Supercharged Range Rover and an F150 had a baby). They have also provided me with UBER vouchers to pickup and drop off the rental. My expected cost for the entire experience is zero dollars and only mild inconvenience. The biggest let down for me is I will have to live without my Rivian for a bit.

This is spectacular to hear. I hope that the policy change is to prevent people from abusing the system and clear the SCs up for legitimate repairs (error codes, drive unit failues, alignment, suspension "sagging" etc) and stop pandering to folks who are flatbedding their truck across town for the Nth time, on Rivian's dime, to fix a tonneau cover which they've admitted needs a design revamp.

 

[Atlrivian]

I am in this with both feet living near the Outer Banks, with the nearest SC being Richmond, VA (128mi) away. The only issues I've had yet is gear guard stopped working a week ago, and my carabiner key has never worked. Other than that, I commute to Parkton, MD to work in York, PA 5hrs away and come home on days off. I believe RVA is still the closest SC, I'm sure the fact that I have backup transportation (motorcycle) is a large part of why I'm not more worried about a catastrophe, but so far so good. I really enjoy having the Rivian outside.

Sorry if I missed it, but did you get a fix for your gear guard issue? Mine also stopped working around a week ago.

 

[doit82]

FWIW, when our mobile technician came to my house for the recall (I’m in northern VT, well over 200mi from nearest SC) he said he’s trying to rent a bay with a lift in a local garage so that he can take care of any repair that would otherwise require a tow to the SC. If that’s part of the strategy, along with the more capably equipped EDV’s, then let’s hope living far from and SC won’t be a burden (financial or time wise).

As an aside, he was driving a large ford transit (may have been a dodge). Asked him about the EDV service vans and he said the didn’t want one because the range isn’t good enough to cover the breadth of territory he manages so don’t expect to see many of those setups out in rural areas.

This is great to hear being another northern VTer!

 

[Yossarian]

This is an issue I'm also worried about.

During the recent on-line chat session with Tony Caravano, he dodged the question of whether/when there would be a service center in PA, which likely means "not any time soon." Despite living near the fifth largest city in the country, should something happen that is beyond the capability of a mobile service unit, my Rivian will face a substantial journey on a flatbed. The closest SC for me is Brooklyn, about 120 miles away, and the next closest is Richmond, VA about 230 miles in the opposite direction.

This is a concern because of both the time involved and the potential for a significant cost impact.
While the hope is that the cost of tow will be borne by Rivian, that seems no longer to always be the case, even for work covered by warranty. A tow one way to Brooklyn would be over $800 and to Richmond north of $1,500. Those figures would be doubled if the vehicle was towed back, so some pretty serious out-of-pocket expenses.

 

[roberttatefan]

I'm hoping to create some visibility to this issue as it seems unacceptable that Rivian would change their policy and expect owners to foot the bill (either monetarily or time) for warranty issues (even more frustrating if mobile service could reasonably perform the repair). These issues are seemingly common and recurring. Anyhow, here was their response:

That is a great question, and I appreciate you taking the time to reach out to the Customer Engagement Center here. I am happy to explain about our policy regarding towing fees for service appointments.

Whenever possible, Rivian provides vehicle service through mobile appointments where a service technician travels to you. If service needs are more extensive, vehicles are brought to a nearby Rivian Service Center.

When an owner’s R1T or R1S is inoperable or cannot safely be driven due to an issue covered under warranty, Rivian covers the costs of towing to a Service Center. When the vehicle can be safely driven, we ask that our customers both drop off and pick up their Rivian at the nearest Service Center. In these instances, if you choose for the vehicle to be towed, we'll coordinate with a towing company that’s been provided our towing guide and training materials. When we arrange towing on your behalf, we simply add the cost to your work order and pass it through to the third-party towing company.

We also continue to offer alternative transportation options while your Rivian is being serviced.

I hope this was helpful. Have a great weekend and stay safe out there!

Some frustrating notes:

• Even if the vehicle is inoperable, they don't clearly state they cover return towing.
• I'll be interested to understand who determines if a vehicle is safe to drive. Some common examples:
  • Hood latch failure (could the hood release while driving?)
  • CV "tocking" (could the car suddenly lose power? No idea how the electronics would handle this failure.)
  • Alignment issues (the vehicle may be challenging to keep in the lane)

I have AAA. You can be I'll be using that to get the vehicle to/from the service center before Rivian "simply" tacks on a few hundred/thousand dollar towing bill for a warranty-related issue....

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