Wonder if Rivian's lending R1T's for "secret" Auto/EV publishers or Auto/EV-bloggers to do reviews?

[flabyboy]

Lets hope some deliveries occur this month and we see some reviews popping up. I really am curious about leg and headroom in the cabin

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[aw113sgte]

I'd like to Sandy Munro get a preview as well.

I think he does some damage with his reviews. Everything he aims for is for production simplification at the expense of quality and ease of repair.
He wants glue and rivits instead of threaded fasteners and reusable seals and knocks manufacturers for taking that route.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

I think he does some damage with his reviews. Everything he aims for is for production simplification at the expense of quality and ease of repair.
He wants glue and rivits instead of threaded fasteners and reusable seals and knocks manufacturers for taking that route.

Agreed.

• He cares primarily about making things faster/cheaper for manufacturing. Often, that goal is at odds with serviceability and user experience. Consolidating many parts into one large cast assembly often increases labor times and may require replacing a much larger and more expensive part when you could have gotten away with a much simpler and less expensive repair, otherwise.
• He hates screws/bolts and prefers snap-fit fasteners, but those are a huge pain point for NVH. A rattle/buzz is much more likely to develop when snap-fit fasteners are the only type used. Furthermore, those fasteners tend to get damaged or don't fit as well on subsequent disconnect/reconnect cycles. So as the vehicle ages and especially as parts are removed/re-installed during service, the opportunity for rattles/buzzes increases.
• He loves to point out his decades of experience at Ford -- but wasn't it during the time that quality was at its absolute worst for the American auto makers? Granted, he didn't make every decision and he may have had good ideas that management ignored... But I guess it doesn't instill much confidence for me when he's barking about making things cheaper and pointing to his involvement in some of the worst-built products to ever grace our roadways as evidence to suggest we should listen to him.

I watch his videos, and he has some interesting observations. I just don't think I'd want any manufacturer to blindly implement his suggestions.

This also reminds me of an interview I watched with an engineer from Acura. They were discussing the (at the time) new RDX. There was a piece of the body structure that was three separate pieces and bolted together. The engineer made a big deal about how the original design had that welded, but they ultimately decided to implement bolts, which made the parts list longer and more expensive, and also made factory assembly a little slower. But the engineer said it was absolutely the right decision because some repairs would not be possible without cutting out that member, if it were welded. By allowing the member to be unbolted, they saved dealerships and body shops a significant amount of work and also made it much more likely the vehicle would be put back together properly and it would retain its handling and safety characteristics.

There is a balance that must be maintained.

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