Rivian repair by owner

[Luxus]

I am looking to purchase/lease a Rivian R1T. I was curious to see if anybody fixes their Rivian themselves after the warranty runs out and your experiences on doing so. Now I'm not talking about monkeying with the big battery but things like brakes and suspension. I am aware that Rivian frowns on this but I am very mechanically inclined and I don't see why I can't do something like replace worn brakes in my own garage. I for sure will be rotating my own tires.

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[FooF]

There is not really any maintenance to do other than rotating tires. Brakes should not wear out since regen is used for most braking.

 

[cohall]

I am looking to purchase/lease a Rivian R1T. I was curious to see if anybody fixes their Rivian themselves after the warranty runs out and your experiences on doing so. Now I'm not talking about monkeying with the big battery but things like brakes and suspension. I am aware that Rivian frowns on this but I am very mechanically inclined and I don't see why I can't do something like replace worn brakes in my own garage. I for sure will be rotating my own tires.

I changed my own cabin filter and refilled my washer fluid. Does that count?

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

There’s no repair manual available to the public. In order to access third party service portal containing such info, part numbers and ability to order parts… one would need to apply, get vetted and pay a $3k-ish annual subscription fee.

Unless it’s regular basic maintenance of common automotive components… the average person is SOL.

 

[Eeyore]

This must potentially be your first EV experience. There are few maintenance things needed for an EV. Replace wipers, rotate tires, fill washer fluid, replace cabin air filter. I guess you could replace brake pads, but you could conceivably get 100K before needing to do that.

The thing that might need to be done at a service center is have the 12V battery replaced, depending on which generation R1 you buy.

EV's don't need oil changes, spark plugs, mufflers, fuel filter, any type of engine belt, timing adjustment or anything else related to a petrol motor.

 

[roberttatefan]

I'm interested in this. For example, I had a leaking rear damper replaced under warranty. In any other vehicle, if this occurred outside of warranty, that would be DIY. Given the complexity of Rivian's suspension the number of sensors involved, I'd be curious as to what this would look like if performed DIY or by an Indy.

In the case of an Audi I owned, doing a brake job required a VAG-COM (special OBD interface for VW/Audi) to retract the parking brake. This interface is available to the public for ~$300. I imagine several seemingly basic/purely mechanical repairs require software interaction/service modes/resets/calibrations.

I'm interested if others have wrenched on theirs now that many are approaching the end of the bumper to bumper.

 

[justinkitswa]

I'd expect Rivian to generally not now or ever support owner/operator service and repair.

They've not (to my knowledge) indicated anything in their messaging that they'd support us buying parts, service tools, doing our own repairs, etc.

Some of it makes sense - 400 volt DC systems can be very unforgiving to human life.

Mostly it's protection of service revenue stream and intellectual property.

My long term plan with our R1S is to have enough credit card capacity to cover occasional service center visits and repairs. If it gets too "needy" it gets traded in on something else.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I'm interested in this. For example, I had a leaking rear damper replaced under warranty. In any other vehicle, if this occurred outside of warranty, that would be DIY. Given the complexity of Rivian's suspension the number of sensors involved, I'd be curious as to what this would look like if performed DIY or by an Indy.

In the case of an Audi I owned, doing a brake job required a VAG-COM (special OBD interface for VW/Audi) to retract the parking brake. This interface is available to the public for ~$300.

I'm interested if others have wrenched on theirs now that many are approaching the end of the bumper to bumper.

I saw a OBD2 scan tool recently, can't remember where, that claimed to support Rivians. But it is not on https://rivianservicetools.com/, which is maintained by SnapOn and has most things SCs use. The price of the scan tool was over $1k, so I did not bookmark it.

 

[Luxus]

This must potentially be your first EV experience. There are few maintenance things needed for an EV. Replace wipers, rotate tires, fill washer fluid, replace cabin air filter. I guess you could replace brake pads, but you could conceivably get 100K before needing to do that.

The thing that might need to be done at a service center is have the 12V battery replaced, depending on which generation R1 you buy.

EV's don't need oil changes, spark plugs, mufflers, fuel filter, any type of engine belt, timing adjustment or anything else related to a petrol motor.

I have been around cars long enough to know that they all need some kind of repair/maintenance eventually. EVs are not magically free of this reality. Brakes, suspension and driveline systems come to mind as things that are not different between ICE and EVs. I am new to Rivian but just poking around here the last couple days I see talk about half shafts needing to be removed for various reasons. I also have seen plenty threads about things being fixed under warranty. Warranty does not last forever. It's something to consider if you plan on holding on to your vehicle for more than a couple years.

 

[roberttatefan]

I'd expect Rivian to generally not now or ever support owner/operator service and repair.

They've not (to my knowledge) indicated anything in their messaging that they'd support us buying parts, service tools, doing our own repairs, etc.

Some of it makes sense - 400 volt DC systems can be very unforgiving to human life.

Mostly it's protection of service revenue stream and intellectual property.

My long term plan with our R1S is to have enough credit card capacity to cover occasional service center visits and repairs. If it gets too "needy" it gets traded in on something else.

I understand this to a degree and we've, unfortunately, seen it across the industry. Vehicles have become increasingly complex, requiring bespoke tools, procedures, knowledge, and software support to repair. This forces folks to the dealership if they're in need of repair or it completely destroys the resale of vehicles as they age turning them into yet another disposable item.

I'd be happy to use dealerships exclusively for service if it weren't for:

• Limited service centers / proximity
• Long wait times to get in for service
• Usurious rates on both labor and parts

Going back to Audi ownership, I've had brake jobs quoted at north of $5,000 from a dealer, when an indy can do the same service, using OEM parts for $2,500 and using high quality replacement parts for $1,500. The extortion of some of these manufacturers will ultimately be their demise. I'm cautiously optimistic about Rivian - RJ actually had some insightful comments here (most notably at 59:47). There's another quote out there (maybe same video) where he talks about secondary market as a revenue stream.

If Rivian can make out of warranty service palatable (which in theory aligns with their environmental stances), it would be a VERY welcome industry change.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

This must potentially be your first EV experience. There are few maintenance things needed for an EV. Replace wipers, rotate tires, fill washer fluid, replace cabin air filter. I guess you could replace brake pads, but you could conceivably get 100K before needing to do that.

The thing that might need to be done at a service center is have the 12V battery replaced, depending on which generation R1 you buy.

EV's don't need oil changes, spark plugs, mufflers, fuel filter, any type of engine belt, timing adjustment or anything else related to a petrol motor.

That really isn’t correct. See:

 

[Eeyore]

That really isn’t correct. See:

I stand corrected and humbly apologize for my previous post.

 

[BigSkies]

Rivian's aren't designed to be worked on by end consumers. The vehicle is great, but the design philosophy is not. Rivian's response to "right to repair" is "lol".

Documentation isn't available and parts aren't available. Even something like a simple latch replacement or 12v battery replacement is outside the hands of consumers without significant effort.

The plus side is that the vehicles are mechanically simple. There isn't any equivalent of engine maintenance on a car. You just have to worry about non drive-train stuff like 12V batteries and electronic latches on everything.

My biggest long term worry is the pneumatic and air suspension. That will be a failure component at some point, and it won't be cheap.

 

[Cycliste]

I have fixed the tire pressure a few times, and the low washer fluid

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

I stand corrected and humbly apologize for my previous post.

Trust me, it also caught me by surprise!

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