Problems with Dynamic Glass Roof R1S?

[rivuser2214]

Update: Rivian Engineering is now investigating.

Hi, this thread is for people who have - or are interested in having - Rivian dynamic glass roofs.
Don't care? No need to comment!
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Would be interested to know if any other 2025 R1S owners with Dynamic Glass roof are seeing 50-60% opacity even when dynamic glass is toggled off-. Roof glass is extremely bright in either on- or off- position and when the sun hits it in off- position, it is blinding. In obscure daylight, toggled off, the glass sports rainbow concentric circles inside it, further impeding the view . I have never seen dynamic glass before so I do not know how it behaves. When I purchased, on the website there was only a still photo with no indication of what it looked like toggled off. Because using pre-reservation holder credit to buy, could only go through Rivian Shop for available vehicles. This one came with the dynamic glass.

When the glass is toggled on- glass roof turns opaque, but still very bright white when the sun is hits it. When toggled off- while in motion, it was (for me and my kids) a literal headache due very strong flashing bright white while driving (passing under a row of sunlit trees provided more visual flashing than under the standard Rivian roof glass). Dynamic glass is not providing any shading from the sun, nor cooling. The glass itself heats up to very hot temperatures in the off- position, feeling hotter to me than normal roof glass when driving.

The whole point of the Rivian experience is that you can see your adventures out the windows. With Dynamic roof glass, you cannot see. It's like heavy fog. For me, the standard Rivian glass roof was the coolest feature for Rivian passenger experience allowing huge views (roof glass did not seem excessively dark to me) , so this is very confounding. In the attached photos you can see the difference between the passenger 2nd row visibility with window glass vs. the dynamic glass roof ( toggled off-!). Vast difference in visibility.

Rivian service department said they cannot replace the dynamic with normal glass. So is it functioning as designed? I'd like to know how it was designed because there are no details about it in the Rivian Shop where I purchased. ( I could not use the Configurator to purchase - only the Shop, so no dynamic glass info, guides and Chat also had very little info at point of purchase). Can it be covered with commercial films that keep the glass from overheating, as it is currently doing? What would ceramic coating do vs. films? Would installing either affect the warranty or "functionality"?

When we inspected the vehicle for delivery it was housed inside a storage facility with a featureless white metal ceiling. We were not allowed to drive it during inspection to see it in daylight. So we were not able to fully see how the glass operated nor how opaque the glass truly was in the off- position in daylight.

I am really hoping for a solution on Rivian dynamic glass roofs. I do not find it functions (it is a function - not a design) as expected or in an acceptable manner.

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[eskudo12791]

I dont know the last time I looked out the roof glass, and to say is claustrophobia inducing must be hyperbole, how do you drive a vehicle with a normal roof?

 

[Zoidz]

I'm going to ask a possibly dumb question, but is it at all possible that it has a protective film on it that was not removed?

 

[DoubleTake]

I believe you are the only gen 2 owners with the new roof who has posted on the forum. I have yet to see a build on the shop including the new roof. I prefer the normal one tho as this new one is just a gimmick. Had it in my iX and it became a check this out every time I had a new passenger in the vehicle

 

[bd5400]

I’ve read other accounts that the glass is not clear and always has a milky haze, so this appears to be inherent in the design. There was also speculation that it wouldn’t do anything for heat.

for what it’s worth, the tinted glass on the non-dynamic version is very dark and doesn’t provide any sort of visual open air experience either.

 

[Thedude]

Recalls are for safety risks, not because you don’t like how the glass looks.

 

[Davethadog]

The dynamic glass roof is dumb, getting this bent out of shape about it is dumber. Count your blessings in life and move on.

 

[rivuser2214]

I believe when purchasing a new vehicle (however you pay for it) and the car doesn't perform as expected, it's a problem. Thinking also there may be increased motion sickness due to constantly obscured view - where a view is expected. I have ridden a normal Rivian in the second row and visibility is definitely better if a bit darker without the dynamic glass. Prefer that.

 

[Schroederhc]

There is how you want it to work, and then there is how it actually works. Two suggestions find out if you can get it tinted with ceramic and get a sun shade for the summer. My 2 cents

 

[atebit]

Paging Kim Java…

 

[Killer95Stang]

When are being blinded and roasted by a dynamic glass roof, it is a safety hazard. Not a design conceit. My kids are not going to count blessing when they are massively uncomfortable under this roof.

I don't know if you have been in a regular R1S with the normal glass on a hot day. You definitely roast and it was a little too bright for my liking, so I bought a sunshade to block it out. I never open the panoramic roof in any of our other cars with shades, so I don't really miss it.

Just to play the devils advocate, I'll ask my Rivian engineer neighbor what he thinks about the roof and how it performs on the test vehicles. He's is also an owner of his own R1 and is pretty honest with me about what he likes and doesn't like in the vehicles.

 

[COdogman]

Recalls are for safety issues. The sun is bright through the “old” roof if you look up at it too. So don’t do that….

It’s also not Rivian’s job to make sure you read up on their policies before taking delivery. That’s 100% on you. Most car companies aren’t offering 7 day return policies either.

 

[MidnightM00N]

Yeah, that is how the Dynamic Roof seems on all of them. A little milky when “off” and fairly opaque-white whenn “on.” Yours seems to be working as designed. I have it as well, and while it’s not a revolutionary feature, I don’t regret paying for it. It’s never bothered me in early, midday, or late sun in either setting. We use it to shield direct sun for our infant in the second row, and it does a pretty solid job at that. When on, I can look up through it at the sun and don’t find it blinding. It certainly doesn’t seem to block any amount of heat. It is what it is.

 

[rivuser2214]

Recalls are for safety risks, not because you don’t like how the glass looks.

Understood, if this glass were only structural and inert. However, this is "dynamic" glass. It has functions. It has an on- and off- switch. It is not an aesthetic design conceit. I do not believe this functional piece of equipment was properly designed. Its functioning is not as expected by customers. It neither shades nor provides an unimpeded view when toggled off. If a car has a functional feature, that feature should function within the parameters of the minimal expectations. If a car has windows, you should be able to see clearly through those windows.

 

[COdogman]

Sounds like a company employee.

Sounds like a cop out.

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