Mini-review at 1500 miles (R1S)

[doozenberg]

That's a bullshit response. What if the lift gate had been in an accident and needed to be repaired? Is the service center not capable of repairing the car? They just don't want to repair it, because they're overwhelmed. If they won't repair it, it's a lemon and goes back to the factory, plain and simple. The resale hit on such a crooked car will be substantial.

I'm sorry to see your misalignments; that sucks. The worst of it is that someone who inspected the car made a conscious choice to give you this burden and screw you on resale.

Man these pics are further convincing me to wait till the dust settles some and just hang on to my 5 year old model 3 which is also an early VIN and runs solid (and less crooked)

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[totmafang]

Man these pics are further convincing me to wait till the dust settles some and just hang on to my 5 year old model 3 which is also an early VIN and runs solid (and less crooked)

I also have an early VIN model 3 almost 5 years old, which has relatively pretty good panel alignment but only some loose interior trim issues. Was planning on trading in for the R1S, but the trade in value pretty much dropped more than 10K in the past 3 months. So far my model 3 has been pretty solid without any issues, so I plan on keeping it for another 5 years to make it well worth it. So to some Rivian preorder holders that are feeling super frustrated waiting like forever, maybe my case will make you feel a little better. But again, the car is excellent in so many ways, except the only thing I'm worried about is the efficiency. Hope the future software updates will really improve it. 3% daily drain without driving it is just too much...

 

[doozenberg]

I also have an early VIN model 3 almost 5 years old, which has relatively pretty good panel alignment but only some loose interior trim issues. Was planning on trading in for the R1S, but the trade in value pretty much dropped more than 10K in the past 3 months. So far my model 3 has been pretty solid without any issues, so I plan on keeping it for another 5 years to make it well worth it. So to some Rivian preorder holders that are feeling super frustrated waiting like forever, maybe my case will make you feel a little better. But again, the car is excellent in so many ways, except the only thing I'm worried about is the efficiency. Hope the future software updates will really improve it. 3% daily drain without driving it is just too much...

How is resale value of a flipped r1s these days? In Orange County CA

 

[NineElectrics]

I had a chance to get a better pic of the height mismatch. Note the light bar as compared to the fence. The railing is level, and the concrete slab that the car is resting on is as well, module a very slight gradient for a drain.

 

[888tom888]

Perspective? What are you used to? What are your expectations? What can you do to seek a remedy? Dealbreakers? What are hoping for by posting on this forum?
I have an R1S. I got in Sept 22. To chronicle my entire journey with Rivian would take longer than its worth my time. In sum, I went from canceled order with price increase to lost order to canceled again to being the first R1S I see in my neck of the woods ( Malibu, CA) for months. Is the vehicle perfect? Hardly. Did I expect it to be? No, as a launch edition customer, I see myself of nothing more than a glorified beta tester. And so far, its been mostly good experiences. Is it built to BMW quality levels (i've own many M cars)? No, its not.
Has it been worth it? So far so good. I turned down $125K for it a few months ago. Had there been better options, I might of sold. How can you not pocket 50K profit. But sadly there are none at the moment. And the days of selling way over asking price are gone. Timing is everything in that game. I'm still keeping my Fisker Extreme reservation. And once I see one in person, I may sell my Rivian. It is definitely a big vehicle. I don't need 7 seats. That said, nothing quite looks as cool as it does to me.
I still don't get why people use forums to bitch about Rivian. Is the expectation that RJ will monitor these forums and run to make changes??? Kind of doubt it. They are way too busy trying to manage the business and make hard business decisions.
In the end, I'm still glad I have my S. My biggest issue, is that the service center is far away from me and unless something goes terribly wrong, I just deal with the little nuisances. Life is not perfect, why should a start up company vehicle be?

 

[evguy]

Perspective? What are you used to? What are your expectations? What can you do to seek a remedy? Dealbreakers? What are hoping for by posting on this forum?
I have an R1S. I got in Sept 22. To chronicle my entire journey with Rivian would take longer than its worth my time. In sum, I went from canceled order with price increase to lost order to canceled again to being the first R1S I see in my neck of the woods ( Malibu, CA) for months. Is the vehicle perfect? Hardly. Did I expect it to be? No, as a launch edition customer, I see myself of nothing more than a glorified beta tester. And so far, its been mostly good experiences. Is it built to BMW quality levels (i've own many M cars)? No, its not.
Has it been worth it? So far so good. I turned down $125K for it a few months ago. Had there been better options, I might of sold. How can you not pocket 50K profit. But sadly there are none at the moment. And the days of selling way over asking price are gone. Timing is everything in that game. I'm still keeping my Fisker Extreme reservation. And once I see one in person, I may sell my Rivian. It is definitely a big vehicle. I don't need 7 seats. That said, nothing quite looks as cool as it does to me.
I still don't get why people use forums to bitch about Rivian. Is the expectation that RJ will monitor these forums and run to make changes??? Kind of doubt it. They are way too busy trying to manage the business and make hard business decisions.
In the end, I'm still glad I have my S. My biggest issue, is that the service center is far away from me and unless something goes terribly wrong, I just deal with the little nuisances. Life is not perfect, why should a start up company vehicle be?

I didn't read OP's post as "bitching." Sounds more like honest observations, good and bad. I still love mine, but if I wrote down a full list of things that I wished were different or improved, it would have several things in common with OP's "cons." It's good to know what others are experiencing.

 

[NineElectrics]

I didn't read OP's post as "bitching." Sounds more like honest observations, good and bad. I still love mine, but if I wrote down a full list of things that I wished were different or improved, it would have several things in common with OP's "cons." It's good to know what others are experiencing.

This. Sharing information benefits everyone. I'll report on my experience after my first visit to service in a few weeks. They have the list.

 

[NineElectrics]

Update: it’s been four months since delivery and my service appointment has (finally) come and gone.

I had around 40 items and the general service process was great. We were able to use an R1S loaner for a week. Most of the minor issues were addressed. The car no longer lists to one side. That actually might have even improved efficiency a bit, though it’s hard to tell with the warmer weather. The rear window (which popped out) has been replaced. The scratches were repaired (though they appear to have introduced a new one replacing the rear window). Some panel gaps were adjusted. Some trim is flush now.

Some “hard” items weren’t addressed; the rear lift gate is still misaligned (but by less) and the A pillars still have bent pieces. The third row passenger side window trim still bumps out (but by less). Some of the trim is still hard to fit on the body. Some things, like intermittent charge port door in cold weather, got the classic “can’t reproduce, shrug” indifference. The surround view still has a black bar due to the manufacturer installed front license plate holder.

While I’m peeved that corporate policy is not to stand behind their work, leaving me with a permanently crooked car in some spots, overall the car is improved and I’m pretty excited about that! I’m considering my options for the body panels. Clearly they can fix the rear hatch, they just don’t want to. However, it’s not clear yet what legal recourse exists, if any. And if I decide to keep the car for ten years, in the long run resale value won’t matter. I’m not sure I will do that, though.

 

[NineElectrics]

Another great visit to service to fix a few more things. They are really doing a great job. Hatch still misaligned, but that’s it.

 

[Whale Blubber]

Late to the thread, but thanks for describing your experience. Glad to hear the SC has done well by you (or so it sounds). Interesting though that they can't get the hatch properly aligned even now.

 

[NineElectrics]

Late to the thread, but thanks for describing your experience. Glad to hear the SC has done well by you (or so it sounds). Interesting though that they can't get the hatch properly aligned even now.

They did a mostly great job fixing the non-hard things. A few new issues popped up and some easy things remain. For example, sadly, just the other day I noticed that the car still lists to one side (the suspension is off by about an inch) despite a claimed fix. And the rear windows constantly groan when rolled down despite regular Windex (the service center tried to claim the groaning was due to pollen ingress, even though the car is usually parked in a covered city carport).

 

[NineElectrics]

 

[HaveBlue]

Glad they made an effort to fix things. I'll bet there's an adjustable sensor for height like on our gx470. Seems very fixable

 

[NineElectrics]

Glad they made an effort to fix things. I'll bet there's an adjustable sensor for height like on our gx470. Seems very fixable

They actually calibrated that the first time I reported it, but the problem remains. I wonder what they will try this time.

 

[NineElectrics]

I am sorry to report that after two attempts, service is still unable to fix the car listing to one side by about an inch. That doesn't sound like a lot, it's plainly visible to anyone, including potential buyers. Resale value will take a hit, but looking at it sit, crippled, in the supermarket parking lot, it really bums me out on a day to day basis as well. The car looks like a Russian naval vessel after a drone strike. This is an $80K car.

The surly techs at the service center tried to blame this one on kneel mode, but it occurs even with kneel mode disabled. What value is a warranty if the company can't honor it?

One of the windows still makes an enormous groan, too, despite repeated applications of glass cleaner (the glass is spotless). Service unable to fix that as well.

Currently there are no appointments available at my SC, but I expect I will be assigned something about four months out (!). I'm loathe to wait that long, though, if I'm going to get the runaround again.

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