My "adventure truck" was destroyed by suncreen...

[thehorsegirl]

I've noticed the last few months that the coating on the driver door handle of my 2023 R1T was starting to look bad...like REALLY bad. Bubbling and peeling like old paint bad.

I submitted a ticket and brought it into the El Segundo service center where they told me that it was going to be $950 to fix and they expected me to pay it out of pocket because it was regular "wear and tear" from touching it with sunscreen. I contested it and they still closed my ticket after telling me they would "run it up the chain" and ghosting me.

On what planet is the interior of a 3-year-old $100k "adventure" truck peeling and bubbling from sunscreen "wear and tear"?! It seems like this is a known problem from other forum posts, except the other owners had nicer service centers who actually replaced it under warranty.

Is there anything else I can do?

The Rivian rep even had the nerve to suggest I just not wear sunscreen in my car even though we live in SoCal and I've had skin cancer

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[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Well it happens in other cars. Put two things that aren’t chemically compatible with one another, this happens. Never taken chemistry classes? Rivian never said this wouldn’t happen. Responsibility rests on you.

 

[Dave Cundiff]

I suspect both Rivian and @thehorsegirl have good-faith arguments here. I don't recall being told, either in person or in the manual, to avoid sunscreen contact with the car's interior surfaces. I also don't know how Rivian could/should have notified everyone about the risk if they knew about it.

How many brands, types, active ingredients, and inert or application-related ingredients are in the many different sunscreens sold in North America? Who could test them all on every surface and in every temperature/sunlight condition? Did @thehorsegirl see or feel that there was contact between her sunscreen and the vehicle's interior surfaces?

I would expect Rivian and @thehorsegirl to keep talking, escalating to supervisors if needed, and work out something that is at least reasonably fair to everyone. I would have trouble calling this a manufacturing defect, but I also empathize with @thehorsegirl's situation.

To me, this situation calls for at least some "courtesy discount" along with 100% respectful treatment (even if angry words were exchanged early in the conversation, when the customer was surprised). If neither a courtesy discount nor respectful treatment was offered, perhaps Rivian missed a customer-relations opportunity here.

I wouldn't advise anyone not to wear sunscreen, especially with a history of sun-related skin damage -- but, in future, either long-sleeved clothing or a special covering/coating for vulnerable parts of the car might allow everyone to enjoy adventure without damaging their treasured vehicle.

Best to all!

 

[carsly]

seems unusual but the “vegan leather” is a petroleum product so it does require more attention than regular leather in my experience. maybe try to clean it off frequently? in terms of the damage, it shouldn’t happen with regular use but wear is a thing and putting other substances on it is not a manufacturing or materials defect. agree they should offer some goodwill on the repair, but that’s a judgement call and maybe they are leery of setting a precedent.

by comparison we have ocean coast and regularly wear sunscreen and in a year and a half have seen nothing like this. i do wipe down all the touch surfaces and seats a few times a year to keep them clean.

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