500-800 miles from Service Center......from those with Rivian experience....how risky will this be?

[mferring]

I live 55 miles north of the factory. 1st trip 350 miles round trip and the charge door rattled like the Front fender was falling off. Stopped 4 times to empty frunk, see if a bird was stuck on the bumper, and bang on front bumper to be sure. Less than 800 miles on the R1T. Seems a 15 minute fix from site search. But Rivian wants me to drive the 110 miles. They are still evaluating my situation. Charge door’s not been open more than a handfull of times. I carry masking tape with the R1T for highway travel to tape the charge door now.
Will see how the mobile techs actually get used, or are they overloaded already.

So I guess yours is brand new? Did they not notice it when it was delivered?

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[River Ghost]

One service center in Phoenix said they have a lot of Rivian owners in Tucson and are looking to put in a service center there. The other service center in Phoenix mentioned El Paso for a future service center. I would not get your hopes up for Albuquerque. New Mexico does not allow direct sales so it would have to be on Pueblo land like the two Tesla service centers. But it is one of the largest gaps in service centers in the west so they will have to do it at some point.

There is an excellent Rivian mobile service out of Albuquerque that can handle routine work. They come up to Santa Fe and I expect they travel throughout the state. Generally you schedule service at a service center and then they call you to ask if they can do a mobile service instead.

Unfortunately after the mobile service replaced my dead 12 volt battery they found it was not charging. So they arranged for a tow to Colorado Springs. Once it was there they removed the frunk and found a dead squirrel laying on top of two chewed up wiring bundles. I think they paid for the tow but I had to pick up the car in Colorado Springs and drive it back. From what I have heard that is typical.

The Rivian R2 has half as many parts as the R1S/R1T and they are designing it to make servicing easier. Many fixes can be done with OTA updates or mobile service. It is possible that there will be warranty work that requires going to a service center. Something that requires towing is unlikely but not impossible. This year they are estimating one shift and 20,000 to 25,000 R2s. In late 2026 they will add shift and then another in 2027 at which point they will be looking at ~150,000. At that point they are going to have to expand their service network (service centers and mobile service) to handle the number of vehicles. I expect there will be backlogs at times for service although they are trying to prepare so it is probably more important to have backup transportation.

 

[Count Orlok]

They do also have mobile service that can perform many fixes.

as long as you don't reside in a no-go zone

 

[mferring]

One service center in Phoenix said they have a lot of Rivian owners in Tucson and are looking to put in a service center there. The other service center in Phoenix mentioned El Paso for a future service center. I would not get your hopes up for Albuquerque. New Mexico does not allow direct sales so it would have to be on Pueblo land like the two Tesla service centers. But it is one of the largest gaps in service centers in the west so they will have to do it at some point.

There is an excellent Rivian mobile service out of Albuquerque that can handle routine work. They come up to Santa Fe and I expect they travel throughout the state. Generally you schedule service at a service center and then they call you to ask if they can do a mobile service instead.

Unfortunately after the mobile service replaced my dead 12 volt battery they found it was not charging. So they arranged for a tow to Colorado Springs. Once it was there they removed the frunk and found a dead squirrel laying on top of two chewed up wiring bundles. I think they paid for the tow but I had to pick up the car in Colorado Springs and drive it back. From what I have heard that is typical.

The Rivian R2 has half as many parts as the R1S/R1T and they are designing it to make servicing easier. Many fixes can be done with OTA updates or mobile service. It is possible that there will be warranty work that requires going to a service center. Something that requires towing is unlikely but not impossible. This year they are estimating one shift and 20,000 to 25,000 R2s. In late 2026 they will add shift and then another in 2027 at which point they will be looking at ~150,000. At that point they are going to have to expand their service network (service centers and mobile service) to handle the number of vehicles. I expect there will be backlogs at times for service although they are trying to prepare so it is probably more important to have backup transportation.

El Paso would be perfect. That is where our Subaru dealer is now. A quick 90 mile drive mostly on a 75 mph speed limit 4 lane highway with no traffic. I hope it happens.

 

[Zathras]

This is something that Rivian needs to deal with. I've heard from one of the Rivian channels on Youtube that they are going to be giving repair manuals to independent service providers to help cover the big increase of Rivians on the road with the R2. Has anyone head from Rivian directly on such a possibility?

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I live 300 miles from a service center, and I have a bunch of little problems with my R1S. I'm probably trading mine in. I wouldn't own a Rivian if I lived that far away from a service center.

 

[mkhuffman]

El Paso would be perfect. That is where our Subaru dealer is now. A quick 90 mile drive mostly on a 75 mph speed limit 4 lane highway with no traffic. I hope it happens.

You are retired and don't need a third vehicle. This is not the popular opinion, but I highly recommend you wait a year. First year products are ALWAYS more defect prone than second year products. Always. Did I say "always"?

You can wait a year. Rivian is not Ford, or GM, producing a first year product with issues. I know. I was a first year Mach-e owner. Lots of issues. Ford fixed them over time, and 100% the second year was better than the first.

If you are excited about the R2, and don't want to wait, just do it. But you should do it with your eyes wide open. First year production from a new car manufacturer. It isn't going to be pretty.

That said, my R1T has been pretty rock solid. Very few problems. However, it is a Gen2, and Rivian has a lot of lessons learned built into the manufacturing process.

I love my truck. You will love your R2 also. Just wait a year, and save yourself some pain.

 

[River Ghost]

There was an announcement that Rivian had an agreement with an independent repair service. The issue though is not the service manuals but access to the diagnostics. With a software defined car a lot of information is available through diagnostics.

Rivian is prioritizing reservations by location. I think those far from service centers will not be at the head of the line. So I think most issues will probably be worked out by the time the order is processed for the OP.

I do not know if UHF makes a lot of sense in New Mexico right now. A YouTuber that tried an earlier version specifically called out New Mexico as a place where UHF did not work at that time. So maybe a launch edition is not likely and the order will be for later in the year.

In some ways New Mexico is a great place for off roading. Santa Fe is known as a city with million dollar mud homes on dirt roads. There are a lot of dirt roads within the city limits. Rivian has a database of where all of their owners are located. Denver is a hot spot so they have four service centers. But the opposite can be true that there are not a lot of Rivians because of a lack of service centers. I think New Mexico falls in that category. If more rural areas bought Rivians there probably would be more service centers outside of major cities.

 

[rbdavis808]

If Rivian truly wants to expand in a lower segment of the market and sell more cars, it seems inevitable that they will expand their service network. Until that time arrives, though, I personally would not want to risk a 100+ mile tow. I suppose it also depends upon what other cars holding serious appeal for a buyer have better service options locally -- if none, then buy whatever makes you happy?

 

[dleepnw]

Risky? Just depends on your appetite for long drives. Just have the expectation that you may have to pay for your own alternative transportation or tow truck if its not covered by Rivian. I've seen a ton of folks on here who live hundreds of miles away complaining about Rivian not covering the costs. Kinda unrealistic.

 

[Tejkalra]

Oh wow. I did not realize that the mobile service guys were stationed around the country vs being dispatched from service centers. That makes it sound more liveable.

We live just east of Cloudcroft. Do you think they would come here? What type of services have you had performed?

Also, I do a lot of my own work.....can we for instance change out the 12v battery when the time comes ourselves, or is there special calibration required with factory tools?

Mobile service is your answer. They can perform almost 75% out of the mobile van if needed. If not then I remember that tow to the service center when within warranty is free regardless of how far you live. Again confirm with some service center. When I got my Gen 1 R1T that's what I was told. But that was 2022.

 

[Tejkalra]

Risky? Just depends on your appetite for long drives. Just have the expectation that you may have to pay for your own alternative transportation or tow truck if its not covered by Rivian. I've seen a ton of folks on here who live hundreds of miles away complaining about Rivian not covering the costs. Kinda unrealistic.

So far none of my repairs were denied. I don't know if you are referring to after warranty period issues, then I am not sure. Tow, again if needed within warranty period, is included (or should be included).

 

[2kwik4u]

Couldn't disagree more. I know this is your personal experience but I have had 2 R1s in 3.5 years. Aside from an original problem 3.5 years ago my vehicles only have required service for tires. I didn't take it to Rivian I took it locally and twice had mobile service perform it on my driveway. While I get the issues people had with the R1 in the very beginning I would believe that won't be the same with the R2. I would gladly take a R2 right now or another R1, has been an amazing vehicle for us. I wouldn't hesitate at all even with the distance. Just get a charger installed in your garage well before you take delivery so that is done and done.

I can see that. There are many people that have very similar experiences to yours.

Hell, I thought there for a while that it was me being overly picky, or too precise with my expectations. Until I talked to other owners that confirmed they would have had the same issues with the vehicle I did, so it wasn't just me being unrealistic.

Once I polled the audience at an all Rivian event and found another person with the same experience as me, as well as someone with the same experience as you, I came to the above conclusion. Buying a Rivian is a gamble on if you'll get a good one or not.

NOW.....I also need to add in here that Rivian customer service, on pretty much every front, has been great to work with. The people I interact genuinely care. The service techs WANT to get it fixed, and the service advisors are clear, concise, communicate well, and are generally friendly and easy to work with. Even through escalation into the buy back process they were all professional and courteous, reminding me at every step that if I didn't like the way the process was going, arbitration was an option, so they hid nothing and worked with me every step of the way in an attempt to find a solution that was acceptable to both parties.

I MIGHT buy another Rivian. That's a big MIGHT there. If I do, it won't be because it's an excellent product, it'll be because it's an acceptable product with excellent customer service. If I'm going to have a crap product I'll at least know it's company will stand behind it well.

Finally, I think neither my experience with the truck itself, nor my experience with service is typical. Lots of stories here, and elsewhere online, of how it went differently with others. Which leads us back to the beginning. It's not a consistent experience, and new owners should be aware of that so they can use their own risk tolerance to decide if it's a thing they want to pursue or not.

 

[mkhuffman]

I live 300 miles from a service center, and I have a bunch of little problems with my R1S. I'm probably trading mine in. I wouldn't own a Rivian if I lived that far away from a service center.

Are you trading it in for another Rivian?

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Are you trading it in for another Rivian?

No. Right now it's probably going to be a Lexus GX 550.

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