A leaking damper is... Acceptable?

[smashweights]

So I have noticed for a few months now the front suspension often has to raise up usually at the first stop I make when driving after it's been sitting a while, like overnight or when leaving work. I didn't think much of it but we went on vacation for about 9 days around New Year's and the truck sat in my garage plugged in the entire time. My first drive back the front passenger tire was rubbing on the wheel well when turning until it raised back up.

So while it was in for the rear suspension recall this week I asked them to take a look at the front suspension. The report says they verified there was a "low leak" on the front right damper but it was an "acceptable" level and no repair was made. The SC has been great at fixing minor issues for me the last time I had it in but this is a bit odd to me. How can a suspension component have an acceptable level of leaking?

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[Thedude]

Most mechanical items have an acceptable rate of loss/damage/wear/etc. Something like a suspension damper might be measured as a height or pressure loss over a specified period. Below some limit is within acceptable range, above calls for replacement.

 

[DuoRivians]

So I have noticed for a few months now the front suspension often has to raise up usually at the first stop I make when driving after it's been sitting a while, like overnight or when leaving work. I didn't think much of it but we went on vacation for about 9 days around New Year's and the truck sat in my garage plugged in the entire time. My first drive back the front passenger tire was rubbing on the wheel well when turning until it raised back up.

So while it was in for the rear suspension recall this week I asked them to take a look at the front suspension. The report says they verified there was a "low leak" on the front right damper but it was an "acceptable" level and no repair was made. The SC has been great at fixing minor issues for me the last time I had it in but this is a bit odd to me. How can a suspension component have an acceptable level of leaking?

It shouldn’t be. If you have yet done chirping noise (jounce) service bulletin, ask them to do that and fix the suspension too. They’ve replaced mine with Gen 2 suspension for the front.

 

[Rivdog]

Yeah that’s weird, I had mine replaced without question about a year ago. Surprised they aren’t just replacing.

 

[hammick]

Rivian needs to walk a fine line on these out of warranty costs. Our R1S is the most expensive vehicle we've ever purchased by far. We justified the purchase on keeping it for ten years. If it cost us a fortune to maintain it out of warranty, we'll look elsewhere come replacement time.

 

[CrazyOne]

Rivian needs to walk a fine line on these out of warranty costs. Our R1S is the most expensive vehicle we've ever purchased by far. We justified the purchase on keeping it for ten years. If it cost us a fortune to maintain it out of warranty, we'll look elsewhere come replacement time.

I don't expect it not to break, but it also should not cost almost 2X the air spring replacement on a Landcruiser at the dealer. About $7000 for front two springs is not a reasonable number.

 

[Thedude]

I don't expect it not to break, but it also should not cost almost 2X the air spring replacement on a Landcruiser at the dealer. About $7000 for front two springs is not a reasonable number.

They are stupid expensive but in Rivian’s defense they don’t have the massive buying power that Toyota enjoys.

 

[CrazyOne]

They are stupid expensive but in Rivian’s defense they don’t have the massive buying power that Toyota enjoys.

Landcruiser(the big real one) only sells about 100k units per year. They have more volume, but it's not that high. Even the Range Rover air springs cost about the same as the ones on a Landcruiser.

 

[Thedude]

Landcruiser(the big real one) only sells about 100k units per year. They have more volume, but it's not that high. Even the Range Rover air springs cost about the same as the ones on a Landcruiser.

It’s more than double what Rivian can buy each year and purchased by a company that can negotiate an extended purchasing agreement with no doubts as to its longevity.

 

[HaveBlue]

I don't expect it not to break, but it also should not cost almost 2X the air spring replacement on a Landcruiser at the dealer. About $7000 for front two springs is not a reasonable number.

10% of the car's value? They must be gold coated

 

[CrazyOne]

It’s more than double what Rivian can buy each year and purchased by a company that can negotiate an extended purchasing agreement with no doubts as to its longevity.

It still doesn't cost double. There is a lot of profit in that number. There is no way Rivian is spending $14,000 on dampers alone.

And if Rivian was using such high quality parts, they wouldn't be failing at low mileage. Mine failed at 20k miles. Failures at 100k miles are understandable. Zero off roading or towing. My truck is a typical mall crawler which saw a curb or two at the mall.

 

[beatle]

Landcruiser(the big real one) only sells about 100k units per year. They have more volume, but it's not that high. Even the Range Rover air springs cost about the same as the ones on a Landcruiser.

Don't forget to include the LX600, Tundra, and Sequoia that use identical or near-identical variations. The huge volume of these models help to depress the overall cost of the dampers.

I still agree that the price for these is bonkers, but the other part of the delta comes down to the additional (more expensive) labor to bleed and level the more complicated Rivian system. It's wild that I bought a set of 4 very nice coilover assemblies for my Miata for the same amount it would cost to replace a single damper assembly on the Rivian. The volume for these coilovers is also much, much less than the Rivian fleet. I know I'm comparing apples and grapefruits here, but it's still staggering how expensive things can get on these trucks.

 

[smashweights]

Most mechanical items have an acceptable rate of loss/damage/wear/etc. Something like a suspension damper might be measured as a height or pressure loss over a specified period. Below some limit is within acceptable range, above calls for replacement.

Sure I get that, but if it the leak is bad enough that after a week and a half the wheel well is hitting the tire? I still have 16k and 1.5 years on the warranty so I guess I'll just keep bringing it up anytime it's in for service?

It shouldn’t be. If you have yet done chirping noise (jounce) service bulletin, ask them to do that and fix the suspension too. They’ve replaced mine with Gen 2 suspension for the front.

Not sure if that's ever been done. I bought the trucks at 40k miles. I wish the service history in the app would show all the vehicle service not just what the current owner has had done.

Yeah that’s weird, I had mine replaced without question about a year ago. Surprised they aren’t just replacing.

Same, especially given R2 coming soon, seems like it will eventually need replaced so

Rivian needs to walk a fine line on these out of warranty costs. Our R1S is the most expensive vehicle we've ever purchased by far. We justified the purchase on keeping it for ten years. If it cost us a fortune to maintain it out of warranty, we'll look elsewhere come replacement time.

It's still under warranty

 

[beatle]

What does the damper look like? Does it have fluid running down the body and an accumulation of sludge like this?

These were from my Model S. I could feel the driver's rear corner was way underdamped, especially over harsh bumps. Tesla replaced it under warranty (after they first tried to charge me $1800).

 

[meshugy]

I thought that my front dampers on my 2023 R1S had a leak as the front right side was always bottomed out when sitting in my driveway. I mentioned it during a service visit and they replaced both front dampers with the updated 2024 revision dampers and air springs. The front right still bottoms out when in my driveway but now I’m certain the car is leveling itself due to the steep pitch of my driveway. I also hear/feel the compressor refilling the air springs at stop lights. I think it’s just what these air suspensions do….

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