New to Rivian and wondering how current owners find the repair experience?

[BaldThunder]

Rivian is in a similar place as Tesla was when it launched Model 3, in that there were not as many service centers and repairs were tougher to schedule (if they weren't critical).

They are planning on expanding the number of service centers by quite a bit in the next two years (I think the goal is 150 by the end of 2027, and more in 2028), which is going to help quite a bit.

And also like Tesla, Rivian is staffing up quite a large mobile service fleet to cover areas further away from service centers, and the experiences I've had with them have been very good.

By the by, being an only an hour away from a SC is quite nice - I'm four to five hours away from the nearest one!

Right now, the fact that I'm 2 plus hours away from a SC is probably the only remaining stumbling block to me pulling the trigger when my time comes. When it comes to routine maintenance like tire rotations, etc, where does one go for those when there's not a dealer or SC nearby?

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[defcon888]

SInce owning the rivian, I have learned to to my own oil changes and transmission fluid changes.......LOLOLOL.

All kidding aside, when we first picked up our R1T Gen1 in May of 2023, at about a month, my wife hopped in andwe got a "headlight system error". We had no idea what that meant. We called Rivian and we dropped it off and they gave us a rental. They had it about 4 days and we got it back. Within 20 miles, the same issue popped up. We called Rivian and this time they drove to our house, picked it up and left us with a loaner R1T. They had for a week and couldn't fix it....so they called in a higher level technician....another week later, they couldn't fix it....so they flew in a super tech from Normal and they ran a scope around the cable runs and at first couldn't find any issues. They did one more inspection and that is when they found a connector that was shorting out. They replaced the piece and for our troubles they made one of our car payments.

The only other issue is we had the 12v battery issue and that was resolved with a mobile approintment and about a 15 minute turnaround time.

They have since opened a service center in Rocklin which is about 15 miles from us.

We are planning on getting the R2 when our name is picked

 

[VandalSibs]

Right now, the fact that I'm 2 plus hours away from a SC is probably the only remaining stumbling block to me pulling the trigger when my time comes. When it comes to routine maintenance like tire rotations, etc, where does one go for those when there's not a dealer or SC nearby?

Some things can be done by mobile service - if it doesn't have to go up on a lift, most likely they can do it. Tire rotations can be done pretty much anywhere (if they don't have experience with Rivians, print out a copy of the pages from the owners guide). I go to a local Discount Tire that has been trained up according to their site. I've gotten some info about getting alignments done locally too, just haven't needed to yet.

But if I do have to go across the state for something at the SC, my wife and I make a weekend of it. It's a good opportunity to get out of town.

 

[Dave Cundiff]

For me, @RivianDD, the 24/7 human phone service at (855) RIVIAN-5 has been FAR superior to my experience with any other vehicle manufacturer.

When we don't understand what's happening, we call (855) RIVIAN-5. Most issues are worked out right away.

Our R1's have always remained operable, except for one time the frunk lid wouldn't stay closed. Within 30 minutes, the telephone support service had us back on the road, with the problem permanently fixed.

Lead times for routine appointments are long, but when we are worried about potential stranding or safety issues, we discuss it with (855) RIVIAN-5 or with Service Center staff and we've always worked it out. The value of human interaction -- with decent people, such as the vast majority of Rivian employees -- is huge

Best wishes -- and good luck with your choice!

 

[ENVErider]

I live over an hour from the closest Rivian shop. Hoping the new R2 will be reliable and mostly 'fixable' over the air, but wondered what actual owners think about the repair experience. I've had a Tesla Model Y for three years, and while I haven't had many problems my Tesla shop (Norfolk, VA) is a disaster to deal with and it's a long drive (hour plus) from home. I've heard a few snippets about Rivian mobile service but would love to have a better idea of what to expect.

Nobody really knows yet what R2 frequency and types of repairs will be. The R1 is higher-maintenance than a low-to-medium-complexity ICE vehicle like a nice RAV4, but I'm not convinced it's more than the highest-trim versions from Audi/BMW/Mercedes. On this forum you might find 100K owners who experienced very little maintenance and others with nightmare experiences that caused them to sell it; I suspect this would be true on the tesla forum as well.
Rivian service centers have very friendly, pleasant staff, BUT you can expect longer wait times to get an appointment, especially for non-critical issues. Last year, a low-priority clicking repair was booked 4-6 weeks out, but a recent 12V battery replacement was only a day or two. Rivian will eventually take care of you, but don't expect the dealership experience of being able to call them to ask if you can bring your vehicle in same/next day unless it's a critical issue.

 

[AlanP]

I would only count experiences at the service center you plan on using as relevant. My first year it was in the shop about 12 weeks, 8 of those just sitting on the lot due to the service backlogs. 3-6 months to get an appointment, 1-2 hour drive and always requiring days to repair was a $hitshow. There is now a new SC about 25 minutes away and I have no issues.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I would only count experiences at the service center you plan on using as relevant. My first year it was in the shop about 12 weeks, 8 of those just sitting on the lot due to the service backlogs. 3-6 months to get an appointment, 1-2 hour drive and always requiring days to repair was a $hitshow. There is now a new SC about 25 minutes away and I have no issues.

Adding in early days of the company, it was common to wait a month or more for first available appointments. And then to have the car sit for days/weeks before they actually have capacity to work on them. Rivian’s service footprint and capacity is much larger now. Especially in areas surrounding the SCs. Those early experiences and waits are now less common. But there are still SCs that are overwhelmed.

 

[beatle]

Service seems to be going downhill. I've been in for 5 appointments, though one was just to replace the windshield after it cracked in my driveway for no reason. They were pretty interested in getting everything right the first couple times, but on my 3rd visit they started blowing off my concerns, such as the heat frequently not working when below freezing. During the windshield replacement (on my dime) they broke the autosensing wipers which then took another 6 weeks or so to get an appointment. Now they only give you Uber credits to get home that expire in a few days. The credits are not sufficient to get you to and from work or run any errands, so hopefully you have another vehicle to drive. My credits expired the day before we agreed I'd pick up my truck, and I couldn't get a hold of anyone to renew them, so I just arranged my own ride. My jounce lines need to be addressed for a 3rd time, but I am just sick of taking the truck in at this point. Unless something more catastrophic breaks in the next year that warrants another visit, I'll just turn the truck in with them making a lot of noise, just like it was when new.

 

[DuoRivians]

Rivian service really upset me when they were adamant on charging me $800+ to change my 12V, even after I pointed out that others were routinely getting the same exact service for $500.

I’ve had over 15 service visits for my 2023 R1T to fix things that should have been working to begin with. I’ve mostly given Rivian a pass on this because they were a new company and my 2023 was a new car from a new company.

But for where Rivian is now, if I have to visit a service center more than 5 times to fix things that shouldn’t be needed, I would look into selling the car. Hopefully, the R2 won’t have this issue

 

[Dark-Fx]

Rivian service really upset me when they were adamant on charging me $800+ to change my 12V, even after I pointed out that others were routinely getting the same exact service for $500.

I’ve had over 15 service visits for my 2023 R1T to fix things that should have been working to begin with. I’ve mostly given Rivian a pass on this because they were a new company and my 2023 was a new car from a new company.

But for where Rivian is now, if I have to visit a service center more than 5 times to fix things that shouldn’t be needed, I would look into selling the car. Hopefully, the R2 won’t have this issue

What was your mileage at? We were less than three months outside warranty coverage and less than 25k miles at the time of ours needing replacement. I wouldn't be surprised if the discount/adjustment was goodwill related for only being just outside of the warranty period.

 

[Rade]

I've had really good experiences with both the on-site and repair center appointments. I am based in Rhode Island and my closest service center is in Canton MA; about 35 miles from me. In all SC cases, I was provided with a loaner vehicle for the duration of the service.

 

[DuoRivians]

What was your mileage at? We were less than three months outside warranty coverage and less than 25k miles at the time of ours needing replacement. I wouldn't be surprised if the discount/adjustment was goodwill related for only being just outside of the warranty period.

I was a little bit outside the warranty period too.

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