shrink
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2021
- Threads
- 79
- Messages
- 1,205
- Reaction score
- 2,233
- Location
- Phoenix, AZ and Kailua-Kona, HI
- Vehicles
- '23 R1S (x2); '22 R1T; '14 Jeep Cherokee
- Thread starter
- #1
I’m sad to report we had a minor accident with my R1S on the Big Island of Hawaii over Labor Day weekend. My wife and I had enjoyed a resort day for my birthday. She was backing out of a parking spot at the resort and hit the concrete base of a light post. It was very slow speed as she was backing out. No property damage. The concrete base won. No injuries.
However, the charge port door and front bumper ripped off. We had been L2 charging at the resort.
Getting this fixed has been a huge PITA.
I initially called Rivian Roadside to ask for a tow. They said since it’s an accident, I needed to go through insurance. Makes sense. I called insurance (State Farm) who called for a tow. I waited 2 hours and no response. It is Hawaii. That’s somewhat understandable, but I ended up calling places locally on my own. Found a guy within 10 minutes. He was there within 45 minutes. I showed him the recommended way to secure the tires per the manual. He followed those instructions easily. It was a 37 mile tow back to my garage. Cost $440. State Farm, to their credit, quickly reimbursed me. But the tow service State Farm initially used called me the next day asking if I still needed a tow. Annoying, but we got it taken care of.
I called Rivian the next day asking about options and how to get a 3rd party shop to repair. They initially told me to ship the car back to the mainland to a certified Rivian collision center. I said, “That’s ridiculous” and hung up on them. To their credit, Rivian actually called and text me a few hours later and provided the name of a body shop on Oahu in Honolulu that is a Rivian Certified Collision Center, but was not yet officially listed.
I reached out to both the shop in Oahu and several shops locally here in Kona. The shop in Oahu was a strange experience. They told me Rivian repairs can take several months and that interisland shipping would be costly. I said I completely understand but would still like to pursue the repair if they are the only option in the state. I never received a reply. I sent a follow up asking to discuss logistics. They again never replied. I guess they don’t want to perform the repair.
A couple shops locally in Kona flat out said they would not work on the car. That’s fine. Completely understand. I did, however, find one shop who said, “I started seeing a few Rivians on island and wondered when someone would be calling me.” I asked if get a prize for being the first?
Anyway, he thankfully said he’d be willing to some diligence since his shop has repaired Teslas on island. This shop has since applied for a Business Account and Digital Access Agreement:
https://rivian.com/support/article/can-i-take-my-rivian-vehicle-to-a-third-party-repair-shop
AND has decided to apply for full Rivian Collision Network Certification:
https://usa.itascore.com/rivian
I was told the latter takes about 30 days. I’m not sure how long the former takes.
So, I’m hurrying up and waiting and hoping something gets approved with this shop. Car is safely in my garage and continuing to ward off vampire drain. I knew having a Rivian in Hawaii would be a challenge and accept the risks and delays. I do have another car here on island so it’s not the end of the world. I do miss driving the Rivian, though. My insurance only gives me 30 days of rental coverage up to $1500 so I’m not using it unless I have to, such as if we have visiting guests and need more vehicles. My other car is a Jeep Cherokee and the plan is replace with an R2; however, now I’m a little unsure if having 2 Rivians as the only vehicles on an outer Hawaiian island is a good idea.
The shop manager also told me another Rivian owner on island had reached out to him for a repair within the past week.
I’ll continue updating this thread, but I do hope our misfortune can lead to other Rivian owners on the Big Island having a skilled and reliable repair option in the future!
However, the charge port door and front bumper ripped off. We had been L2 charging at the resort.
Getting this fixed has been a huge PITA.
I initially called Rivian Roadside to ask for a tow. They said since it’s an accident, I needed to go through insurance. Makes sense. I called insurance (State Farm) who called for a tow. I waited 2 hours and no response. It is Hawaii. That’s somewhat understandable, but I ended up calling places locally on my own. Found a guy within 10 minutes. He was there within 45 minutes. I showed him the recommended way to secure the tires per the manual. He followed those instructions easily. It was a 37 mile tow back to my garage. Cost $440. State Farm, to their credit, quickly reimbursed me. But the tow service State Farm initially used called me the next day asking if I still needed a tow. Annoying, but we got it taken care of.
I called Rivian the next day asking about options and how to get a 3rd party shop to repair. They initially told me to ship the car back to the mainland to a certified Rivian collision center. I said, “That’s ridiculous” and hung up on them. To their credit, Rivian actually called and text me a few hours later and provided the name of a body shop on Oahu in Honolulu that is a Rivian Certified Collision Center, but was not yet officially listed.
I reached out to both the shop in Oahu and several shops locally here in Kona. The shop in Oahu was a strange experience. They told me Rivian repairs can take several months and that interisland shipping would be costly. I said I completely understand but would still like to pursue the repair if they are the only option in the state. I never received a reply. I sent a follow up asking to discuss logistics. They again never replied. I guess they don’t want to perform the repair.
A couple shops locally in Kona flat out said they would not work on the car. That’s fine. Completely understand. I did, however, find one shop who said, “I started seeing a few Rivians on island and wondered when someone would be calling me.” I asked if get a prize for being the first?
Anyway, he thankfully said he’d be willing to some diligence since his shop has repaired Teslas on island. This shop has since applied for a Business Account and Digital Access Agreement:
https://rivian.com/support/article/can-i-take-my-rivian-vehicle-to-a-third-party-repair-shop
AND has decided to apply for full Rivian Collision Network Certification:
https://usa.itascore.com/rivian
I was told the latter takes about 30 days. I’m not sure how long the former takes.
So, I’m hurrying up and waiting and hoping something gets approved with this shop. Car is safely in my garage and continuing to ward off vampire drain. I knew having a Rivian in Hawaii would be a challenge and accept the risks and delays. I do have another car here on island so it’s not the end of the world. I do miss driving the Rivian, though. My insurance only gives me 30 days of rental coverage up to $1500 so I’m not using it unless I have to, such as if we have visiting guests and need more vehicles. My other car is a Jeep Cherokee and the plan is replace with an R2; however, now I’m a little unsure if having 2 Rivians as the only vehicles on an outer Hawaiian island is a good idea.
The shop manager also told me another Rivian owner on island had reached out to him for a repair within the past week.
I’ll continue updating this thread, but I do hope our misfortune can lead to other Rivian owners on the Big Island having a skilled and reliable repair option in the future!
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