So you think your Rivian is a problem…?

[Donald Stanfield]

Body Quality -> I am happy with the fit and finish, but I feel like the body integrity is a bit weak. Like its just very easy to dent.

See this is the kind of thing I’m talking about. I don’t mean to single you out here but what does this complaint even mean? Are your other cars made of plate steel or sprayed with rhino lining?

All cars dent easily these days. Complaints like this are just looking for something to dog Rivian for IMO and are unnecessary.

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[R1TCntrlMaIzzy]

Last year my [insert relationship] died, sorry your [insert relationship] died yesterday, but I dealt with something similar, and am OK. So suck it up buttercup.

Ohh and I am more than aware of the feedback this can incite, but bring it.

HA!!!

 

[SoCal Rob]

I am relatively new to Rivian ownership so I have some questions about a couple of your observations.

Powertrain -> Motors are too loud, and the vehicle has had the tok noise since very early on in ownership. I also don't like the pedal response and wish there was a way to tweak it.

What are you comparing the motor noise to that you think they’re too loud? My husband’s ID.4 is quieter, but it has a single motor and certainly doesn‘t make 800+ horsepower. It’s far quieter than any ICE car I’ve owned and the most powerful of those made about have the HP of the Rivian while making way more noise.

Regarding the tok noise, I may be hearing it on ours when pulling up just a little in my garage. If it’s what I’m hearing, then it could be that every other car I’ve owned made the same noise but I couldn’t hear it over the idling engine. Does that match what you’re hearing?

Suspension -> While the handling is generally good I find all the noises it makes to be rather irksome.

Are you talking about the noises when it is changing height or while driving? Our Land Rover has a height-adjustable air suspension and it’s fractionally quieter while lowering, but noisier outside/quieter inside while raising.

While driving and when it was newer I recall the LR3 being similar: noisier on very rough roads or off-road and pretty much like any other car on normal roads. To be fair, it may be noisier because I’d never driving a normal car on rough roads in the same way as a SUV. Does yours make noises on all road surfaces? After 249,000 miles and a lot of time being punished off-road, our LR3 suspension is a lot noisier than the Rivian’s, which seems fair to me.

I think both drivetrain and suspension expectations are influenced by experience.

 

[R1Tom]

Isn't Audi (or Tesla for that mattet) pretty low bar to set for vehicle quality?

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Isn't Audi (or Tesla for that mattet) pretty low bar to set for vehicle quality?

That is pretty much the point. Audi and Tesla are around the same price point and quality is similar. That’s a much needed perspective around here with half the people expecting Rolls level perfection for a fifth the price.

No production car is going to meet some of the expectations in here. Those people would be better served buying the Rolls or Bentley of their dreams. They can get it exactly the way the want it, the paint will be perfect and it will just exude quality from every angle.

 

[mikehmb]

Rivian has some warts to sort out, but overall it has been the most reliable vehicle I’ve owned new (or used, for that matter), and is far from my first rodeo.

Established companies, even ones with incredibly high reliability standards, are not immune from faults.

…

I went through two water pumps on a new Tundra. And countless alignment attempts. Plus completely torched brakes 3 times until I gave up trying to get them from shaking me like jello on long descents.

Hell, even my MDX ended up getting two separate axles replaced over 6 months due to a vibration issue that they couldn’t otherwise isolate.

My M3 was in the shop 4 times for what turned out to be a faulty VANOS, undiagnosed until I brought it to an indy shop (and out of warranty, because the dealer “fixed it” several times with new lifters, a cam once, and god knows what else). Arguably, I should have Lemon’d it. Its nickname was “The Precious”

Our GTI was in and out for various issues, including a borked manifold. Just out of warranty due to time, but not mileage, when I gave up on it.

And sweet Jesus, don’t get me started on my Jeeps.

 

[Yossarian]

Last summer I threw a rod in my 1971 Ford. Turns out the guy who rebuilt the 429PI didn;t use hardened pushrods. Now I worry he made other amateur mistakes somewhere below the heads.

Pushrods have been fine in my R1S (knock on dark ash wood)

Maybe so, but you're not out of the woods yet. Those pushrods are connected to notoriously weak wrist pins on your R1S. Prolly fine on the Ford though.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

I am relatively new to Rivian ownership so I have some questions about a couple of your observations.


What are you comparing the motor noise to that you think they’re too loud? My husband’s ID.4 is quieter, but it has a single motor and certainly doesn‘t make 800+ horsepower. It’s far quieter than any ICE car I’ve owned and the most powerful of those made about have the HP of the Rivian while making way more noise.

Regarding the tok noise, I may be hearing it on ours when pulling up just a little in my garage. If it’s what I’m hearing, then it could be that every other car I’ve owned made the same noise but I couldn’t hear it over the idling engine. Does that match what you’re hearing?


Are you talking about the noises when it is changing height or while driving? Our Land Rover has a height-adjustable air suspension and it’s fractionally quieter while lowering, but noisier outside/quieter inside while raising.

While driving and when it was newer I recall the LR3 being similar: noisier on very rough roads or off-road and pretty much like any other car on normal roads. To be fair, it may be noisier because I’d never driving a normal car on rough roads in the same way as a SUV. Does yours make noises on all road surfaces? After 249,000 miles and a lot of time being punished off-road, our LR3 suspension is a lot noisier than the Rivian’s, which seems fair to me.

I think both drivetrain and suspension expectations are influenced by experience.

Before I got the Rivian I had a Tesla Model 3P which was significantly quieter when it came to motor noise, and suspension noise.

Now is the motor noise completely unacceptable where I would never buy another Rivian because of it? Nope, but it is something I hope they address. I do plan on testing driving a dual motor Rivian R1S at some point in the future to compare against my quad-motor R1T.

For the suspension noise I'm talking about low speed noise of running over any kind of bump in the road. I'm not referring to the air suspension noise which I don't find problematic at all.

I don't really have anything to compare it against? I can't compare it against my Jeep Wrangler because the engine noise is going to mask it.

The tok noise is something that happens nearly every time accelerate or decelerate. It's sounds like mechanical play somewhere in the drivetrain. The last service appointment the service manager immediately identified the noise before we even got out of the parking lot so I expected that the fix would eliminate the issue, but it hasn't.

The tok is my number one complaint and it is something where I likely wouldn't get another Rivian if it goes unfixed.

 

[Kenmecca]

I think some of the concern with issues ppl have is the expectation of what you get for a $80K vehicle. For some (like me) this is by far the most expensive vehicle Ive ever purchased.

 

[DuoRivians]

Before I got the Rivian I had a Tesla Model 3P which was significantly quieter when it came to motor noise, and suspension noise.

Now is the motor noise completely unacceptable where I would never buy another Rivian because of it? Nope, but it is something I hope they address. I do plan on testing driving a dual motor Rivian R1S at some point in the future to compare against my quad-motor R1T.

For the suspension noise I'm talking about low speed noise of running over any kind of bump in the road. I'm not referring to the air suspension noise which I don't find problematic at all.

I don't really have anything to compare it against? I can't compare it against my Jeep Wrangler because the engine noise is going to mask it.

The tok noise is something that happens nearly every time accelerate or decelerate. It's sounds like mechanical play somewhere in the drivetrain. The last service appointment the service manager immediately identified the noise before we even got out of the parking lot so I expected that the fix would eliminate the issue, but it hasn't.

The tok is my number one complaint and it is something where I likely wouldn't get another Rivian if it goes unfixed.

I don’t have the tock noise in my R1T. I used to drive a MYP. Personal preference, but the quietness of the electric engines wasn’t really a selling point for me. I actually really like the noise of the quad motors.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

See this is the kind of thing I’m talking about. I don’t mean to single you out here but what does this complaint even mean? Are your other cars made of plate steel or sprayed with rhino lining?

All cars dent easily these days. Complaints like this are just looking for something to dog Rivian for IMO and are unnecessary.

For an off-road vehicle it seems a bit easy to bend.

I'm far from the only person to notice this.
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/thin-weak-body-panels.11584/page-2

Now obviously its an EV where reducing weight wherever possible is critical so I do see it as a tradeoff. If it was not so thin the vehicle would be heavier, and less efficient.

 

[Count Orlok]

89 degrees and sun today and my R1S had a hard time keeping the cabin cool. Time to order a sun screen for the roof.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

I don’t have the tock noise in my R1T. I used to drive a MYP. Personal preference, but the quietness of the electric engines wasn’t really a selling point for me. I actually really like the noise of the quad motors.

The noise is really helpful on my tok videos in being able to hear if I'm accelerating or decelerating.

At least its not fake audio.

For me quietness is something I was hoping for when I initially reserved my R1T. I had high hopes they'd release an open top version where I could drive down the road only hearing the wind through my hair, and the tire noise. But, it doesn't look like an open top version will be available for awhile.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

I think some of the concern with issues ppl have is the expectation of what you get for a $80K vehicle. For some (like me) this is by far the most expensive vehicle Ive ever purchased.

The Quad Motor R1T's are closer to $90K.

But, yeah that's part of it and because people are coming from other vehicles that are pretty darn solid.

 

[SRO]

Last summer I threw a rod in my 1971 Ford. Turns out the guy who rebuilt the 429PI didn;t use hardened pushrods. Now I worry he made other amateur mistakes somewhere below the heads.

Pushrods have been fine in my R1S (knock on dark ash wood)

I guess I don’t know what pushrods are and where you find them on EVs.

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