The shop told me their per hour charge was $25 an hour higher for EVs.
That’s right. Insurance is already high enough and I don’t want to take any chances. I also have a $1K deductible and the repair I have opted for, including the replacement tailpipe I found on EBay for $250, will likely not cost much more than that.
good luck. In your case with the relatively low cost of the repair I hope it works out but in general I always find it disappointing that people who pay thousands for insurance over a lifetime fail to use it when it is called for out of fear of some future price increase. Insurance companies love that.
This very real and huge monetary issue is my number one concern/complaint of owning a Rivian. My insurance is insanely expensive and I'm absolutely terrified to get a minor scratch on this thing.I backed into a trailer and put a small dent in the rear of my R1T as well as cracking the tail light. I took it to 2 of the 3 Rivian certified body shops in Houston. The dent is small at less than 4 inches wide and about about an inch and a half wide. I have yet to receive the estimates but both shops said they would need to remove the entire left side panel of the vehicle (it’s one piece) as well as the doors and much of the trim around the bed of the truck. One of the shops said I might need to replace the entire panel. They gave me the impression I would be receiving estimates that would be no less than $4K and substantially more if the panel has to be replaced. I have had similar dents taken care in other vehicles by tapping out as much as they can and then using Bondo to finish it off. After talking to several shops, they all said that I should not be concerned about the use of Bondo and indicated that the Certified repair shops operate at a unrealistic standard and are likely not allowed to use Bondo. I have attached a picture of the dent. The shadows makes the dent look larger than it actually is. I would be interested in any observations but it feels like the Certified repair shops are a bit of a rip-off.
Honestly,I backed into a trailer and put a small dent in the rear of my R1T as well as cracking the tail light. I took it to 2 of the 3 Rivian certified body shops in Houston. The dent is small at less than 4 inches wide and about about an inch and a half wide. I have yet to receive the estimates but both shops said they would need to remove the entire left side panel of the vehicle (it’s one piece) as well as the doors and much of the trim around the bed of the truck. One of the shops said I might need to replace the entire panel. They gave me the impression I would be receiving estimates that would be no less than $4K and substantially more if the panel has to be replaced. I have had similar dents taken care in other vehicles by tapping out as much as they can and then using Bondo to finish it off. After talking to several shops, they all said that I should not be concerned about the use of Bondo and indicated that the Certified repair shops operate at a unrealistic standard and are likely not allowed to use Bondo. I have attached a picture of the dent. The shadows makes the dent look larger than it actually is. I would be interested in any observations but it feels like the Certified repair shops are a bit of a rip-off.
Also, I've seen the area where the taillight sits.. it's a sealed metal pocket under the taillight so there's no access to the dent area for the PDR guy to get his tools in from like on most vehicles where you remove the taillight and have access to the outer skin of the vehicle. It makes the PDR work more difficult because they will have to get access to the area behind the dent to get it moving outwards (yes they can use glue and pull it out but that might prove super challenging for this dent). I don't know what they'd have to remove to get access to that area, but it certainly is not impossible for a good/experienced PDR guy.
It's accessible, but difficult - however the right guy can do it for sure. My dent was lower than this one but here is the before/after of my work. You literally cannot tell there was a dent.
This panel goes all the way up around the doors next to the panoramic roof. Removing this and replacing it is nothing short of rediculous. There is potential for further repair induced damage and your are replacing the original paint on the entire panel. Quality small repairs can be completed on this small area with modern day epoxy fillers and quality paint matching. I would never replace the entire panel for this minor repair that can fully be done without removing anything except the damaged tail light replacement.I just received the first estimate. This does not involve replacing the panel.
That sounds cheap in todays dollars. Here is my Tesla model 3. In the shop for 6 weeks and $15,000 repair. Top photo is the fender dent. Second two is another car that had a similar dent showing the new panel installed and the final photo is the end produce. Not the same as new. Repaired fender is better than factory.I backed into a trailer and put a small dent in the rear of my R1T as well as cracking the tail light. I took it to 2 of the 3 Rivian certified body shops in Houston. The dent is small at less than 4 inches wide and about about an inch and a half wide. I have yet to receive the estimates but both shops said they would need to remove the entire left side panel of the vehicle (it’s one piece) as well as the doors and much of the trim around the bed of the truck. One of the shops said I might need to replace the entire panel. They gave me the impression I would be receiving estimates that would be no less than $4K and substantially more if the panel has to be replaced. I have had similar dents taken care in other vehicles by tapping out as much as they can and then using Bondo to finish it off. After talking to several shops, they all said that I should not be concerned about the use of Bondo and indicated that the Certified repair shops operate at a unrealistic standard and are likely not allowed to use Bondo. I have attached a picture of the dent. The shadows makes the dent look larger than it actually is. I would be interested in any observations but it feels like the Certified repair shops are a bit of a rip-off.
Just a quote or did they actually repair it for that price? Seems way too sharp a fold to repair cheaplyI had a completely different experience with my body repair. I backed up into an icy snow bank and got a ding really similar to the OPs. I went to a rivian certified body shop that was recommended by GEICO. My quote came in at $1269.25, including replacing the broken tail light. I was pretty surprised given this and other threads, and the fact that I live in the SF Bay Area where everything seems to be more expensive. The body shop does only EVs, primarily Teslas. Given the number of cars awaiting work, I'm guessing it's one of the busiest in the country.
I completely agree.
Just removing the full side panel is a very lengthy process and then you have to put it back. I was also told the doors would have to be removed. Maybe I need to change to Geico. Best of luck.
