Trim (Fender Flare) dislodged from a puddle

[JonnyWat]

Found this when I got to the office after a rainy commute. Apparently the water spraying into the wheel well from an ordinary puddle on a paved road dislodged the fender flare. The camera still works but the alignment is off because I can’t figure out how to secure it completey - any tips would be helpful. I can’t seem to move the piece far enough forward so I can slide the connectors back into the blue pegs/clips. I opened a warranty claim ticket with Rivian and to my utter shock they told me to take it to a body shop because it isn’t covered under the warranty. I’ve escalated the claim and still haggling with them over it. I’ve never had this happen on any other car I’ve owned, let alone something that is supposed to be an off road rated beast. There is clearly something wrong with the connection/clips that attach this trim to the body. This shouldn’t happen at 25-30mph on a run of the mill rainy day.

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[Polar]

I am shocked they aren’t just fixing this.

Lord know I’ve hit puddles much harder than what you’re saying you did…. Not gonna change my habits but I may think about it more.

 

[JonnyWat]

That’s what I thought! You buy a truck like this to hit puddles with! A better image of the whole wheel

 

[Dark-Fx]

Manual says 5 mph when fording deep water.

 

[JonnyWat]

It wasn’t deep water. It was a puddle on a heavily commuted city street. The Toyota minivan next to me was going 45mph without a problem.

 

[SPITmadFIRE]

Manual says 5 mph when fording deep water.

let's not act like trim pieces coming off when driving through very normal amounts of water is some expected outcome here. I'm willing to bet the clips were never fully seated, and just looked flush enough to not notice until it came completely off.

 

[Dark-Fx]

let's not act like trim pieces coming off when driving through very normal amounts of water is some expected outcome here. I'm willing to bet the clips were never fully seated, and just looked flush enough to not notice until it came completely off.

The upper clips start off seated in the trim piece when installed. They were pulled out of the trim. Should be pretty easy to remove them from the fender and reinstall if the trim wasn't damaged there. Lower ones should just snap back in.

People seem to forget how heavy water is.

 

[Riviot]

Puddles don't collect on flat surfaces... There was likely a pothole under it that you hit. You have ATs and looks like you keep it in low, you'll DEFINITELY bottom that thing out on a pothole, likely shearing it.

 

[JonnyWat]

The upper clips start off seated in the trim piece when installed. They were pulled out of the trim. Should be pretty easy to remove them from the fender and reinstall if the trim wasn't damaged there. Lower ones should just snap back in.

People seem to forget how heavy water is.

The upper clips start off seated in the trim piece when installed. They were pulled out of the trim. Should be pretty easy to remove them from the fender and reinstall if the trim wasn't damaged there. Lower ones should just snap back in.

People seem to forget how heavy water is.

Thanks. Will give it a try. Cant avoid water on a road when it’s raining in an urban setting. Part of life, every car I’ve ever driven has never had a prob.

 

[JonnyWat]

Puddles don't collect on flat surfaces... There was likely a pothole under it that you hit. You have ATs and looks like you keep it in low, you'll DEFINITELY bottom that thing out on a pothole, likely shearing it.

It’s low because it kneels when it is parked. There was no pothole and it didn’t even come close to bottoming out. Water accumulates on roads all the time when it is raining - not sure where you live but it’s common in my experience

 

[CrazyOne]

Do you have the drive cam video?

 

[Riviot]

It’s low because it kneels when it is parked. There was no pothole and it didn’t even come close to bottoming out. Water accumulates on roads all the time when it is raining - not sure where you live but it’s common in my experience

PNW, lots of water, accumulates in low places and obscures damage/bumps*.

Do you drive in auto ride height?

What's the story with your panels? They don't look right.

 

[SPITmadFIRE]

PNW, lots of water, accumulates in low places and obscures damage/bumps*.

Do you drive in auto ride height?

What's the story with your panels? They don't look right.

That is absolutely normal. Those areas are obscured by the trim and therefore are not Class A surfaces. Their stamping doesn't matter and won't be consistent. Go check the inside of your painted door panels, I'm sure you'll find some rippled and weirdly stamped panels.

 

[Hillbilly]

That is absolutely normal. Those areas are obscured by the trim and therefore are not Class A surfaces. Their stamping doesn't matter and won't be consistent. Go check the inside of your painted door panels, I'm sure you'll find some rippled and weirdly stamped panels.

I didn't know that. That sucks. I ripped the trim off my Duramax long ago and bed lined the whole thing and it has nice clean stamped and cut metal under the fenders. Sucks to know I can't do that to the rivian when it gets long in the tooth.

 

[JonnyWat]

PNW, lots of water, accumulates in low places and obscures damage/bumps*.

Do you drive in auto ride height?

What's the story with your panels? They don't look right.

I’ve never seen the car without the flares on so I don’t know what they are supposed to look like. It was a situation where rate of rainfall exceeded drainage capacity of curbs/gutters (which doesn’t take much rain in SoCal) so excess water was pooling back from the curb onto the street. Definitely no pothole.

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