2023 R1T Rear End Collision - input request

[Janman]

A few months back, we purchased a used 2023 Rivian R1T from Carmax with very low mileage for my wife. As someone who drove a beater Honda CRV for the last 15 years, she absolutely is in love with this vehicle. As fate would have it, you cannot own anything nice in this world without someone taking it away from you (in some form or fashion).

Unfortunately, she was rear ended in a three car pileup. A large SUV stopped gracefully a car length behind my wife and was hit very hard by a full speed car which caused the SUV to slam into the rear of my wifes truck. Luckily, my wife seems initially alright (although we are monitoring).

The truck is drivable with no errors or driveability issues. The collision seemed to hit the tailgait and bumper head on without affecting the side panels. Ive never been in this situation with an EV. I am asking your input and experiences on collision repair. I am doing research on a few Rivian certified facilities but would appreciate any advice, suggestions, or experiences you can provide.

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[schlosrat]

Glad no one was injured, and the only damage you've suffered is to the back of the truck! Things like this can be sooo much worse.

I'd say you look like you got out really lucky on this one - based only on appearance and the lack of "errors or driveability issues". I had a low-speed collision on my right front that affected a lot more of the truck, and had estimates that came in between 10K and 14K from two different Rivian Certified repair shops. My repair took a lot longer than I'd have liked, and my R1T had damage to parking sensors that needed recalibration. It will be interesting to see what your estimates look like.

Is the body damage limited to only the tailgate? And it functions correctly? If so, you might look into paintless dent repair just to see what can be done. Sometimes they can work magic. But since it wasn't your fault, going through the other driver's insurance and insisting on a Rivian Certified repair facility is an option. It may take longer, but you'll be much more likely to get your vehicle back to "good as new."

 

[NY_Rob]

Sorry this happened to you!!

Luckily, it looks like the expensive bits (the light bar) survived intact, so repair might be as simple as a new tailgate. Where it was hit is a complex area with lots of curves and straight edges which would be difficult to repair, replacement would likely be the way to go.

You might even start sourcing a used one on ebay, etc to get out ahead of the situation.

 

[nyckkr]

Glad all are safe.

We had a dent (albeit smaller but likely as deep) in our R1T tailgate about a year back (driver parking error) - no sensor or any other issues. To remove and replace the tailgate, we were quoted $5kish as the Rivian certified body shop said that the tailgate itself may not be relatively expensive (I forget exact amount but it was $1-2k range), but they had to take out all the sensors and refit them into the new and check, calibrate etc etc. We left the dent as is. Never impacted anything.

 

[Magicbus]

Been hit twice. Don't waste your time on anything but a Rivian certified shop as you will end up at one regardless. It doesn't appear too bad and someone else's insurance should be happy to cover it and a rental for the 3 weeks in the shop - especially if you have no medical issues.

 

[csharp]

Glad she is ok!
Assuming the person behind her has insurance and they are fully covering (as they should)... I would take it to a Rivian Certified shop and let them handle. This shouldn't be any money out of your pocket.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

Good to hear that she is OK and that the damage is relatively "minor" for a Rivian. As others have said, go the Rivian certified repair shop route. Also, demand a rental of similar class and an EV if you really want an EV and look into diminished value claim. Not sure if GA has diminished value laws. Good luck!

 

[swaggner]

The new tailgate “part” is roughly $1k (I had mine replaced at a certified shop). Add paint and labor and miscellaneous (like new badges, fasteners, etc) and you’re probably about $3-4k for replacement (which it seems like their insurance would pay for).

 

[RivAW]

Certainly don't skimp on the repairs since someone else was at fault and (hopefully) was insured. Make your claim, make them repair it "right", and seek legal guidance if they give you a hard time...

 

[Janman]

Thank you all for your help. I have to say, this truck is a beast. Just a few weeks prior, we were driving back from the mountains and a deer jumped out in front of us. The deer bounced like 20 feet, got up, and scrambled. It didnt leave any sort of scratch or dent on the front. Ive never seen anything like it.

Ironically, the tailgait still works. However, the part that worries me is the bumper. You can tell its smashed in a small amount (if you look towards the bottom right corner of the license plate you can see the seem mismatch). Regardless, I have found a really good authorized Rivian body repair shop and spoke with the (very helpful) manager. I am waiting on insurance to inspect/quote so that I can bring it in to them for the repair.

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