Cost of ownership, parts, and right to repair

[ndmiller]

As you said, this isn't a Rivian specific issue, but it's not magic; it's greed and a desire for control. And unless you're driving an ultra-rare Carrera GT, an oil change on a Porsche isn't $3k.

Both Boxster and 911 was $3k at my dealer (prepaid service mandatory with purchase), how much was your oil change on your Porsche?

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[bfilippo]

Hasn’t there been some discussion of a 3rd party Rivian certified repair network? I feel like someone posted a video on Gen2 components that was targeted towards this potential audience a couple months ago?

 

[iansriv]

This is a good topic of discussion. As some have mentioned, most cars are too complicated now. As an EV, Rivian has fewer moving parts vs an ICE car so my expectation is that there will be fewer issues on average. I normally don't keep cars beyond the warranty but I've only had it for a year so time will tell.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Cost of parts can only be addressed through economy of scale. The more cars & parts you make/sell, the lower the per unit cost. And the more cars Rivian sell, the more leverage it has to negotiate better prices on larger supplier orders. Service capacity can only be solved through more service locations and more staff to go with it.

All of the above can only be resolved through passage of time and what their finances allow.

In a nutshell: success of R2 is absolutely critical.

R1 is flagship. Nothing associated with it will ever be cheap. That's a given. One doesn't buy the flagship model of any brand and expect cost of ownership to be on par with lesser offerings from the same brand. That's just plain unrealistic.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

Welcome to owing an expensive vehicle, they are all expensive to maintain. Don't believe me, read some threads @ ih8mud.com about Lexus LX570 (200 Series Land Cruiser) maintenance costs for their hydraulic suspension when it has issues (Dozens of threads about disconnecting the fancy suspension and putting in conventional coilovers.). 2nd best vehicle I owned (R1T #1), but it was 100K new and when things failed I was glad I had an extended warranty. Finally traded it on an R1T when the transfer case solenoid started acting up after extended warranty expired. It was a $3-$5K fix.

The answer is expensive cars use expensive parts and/or one off technology that mean expensive repairs out of warranty. Get an extended warranty, start a savings account, get rid of the car, but whatever you choose this isn't a Rivian specific issue. Try Porsche normal maintenance, it was almost $3K for an oil change.

As for right to repair, if I had a $ for everyone I know that bought a Land Cruiser, Land Rover, Porsche, 550/650 MB AMG whatever, Maserati, etc that tried to do their own repair or regular maintenance and screwed it up to be towed to a dealer I'd be a millionaire. You're going to get parts and tools and mess with parts replacement on an $100K EV SUV/PICKUP?? Rivian will definitely have the last laugh when it's towed to a SC.

Very true, especially when it comes to needing and buying the specialized tools to do that one off job.

 

[CrazyOne]

Just disconnecting the lines will mean needing "specialized" equipment, since you have to evacuate all of the air out of the system for it to function properly. There's probably a specific process to it as well.

I thought the same initially. But then thought if they are that different from the brake calipers though? Caliper replacement isn't that hard.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

R1 is flagship. Nothing associated with it will ever be cheap. That's a given. One doesn't buy the flagship model of any brand and expect cost of ownership to be on par with lesser offerings from the same brand. That's just plain unrealistic.

I wouldn't say I expected parts to be cheap, maybe hoped?...

High wear items from off roading adventures, at least on my end, seem to be dampers, and front hub assemblies. Not entirely unexpected given the abusive cratered Vancouver roads/FSR's.

 

[CrazyOne]

Welcome to owing an expensive vehicle, they are all expensive to maintain. Don't believe me, read some threads @ ih8mud.com about Lexus LX570 (200 Series Land Cruiser) maintenance costs for their hydraulic suspension when it has issues (Dozens of threads about disconnecting the fancy suspension and putting in conventional coilovers.). 2nd best vehicle I owned (R1T #1), but it was 100K new and when things failed I was glad I had an extended warranty. Finally traded it on an R1T when the transfer case solenoid started acting up after extended warranty expired. It was a $3-$5K fix.

The answer is expensive cars use expensive parts and/or one off technology that mean expensive repairs out of warranty. Get an extended warranty, start a savings account, get rid of the car, but whatever you choose this isn't a Rivian specific issue. Try Porsche normal maintenance, it was almost $3K for an oil change.

As for right to repair, if I had a $ for everyone I know that bought a Land Cruiser, Land Rover, Porsche, 550/650 MB AMG whatever, Maserati, etc that tried to do their own repair or regular maintenance and screwed it up to be towed to a dealer I'd be a millionaire. You're going to get parts and tools and mess with parts replacement on an $100K EV SUV/PICKUP?? Rivian will definitely have the last laugh when it's towed to a SC.

You think that SC won't screw up? I have had 2 issues that dealers unable to find/fix issues. I found fixes for both issues myself.

3 issues with another car where dealer caused the issues. I had to fight to get those resolved. I finally settled on independent shops to do it right.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I wouldn't say I expected parts to be cheap, maybe hoped?...

High wear items from off roading adventures, at least on my end, seem to be dampers, and front hub assemblies. Not entirely unexpected given the abusive cratered Vancouver roads/FSR's.

Land Rovers can adventure. Would you expect LR parts to be cheap? Both are for profit businesses. Gotta pay to play. Would be nice to see aftermarket step up on stuff like tie rods though.

 

[Nixapatfan]

The difference with Rivian is you can't even buy most parts unlike almost every other car under $100k. This isn't some one off exotic to be so restrictive. At best they have another year or two to sort this or there will be many people jumping ship to Scout who is promising ability to self repair.

 

[HeyEllwood]

I’ve had this internal thought for the last few weeks.

I’ve honestly been eyeing the new Santa Fe. But I don’t think that can handle 3 kids that well and a wagon etc. so. Not really sure what I’m going to do in the next 6 months or a year.

wooooooooo

 

[beatle]

Both Boxster and 911 was $3k at my dealer (prepaid service mandatory with purchase), how much was your oil change on your Porsche?

Sounds like you got taken for quite a ride if you're paying someone $3k just to change your oil. Your dealer may have said the prepaid service is "mandatory with purchase" but that's not true. The Magnusson Moss Warranty Act allows owners to keep their warranty and perform their own maintenance (such as oil changes) or find an independent shop. Looks like your dealership doesn't even wash your car for $3k. Sorry to hear that, but as you said, expensive cars can be expensive.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Sounds like you got taken for quite a ride if you're paying someone $3k just to change your oil. Your dealer may have said the prepaid service is "mandatory with purchase" but that's not true. The Magnusson Moss Warranty Act allows owners to keep their warranty and perform their own maintenance (such as oil changes) or find an independent shop. Looks like your dealership doesn't even wash your car for $3k. Sorry to hear that, but as you said, expensive cars can be expensive.

Usually, the oil change on a car like a Porsche includes many PMs on the engine. High-performance cars, especially German ones, have a very short service interval. Oil changes are 7-10K mile intervals with 2-3 hour service times for the oil change. It's not like going to Jiffy Lube.

 

[Nixapatfan]

Yeah I think I know where I'll be in a couple years if things stay the way they are, didn't initially do a reservation as I don't think the truck is as nice as Rivian but leaning towards that the more I hear about it.

Scout Wants to Build EVs You Can Fix Yourself

Scout knows that above all, the customers it’s courting want to be able to tinker.

“[They] want to touch these cars, they want to fix them, they want to accessorize them,” Decker said. “They want to occasionally take the front bumper off so they can go bouldering.”

Even better, Scout doesn’t want its customers to have to rely on the broader Internet to figure out how. Another item on the company’s punch list: “transparent” repair guides and manuals that are accessible to the end customer.

It's complete opposite stance of where Rivian is today.

 

[greyboundary]

Both Boxster and 911 was $3k at my dealer (prepaid service mandatory with purchase), how much was your oil change on your Porsche?

Besides the “where’s your ___” is being a tired phrase, you definitely overpaid. Even the GT3, with its real dry sump system in contrast, still follows the normal “pull plug, drain, refill” process.

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