hekhl00
Well-Known Member
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Three days after taking delivery of my beautiful R1T, a family member backed it into a stucco mailbox and put two sizeable dents in the right rear corner above and below the turn signal. Yellow paint from the mailbox was also left on the truck. A quick search on the forums and I was devastated to hear that paintless dent repair (PDR) wouldn't work because that area of the truck is "sealed" so there was no way a PDR tech could get behind the dents to push them out. I was also told that because the truck is made of aluminum instead of steel, PDR was impossible. ( we now know some parts are steel and some are aluminum).
I went to a RIvian authorized body shop and their estimate was nearly $10,000! And that estimate would be an attempt. If the "attempt" didn't work they would order a whole new side panel and the repair could be in excess of $20,000. I was also told that much of the trim was one time use and replacement parts would have to be ordered directly from Rivian. Oh and I'd probably be without my truck for at least a month. To make matters worse, this body shop wasn't a preferred shop with State Farm. This lead me to file a claim with State Farm and go to one their authorized shops. However, they couldn't even provide an estimate because the truck is so new that it isn't in their database for parts.
Thankfully, I was put in touch with a local PDR genius who agreed to work on the truck. When I say genius, I'm not kidding. This guy is the Michelangelo of PDR. He has done PDR all over the world and owners have even been known to ship cars to him for repair from all over the country. Within minutes he had buffed out the yellow paint. He then attempted to access the dent through the truck bed by removing the plastic side panels. This did give him access to the body above the wheel area but not behind it. Removing the turn signal didn't help either. Eventually he as able to gain access by removing the bumper and trim around the wheel area. I could barely watch. There were parts laying all over my garage floor.
Keep in mind he had never before seen let alone worked on a Rivian. He showed up at my house at 9:00 AM and nearly 10 hours and $3500 later, my R1T was like new again. He put every piece of the bumper, trim, truck bed liner, etc. back in place with no issue. So much for one-time use parts. I did get a warning message that there was a problem with the camera system but a hard reboot fixed that quickly.
I've attached some before and after pics so you can see the work of the master. I also have his permission to share his contact info if you need it via PM. He works in the Tampa Bay area. Let me know if you have questions.
I went to a RIvian authorized body shop and their estimate was nearly $10,000! And that estimate would be an attempt. If the "attempt" didn't work they would order a whole new side panel and the repair could be in excess of $20,000. I was also told that much of the trim was one time use and replacement parts would have to be ordered directly from Rivian. Oh and I'd probably be without my truck for at least a month. To make matters worse, this body shop wasn't a preferred shop with State Farm. This lead me to file a claim with State Farm and go to one their authorized shops. However, they couldn't even provide an estimate because the truck is so new that it isn't in their database for parts.
Thankfully, I was put in touch with a local PDR genius who agreed to work on the truck. When I say genius, I'm not kidding. This guy is the Michelangelo of PDR. He has done PDR all over the world and owners have even been known to ship cars to him for repair from all over the country. Within minutes he had buffed out the yellow paint. He then attempted to access the dent through the truck bed by removing the plastic side panels. This did give him access to the body above the wheel area but not behind it. Removing the turn signal didn't help either. Eventually he as able to gain access by removing the bumper and trim around the wheel area. I could barely watch. There were parts laying all over my garage floor.
Keep in mind he had never before seen let alone worked on a Rivian. He showed up at my house at 9:00 AM and nearly 10 hours and $3500 later, my R1T was like new again. He put every piece of the bumper, trim, truck bed liner, etc. back in place with no issue. So much for one-time use parts. I did get a warning message that there was a problem with the camera system but a hard reboot fixed that quickly.
I've attached some before and after pics so you can see the work of the master. I also have his permission to share his contact info if you need it via PM. He works in the Tampa Bay area. Let me know if you have questions.
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