Disillusioned New R1T Owner

[lefkonj]

I think this depends entirely on personal experience and use case.

The more remote a person is the importance of a spare goes up.

My GF's sister refuses to own a car without a spare due to an experience in LA with a flat.

For me personally I made sure my R1T had a full spare, but the vehicle I traded in on the R1T didn't have a spare.

I get it but most people aren't in this position. The original post was from a California professor so most likely not in the woods somewhere but it is possible.

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[s4wrxttcs]

I get it but most people aren't in this position. The original post was from a California professor so most likely not in the woods somewhere but it is possible.

AI says he lives in Arcata, California based on a "Where in California can a professor live but also be 4 hours away from a Rivian Service Center"

I don't think I'd want to get a flat in Humboldt County.

 

[VandalSibs]

I often wonder if this is because the people here also own $RIVN shares, and they’re heavily biased financially as a result

I own no shares in Rivian.

Again, someone painting all the users of this forum with the same brush...

 

[DuoRivians]

I own no shares in Rivian.

Again, someone painting all the users of this forum with the same brush...

I’m not painting everyone. Stop taking things personally, it’s not about you.

 

[VandalSibs]

I’m not painting everyone. Stop taking things personally, it’s not about you.

You said "the people here". If you had said "some" or "many" as part of your response, I wouldn't feel the need to respond. Your initial message was a response to someone who was implying that everyone here is some sycophant for the brand & therefore is unfriendly to people with issues.

Being branded as unfriendly is something that I'm not a fan of, as I try my best to be both helpful and welcoming to those coming in with questions. This applies to my actions here and in my life outside of being a Rivian owner. I can't speak for other members of this forum that are similar to me, but I imagine they would feel the same way.

 

[LuvDog]

my buying experience was not good either. The online purchase method may work if there are no snags but introduce just a little complexity and it’s way too hard to actually talk with people to get it straightened out

then my truck bricked on me 36 hours after I got it. It spent 2 full weeks at the service center

since then though it’s been great

hopefully you find joy your new ownership

 

[mkhuffman]

Never been on a forum before but I signed up because I need to find people who understand Rivian. Had the worst customer service experience of my life buying a Rivian, to the point that I wanted to give it back at the point of delivery and say Hell no, you guys absolutely suck, keep it!

Turns out we were too far down the road at that point so now I'm stuck with it. There isn't a single thing on it that has worked the way it was supposed to. I have had to do the re-set trick a couple of times (hold down the hazards button and the left steering wheel button). It doesn't do the number of miles it's supposed to. I cannot believe it doesn't come with a spare wheel. I'm from England where it's illegal to sell a car without a functioning spare wheel, I will never understand why they would do that.

They promised me an adapter, didn't deliver. They promised me it would be ready for pick up, drove 4 hours to pick up and it wasn't so they sent me home and promised me a set of rubber floor mats to "make it right" then they did't follow through. The first five times I got in to drive it I had go through the cycle of "Hello, let's set your mirrors, seat and steering wheel."

Fundamentally, I've never been more disappointed in a new car, I feel really let down. I am grateful for just about everything else in my life, I am working at being grateful for my Rivian, but honestly three days in it's still hard work.

I'm wondering if anyone had a good purchase experience? If you like your Rivian, how long did it take for you to like it?

Thanks.

Can you share a little more about the R1T you purchased? Was it a new 2026 with 22" range wheels?

 

[technerd]

The Rivian experience can have high highs and low lows. They're a lot of fun when they're working, but the experiences around buying, servicing and software updates can be a mixed bag. I've loved the last 3.5 years with mine but I'm starting to consider moving on.

 

[Robot Overlord]

I think this depends entirely on personal experience and use case.

The more remote a person is the importance of a spare goes up.

My GF's sister refuses to own a car without a spare due to an experience in LA with a flat.

For me personally I made sure my R1T had a full spare, but the vehicle I traded in on the R1T didn't have a spare. The use cases were different and so it became more important on the R1T.

Yes, past personal experience- three LONG family trips with not just flats, but non-repairable flats. The only car my immediate family owns that doesn’t have at least a donut spare is our 2014 BMW i3. Until the EME recently failed that old sucker only drove about 5 miles a day as my wife used it to commute to and from the school where she teaches. Road trip vehicles should have full-sized spares in my opinion so that’s why I have five 20” AT wheels (for the winter) and five 21” AS wheels for the rest of the year.

 

[ukyank]

I'm from England where it's illegal to sell a car without a functioning spare wheel, I will never understand why they would do that.

Not only is it not illegal, it appears almost no cars in England come with a spare tire in reality
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/tyres/which-cars-are-sold-with-a-spare-wheel-as-standard/

 

[mkennedy009]

OK, I have read your comments, in General, not with a broad brush, some in this forum will wreck anyone who comes here to complain about R1/R2.

Rivian is a new Car company and it has well documented issues with certain model year R1's (maybe R2) and with customer service.

With that said, I would never buy a car/truck with out doing my research. This includes Forums. Forums are the place to see the underbelly of car because people are willing to vent about the small things. This is not good or bad, it just is and it is very helpful to me.

I am also on the Bronco, F150, Slate, Scout, Volvo and a few others I cannot remember. They are all the same, prolly because we all love cars/trucks and are chasing that dragon of perfection.

If I have offended...that is on your interpretation. I try to use definitional English and not interpretive.

 

[RivAW]

Never been on a forum before but I signed up because I need to find people who understand Rivian. Had the worst customer service experience of my life buying a Rivian, to the point that I wanted to give it back at the point of delivery and say Hell no, you guys absolutely suck, keep it!

Turns out we were too far down the road at that point so now I'm stuck with it. There isn't a single thing on it that has worked the way it was supposed to. I have had to do the re-set trick a couple of times (hold down the hazards button and the left steering wheel button). It doesn't do the number of miles it's supposed to. I cannot believe it doesn't come with a spare wheel. I'm from England where it's illegal to sell a car without a functioning spare wheel, I will never understand why they would do that.

They promised me an adapter, didn't deliver. They promised me it would be ready for pick up, drove 4 hours to pick up and it wasn't so they sent me home and promised me a set of rubber floor mats to "make it right" then they did't follow through. The first five times I got in to drive it I had go through the cycle of "Hello, let's set your mirrors, seat and steering wheel."

Fundamentally, I've never been more disappointed in a new car, I feel really let down. I am grateful for just about everything else in my life, I am working at being grateful for my Rivian, but honestly three days in it's still hard work.

I'm wondering if anyone had a good purchase experience? If you like your Rivian, how long did it take for you to like it?

Thanks.

With due respect it sounds like you didn't do you share of the research before buying and like to complain...

 

[HaveBlue]

Yea sounds like venting but they are relatively minor issues that should be solvable. Full size aftermarket spares for the R1T are cheap and available. A software bug and a missing adapter isn't an ender. He'll enjoy his new truck soon enough. I get within 10% of EPA under normal driving which is pretty good considering the EPA highway loop is only 48mph average. That's assuming it's not freezing cold or burning hot outside since the HVAC affects a lot.

Still half the cost per mile over an equivalent ICE.

 

[CrazyOne]

I often wonder if this is because the people here also own $RIVN shares, and they’re heavily biased financially as a result

There are also RIVN shorts, TSLA holders and bots here for sure.

 

[Dave Cundiff]

There are also RIVN shorts, TSLA holders and bots here for sure.

Plus a lot of just plain human beings who have strong feelings, and who imagine that anyone who disagrees with us may have a biased motive.

That's why, even when tempted, I try to address the other person's argument (which I observe directly) rather than their motivation (which I can never observe directly).

Best to all!

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