Getting my R1S in a month - Excited, but nervous! :D

[aim2023]

Getting my R1S in a month, giving up the Model 3. Need a proper SUV and too damn impressed by R1S, initial reviews, owner reviews, and everything about it.

BUT - have stumbled across bad experiences, poor reviews, and the most recent battery dead issues. Not sure if I should consider my decision.

If I were to consider other SUVs, it'd be the Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro (which is 78k) or just, for the price point a Honda Pilot Trailsport (50k).

My concerns are, what are the maintenance costs associated with being a first-time Rivian owner. ( wouldn't say I have the liberty to keep cash aside for a startup luxury car issues). A friend of mine teased recently saying Rivian is only for rich people. lol.

If any advise, opinions - would take them all. Really want Rivian to succeed and the R1 vehicles to be game-changers in the industry.

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[BeanEW]

I have my R1S since Sep. 2022; getting near 14k miles... zero maintenance.

 

[aim2023]

I have my R1S since Sep. 2022; getting near 14k miles... zero maintenance.

Great to hear. Did you have any production issues to go back to the SC?

 

[COdogman]

Don't know if you have early pricing or not, but even if you don't, IMO you would be crazy to decline an R1S in favor of a $78k Toyota. That's like saying I'd rather ride a dinosaur instead of a spaceship.



I have an R1T but going on 5200 miles with not so much as a call to service for anything. And have only paid for charging 3 times in 6 months for a total less than $100.

 

[BeanEW]

Great to hear. Did you have any production issues to go back to the SC?

Other than the factory recalls, I brought my R1S to South SF SC because the passenger seat sensor didn't always sense my wife. Later I found out that the sensor is set at 100lbs and my wife is a little under that. I believe Rivian had done something on the OTA updates and the car always senses my wife now.

One time, I brought the car to a carwash near Phoenix and I don't know what the carwash people did; the car lost its LTE. I took the car to the Phoenix SC without an appointment, they fixed it right away... wait time < 30 min.

Another time, also in Phoenix, the passenger sun visor came loose; took the car to Phoenix SC again without an appointment and they fixed it right away again... wait time < 30 min. The problem was the factory installed the hinge the wrong way... but my VIN is 004xx and so it might have been a beginner's mistake.

I love the Phoenix SC although I stay in Cali most of the times.

So far, I haven't had a bad experience with Rivian SCs.

 

[lefkonj]

Had my R1S for almost a year with 11k miles on it. Aside from the 12V issue back in March nothing no maintenance at all. Grab it and enjoy, worth every dollar. Remember most people come on to complain not compliment. I think Rivian is doing a great job

 

[BeanEW]

Don't know if you have early pricing or not, but even if you don't, IMO you would be crazy to decline an R1S in favor of a $78k Toyota. That's like saying I'd rather ride a dinosaur instead of a spaceship.



I have an R1T but going on 5200 miles with not so much as a call to service for anything. And have only paid for charging 3 times in 6 months for a total less than $100.

Totally agreed!!! My daughter just bought a high trim 2023 RAV4 hybrid... it is a dinosaur compares with my R1S. Japanese cars is really behind on technology because of bad company decisions. Even South Korea cars are better technologically than Japanese cars.

 

[Tucker74]

I think people just post the bad stuff online, I’ve had my R1T a year and driven it ~11k miles. I’ve had one issue, which admittedly was a pain (dead house 12v) but they towed it to SC and gave me a loaner. No other issues or fixes outside the one (4 day) service, just trouble free driving.

 

[Southern R1S]

No issues at all on my R1S (coming up on ~8 months & 8,000 miles).

Have a few cosmetic panel gap issues (my 51XX VIN was still pretty early in the R1S production cycle) that I need to schedule an appointment to get adjusted, but have had zero meaningful issues and haven't had to have any service or maintenance done (aside getting tires rotated & balanced this weekend, which I'm a little bit delinquent on).

As with all online reviews / posts, you're going to hear a lot more from the folks who have problems than the folks who have none. That's not to diminish the fact that problems do exist and occur, but I think there's a large (and mostly silent) majority of owners who have had none.

We also cross-shopped the Sequoia TRD Pro and it's a beautiful truck, but very glad we went with the R1S (and, at least down here in the south, finding one of those at MSRP was next to impossible when we were browsing around in Spring 2023 - the dealers we visited all wanted markups ranging from $10,000 to $25,000).

 

[COdogman]

Totally agreed!!! My daughter just bought a high trim 2023 RAV4 hybrid... it is a dinosaur compares with my R1S. Japanese cars is really behind on technology because of bad company decisions. Even South Korea cars are better technologically than Japanese cars.

It's really puzzling. Kia and Hyundai definitely went all in on EVs and people so far are loving their options. Honda/ Toyota decided to sit on the sidelines and they are falling behind. ?‍

 

[chipchrome]

I think you should spin your question - it is less about "costs" and more about whether you are willing to be patient, if need be.

Any 'problem' with the production of the car is covered by Rivian. I think any R1 buyer should go into their purchase with a willingness to be patient if needed. Toyota has been producing cars for almost a century - Rivian has been producing cars for 2 years.

I was left stranded in the desert with an R1S that wouldn't take a charge. Rivian towed it 800miles and covered my expenses to get home. They gave me a loaner R1T, and a week later, I had my car back with a new battery and have had zero issues since. It tested my patience, but I wouldn't drive any other car!

 

[SANZC02]

Getting my R1S in a month, giving up the Model 3. Need a proper SUV and too damn impressed by R1S, initial reviews, owner reviews, and everything about it.

BUT - have stumbled across bad experiences, poor reviews, and the most recent battery dead issues. Not sure if I should consider my decision.

If I were to consider other SUVs, it'd be the Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro (which is 78k) or just, for the price point a Honda Pilot Trailsport (50k).

My concerns are, what are the maintenance costs associated with being a first-time Rivian owner. ( wouldn't say I have the liberty to keep cash aside for a startup luxury car issues). A friend of mine teased recently saying Rivian is only for rich people. lol.

If any advise, opinions - would take them all. Really want Rivian to succeed and the R1 vehicles to be game-changers in the industry.

Picked my R1S up in Normal last January, have 11.5k on it. I had 2 service center visits, one for a module failing on OTAs and one for a slow leak in the air suspension, left side drooped overnight. Neither impacted my ability to drive and enjoy the vehicle, had a loaner R1T for both service visits.

I’m very happy with my purchase and am toying with the idea of getting a dual motor R1S standard pack to replace our Tesla Model S when they are released.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

R1T, picked up in March, over 6k miles so far. Biggest issues were a bit of pollen trapped under the gear tunnel PPF and one tailgate cable longer than the other. Had these items addressed (under warranty) when I went to a SC for tire rotation.

Echoing the other guy's comments above, only needed to pay for charging a handful of times, and only one of those times was because I actually needed it - the other times were just for practice. Although that said - EA chargers really as bad as everyone else says they are. ?

Check with your local electric company, they may have discount rates for EV's. Mine gives us 5 cents per kWh (.05) at night. We've scheduled all our appliances to run during that time as well and are saving a ton of money. Not to mention how much time I'm saving from not having to go to the gas station and all the maintenance I'm no longer needing to do, that my old 240,000 mile Chevy previous to this needed! ?

 

[SDH]

Even if (and its a big if) you do run into some issue, it'll most likely be covered under warranty so don't worry about the cost. Start worrying when your warranty is over. I plan to be out before then.

 

[iansriv]

Just do it! Read the post about the gent that went on a 10k epic drive. I've had mine about 3 months and no issues. People without issues are too busy enjoying their R1 to post. There are a lot of things to worry about in the world, if you choose to. Life is too short not to be driving a Rivian.

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