12 Volt Demons Caught Up With The Count

[Count Orlok]

This is what The Count gets for making a glib comment recently about "what are you people doing to kill your 12 volt batteries."

3-and-a-half-year-old 12 volt(s) is (are) moribund. Got the alert on the app. Immediately The Count dispatched staff to schedule replacement. Rivian mobile service is not available as The Count's official address is one hour and 45 minutes from the service center. Earliest appointment at service center: 32 days out. LOL

The Count has another property that, as of a few months ago at least, was within the mobile service area. Climate controlled workshop where Rivian mobile service has worked before. Problem is, that mobile service was only possible because The Count talked to a human at the MF service center and it seems getting a real human at Rivian is no longer a regular occurrence.

That this happened the week before the R2 has The Count thinking this may be the end of his Rivian ownership for now. Not because the battery is failing; that happens. (In fact The Count himself just replace the battery in The Countess' 911.)

The doubts are from: 1) being forced to interact with AI that is dumb as a box of rocks and 2) no longer having mobile service as an option for simple items like this. Waiting over a month for a critical, yet easy and not time consuming, battery replacement is not great but how bad will the wait be once R2s are more prevalent?

Since taking delivery in December 2022 Rivian has opened three service centers closer to The Count yet mobile service is now not possible even though these three are two hours away unlike previous mobile services he received from the downtown Chicago center (~3.5 hours away with traffic).

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[Mellowyellow]

In my personal experience, someone from the physical service center will call you a few days after you make your appointment in the app. They will get you in much sooner.

 

[Time2Roll]

Has the Count considered an Ohmmu battery?
Self installed or local independent shop with a real person.

 

[Count Orlok]

Has the Count considered an Ohmmu battery?
Self installed or local independent shop with a real person.

thinking about it. this is going to cost The Count one way or another so aftermarket might be the way to go.

 

[Mathme]

My 12v batteries were replaced about 1.5 years ago (three years of ownership here). I'm thinking I'll try the Ohmmu battery when this one goes. Regardless I'll likely replace it in the spring as that'll be about 2 years on the mini battery.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

I installed my two Ohmmu Sodium‑Ion batteries a couple of days ago. If you’ve got an active on‑screen notification like the one below, you’ll likely need Rivian to clear it. Hard resets won’t do it. I had mine reset this morning for $56.75.

Rivian will warranty the OEM lead‑acid battery for 2 years/24 months, so that’s the one upside to sticking with their forklift‑spec battery setup. But why anyone would choose 100‑year‑old lead‑acid tech in a Rivian is beyond me.

I’m also running the Bluetooth battery monitor on mine. YMMV.

 

[Killer95Stang]

Just helped my neighbor replace his 9/22 OEM rivian batteries in the driveway. Took about 30-45 minutes, but can confirm he needed to plug in his work computer to clear the OTC error code. He had the same "replace battery" warning light as Mark. We talked about the Ohmmu batteries and even as an employee, he was on the fence about warranty issues with an aftrermarket battery. I'll let him know that the Service center had no issues servicing / clearing codes with those batteries..

 

[Zoidz]

Rivian mobile service is not available as The Count's official address is one hour and 45 minutes from the service center. Earliest appointment at service center: 32 days out. LOL

It's consistently inconsistent. i have had mobile service twice - first to replace the 12 volt battery proactively 18 months ago and recently I had the 30k mile checkup. Both came from Trenton, NJ which is 1.4 to 2 hours travel time depending on route and traffic. The Malvern, Pennsylvania SC is open and is 45 minutes. But they still came from Trenton on the last visit.

 

[CrazyOne]

This is what The Count gets for making a glib comment recently about "what are you people doing to kill your 12 volt batteries."

3-and-a-half-year-old 12 volt(s) is (are) moribund. Got the alert on the app. Immediately The Count dispatched staff to schedule replacement. Rivian mobile service is not available as The Count's official address is one hour and 45 minutes from the service center. Earliest appointment at service center: 32 days out. LOL

The Count has another property that, as of a few months ago at least, was within the mobile service area. Climate controlled workshop where Rivian mobile service has worked before. Problem is, that mobile service was only possible because The Count talked to a human at the MF service center and it seems getting a real human at Rivian is no longer a regular occurrence.

That this happened the week before the R2 has The Count thinking this may be the end of his Rivian ownership for now. Not because the battery is failing; that happens. (In fact The Count himself just replace the battery in The Countess' 911.)

The doubts are from: 1) being forced to interact with AI that is dumb as a box of rocks and 2) no longer having mobile service as an option for simple items like this. Waiting over a month for a critical, yet easy and not time consuming, battery replacement is not great but how bad will the wait be once R2s are more prevalent?

Since taking delivery in December 2022 Rivian has opened three service centers closer to The Count yet mobile service is now not possible even though these three are two hours away unlike previous mobile services he received from the downtown Chicago center (~3.5 hours away with traffic).

I suggest creating an appointment and ask in chat. Someone will get you real help. Mine is at SC and they have been very responsive the moment appointment was scheduled. They give me daily updates now.

But this needs to improve for sure. And they should start selling those pesky 12v batteries. Not sure if the policy has changes or not.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Let us know how this gets resolved. 32 days is nuts.

Obviously everyone's experience is different. When I got the warning I submitted a ticket and called them in the morning, and they told me they could send a tow, or since it was still operational to just come on over. At the time that meant driving from Manassas, VA to Gaithersburg, MD (about 40 miles, but 2+ hours with the traffic around here). Was a bit of a white-knuckle drive but made it with no problem and they replaced the batteries while I waited (brought laptop + work remote + free coffee ftw). Am glad they've since build a new SC only about 8 miles away that doesn't require dealing with beltway traffic.

Imo, access to SC's is going to be a "make or break" for new owners, especially anyone unfamiliar with these vehicles. Let us know what they wind up doing in your case. Good luck!

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Car batteries in ICE generally last 3-5 years? Given gen1 has more computers and active system (while parked), 3.5 is probably the best one could expect? Cost of replacing two at a time stings though. Makes me wonder if half that is the expectancy of single battery gen1, which is just about the duration between 1st and second “pre-emptive” replacements on mine.

 

[racekarl]

Just got the same alert on my '23 R1T and scheduled an appointment for 3 weeks from now. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I get a call next week offering me a mobile service sooner. I live about 15 mins from the nearest service center.

 

[madhat]

This is what The Count gets for making a glib comment recently about "what are you people doing to kill your 12 volt batteries."

3-and-a-half-year-old 12 volt(s) is (are) moribund. Got the alert on the app. Immediately The Count dispatched staff to schedule replacement. Rivian mobile service is not available as The Count's official address is one hour and 45 minutes from the service center. Earliest appointment at service center: 32 days out. LOL

The Count has another property that, as of a few months ago at least, was within the mobile service area. Climate controlled workshop where Rivian mobile service has worked before. Problem is, that mobile service was only possible because The Count talked to a human at the MF service center and it seems getting a real human at Rivian is no longer a regular occurrence.

That this happened the week before the R2 has The Count thinking this may be the end of his Rivian ownership for now. Not because the battery is failing; that happens. (In fact The Count himself just replace the battery in The Countess' 911.)

The doubts are from: 1) being forced to interact with AI that is dumb as a box of rocks and 2) no longer having mobile service as an option for simple items like this. Waiting over a month for a critical, yet easy and not time consuming, battery replacement is not great but how bad will the wait be once R2s are more prevalent?

Since taking delivery in December 2022 Rivian has opened three service centers closer to The Count yet mobile service is now not possible even though these three are two hours away unlike previous mobile services he received from the downtown Chicago center (~3.5 hours away with traffic).

I am sorry to hear that Count. Hopefully it gets resolved quickly like mine.

BTW, Dafoe's rendition of you in Shadow of the Vampire is my wife's spirit animal.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Car batteries in ICE generally last 3-5 years?

Last battery I bought for an ICE vehicle came with a three year warranty. Battery failed at three years and one month. So this tracks.

 

[NSRoamer]

Why Rivian batteries die...

One way to deal with phantom battery drain - and here's another way

I have Gear Guard and proximity sensor turned off - but every time I walk out the front door, the brake lights flash - apparently the truck is looking for the fob or the phone all the time.

I keep an EcoFlow charged up from the 12v power port in the tunnel. Small 12v to 120v inverter plugged into the EcoFlow, and a very small Battery Tender plugged into the inverter. At this point, the Battery Tender is connected to the OBD port. When I install a 12v power port or 2 in the bed (shame on you, Rivian), I'll also wire the Battery Tender directly to the 12v battery.

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