Do I need AAA roadside assistance with my Rivian R1S

[R1Sky Business]

Yeah... good times for sure!!

In freezing cold conditions!!!!

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[jbronkoR1T]

Unfortunately, Rivian left a lot of us in the uncomfortable position of not having a spare even though we had it selected as a build option. Because of this, we (and I mean the ppl who had it removed from their config and can not purchase one from the Gear Shop) have three options...
- Subscribe to someone's Roadside Assistance service.
- "Build" our own spare using Ram wheels (only for 20" wheels) and purchasing a tire then getting it mounted, plus sourcing our own jack, puck and lug wrench. Or find someone selling a proper Rivian wheel/tire from a takeoff, or a 4-tire set Gear Shop purchase break-up.
- Do nothing and take our chances till Rivian offers their own OEM spare in the Gear shop (s00n).

The first two options at least give you a way out of a bad situation if you have a R1T, for an R1S,... forget about getting that very specialized spare from anywhere other than Rivian. Choice #3 could prove to be a disaster if the flat or worse a sidewall blowout happens in an unfamiliar area miles from home and or at night when tire shops are closed (not that anyone other than a Rivian SC would carry a Rivian specific tire anyway but they might be persuaded to plug a simple puncture).

I am in the same boat and can't imagine what is causing the delay in being able to order a spare. any idea what the issue is? I have the 20" AT's but am hoping it won't be too long before I can order a spare/jack from gear shop. Just seems strange to me that I can't do that now.

 

[crashmtb]

Rivian’s roadside assistance should cover anything AAA does. There is no real advantage to having both.

I’ve never had to use AAA/CAA with my own vehicle, but I have with borrowed/other people’s cars enough that it‘s been worthwhile. That and all the other things offered, like various discounts and services such as passport photos, and..in California this can’t be overstated, then dealing with DMV madness.

 

[mkg3]

Unfortunately, Rivian left a lot of us in the uncomfortable position of not having a spare even though we had it selected as a build option. ....

I had my spare deleted from R1S preorder too. I get it.

When we bought our Model 3, it didn't come with spare and my wife insisted that we find one to keep in the boot. Thankfully Modern Spare made a kit and to this day, we have one sitting in the boot. Spare has never been used in 4 1/2 yrs.

https://modernspare.com/

They do not make one for Rivian but they do take requests. If enough people asked, I'm sure they'll figure out something for the R1 series.

 

[COdogman]

One thing to keep in mind depending on where you live is that AAA does offer mobile electric vehicle charging in some areas. My guess is that is pretty limited, but at least they are planning for a future with electric vehicles.

https://www.colorado.aaa.com/automotive/roadside-assistance

Ironically I've never used AAA for one of my vehicles but another service they offer is roadside assistance even if you are on a bicycle. I had a mechanical issue I couldn't fix out on the road pretty far from home one day and no one I knew was available to come get me so I called AAA and they came and picked me and my bike up!

 

[jeeden]

Just trying to figure out the little.details.om our new R1S.and have a question on this...

If we need roadside assistance can we just hit the SOS button or is that for emergencies only? I see the roadside assistance button in the app, assume that is different than the third party sos?

 

[Dark-Fx]

Just trying to figure out the little.details.om our new R1S.and have a question on this...

If we need roadside assistance can we just hit the SOS button or is that for emergencies only? I see the roadside assistance button in the app, assume that is different than the third party sos?

I've never hit it, but it's a third party provider that will help arrange whatever emergency services you need. The "SOS" section here details it. https://rivian.com/legal/roadside (The owners manual pretty much has the same information but suggests to call roadside service (844-RIVIAN4) for a tow instead of using the SOS service)

I'm not sure it's meant to be used for general assistance but I will have no qualms using it if I'm in a situation where I need help and my cell phone has no signal or is dead.

 

[jeeden]

I've never hit it, but it's a third party provider that will help arrange whatever emergency services you need. The "SOS" section here details it. https://rivian.com/legal/roadside (The owners manual pretty much has the same information but suggests to call roadside service (844-RIVIAN4) for a tow instead of using the SOS service)

I'm not sure it's meant to be used for general assistance but I will have no qualms using it if I'm in a situation where I need help and my cell phone has no signal or is dead.

Thanks. yea, it is is little vague about how what is intended other than emergencies. I'll just make sure I have the number in our phones for lockouts, tire changes etc. My wife suggested the should have made the button "SOR" for "Save our Rivian" haha

I'm also making up a little "quick reaction card" to keep in the console for myself and the wife with

• Infotainment reset
• Soft reset
• Hard reset
• Sleep reset
• Rivian roadside

So we don't have to google it or go into the app if needed

 

[Dark-Fx]

Thanks. yea, it is is little vague about how what is intended other than emergencies. I'll just make sure I have the number in our phones for lockouts, tire changes etc. My wife suggested the should have made the button "SOR" for "Save our Rivian" haha

I'm also making up a little "quick reaction card" to keep in the console for myself and the wife with

• Infotainment reset
• Soft reset
• Hard reset
• Sleep reset
• Rivian roadside

So we don't have to google it or go into the app if needed

Only issue is if your 12V battery is truly dead there's no way to get into the cabin.

 

[jeeden]

Only issue is if your 12V battery is truly dead there's no way to get into the cabin.

Yea... I guess that settles it then... going to have to go for tattoos...

 

[sac602]

I had my spare deleted from R1S preorder too. I get it.

When we bought our Model 3, it didn't come with spare and my wife insisted that we find one to keep in the boot. Thankfully Modern Spare made a kit and to this day, we have one sitting in the boot. Spare has never been used in 4 1/2 yrs.

https://modernspare.com/

They do not make one for Rivian but they do take requests. If enough people asked, I'm sure they'll figure out something for the R1 series.

they have them now for a whopping $750!! https://modernspare.com/product/2022-2024-rivian-r1t-spare-tire-kit-options/

 

[Autolycus]

they have them now for a whopping $750!! https://modernspare.com/product/2022-2024-rivian-r1t-spare-tire-kit-options/

What does a full-size spare from Rivian cost? I think it used to be $800 for the 20" AT (non-dark)? If it comes back in that same price range, that's definitely a better choice than the Modern Spare option.

 

[Joe schmoe]

I've had a AAA membership for decades, often with overlapping coverage like Rivian's.

I used to consider it a necessity (especially since modern cars tend to not have spares).

I needed to call them twice in the last 3 years, once for a shredded sidewall in my Tesla, and once for a transmission issue in our old "beater" that we keep in the Florida panhandle.

AAA simply failed to show each of those times, but did reimburse me fully after I made my own arrangements.

The flat in the Tesla was in a sketchy urban neighborhood, and after waiting for more than 3 hours I called a wrecker directly and got the car towed. I saw at least a dozen empty rollback wreckers pass me ( I was on the side of a 4-lane highway in an industrial area). The guy that did show up said that he often pulled for AAA, but wasn't called about me even though he was available. Called AA multiple times, using both phone and app and was promised a call back but never got one

The transmission in Florida was near Defuniak Springs, which is a small town near the Florida/Alabama border. Not exactly rural, but a long way from any tow service and a solid hour drive from a shop familiar with old cars like ours. We left the car where it was, made our way home, and arranged for a tow to the shop the following morning. AAA never called us back after multiple contacts.

AAA isn't what it used to be, and I think they are having difficulty recruiting tow services especially in rural areas. They did reimburse me fully for the retail cost of both tows without any question, and that alone was more than enough to pay the cost of my membership for the last 3-4 years.

 

[zymolysis]

I've had a AAA membership for decades, often with overlapping coverage like Rivian's.

I used to consider it a necessity (especially since modern cars tend to not have spares).

I needed to call them twice in the last 3 years, once for a shredded sidewall in my Tesla, and once for a transmission issue in our old "beater" that we keep in the Florida panhandle.

AAA simply failed to show each of those times, but did reimburse me fully after I made my own arrangements.

The flat in the Tesla was in a sketchy urban neighborhood, and after waiting for more than 3 hours I called a wrecker directly and got the car towed. I saw at least a dozen empty rollback wreckers pass me ( I was on the side of a 4-lane highway in an industrial area). The guy that did show up said that he often pulled for AAA, but wasn't called about me even though he was available. Called AA multiple times, using both phone and app and was promised a call back but never got one

The transmission in Florida was near Defuniak Springs, which is a small town near the Florida/Alabama border. Not exactly rural, but a long way from any tow service and a solid hour drive from a shop familiar with old cars like ours. We left the car where it was, made our way home, and arranged for a tow to the shop the following morning. AAA never called us back after multiple contacts.

AAA isn't what it used to be, and I think they are having difficulty recruiting tow services especially in rural areas. They did reimburse me fully for the retail cost of both tows without any question, and that alone was more than enough to pay the cost of my membership for the last 3-4 years.

I've never had issues that bad with AAA in AZ - must be the Florida branch.

 

[BigSkies]

I'm keeping AAA. Reasons:

1. My wife previously had an experience with roadside assistance through a manufacturer where it took multiple hours for roadside assistance to arrive. The tow truck driver apparently would have been there in 20 minutes if it had been a AAA call. Apparently, AAA calls get a higher priority from tow services. Although this was over a decade ago, so maybe things have changed.

2. It isn't much more expensive than getting roadside assistance through my regular insurance. I don't need it twice, but I'd like it once. AAA is now also providing emergency EV charges in some cities. I expect this service will become more widely available in the coming years.

3. I might have misunderstood what service Rivian provides. Is it full roadside assistance like AAA, or is it them dispaching a mobile service vehicle from their service center? I had assumed it was the latter, which means I'm frequently multiple hours from a service vehicle. I may re-assess if it's the former.

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