My "adventure truck" was destroyed by suncreen...

[ndmiller]

Tesla’s have the same issue. Seems like it is more of a problem with “vegan” leather not actual leather.

It's just a fancy name for Pleather or Plastic Leather or Vinyl. Nothing Vegan about it. It's made from petroleum that comes from dead dinosaurs, so neither vegetarian or vegan.

Just regular drugstore sunscreens, mostly the ones from Trader Joe's. I have always used those and never had it eat into any of the other cars I've driven.

What exactly are you using these days, I doubt it's as generic as you're indicating, probably used the same stuff for a long time?

Also what are you cleaning your car with? Could be the cleaner being used on the interior, that'd be my guess.

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[kelr316]

It's just a fancy name for Pleather or Plastic Leather or Vinyl. Nothing Vegan about it. It's made from petroleum that comes from dead dinosaurs, so neither vegetarian or vegan.



What exactly are you using these days, I doubt it's as generic as you're indicating, probably used the same stuff for a long time?

Yes, I know that is why I put it in quotations.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Funny you mention that. My initial thought was that it looks like plastic that's come in contact with deet

The way the surface layer is crinkled and peeling… looks exactly like when paint stripper is applied to painted surfaces. And that is exactly what chemical composition of sunscreen (plus sweat) does to the surface treatment of the door panels: melts it. And speaking of human sweat, it is naturally slightly acidic. Higher in some people.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

fwiw, this happened to me last summer, and Rivian replaced it under warranty without any pushback. Maybe I got lucky. I wasn't sure what caused it, but I wondered if it was from sunscreen that had been on my leg. I try to be careful about chemicals on the interior, but it does seem like the finish should hold up better than it did from a bit of secondary transfer of sunscreen.

You got lucky. Because it’s user wear & tear.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I'm not commenting on the interior melting, as I'd much rather have real leather, but you need to switch to mineral sunscreen. Those benzene-type chemicals in the cheap sunscreens have been linked to skin cancer.

 

[krb1183]

I agree the responsibility is with the owner, and thank you @thehorsegirl for alerting me to this potential problem.

The only time I have seen any damage like this was from bug spray. My wife wears sunscreen all the time (she has had skin cancer also) and has gotten it on various surfaces in our vehicle. I have never seen this kind of reaction from any of the surfaces she has touched.

You freaked me out and this morning I am cleaning where she has touched and from now on will ask her to be more careful. Nothing much else to do, but knowing it can happen definitely impacts our behavior.

Thank you! And sorry you have to pay so much to have it fixed.

I'm in the same as you, going to and from the pool we frequently have sunscreen applied when we get in the vehicle. This morning I'm going through with the vegan leather cleaner. haha

 

[Yota2R1T]

I agree with the main thread that today's cost-sensitive Rivian situation should not be taking responsibility for these types of user-specific material failures.
If this was occurring routinely, under normal use, then they should 100% take responsibility.
My own interior shows no signs of such wear on the plastic surfaces and may have had ample opportunity to be exposed to similar chemicals through our adventures.
I'll note your surface seems filthy, which in itself is a personal choice, not judging, but bears mentioning in this context.
At bare minimum I would have cleaned it up before attempting claim with Rivian.
I do appreciate the heads-up on potential contamination damage, from you and the other commenters. I'll certainly pay closer attention to the wife and kid's potential for similar damage during our outings.
Good luck with your claim and repair.
Rich

 

[DuoRivian]

I agree with the main thread that today's cost-sensitive Rivian situation should not be taking responsibility for these types of user-specific material failures.
If this was occurring routinely, under normal use, then they should 100% take responsibility.
My own interior shows no signs of such wear on the plastic surfaces and may have had ample opportunity to be exposed to similar chemicals through our adventures.
I'll note your surface seems filthy, which in itself is a personal choice, not judging, but bears mentioning in this context.
At bare minimum I would have cleaned it up before attempting claim with Rivian.
I do appreciate the heads-up on potential contamination damage, from you and the other commenters. I'll certainly pay closer attention to the wife and kid's potential for similar damage during our outings.
Good luck with your claim and repair.
Rich

Exactly, OP seems to think no cleaning (even a slight wipe down occasionally) is warranted.

 

[RandomMcRandomFace]

It's just a fancy name for Pleather or Plastic Leather or Vinyl. Nothing Vegan about it. It's made from petroleum that comes from dead dinosaurs, so neither vegetarian or vegan.



What exactly are you using these days, I doubt it's as generic as you're indicating, probably used the same stuff for a long time?

Also what are you cleaning your car with? Could be the cleaner being used on the interior, that'd be my guess.

I am stuck on your definition of vegan. Being a byproduct of an animal that died of natural causes millions of years ago makes something non-vegan?

 

[loqueid]

I am stuck on your definition of vegan. Being a byproduct of an animal that died of natural causes millions of years ago makes something non-vegan?

Let's be clear. Vegan leather is made from cows that are fed Vegans.

 

[Yota2R1T]

I am stuck on your definition of vegan. Being a byproduct of an animal that died of natural causes millions of years ago makes something non-vegan?

Also, a complete false narrative that oil comes from dinosaurs.
Animal life is carbon-based, so they would be a small contribution of the fossilized content, but plant life is 99.999% source of fossil fuels.

 

[Jeff B.]

I live in Florida and have had my R1T for just shy of 4 years. I live on a lake and go to the beach more times than I care to count. Sunscreen is a a way of life for my kids. In and out of the truck many times and have never seen anything like what the OP is experiencing. I have minor scratches from wear and tear, but nothing like what OP posted from sunscreen. In fact, I still have a spot where my son got in and rubbed sunscreen on the door panel.

 

[Platinumstorm]

I don't have a Rivian yet, but I've been hyperaware of the issues with the pleather and sunscreen. It doesn't make any sense for an adventure vehicle to be destroyed by sunscreen and I'm sorry this happened to you. I'm going to probably carry a towel with me at all times and some water to wash off my skin before driving after mountain biking or hiking.

 

[949]

i may have missed it since i didnt want to read all of this, but how did the op know it was lotion?
i have seen this on my other branded cars and didnt think much about it.
to my knowledge my other cars had car detailers at the local car wash use harsh cleaning chemicals on the interior of those cars. i only found out after i had them clean the interior and it started to do that same thing a week or so later.

 

[BWillR1T]

I've noticed the last few months that the coating on the driver door handle of my 2023 R1T was starting to look bad...like REALLY bad. Bubbling and peeling like old paint bad.

I submitted a ticket and brought it into the El Segundo service center where they told me that it was going to be $950 to fix and they expected me to pay it out of pocket because it was regular "wear and tear" from touching it with sunscreen. I contested it and they still closed my ticket after telling me they would "run it up the chain" and ghosting me.

On what planet is the interior of a 3-year-old $100k "adventure" truck peeling and bubbling from sunscreen "wear and tear"?! It seems like this is a known problem from other forum posts, except the other owners had nicer service centers who actually replaced it under warranty.

Is there anything else I can do?

The Rivian rep even had the nerve to suggest I just not wear sunscreen in my car even though we live in SoCal and I've had skin cancer

The same thing happened to me within about 1-2 years of owning a 2022 R1T. I caught it before it got too far. I just scrapped all the loose material off with a plastic putty knife then got a paint match and painted over that spot plus more to cover area my leg would touch. Held up fine for me.

I had same issue with an Apple Watch cover when I used bug spray. Happened almost instantly.

I wouldn’t say it destroyed my Rivian though…perhaps use “damaged” next time 🫣

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