Rivian R1T Door Construction Analysis: Sandy Munro Live

in this video they compared the door to a Tesla Model S Plaid. Rivian door is heavier because it is a fully wrapped panel compared to the other doors.

Canthoney said:

in this video they compared the door to a Tesla Model S Plaid. Rivian door is heavier because it is a fully wrapped panel compared to the other doors.

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Well isn't it also significantly larger? That said, I think they are lighter than my eTron doors, which are super heavy but probably contributes to the cocoon noiseless effect.

DJG said:

Well isn't it also significantly larger? That said, I think they are lighter than my eTron doors, which are super heavy but probably contributes to the cocoon noiseless effect.

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In terms of size definitely for the Model ass, but I forgot to mention they compared it to a Model Y and it was a kg more I guess.

Canthoney said:

In terms of size definitely for the Model ass, but I forgot to mention they compared it to a Model Y and it was a kg more I guess.

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Yeah, should have watched first. They said that the Model S scaled up to size would be about equivalent to the R1T. Y is about same size but lighter because it's more cheap plastic.

TLDW of it is basically more of the same belt and suspenders, room for optimizing for cost efficiency down the road (Munro's focus).

Nice to see Sandy giving the youngsters a chance! Best way to learn IMO...

DJG said:

TLDW of it is basically more of the same belt and suspenders, room for optimizing for cost efficiency down the road (Munro's focus).

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That was my take as well. Lots and lots of room for improvement and cost/process optimization.

Oh, and:

The more Monroe teardowns we watch, the more apparent at least two thing become:

-The R1T is built like a brick $hithouse!
-Much room for manufacturing processes to be updated which will greatly improve vehicle output per day.

120 screws just in one door panel? Yikes, Sandy is gonna go nuts when he hears that

NY_Rob said:

The more Monroe teardowns we watch, the more apparent at least two thing become:

-The R1T is built like a brick $hithouse!
-Much room for manufacturing processes to be updated which will greatly improve vehicle output per day.

120 screws just in one door panel? Yikes, Sandy is gonna go nuts when he hears that

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Go nuts huh......subtle.

Screws are much easier to add than redoing tooling for heat staking (typically).
Also screws are more reliable than clips (clips break and tightness can't be adjusted).
Yes I can see why that strap would need to be serviced. Elastic straps break. Also no I don't want a plastic molded clip holding the strap (weaker and can't be removed to install a new strap).

I swear these engineers don't even consider anything other than "we could make it cheaper so this method is bad".

I am grateful they are making these videos but their reason in making these videos ( getting contracts to reduce cost) is completely different from my reason to watch them (learning how things work and how to disassemble/assemble different parts. I definitely do learn something from each but not enough to feel confident troubleshooting problems.

aw113sgte said:

I swear these engineers don't even consider anything other than "we could make it cheaper so this method is bad".

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Well, they did say "keep some screws" in the door panel, but absolutely no other manufacturer uses 120 screws in a single door panel! They also mentioned using screws instead of RTV for those access covers for the window regulator motor/rack.

Just like Tesla has refined/reduced part counts (using huge single piece castings, Octovalve, etc..) over the years to save $$ and speed up mass production, Rivian will have to do the same to keep costs down and stay competitive. There seems to be a lot of low-hanging fruit on the R1T that can be re-designed with no impact on quality.

It would be well worth Rivian's investment to hire Monroe to provide a real (vs. YT quick take) cost analysis and suggestions for streamlining things for the still in design R2 vehicles before it's too late to make changes.

Comparing with a model s and model y! Why don't they run a S and Y off-road and see how the door panels hold up?

NY_Rob said:

It would be well worth Rivian's investment to hire Monroe to provide a real (vs. YT quick take) cost analysis and suggestions for streamlining things for the still in design R2 vehicles before it's too late to make changes.

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YouTube ads sure don’t pay the bills to buy an R1T and invest all the man-hours to disassemble it. We get the privilege to watch this as a by-product of the actual business Munro is in.

I hate the new plastic cars and all the plastic welded pieces that break and never hold together right. I may be odd but I'm glad its all screwed together makes it feel high quality and not junk to me. yes they should look at limiting some of that mainly for weight.