RJ, Rivian Service is Broken

[ThirteenElectrics]

Rivian slow walks service because it’s a cost center. The more service centers they build and the more techs they hire, the more cash vanishes. Rivians have an almost infinite demand for service, for items large and small, and the slower Rivian is at it the less they bleed.

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[majorfriend]

Rivian slow walks service because it’s a cost center. The more service centers they build and the more techs they hire, the more cash vanishes. Rivians have an almost infinite demand for service, for items large and small, and the slower Rivian is at it the less they bleed.

Until a good percentage of vehicles are out of warranty...then it becomes a revenue source.

 

[strykerwsu]

I have 2. 1 service visit in my garage, how cool is that, in 34k and 2 years. So don’t think service needed is infinite.

 

[SASSquatch]

You have enough extra EVs lying around that you could start renting them out for Rivian service customers.

Pay the man!

Also, why isn't Rivian doing what they said they would do and let people "subscribe" to an R1 vehicle? This can be a month to month or longer subscription with a fleet insurance policy included like other OEMs have done (Hyundai, Volvo, etc.).

You can also offer people the option to then lease or buy at the end. They have inventory lying around. It lowers the barrier of entry and I think if ppl get into a Rivian and experience the vehicle for day-to-day they are much more likely to buy.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

Until a good percentage of vehicles are out of warranty...then it becomes a revenue source.

Not everyone thinks long term.

 

[Hook]

The cool effect is certainly wearing off... 3800 miles and a bluish green oil leak has my R1T sitting in service for 2 weeks so far in El Segundo. They won't even provide an ETA for when it will get into a service bay. This is ridiculous for a vehicle of this price. Maybe I should have done more research before purchasing, but I'm telling everyone who asks to stay away from Rivian at this point. Such a shame.

 

[Cascadian]

Mine went into SC for what should be relatively simple warranty repair. I have had rental for 1week at $50/day on Rivian’s dime. Zero communication on progress so far.
Nuts!

And then an hour later I received my first message to say it needs to stay a week more due to lack of technician capacity.

Update:
End of 2nd week and they have determined tailgate needs adjustment. No ECD to fix and do 7500.
They claim to have a staffing problem.

Update 2:
Service done after 2.5 weeks.
1half-shaft replaced under warranty after inspection.
Same evening and less than 20 miles after pickup I was going down a hill, there was a bang and regen stopped. Front motors would not provide power and many messages and turtle warning appeared. Towed back to SC next morning. Response was swift this time. Loaner R1T provided and halfshaft swapped again with less grease packed in joint. 1day later get my S back.

 

[Big Green Machine]

I love my R1T. I am an early adopter, having received my truck in March of 2022. I am also a shareholder. Those things said, Rivian service is downright painful. In my current encounter, I dropped my truck at the temporary service center in Trenton, NJ eight days ago for the tonneau cover update and a comprehensive inspection.

I‘ll Spare you the details of how difficult it was just to get the status of my repair. My truck has not been taken into the shop yet. “When should I schedule a day to come pick it up? We don’t know yet. When will it go into the shop. We don’t know.” I can see the writing on the wall. When they finally look at my truck, they will find that they need a part. I will be driving this wonderful Chrysler minivan for weeks. I cannot arrange my life around an unknown pickup date. This is not the service I was promised when I purchased the vehicle and it is certainly one of the worst customer service experiences of my life.

RJ, this is fixable. It is costing company money, prestige and customers.

Same problem here. My truck was in for 2 plus months for a simple fix. RJ, you need mmore service c enters.

 

[ShadowFx]

I'm sure it's not a profit panacea, but I'm a bit dubious it's even a revenue-generation problem (well, consideration).
I contacted service to schedule a 'comprehensive' inspection (per Rivian's updated recommendations) on April 29th. I was told Gaithersburg doesn't have that "Express Service" in their systems yet.

I was told by the service advisor I spoke to that he'd figure out what the best next steps were by working with the SC and get back to me within a day. It's been crickets, but I still have an active "Request" listed as "in Review" since then...

When I asked if they could do this via mobile and I was told that they needed to put the vehicle on the lifts for the comprehensive, and that mobile can only do the 7500 intervals. Due to the timing of when I rolled over 22,500, I never even had a 7500. You'd think they'd have just had them come out and do the lower-level checkup if they're really all that concerned with preventive maintenance/proactive checks.

So, here's a non-warranty situation that by all accounts *should be* in and out and I pay them money for their time, and they apparently cannot accommodate that.

And to wit: by not performing proactive maintenance on vehicles earlier in the game, if there might be a minor problem they can find and correct now, they're just opening themselves up for bigger repairs in the future, one would surmise... At least they have a record that I requested it, even if I'll be having my 22,500 service somewhere around 45k...

Gaithersburg is worse than broken. Complete fail.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

Someone asked me about Portland. We doing ok with service up there?

 

[Dave Cundiff]

Someone asked me about Portland. We doing ok with service up there?

My experience with Portland (Oregon) SC is that the wait for routine appointments is maybe six weeks.

Portland SC employees, when (855) RIVIAN-5 lets you reach them, are as helpful as humanly possible.

Rivian should clone that group. I've been VERY pleased with service in Portland.

 

[kyledmb]

I might want mine to go to Portland, even though Seattle is only 45 mins away. The manager at the Seattle location is awful. I have no trust that he has any clue what he's doing.

 

[Tango45]

Gaithersburg is worse than broken. Complete fail.

Gaithersburg has been good for me. They seem to be genuinely invested in the company's success and care about providing positive outcomes. This whole thread is anecdotal, so I get it if your experience has left you frustrated, but that's not in line with the service I've received there.

 

[Cascadian]

Mine went into SC for what should be relatively simple warranty repair. I have had rental for 1week at $50/day on Rivian’s dime. Zero communication on progress so far.
Nuts!

And then an hour later I received my first message to say it needs to stay a week more due to lack of technician capacity.

Update:
End of 2nd week and they have determined tailgate needs adjustment. No ECD to fix and do 7500.
They claim to have a staffing problem.

Update 2:
Service done after 2.5 weeks.
1half-shaft replaced under warranty after inspection.
Same evening and less than 20 miles after pickup I was going down a hill, there was a bang and regen stopped. Front motors would not provide power and many messages and turtle warning appeared. Towed back to SC next morning. Response was swift this time. Loaner R1T provided and halfshaft swapped again with less grease packed in joint. 1day later get my S back.

Alternative perspective.
I have error message come up on dash of my Volt. Yesterday I called Chevy dealer and they offered me an appointment on Tuesday (2 business days wait). I expect them to service it straight away too.

 

[oskeei]

I'll offer my own experience. Put in a service ticket for clanking in front. They called back to confirm appointment (5 business days out) and then say they notice my 12V was low (no warnings in my S) and said if it's ok they want to replace the 12v as a preventative maintenance. Sucks for the OP, but want folks to know they are trying. Consistency seems to be the challenge for them. I think I'm just lucky I live near the plant.

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