Took delivery on an R1T yesterday without the tonneau

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They knew. The covers were almost all either broken or disabled during first mile events and at press events.

The covers yes. The other stuff, probably, but they probably figured it would be better for them to engineer/fix later than to delay production again. But I have to admit when I saw all the reviews with the covers disabled, I assumed it would be launching with a better/updated design, so the other stuff probably had flaws also.

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[R1Sky Business]

After placing an order for an R1T Adventure model in August of 2021, I received a VIN a few days ago and went through the 8-steps. After I had completed all the paperwork, paid for insurance and sent off payment for the R1T, I had a call from my guide to tell me that the service center where I was picking up the truck wanted me to know that it did not have a tonneau cover. This was a surprise to me and was only a day before I was scheduled to drive two hours to get the truck.

My mistake was not to catch the fact that when Rivian went through the price change this spring that they no longer included the tonneau cover in the Adventure model. I have not changed my configuration once since they day I entered it in August of 2021, so didn't catch that deletion. Yes, I should have caught that, but since every single truck discussed on this forum has come with the powered tonneau cover (and I've read many of those articles), I just assumed incorrectly mine had it. When I discussed my configuration with my guide a few weeks ago, he did not bring up anything about the tonneau cover. I'm just mentioning all this so others can be sure to check their orders. Apparently, just in the last week or so has Rivian started delivering trucks without tonneau covers.

Anyway, there was further confusion because my guide told me my truck would not accept the manual cover either. I discussed with my wife and decided to go ahead with the delivery, unless there were other problems with the truck. Upon reflection I realized I would probably only need a tonneau a minority of the time, though I did wonder about the modest effect on range of not having a tonneau. Fortunately, when we arrived at the service center to look at the truck, not only was it in excellent condition overall (no build flaws), the truck bed DID have the slots for the manual tonneau cover. So my guide had incorrect information on that.

I spoke to a technician at the service center to ask if the motorized tonneau cover could be installed, especially after an improved version is available. He understandably said he didn't know, but looking at the bed of the truck he thought it looked pretty similar to the ones with the motorized tonneau. I'm uploading some photos of the truck bed so others can see what it looks like without the tonneau. The button is different (just releases the tailgate, no function for the tonneau), but the tech said the button is easily replaceable. It looks like the vertical panel at the front of the bed is a separate piece from the side walls, so I'm presuming it can be removed, but not sure of that. At the front of the bed, there is a rubber strip that presumably the manual tonneau cover panels will bump up against. The tech thought it was likely that more info on the manual tonneau covers would be available in the next month or so.

I have had a variety of tonneau covers on past work trucks and after reviewing some of the current ones on the market, most of which will probably not be available for the Rivian, I was glad to see that I am likely to be able to use Rivian's manual tonneau. With the slots already in place, it will prevent having to mount a whole additional metal frame around the top of the bed to install a third party tonneau. In other words, a much cleaner installation will be possible using those built-in slots for the times I want a tonneau on. And I really think it could be quite awhile before any third party company bothers to make a tonneau sized for the Rivian, given that all the R1Ts sold to date have come with a tonneau and many of the new ones will be either the motorized or manual Rivian options. So probably not a very sizable market for third party tonneau options.

Aside from the tonneau surprise, I'm very happy with the new truck so far. Build quality seems excellent, no misaligned panels, steering wheel is straight, no wind noise from passenger side or anywhere else, just extremely quiet in the 150 miles I've driven so far (21 inch tires). The driver plus system worked well on Interstate 70 driving east from Kansas City, as did other features of the vehicle like heated seats and steering wheel. The steering wheel did get less warm after a while. I turned it off, back on, and it warmed back up again after a bit.

The person who helped us at the service center was very personable and helpful, and the two technicians we spoke with were both very polite and helpful as well. Very glad to finally have the truck!

So naked....

 

[R1Sky Business]

No, I did not pay the extra price for the tonneau. I had incorrectly assumed it was still included as one of the features of the Adventure package (which was originally the case but changed in spring of 2022 without my noticing it). It was my oversight, I'm not complaining about Rivian, but just wanted others to be sure to check their configuration and also to show photos of what the option without the tonneau looks like.

Financially responsible ?

 

[mabowden]

My powered one delivered pre-broken for me, so consider yourself lucky.

Pre-broken. What a concept! I have a new business idea...

 

[Tejkalra]

After placing an order for an R1T Adventure model in August of 2021, I received a VIN a few days ago and went through the 8-steps. After I had completed all the paperwork, paid for insurance and sent off payment for the R1T, I had a call from my guide to tell me that the service center where I was picking up the truck wanted me to know that it did not have a tonneau cover. This was a surprise to me and was only a day before I was scheduled to drive two hours to get the truck.

My mistake was not to catch the fact that when Rivian went through the price change this spring that they no longer included the tonneau cover in the Adventure model. I have not changed my configuration once since they day I entered it in August of 2021, so didn't catch that deletion. Yes, I should have caught that, but since every single truck discussed on this forum has come with the powered tonneau cover (and I've read many of those articles), I just assumed incorrectly mine had it. When I discussed my configuration with my guide a few weeks ago, he did not bring up anything about the tonneau cover. I'm just mentioning all this so others can be sure to check their orders. Apparently, just in the last week or so has Rivian started delivering trucks without tonneau covers.

Anyway, there was further confusion because my guide told me my truck would not accept the manual cover either. I discussed with my wife and decided to go ahead with the delivery, unless there were other problems with the truck. Upon reflection I realized I would probably only need a tonneau a minority of the time, though I did wonder about the modest effect on range of not having a tonneau. Fortunately, when we arrived at the service center to look at the truck, not only was it in excellent condition overall (no build flaws), the truck bed DID have the slots for the manual tonneau cover. So my guide had incorrect information on that.

I spoke to a technician at the service center to ask if the motorized tonneau cover could be installed, especially after an improved version is available. He understandably said he didn't know, but looking at the bed of the truck he thought it looked pretty similar to the ones with the motorized tonneau. I'm uploading some photos of the truck bed so others can see what it looks like without the tonneau. The button is different (just releases the tailgate, no function for the tonneau), but the tech said the button is easily replaceable. It looks like the vertical panel at the front of the bed is a separate piece from the side walls, so I'm presuming it can be removed, but not sure of that. At the front of the bed, there is a rubber strip that presumably the manual tonneau cover panels will bump up against. The tech thought it was likely that more info on the manual tonneau covers would be available in the next month or so.

I have had a variety of tonneau covers on past work trucks and after reviewing some of the current ones on the market, most of which will probably not be available for the Rivian, I was glad to see that I am likely to be able to use Rivian's manual tonneau. With the slots already in place, it will prevent having to mount a whole additional metal frame around the top of the bed to install a third party tonneau. In other words, a much cleaner installation will be possible using those built-in slots for the times I want a tonneau on. And I really think it could be quite awhile before any third party company bothers to make a tonneau sized for the Rivian, given that all the R1Ts sold to date have come with a tonneau and many of the new ones will be either the motorized or manual Rivian options. So probably not a very sizable market for third party tonneau options.

Aside from the tonneau surprise, I'm very happy with the new truck so far. Build quality seems excellent, no misaligned panels, steering wheel is straight, no wind noise from passenger side or anywhere else, just extremely quiet in the 150 miles I've driven so far (21 inch tires). The driver plus system worked well on Interstate 70 driving east from Kansas City, as did other features of the vehicle like heated seats and steering wheel. The steering wheel did get less warm after a while. I turned it off, back on, and it warmed back up again after a bit.

The person who helped us at the service center was very personable and helpful, and the two technicians we spoke with were both very polite and helpful as well. Very glad to finally have the truck!

How long did it took to get your VIN. I was reached by my guide and next day I received my VIN. Did it took 6-8 weeks for your delivery. Because that's what I have been told.

 

[Harvest]

I got my VIN one week before taking delivery.

 

[Cgreenlaw78]

After placing an order for an R1T Adventure model in August of 2021, I received a VIN a few days ago and went through the 8-steps. After I had completed all the paperwork, paid for insurance and sent off payment for the R1T, I had a call from my guide to tell me that the service center where I was picking up the truck wanted me to know that it did not have a tonneau cover. This was a surprise to me and was only a day before I was scheduled to drive two hours to get the truck.

My mistake was not to catch the fact that when Rivian went through the price change this spring that they no longer included the tonneau cover in the Adventure model. I have not changed my configuration once since they day I entered it in August of 2021, so didn't catch that deletion. Yes, I should have caught that, but since every single truck discussed on this forum has come with the powered tonneau cover (and I've read many of those articles), I just assumed incorrectly mine had it. When I discussed my configuration with my guide a few weeks ago, he did not bring up anything about the tonneau cover. I'm just mentioning all this so others can be sure to check their orders. Apparently, just in the last week or so has Rivian started delivering trucks without tonneau covers.

Anyway, there was further confusion because my guide told me my truck would not accept the manual cover either. I discussed with my wife and decided to go ahead with the delivery, unless there were other problems with the truck. Upon reflection I realized I would probably only need a tonneau a minority of the time, though I did wonder about the modest effect on range of not having a tonneau. Fortunately, when we arrived at the service center to look at the truck, not only was it in excellent condition overall (no build flaws), the truck bed DID have the slots for the manual tonneau cover. So my guide had incorrect information on that.

I spoke to a technician at the service center to ask if the motorized tonneau cover could be installed, especially after an improved version is available. He understandably said he didn't know, but looking at the bed of the truck he thought it looked pretty similar to the ones with the motorized tonneau. I'm uploading some photos of the truck bed so others can see what it looks like without the tonneau. The button is different (just releases the tailgate, no function for the tonneau), but the tech said the button is easily replaceable. It looks like the vertical panel at the front of the bed is a separate piece from the side walls, so I'm presuming it can be removed, but not sure of that. At the front of the bed, there is a rubber strip that presumably the manual tonneau cover panels will bump up against. The tech thought it was likely that more info on the manual tonneau covers would be available in the next month or so.

I have had a variety of tonneau covers on past work trucks and after reviewing some of the current ones on the market, most of which will probably not be available for the Rivian, I was glad to see that I am likely to be able to use Rivian's manual tonneau. With the slots already in place, it will prevent having to mount a whole additional metal frame around the top of the bed to install a third party tonneau. In other words, a much cleaner installation will be possible using those built-in slots for the times I want a tonneau on. And I really think it could be quite awhile before any third party company bothers to make a tonneau sized for the Rivian, given that all the R1Ts sold to date have come with a tonneau and many of the new ones will be either the motorized or manual Rivian options. So probably not a very sizable market for third party tonneau options.

Aside from the tonneau surprise, I'm very happy with the new truck so far. Build quality seems excellent, no misaligned panels, steering wheel is straight, no wind noise from passenger side or anywhere else, just extremely quiet in the 150 miles I've driven so far (21 inch tires). The driver plus system worked well on Interstate 70 driving east from Kansas City, as did other features of the vehicle like heated seats and steering wheel. The steering wheel did get less warm after a while. I turned it off, back on, and it warmed back up again after a bit.

The person who helped us at the service center was very personable and helpful, and the two technicians we spoke with were both very polite and helpful as well. Very glad to finally have the truck!

Omg your story is the exact as mine !!! I took delivery Friday night and the no tonneau was a complete surprise to me as well!!! I noticed the slots and both my guide and the tech said they are producing trucks with no auto tonneau and ours will accept the manual cover when it comes out early spring 2023.

 

[Harvest]

I'm eager to see what design they come up with for the manual tonneau. Hopefully something easy to install, remove and provides good rigidity when in place. Preferably something that can keep the truck bed relatively dry as well.

 

[bobaurora]

Pre-broken. What a concept! I have a new business idea...

Mine was pre-broken too. I just had them force it open. Haven't thought about it since. Of course when the fix is ready I will get it taken care of.

 

[Olsonsolar]

It doesn‘t make business sense to install a 1.0 series powered tonneau cover with a flawed design.

Seems like a royal costly screwup.

 

[hayduke]

Mine was pre-broken too. I just had them force it open. Haven't thought about it since. Of course when the fix is ready I will get it taken care of.

Mine was delivered in June with the power tonneau uninstalled from the vehicle by the service center. At the time they said it was backordered which we all thought would be maybe a few weeks or months.

I can't distinguish in the OP's photos any difference between my bed and the OP's bed, other than presumably the button is missing.

Lack of wiring seems like a stretch as if Rivian wanted to make the power tonneau cover retrofittable, as someone else pointed out there's plenty of existing trucks that effectively need to have the cover retrofitted, or at least I'm hoping that's still Rivian's plan.

My guess is Rivian wants to limit the blast radius of this broken feature and simply not produce any more trucks that need a power tonneau now or later while the solution probably well exceeds any reasonable option cost to Rivian. I can't say I blame them, but as usual messaging is a bit confusing and unclear.

 

[mabowden]

Mine was delivered in June with the power tonneau uninstalled from the vehicle by the service center. At the time they said it was backordered which we all thought would be maybe a few weeks or months.

I can't distinguish in the OP's photos any difference between my bed and the OP's bed, other than presumably the button is missing.

Lack of wiring seems like a stretch as if Rivian wanted to make the power tonneau cover retrofittable, as someone else pointed out there's plenty of existing trucks that effectively need to have the cover retrofitted, or at least I'm hoping that's still Rivian's plan.

My guess is Rivian wants to limit the blast radius of this broken feature and simply not produce any more trucks that need a power tonneau now or later while the solution probably well exceeds any reasonable option cost to Rivian. I can't say I blame them, but as usual messaging is a bit confusing and unclear.

I highly doubt there will be a retrofit- as confirmed by customer service for now. I would rather be in the situation of receiving a truck capable with the manual tonneau then to receive a truck with its power tonneau uninstalled.

Sorry about your experience. Must be a bit frustrating. I agree they are likely trying to limit the blast radius.

 

[NorCalRivianFan]

Changed from Max to large Pack a few weeks ago.... and voila, I was just asked to lock my config and got a Guide assigned. (now pretty optimistic I can get 7500$ back in April ;-)
I expect now a delivery without the tonneau cover within next 2 months.

One question I hoped to see answered on the forums is:
- Can the cover to that newly wasted space be opened? Or does that require some force and breaking parts? I agree this would be great additional dry space to be used a la gear tunnel? Or alternatively remove that space to gain some extra inches of bed length.

Also wondering whether anyone know about a product which could slide into the rails at least in the interim? While no expecting secure space it would be nice to get 'somewhat' dry space. Or at least have the content less visible.

On my Tacoma I have these Diamondback covers which sit on top of the bed, but certain there is no size for this short bed.

 

[Prime]

Omg your story is the exact as mine !!! I took delivery Friday night and the no tonneau was a complete surprise to me as well!!! I noticed the slots and both my guide and the tech said they are producing trucks with no auto tonneau and ours will accept the manual cover when it comes out early spring 2023.

Hmmm early 2023 just turned into Spring 2023.. then it’ll likely be summer 2023 before any of these manual covers ship. Hopefully the panels are easy for them to mass produce once they get the design locked down.

 

[fbitz777]

I just confirmed my config today and received the purchase steps email. I also didn't have the auto tonneau cover. I messaged Rivian and they said I can add the manual tonneau cover without affecting my delivery. I need to talk with my guide Monday.

Hey did you end up getting a tonneau?
I was at Cleveland SC yesterday and mine came without a cover. I was however the only of the 10 trucks waiting delivery without it.
I was a little bit surprised but delivery specialist was confident I could order that later
Same with the racks.

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