Someone, talk me out of dumping my R1T

[technerd]

Yea I also have a Dec 2022 R1T, I love it, but I doubt I'm keeping it after the warranty expires. I am still on the original 12vs, but only have 29k miles. I love the brand and want the R2 to launch the company, but I feel like the R1s are becoming the Land Rovers of the EV world.

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[Dave Cundiff]

A good trick if you are having trouble deciding between 2 options, flip a coin and see how you feel about the outcome. It should tell you what the heart wants, if it comes up sell the truck and your good with it problem solved.

I learned that trick from Piet Hein's poem, @SANZC02:

“Whenever you're called on to make up your mind,
and you're hampered by not having any,
the best way to solve the dilemma, you'll find,
is simply by spinning a penny.
No - not so that chance shall decide the affair
while you're passively standing there moping;
but the moment the penny is up in the air,
you suddenly know what you're hoping. ”

(https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/183757-whenever-you-re-called-on-to-make-up-your-mind-and)

Best wishes!

 

[Rivdog]

Next time diy the 12v and go lithium. https://www.ohmmu.com/rivian-r1s-and-r1t-video

That’s still $720 for replacement before shipping and taxes. And hasn’t it been a problem for many of the owners who have used these?

 

[ndmiller]

If you're posting this here, time to just get rid of it.

 

[Kaiju]

I can't say I expected to have this perspective but...here goes. Losing a battery will strand any vehicle if you don't already have another one, so that part of the equation doesn't really change. Ironically EVs aren't vulnerable to the thing that kills ICE batteries, like accidentally leaving a light on. Jumping an ICE is easier but, like I said, if you're alone you're still hosed.

If that's your reason to dump the R1 then it's not really a great one, especially if they get the DIY battery change out in the near future so you can clear the codes yourself. While I'd argue that Rivian should've made it easier to physically do, anything that doesn't have a manual door lock and a manual hood release is going to have the same problem if the 12V dies. You can argue the merits of that when some vehicles require you to take the wheel or a headlight off to change the battery.

But outside the battery, depreciation on vehicles in Rivian's price bracket basically means if it costs you 20 or 30k over the vehicle's lifetime post-warranty...that's actually not necessarily a losing proposition. People feel those sorts of repairs a lot harder because it's not rolled up and spread out in perpetual payments, but if you keep an R1 for 6 years instead of buying something else after 3 you're still in the powertrain/battery warranty and you're basically comparing repairs vs depreciation. If you go over to some other 80-100k vehicle, well you're spending 30-40k every time you trade in anyway. So yeah, a 6k suspension job sucks but is it actually less expensive than trading up?

There's also extended warranty options being tested. I'm pondering that myself even though its a ways off for me. The thing I'm actually afraid of in my gen 1 is not the cost of repairs, it's it's fiddly-ness and nanny modes making bullshit failures like the sensors in the gear tunnel door preventing you from driving if it thinks its open. I can hope that an override gets programmed in because it's a pretty stupid reason to get stuck, and that's probably the achilles heel of the R1s. That one's hard, and it's basically certain that electrical gremlins will crop up with age. But will they come at 6 years or 10?

Last thing is I've also been on the fence about keeping mine, because I am one of those people who's had major problems. The bit that keeps popping up is if I didn't keep it, what would I replace it with? There just...isn't another truck like the R1T. The lighting (press F) and the silverado are huge. They won't fit in my garage. They're not cheaper. You can drop 90k on an ICE truck that isn't any nicer and definitely doesn't have the power. And also won't fit in the garage. That one's vexing me and I don't actually have an answer there.

 

[Time2Roll]

That’s still $720 for replacement before shipping and taxes. And hasn’t it been a problem for many of the owners who have used these?

I don't know of any troubles but I have not looked either.
Once out of warranty I plan to go this route. Best of luck with your decision.

 

[hammick]

It might be a bit of an overreaction, but I understand the frustration. If towing range is the priority, selling it and moving into a used Silverado EV with the larger battery could make sense since it has shown stronger long distance towing performance. I think they are hideous, but if you love the old Avalanche' style from GM, then its fine.

For me, I’m keeping the R1T for the long haul. I rarely tow more than 200 miles, so it fits my needs just fine and I just get a smile every single-time I drive it.

Ha I agree the Silverado EV is goofy looking. We have the Sierra AT4 which is much better looking IMHO. Received a complement today that it was a great looking truck. That was from the dog walker at the old folk's home so she obviously has taste

 

[Rade]

I went into my purchase of my 2025 Gen 2 R1T with the same wide eyed optimism. My dream was / is to consider my R1T to be my "final" vehicle; that I initially dreamed to get 15-18 years out of it by which time I would expect my mental and physical acuity to demand I surrender my license and / or severely curtail the scope of my driving.

But the reality is this - the EV industry is evolving at incredible speed. I suspect that the economics of owning an EV will also drastically change in the next 5-8 years with better battery technologies, overall range and recharge rates. I am expecting that my Gen2 R1T in 2035/2040 will seem like owning a 1970's era Lincoln Town Car or Cadillac Coupe deVille; gorgeous to look at but just economically a beast to drive. So my "long term" outlook has changed. I am just paying attention to the industry evolution.

The upside is this - unlike buying an ICE vehicle where, once you sign and drive it off the lot, it's essentially obsolete as the NEXT model year will have a different troth of functions and abilities. With an EV >BUILT BY AN EV MANUFACTURER<, other than the state of the physical technology, the vehicle relies predominantly on software to upgrade the functions and quality. I feel it is far easier to get 5 or more years out of the vehicle and have it remain current and viable.

Perhaps in 2030, I will consider replacing my R1T? Idunno.

I am having occasional nit issues that a hard reboot seems to fix. After 36 years working in the computer field, I am used to a hard reboot purging the baffles of problems. Nothing that has required service intervention. Overall pleased with the vehicle!

 

[iansriv]

Unfortunately 12v is the achilleas heel, wouldn't be so bad if Rivian made it easily accessible and replaceable so it wouldn't require a tow truck and SC visit to replace/reset codes.

If the cost of the 12v batteries seems high then you probably want to move on, the suspension and brake parts pricing is way over the top and those are also wear items so bound to fail eventually.

Agree. This is a known issue & seems to cause a lot of SC issues as well. Why not make changes to better manage it.

 

[Ecupip]

Not sure if this was mentioned in the thread yet, but if your replacement battery truly died at 18 months, it should have been covered by Rivian. Rivian states that all replacement parts have a 24-month warranty and are not related to your vehicle warranty or mileage. I would call Rivian and push this.


Service Parts Warranty
All replacement parts installed by Rivian are original new or remanufactured service parts unless stated otherwise. Rivian warrants the originalnew and remanufactured service parts for 24 months commencing on the date of sale or installation by a Rivian-authorized service entity. Theparts replaced under the terms of this warranty shall become the property of Rivian. Tire repairs may void the limited warranty on the tires asdetermined by the tire manufacturer.

 

[bhopkins]

I’ve had 12v batteries suddenly die in ICE vehicles leaving me stranded. It happens. If you’re worried about having to pay to replace the 12v battery, then Rivian may not be for you.

Could the engineers and designers done a better job (standard size battery in an easily accessible location with no codes to reset), sure. But show me any vehicle that is perfectly engineered and designed.

You’re the only one who can decide if keeping the Rivian is for you.

 

[VandalSibs]

Ha I agree the Silverado EV is goofy looking. We have the Sierra AT4 which is much better looking IMHO. Received a complement today that it was a great looking truck. That was from the dog walker at the old folk's home so she obviously has taste

It's amazing how much better the GMC looks compared to the Chevy. Granted, they are both too big and too tall up front (truck front ends have been as big as the Hoover Dam for far too long now), but the Sierra Doesn't look like a Honda, which is a good thing for a pickup truck.

 

[2kwik4u]

Ha I agree the Silverado EV is goofy looking. We have the Sierra AT4 which is much better looking IMHO. Received a complement today that it was a great looking truck. That was from the dog walker at the old folk's home so she obviously has taste

I'm leaving Rivian at the end of my lease. Big complaints with Rivian being PaaK, Virtual Vents, clunky awful suspension, and a few other asinine design features. I already know I'll miss the gear tunnel, and user interface, but they aren't strong enough draws to deal with Rivians crap daily livability.

I still want an EV pickup but pickings are slim out there. I liked the Scout (already a VW/Audi fan) but they're delayed. Lightning is cancelled (although I'm still going to shop them on the used market). I had a reservation on a Silverado EV when they first released, but dropped it because a $100k truck wasn't realistic 3yrs ago. Rolling dumpster of Cybertruk is out, and the Hummer EV likely won't fit in my garage (not sure the Sierra will either to be fair).

How have you liked the move from Rivian to the AT4? I'm really curious to hear how people have liked the move. Rivian has a very compelling product outside of a few issues.

 

[Cashcc]

A little dramatic... you do you..

 

[hammick]

I'm leaving Rivian at the end of my lease. Big complaints with Rivian being PaaK, Virtual Vents, clunky awful suspension, and a few other asinine design features. I already know I'll miss the gear tunnel, and user interface, but they aren't strong enough draws to deal with Rivians crap daily livability.

I still want an EV pickup but pickings are slim out there. I liked the Scout (already a VW/Audi fan) but they're delayed. Lightning is cancelled (although I'm still going to shop them on the used market). I had a reservation on a Silverado EV when they first released, but dropped it because a $100k truck wasn't realistic 3yrs ago.

How have you liked the move from Rivian to the AT4?

We still have the R1S. I lemon lawed our Lightning back to Ford and bought the Extended Range AT4. Overall I like it better than the Lightning. GM has a lot of work to do on the Software end. I forget my FOB 90% of the time I get in the truck which is infuriating. PAAK is mentioned in the 2024 RST manual. They are currently beta testing PAAK with some select Cadillac EV owners even though it was promised in December 2025 for the '26 models. I'm not holding my breath.

If we didn't have the Rivian I would probably think the software is fine. It's certainly better than the Hyundai/KIA crap software. The hardware is super fast compared to the Lightning. The GM dealers pretty much all suck. I much prefer Rivian Service.

My perfect EV truck would our AT4 with Rivian software and dealer network with a power waterproof tonneau cover. I'm fine with the power of the Sierra/Silverado EVs even though the Lightning and Rivians are much faster. The Thor max power mode is stupid though. They should give us full power all the time and let us turn off the stupid fake exhaust sound in Thor mode.

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