Beginning to get frustrated...

[RivianEC]

There wasn't really anything to replace on the AC as it has always worked well. Just had to fix the drain line.

As for the scratch on the window tinting, it's a case of go get it fixed at a local tint shop and they submit the receipts for reimbursement.

My AC was still working but they said they replaced it with a newer model or design or something like that - the invoice says “HVAC Assembly, Front (Remove and Replace)”. I haven’t had any issues since. But if they cannot replicate the AC leak on yours, maybe it’s not that. Hope they found and fixed it!

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[smashweights]

Well the update: Truckdor remains on the shop where it's been for almost a month now trying to figure out why it is clicking when I turn at low speeds. They have tried replacing the ting washers, drivers front wheel hub, half shafts, and are waiting on a new steering gear to try replacing this week. I think we might have to call this vehicle a Gen 1.5 at this rate

Video for this interested:



Oddly, It's been raining a lot lately and the loaner I have retains a large amount of water in the gap between the door and body so anytime you open the door after it rains you get a nice sized splash on the pavement...

 

[smashweights]

Oh and my Rivian Care inquiry was turned down...

 

[NY_Rob]

^ kind of forces you to consider your options as your warranty expiration nears.

We now know that the half-shafts are not covered under the power train warranty, so once the bumper-to-bumper coverage expires, no OEM warranty on the half-shafts

 

[smashweights]

^ kind of forces you to consider your options as your warranty expiration nears.

We now know that the half-shafts are not covered under the power train warranty, so once the bumper-to-bumper coverage expires, no OEM warranty on the half-shafts

Unfortunately yes it is making me consider that. If I was out of warranty I'd be bleeding money on a rental car for nearly a month too. I can stomach long service times when I get a free loaner that is basically the same vehicle I already own

 

[Kaiju]

You may have to bear with me here, however you should consider how much it costs to move on versus eating out of warranty repairs. Most people tend to feel sudden out of pocket expenses much harder than they do things like the same amount in regular payments because the normal steady state is disrupted.

However whenever you buy a vehicle you generally eat some amount of the purchase cost and the depreciation curve is highest when it's new. Assuming you're looking to maintain the same class of vehicle, buying a new (or newer) R1 will invite some loss in depreciation, taxes and fees.

You can very easily eat $20-40k trading up to a newer vehicle. On paper this removes out of pocket repairs, however it doesn't necessarily save any money if you're going to also trade that in a few years down the line. The question is if you just held onto your R1 for the same time, what exactly is the money difference? The older truck will cost a lot less when you do the purchase and depreciation difference, with the question mark being repairs.

If I were to buy a new R1 when mine runs out of warranty, I'd probably be looking at having to spend about $60k to get the then-version of the same thing I have now when you consider the cost difference and the taxes. So if we rolled it 4 more years down the line to the end of the drivetrain warranty, the Gen 1 R1 has declined further in value but if I were to look at the cost difference at selling either vehicle, I've probably spent around $35k to have that newer R1 that's been eaten up in taxes and peak depreciation twice versus once.

So with all other things being equal, in those 4 years, would I have racked up $35k in repairs? Indications are suspension for $6k is a certainty. Half shafts for another $3k. Probably brakes, maybe some control arms. Dampers possibly for $4k. It's possible sure, but that's still only break even. We're talking $8500 a year every year in repairs when the drivetrain is still covered. All that stuff doesn't add up to half of that $35k.

If your interior and body are still in good shape, then you could entirely save a big chunk of money by eating $15k in out of warranty. That seems insane, but if you borrow money like most people to buy cars keep in mind none of those numbers include interest. The difference in interest would probably be another $5-8k. The difficulty in all that is that you need to have the money for repairs on hand rather than having it rolled up into a loan. It feels way worse to eat $6k in your savings for a repair bill, even if the greater amount going month over month into savings might go unnoticed.

The things that can't be qualified here are if the vehicle is reliable enough to suit your needs and if you care about having a new feature your old R1 can't have. It also only holds if you're looking to maintain roughly what you have. I can't disparage getting into something that's just cheaper or more reliable than an R1, since your willingness to have the power/size/fanciness also carries a cost. We don't all drive 10 year old Corollas after all.

 

[smashweights]

You may have to bear with me here, however you should consider how much it costs to move on versus eating out of warranty repairs. Most people tend to feel sudden out of pocket expenses much harder than they do things like the same amount in regular payments because the normal steady state is disrupted.

However whenever you buy a vehicle you generally eat some amount of the purchase cost and the depreciation curve is highest when it's new. Assuming you're looking to maintain the same class of vehicle, buying a new (or newer) R1 will invite some loss in depreciation, taxes and fees.

You can very easily eat $20-40k trading up to a newer vehicle. On paper this removes out of pocket repairs, however it doesn't necessarily save any money if you're going to also trade that in a few years down the line. The question is if you just held onto your R1 for the same time, what exactly is the money difference? The older truck will cost a lot less when you do the purchase and depreciation difference, with the question mark being repairs.

If I were to buy a new R1 when mine runs out of warranty, I'd probably be looking at having to spend about $60k to get the then-version of the same thing I have now when you consider the cost difference and the taxes. So if we rolled it 4 more years down the line to the end of the drivetrain warranty, the Gen 1 R1 has declined further in value but if I were to look at the cost difference at selling either vehicle, I've probably spent around $35k to have that newer R1 that's been eaten up in taxes and peak depreciation twice versus once.

So with all other things being equal, in those 4 years, would I have racked up $35k in repairs? Indications are suspension for $6k is a certainty. Half shafts for another $3k. Probably brakes, maybe some control arms. Dampers possibly for $4k. It's possible sure, but that's still only break even. We're talking $8500 a year every year in repairs when the drivetrain is still covered. All that stuff doesn't add up to half of that $35k.

If your interior and body are still in good shape, then you could entirely save a big chunk of money by eating $15k in out of warranty. That seems insane, but if you borrow money like most people to buy cars keep in mind none of those numbers include interest. The difference in interest would probably be another $5-8k. The difficulty in all that is that you need to have the money for repairs on hand rather than having it rolled up into a loan. It feels way worse to eat $6k in your savings for a repair bill, even if the greater amount going month over month into savings might go unnoticed.

The things that can't be qualified here are if the vehicle is reliable enough to suit your needs and if you care about having a new feature your old R1 can't have. It also only holds if you're looking to maintain roughly what you have. I can't disparage getting into something that's just cheaper or more reliable than an R1, since your willingness to have the power/size/fanciness also carries a cost. We don't all drive 10 year old Corollas after all.

I get the concept but far too many assumptions. I bought this used for $54k cash and KBB says $44-48k. There's no scenario where I would pay full price for a Rivian, none. $80k+ is wild for these vehicles. I don't do loans either. I would probably move on to another brand at that point. If Rivian Care doesn't roll out to second owners by the time my warranty is coming up it's gonna be a tough call

 

[Kaiju]

There's Xcare if you want to weigh third party warranty options, but basically you already have the best possible bang for buck scenario that you're going to get on an R1. The original quad motors were a helluva deal. To get what you have now you'd have to find a top trim trimotor or quad, because the LE had options baked in by default that cost extra now. There is about zero chance you'd get an equivalent Gen 2 even used that didn't cost 20-30k more. So it's more a question of whether you're going to decide you've had your fun and abandon the brand for something else.

The older LEs have their quirks but they were so low volume that they were more or less hand built. Some people regret trading their LEs in for Gen 2s. Not everyone, but some.

The more often you jump vehicles the more you spend. Trading up next year to a Rivian still under warranty is going to set you back vastly more than a new set of air springs.

 

[smashweights]

There's Xcare if you want to weigh third party warranty options, but basically you already have the best possible bang for buck scenario that you're going to get on an R1. The original quad motors were a helluva deal. To get what you have now you'd have to find a top trim trimotor or quad, because the LE had options baked in by default that cost extra now. There is about zero chance you'd get an equivalent Gen 2 even used that didn't cost 20-30k more. So it's more a question of whether you're going to decide you've had your fun and abandon the brand for something else.

The older LEs have their quirks but they were so low volume that they were more or less hand built. Some people regret trading their LEs in for Gen 2s. Not everyone, but some.

The more often you jump vehicles the more you spend. Trading up next year to a Rivian still under warranty is going to set you back vastly more than a new set of air springs.

As I mentioned, if it's time to move on next spring, there's no trading up to new Rivian, too expensive even just going for a dual motor, which I'd be fine with if it wasn't still $80k+ and can't even get the interior colors if like (FE or SS)...

I'm not a vehicle jumper by any means, this is only my 4th vehicle in 25 years, but it's been sitting in the shop for almost 9 weeks in my 11 months of ownership. It also likely has the AC drain problem that they couldn't replicate waiting to pop back up next spring and that could be big $$$ too

I'll have to look into Xcare warranty too

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