Rear dampener needs replaced, just past warranty

[JRock]

Some purchases in life just don’t give you warm fuzzies the way a nice tennis braclet or season tickets to the Cubs, do. I dread buying new tires, but every time I do, I feel better after they’re on the vehicle, especially if they’re on my wife or daughter’s cars. Owning an $85k vehicle comes with future high price tags, too. It’s the cost of luxury. After all, who really NEEDS an $85k vehicle. There are many, many very reliable vehicles out there for much less.
Food for thought….

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[sacramentoelectric]

I think the general average for an air suspension is five years but $4k ?

I had a leak after 12k miles / 18 months. Fixed under warranty.

 

[RivianRiverRat]

Tired Discounters has launched their flagship TD EV shop here in Cincinnati. Guy who runs it is former Rivian employee with over 100k on his LE truck. I have some hope now with this shop being a 2nd option

Had my tires rotated at one of the local TD yesterday
Service Manager was discussing this very shop and the amount of tech going into it
He happened to be most impressed with the fire suppression system put in for EV's in case of a fire in the shop

 

[SASSquatch]

Some purchases in life just don’t give you warm fuzzies the way a nice tennis braclet or season tickets to the Cubs, do. I dread buying new tires, but every time I do, I feel better after they’re on the vehicle, especially if they’re on my wife or daughter’s cars. Owning an $85k vehicle comes with future high price tags, too. It’s the cost of luxury. After all, who really NEEDS an $85k vehicle. There are many, many very reliable vehicles out there for much less.
Food for thought….

Pay the man!

My biggest concern about the R1 vehicles has always been, what happens when the warranty runs out?

Early adopters got a huge price cut of $20K or more depending on your configuration. In reality, the car you got is a six figure car. The R1T/R1S are like no other vehicles on the road boasting the dampening system of a McLaren while at the same time giving you off roading capabilities that rival any dedicated off-road vehicle.

There is going to be a price to pay when things break down. As an early adopter with pre-March pricing, you should probably factor in that the price savings will likely be paid back in warranty repairs.

Alternatively, this might be the kind of vehicle to purchase an extended warranty on if you can find something with good coverage at a cost that isn't outrageous. The fact that Rivian does not offer an extended warranty speaks volumes about the liability they think they will take on in future years.

 

[hayduke]

I had a leak after 12k miles / 18 months. Fixed under warranty.

out of curiosity what was the symptom of a leak? i notice when i come back from vacation my truck is slammed and i get a message not to drive immediately as damage may result (as the airbags get refilled). my friends truck does the same thing so i thought it was normal.

and while im asking how do you know if you have subframe issues? i hear plenty of rattles and noises but tend not to be too picky. as someone reasonably technical is this something i could check on a lift or on ramps?

 

[R1Tom]

out of curiosity what was the symptom of a leak? i notice when i come back from vacation my truck is slammed and i get a message not to drive immediately as damage may result (as the airbags get refilled). my friends truck does the same thing so i thought it was normal.

and while im asking how do you know if you have subframe issues? i hear plenty of rattles and noises but tend not to be too picky. as someone reasonably technical is this something i could check on a lift or on ramps?

Mine can sit for weeks at the airport and any reduction in height is negligible. I have not ever seen that warning you mention. So my thought is those systems are leaking excessively and something should be replaced.

My front end had some clunking and clicking noises and when I took it to service they deemed it a subframe issue and replaced with the newer cast version. When that gets replaced so does a whole bunch of other things. Upper and lower control arms, the steering knuckle, the lower shield and I believe a few other things.

 

[johnnylawson]

Mine can sit for weeks at the airport and any reduction in height is negligible. I have not ever seen that warning you mention. So my thought is those systems are leaking excessively and something should be replaced.

My front end had some clunking and clicking noises and when I took it to service they deemed it a subframe issue and replaced with the newer cast version. When that gets replaced so does a whole bunch of other things. Upper and lower control arms, the steering knuckle, the lower shield and I believe a few other things.

I'll note that if you have a quad Gen 1 - it's just the actual subframe that gets replaced. I confirmed with SC manager as I was excited to get new parts in my mind too. Rivian has Gen 1 quad subframes that are cast (made these before Gen 2 cast). The Gen 1 quad cast fit the Gen 1 parts.

It's a different story if you have any other setup (daul motors) Gen 1.

 

[R1Tom]

I'll note that if you have a quad Gen 1 - it's just the actual subframe that gets replaced. I confirmed with SC manager as I was excited to get new parts in my mind too. Rivian has Gen 1 quad subframes that are cast (made these before Gen 2 cast). The Gen 1 quad cast fit the Gen 1 parts.

It's a different story if you have any other setup (daul motors) Gen 1.

I have a quad and he physically showed me all of what he replaced and it was basically everything except the air spring/dampers. Maybe it comes down to service center decision then and he decided to replace everything. I assumed it was just the subframe too, but when I said that at pick up, the tech took me back and showed me all the take off parts. Maybe I just got lucky?

Edit...I just read your post again and may have figured out what was different. If you had a G1 cast subframe already then maybe that is case. The early quads had welded aluminum subframes which mine had and maybe that is what dictated replacing everything.

 

[johnnylawson]

I have a quad and he physically showed me all of what he replaced and it was basically everything except the air spring/dampers. Maybe it comes down to service center decision then and he decided to replace everything. I assumed it was just the subframe too, but when I said that at pick up, the tech took me back and showed me all the take off parts. Maybe I just got lucky?

Edit...I just read your post again and may have figured out what was different. If you had a G1 cast subframe already then maybe that is case. The early quads had welded aluminum subframes which mine had and maybe that is what dictated replacing everything.

Now I'm going to be questioning my SC manager when I pick mine up. I have Vin 25xx R1S Gen 1 quad

 

[R1Tom]

Now I'm going to be questioning my SC manager when I pick mine up. I have Vin 25xx R1S Gen 1 quad

Good call...it definitely had a welded subframe then. Mine is 3xxx. I looked at mine many times before the replacement.

Maybe mine was over aggressive in replacing everything but he did say that things are different and not interchangeable which I was surprised to hear actually.

 

[johnnylawson]

Good call...it definitely had a welded subframe then. Mine is 3xxx. I looked at mine many times before the replacement.

Maybe mine was over aggressive in replacing everything but he did say that things are different and not interchangeable which I was surprised to hear actually.

Reason this is alarming to me is because I paid for new front lower control arms in an effort to stop the creaking. When it should of been subframe all along, I wouldn't of had to pay 2600 for them.

 

[Golfer04]

Is this something that can be avoided by not changing air suspension heights much? I have had air suspensions before and was told not to use them a lot because it increases the likelihood of failure. Kyle Connor said same thing on one of his vids. I keep mine in standard height and don't kneel. Now if only "auto" would stay off. Comes back in every morning.

 

[R1Tom]

Is this something that can be avoided by not changing air suspension heights much? I have had air suspensions before and was told not to use them a lot because it increases the likelihood of failure. Kyle Connor said same thing on one of his vids. I keep mine in standard height and don't kneel. Now if only "auto" would stay off. Comes back in every morning.

Unfortunately this is my first air suspension so I don't have all the experience others might have.

But it seems the components that would see extra wear in height changes are mostly limited to the air compressor and then the valves that are operated in a height change.

It wouldn't seem the suspension itself would really see any added wear. Even the air bags it seems wouldn't see much added wear but maybe a little.

I am just basing this from a mech eng perspective with zero previous experience so I could be wrong.

 

[johnnylawson]

Good call...it definitely had a welded subframe then. Mine is 3xxx. I looked at mine many times before the replacement.

Maybe mine was over aggressive in replacing everything but he did say that things are different and not interchangeable which I was surprised to hear actually.

The connection stuff was replaced but kept parts. All the connection areas basically replaced. Drives awesome now.

 

[R1Tom]

The connection stuff was replaced but kept parts. All the connection areas basically replaced. Drives awesome now.

I agree! Same with me. Everybody who says G2 is worlds better...I suspect do not have the improved stuff like we do unfortunately. Because other than the very rare half shaft clunk now...mine performs exactly as I would want it to....from cornering to harsh bumps. Just does it all very well.

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