RivianMatt
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Matt
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2023
- Threads
- 21
- Messages
- 147
- Reaction score
- 274
- Location
- Marin County, CA
- Vehicles
- 2025 Rivian R1S, 2012 BMW 528i and 2026 Tesla M3
- Occupation
- Banking
- Thread starter
- #1
We configured our 2023 QM R1S last June or July (a few weeks before the Enduro DMs first became available), taking delivery right after Labor Day in 2023. My wife and I love Rivian and are doing everything we can to support the company, but it's been tough at times. Driving home from delivery that first day, we were wondering what that hissing noise was as the air suspension was adjusting. After reading the initial reports of the "noisy R1S" on these forums throughout the first ⅔ of 2023, I was a little dismayed to think that this sound was normal. I was back at the SC a week later to pick up some gear (floor mats, crossbars, etc), and the SC manager heard the noise and said that it was not normal (it would have been nice if they had realized that before delivery). A week later, a mobile technician was at my house looking at the suspension. He had me raise it to its highest height, and he crawled under the R1S to take a look..and the suspension completely failed. Imagine air rapidly hissing out of a popped balloon - that's what we heard, and the technician had to absolutely scramble to get out from underneath the truck, as it was very rapidly lowering. We arranged a tow to the SC, and with an appointment incredibly set for 5 weeks later. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, my Rivian SC definitely prioritizes fixing vehicles that are undriveable, as we had it back fixed maybe 10 days later.
All was relatively good over the next few months - although we really didn't like the ride quality and couldn't believe how noisy the R1S was with its clicks and moans and groans. But then issue #2..my wife had a car full of my two boys and 4 friends of theirs in late May, when they all began hearing just an extraordinary metal on metal grinding sound coming from the wheels. We were towed back to the SC to find that our R1S was suffering from the loose bolt backing out and rubbing on the half shaft issue that many of the original QMs have seemed to face (as the service invoice states: "replaced left front wheel hub and axle shaft due to the hub bolt backing out and contacting the axle shaft."). However, my wife is the primary driver of the R1S, and her confidence in it was badly shaken. My confidence I have to admit was starting to flag every time I heard the constant clicks and noises (were they in the suspension on in the wheels and axels? I just didn't know).
Couple this with a realization that, incredibly, there weren't going to be any viable long term replacement options for the tires on our 21 inch wheels and that we'd probably have to replace the wheels with new 20 inch or 22 inch options, and by mid summer, we began looking at other options. We test drove the Kia EV9. Nah. Not enough range. Too generic. We briefly considering the Model X, but my wife put the hammer down on that, saying that she'd never buy an Elon Musk product (I agree with her). We considering a gas powered 7-seat SUV. We considered going back to what we had before - a gas powered 7-seat minivan. I just couldn't do either - I just couldn't go back to an ICE.
As all this was going on, I was finding myself envious of the new Gen 2 owners, with their much improved suspensions, their in-house motors, etc. When Rivian finally threw the Gen 1 owners a little bone with the $3,500 discount if we took delivery by year end of a Gen 2, we decided to stay with Rivian and give it another shot. We loved the Forest Green color and decided to stick with that. But we took this as an opportunity to make a few adjustments - dark wheels, the dark out package and increased range with the Max battery. We aren't off-roaders, so the QM was overkill for us, and we went with the DM. We took delivery last Thursday. With regard to the ride quality, as advertised it is much better. To me, the biggest improvement is the lack of noise. The ride is certainly smoother and less bumpy, but to me, not hearing the constant clicks and grinds has just been amazing. I love having 90 miles more in range, I kind of like the new door buttons, and we love how sexy the R1S looks with its dark wheels and dark out package. So far so good!
That all being said, back to the title of my post...we got what I thought was a nice trade in offer on the 2023 R1S. We put over 25k in miles on it in 14 months, Rivian knows the issues it had, and they offered us $62k. But still, we took a nice 1-year depreciation hit, and that $62k certainly didn't cover the cost of the new 2025 R1S. Yes, we've paid the early adopter tax. I knew when we bought the first R1S that Rivian was a brand new car manufacturer and would be going through some growing pains. I'm glad we didn't jump ship, and I'm in for the long haul.
All was relatively good over the next few months - although we really didn't like the ride quality and couldn't believe how noisy the R1S was with its clicks and moans and groans. But then issue #2..my wife had a car full of my two boys and 4 friends of theirs in late May, when they all began hearing just an extraordinary metal on metal grinding sound coming from the wheels. We were towed back to the SC to find that our R1S was suffering from the loose bolt backing out and rubbing on the half shaft issue that many of the original QMs have seemed to face (as the service invoice states: "replaced left front wheel hub and axle shaft due to the hub bolt backing out and contacting the axle shaft."). However, my wife is the primary driver of the R1S, and her confidence in it was badly shaken. My confidence I have to admit was starting to flag every time I heard the constant clicks and noises (were they in the suspension on in the wheels and axels? I just didn't know).
Couple this with a realization that, incredibly, there weren't going to be any viable long term replacement options for the tires on our 21 inch wheels and that we'd probably have to replace the wheels with new 20 inch or 22 inch options, and by mid summer, we began looking at other options. We test drove the Kia EV9. Nah. Not enough range. Too generic. We briefly considering the Model X, but my wife put the hammer down on that, saying that she'd never buy an Elon Musk product (I agree with her). We considering a gas powered 7-seat SUV. We considered going back to what we had before - a gas powered 7-seat minivan. I just couldn't do either - I just couldn't go back to an ICE.
As all this was going on, I was finding myself envious of the new Gen 2 owners, with their much improved suspensions, their in-house motors, etc. When Rivian finally threw the Gen 1 owners a little bone with the $3,500 discount if we took delivery by year end of a Gen 2, we decided to stay with Rivian and give it another shot. We loved the Forest Green color and decided to stick with that. But we took this as an opportunity to make a few adjustments - dark wheels, the dark out package and increased range with the Max battery. We aren't off-roaders, so the QM was overkill for us, and we went with the DM. We took delivery last Thursday. With regard to the ride quality, as advertised it is much better. To me, the biggest improvement is the lack of noise. The ride is certainly smoother and less bumpy, but to me, not hearing the constant clicks and grinds has just been amazing. I love having 90 miles more in range, I kind of like the new door buttons, and we love how sexy the R1S looks with its dark wheels and dark out package. So far so good!
That all being said, back to the title of my post...we got what I thought was a nice trade in offer on the 2023 R1S. We put over 25k in miles on it in 14 months, Rivian knows the issues it had, and they offered us $62k. But still, we took a nice 1-year depreciation hit, and that $62k certainly didn't cover the cost of the new 2025 R1S. Yes, we've paid the early adopter tax. I knew when we bought the first R1S that Rivian was a brand new car manufacturer and would be going through some growing pains. I'm glad we didn't jump ship, and I'm in for the long haul.
Sponsored
Last edited:
