Damage to Vehicle in Transport to Service Center

[Kojuk]

We recently secured a lease for a 2023 Blue R1S Rivian, equipped with Underbody Protection. The lease terms were highly attractive, prompting us to quickly secure the car. Our vehicle pick-up was scheduled next week at the Richmond, Virginia Service Center. Unfortunately, we were informed yesterday by our guide that the vehicle sustained damage during its transport to the service center, necessitating a 3-week repair period in the body shop. We were advised that the damage was isolated to the left rear quarter panel, which is set to be replaced.

The prospect of accepting a newly leased vehicle with pre-existing damage is causing me some unease. While I understand the lease allows for the vehicle's return after three years, but I am concerned about the integrity of the vehicle's parking, proximity sensors, and overall safety. Our guide was unable to provide further details or visual evidence of the damage beyond mentioning the affected area. They just kept saying that the car has to pass safety inspection and will be fixed to "as-new" condition.

As compensation, the dealership has offered to deliver the vehicle to our home free of charge, along with complimentary all-weather floor mats.

I'm curious to hear others' thoughts or experiences in similar situations. What would you do?

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[godfodder0901]

We recently secured a lease for a 2023 Blue R1S Rivian, equipped with Underbody Protection. The lease terms were highly attractive, prompting us to quickly secure the car. Our vehicle pick-up was scheduled next week at the Richmond, Virginia Service Center. Unfortunately, we were informed yesterday by our guide that the vehicle sustained damage during its transport to the service center, necessitating a 3-week repair period in the body shop. We were advised that the damage was isolated to the left rear quarter panel, which is set to be replaced.

The prospect of accepting a newly leased vehicle with pre-existing damage is causing me some unease. While I understand the lease allows for the vehicle's return after three years, but I am concerned about the integrity of the vehicle's parking, proximity sensors, and overall safety. Our guide was unable to provide further details or visual evidence of the damage beyond mentioning the affected area. They just kept saying that the car has to pass safety inspection and will be fixed to "as-new" condition.

As compensation, the dealership has offered to deliver the vehicle to our home free of charge, along with complimentary all-weather floor mats.

I'm curious to hear others' thoughts or experiences in similar situations. What would you do?

 

[Killer95Stang]

Since the repair will be completed before the vehicle is registered, the damage will never be reported to carfax or any other service for that matter. Almost every other manufacture including Rivian fixes cars damaged in transport and then sells as new, without any issues. Most people don't even know about the damage, because the manufactures aren't required to tell the customers.

As far as the parking sensors... they aren't attached to the quarter panels, so that has no bering on whether they would function or not after repair... unless maybe they forgot to plug one in?

Otherwise... this is the era of the internet... so not all info i9s good info? Will you lose sleep over it? If the answer is yes... then wait for another car.

 

[Dark-Fx]

On a lease? Send it. Damage is going to be repaired, sensors recalibrated if necessary.

 

[jjswan33]

I'd hold out for more than floor mats but otherwise no concerns.. maybe you can get them to throw in your RB paint upgrade.

 

[eskudo12791]

How interesting, I was at Richmond last week and a to be delivered R1S and in service R1S collided in the lot.

 

[cohall]

New cars are damaged during transport all the time. They're repaired before they get sold and nobody ever knows about it. As long as it looks like new when you take delivery, I'd take the free gifts and call it a win.

 

[Kojuk]

Thanks a lot! This is helpful!

 

[White Shadow]

I'd take a pass on that vehicle. Why? Well, if the quarter panel is damaged and needs to be replaced, it's an extensive job and there's a chance for problems/issues with the vehicle due to the repairs. It's not like Rivian is fixing the vehicle....they are going to have one of their "certified" body shops to the repair work. I'm not saying that they can't/won't do the job correctly, I'm just saying that there's a chance that your new vehicle is going to not meet your expectations for a "new" vehicle after the repairs are completed. For that reason, I'd just get the next available vehicle instead.

 

[Nacho Rivian]

We recently secured a lease for a 2023 Blue R1S Rivian, equipped with Underbody Protection. The lease terms were highly attractive, prompting us to quickly secure the car. Our vehicle pick-up was scheduled next week at the Richmond, Virginia Service Center. Unfortunately, we were informed yesterday by our guide that the vehicle sustained damage during its transport to the service center, necessitating a 3-week repair period in the body shop. We were advised that the damage was isolated to the left rear quarter panel, which is set to be replaced.

The prospect of accepting a newly leased vehicle with pre-existing damage is causing me some unease. While I understand the lease allows for the vehicle's return after three years, but I am concerned about the integrity of the vehicle's parking, proximity sensors, and overall safety. Our guide was unable to provide further details or visual evidence of the damage beyond mentioning the affected area. They just kept saying that the car has to pass safety inspection and will be fixed to "as-new" condition.

As compensation, the dealership has offered to deliver the vehicle to our home free of charge, along with complimentary all-weather floor mats.

I'm curious to hear others' thoughts or experiences in similar situations. What would you do?

Some of Rivian vehicles come with body panel gaps and paint imperfections too. Not much different than minor damage. Anyway you will find other areas that need SC visits later. So as long as you are pleased with the repair equality, accepting delivery is reasonable and address other issues later with SC appointments? I heard that Richmond SC is very competent. I know that Rivian may not be up to your expectations but I always appreciate their transparency.

 

[R1Tom]

I'd pass. I had a vehicle once that had been repaired prior to new vehicle delivery and the rust bubbles started about 3 years later...and guess what.....corrosion warranty doesn't cover it technically.

Let Rivian sell it as repaired to someone else.

 

[Brian-MS90D]

That stinks and is a difficult decision. If you haven't signed the final notarized docs and the like, you could probably pretty easily get out of it. However, you'd probably lose your order deposit.

You could probably wait to sign final docs until you have the opportunity to inspect it. You might not be able to take delivery on that day due to processing, but it may give you more peace of mind.

When I picked up my R1S last week at the Cincinnati service center, there was a R1T with a destroyed front end smashed into a R1S in the adjacent parking spot. A semi truck had made the turn too tight and took out the R1T, pushing it into the R1S. What a bummer.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

We recently secured a lease for a 2023 Blue R1S Rivian, equipped with Underbody Protection. The lease terms were highly attractive, prompting us to quickly secure the car. Our vehicle pick-up was scheduled next week at the Richmond, Virginia Service Center. Unfortunately, we were informed yesterday by our guide that the vehicle sustained damage during its transport to the service center, necessitating a 3-week repair period in the body shop. We were advised that the damage was isolated to the left rear quarter panel, which is set to be replaced.

The prospect of accepting a newly leased vehicle with pre-existing damage is causing me some unease. While I understand the lease allows for the vehicle's return after three years, but I am concerned about the integrity of the vehicle's parking, proximity sensors, and overall safety. Our guide was unable to provide further details or visual evidence of the damage beyond mentioning the affected area. They just kept saying that the car has to pass safety inspection and will be fixed to "as-new" condition.

As compensation, the dealership has offered to deliver the vehicle to our home free of charge, along with complimentary all-weather floor mats.

I'm curious to hear others' thoughts or experiences in similar situations. What would you do?

You have to praise rivian for its transparency here. Many of your traditional car dealers would try to sweep something like this under the carpet by saying there was a delay in shipping. The nice thing about rivian is that you can reject it at delivery if you're not satisfied with it and you also have 7 days after taking delivery to return it.

If it's definitely out of the question for you to accept the vehicle that's been damaged, and I totally get why it would be. Then you should request they unassign the VIN.

 

[White Shadow]

You have to praise rivian for its transparency here. Many of your traditional car dealers would try to sweep something like this under the carpet by saying there was a delay in shipping.

Maybe, but I don't think Rivian had much of a choice here, knowing that the repair process will take 3 weeks and the guy was scheduled to take delivery the very next week after securing his lease deal. It would have been difficult to explain that kind of delay.

 

[Riviot]

As compensation, the dealership has offered to deliver the vehicle to our home free of charge, along with complimentary all-weather floor mats.

Not a dealership*

If planning to lease, keep it.

If planning to buy out, replace it.

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