RJ, Rivian Service is Broken

[DuoRivian]

Imagine with the R2 in mass production in 2026...

I am wondering with the improved build quality and some reduction in complexity with the 2025 models if there will be less issues in the first place thereby reducing pressure on the SCs. I would expect the R2 to be even easier to repair, service and repair as it is a clean sheet design that isn’t super capable off-road. Thereby having less issues as well. I would also expect all planned SCs (for example Trenton, Edison, Rochester etc) to be open before R2 starts production in 2026.

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[André]

I am wondering with the improved build quality and some reduction in complexity with the 2025 models if there will be less issues in the first place thereby reducing pressure on the SCs. I would expect the R2 to be even easier to repair, service and repair as it is a clean sheet design that isn’t super capable off-road. Thereby having less issues as well. I would also expect all planned SCs (for example Trenton, Edison, Rochester etc) to be open before R2 starts production in 2026.

I ignore if long repairs and bad communications resulting from overwhelmed employees is due to large number of repairs. A lot seem to result from a lack of quality controls at the exit of the assembly line and missing parts that are taken care of at the SC level. They still ship R1T with missing PTC included in the purchase. I imagine that thousands of these PTC still in line for installs will continue to take a large part of the SC capacity... why don't they hire and train sub-contractors to do that locally or why don't they postpone shipments from normal until they are installed at the plant ?

 

[beatle]

They still ship R1T with missing PTC included in the purchase. I imagine that thousands of these PTC still in line for installs will continue to take a large part of the SC capacity... why don't they hire and train sub-contractors to do that locally or why don't they postpone shipments from normal until they are installed at the plant ?

My guess is they are just trying to push units out and keep their numbers up, and anything that would otherwise prevent a sale but could be "reasonably" fixed on the backend impedes those numbers.

"Reasonably" being the operative word, and that definition will vary depending on whether you're an executive, a factory worker, a service worker, or a customer. But since we know who calls the shots we can get an idea of what Rivian thinks it means.

Similarly, the F150 Lightning was supposed to have powered running boards available, but they cancelled those and added fixed running boards due to parts shortages so they could get the truck out the door. But they also never promised buyers "we'll get you those later."

That said, Ford as a company is in a much different phase of its lifecycle compared to Rivian, and it does not own its own service centers the way Rivian does (dealerships do), so the company's decision tree for a similar problem would be weighted a bit differently.

 

[SparkyR1t]

Support the concept of bringing in contractor’s in another space/ warehouse to perform only one or two specific repairs. That’s how you service a vehicle owner and improve your service offering.

 

[pepe]

I don't like to complain but I do believe that Rivian needs to be aware, if they were not, of the situation with the service center in Tampa, FL. I have been driving a rental car for 8 days now without any idea when my R1S is going to be serviced. It has about 6,000 miles and it needs suspension service plus a few other details, including a noisy AC unit that seems ready to take off. I think Rivian is bleeding money by this lack of proper scheduling. I told them that I didn't need to be driving a rental (GMC Acadia) if they had told me that the service was falling behind. I was happy to reschedule as my car was drivable. That day, June 5th, they told me that was going to take 2-3 weeks as they didn't have enough help around. Sad. I work at a boat dealership and now very well how customers can make you successful or take your brand down, according to how good your post sale service is and how secure they feel.

Final update:
My R1S was at the Tampa SC for over a month because, of course, when they got to my vehicle, they needed to special-order parts. I did have a vehicle to drive all this time, first a rental car and after that a loaner truck, but like most of us that wish Rivian success, that is not sustainable. "The Roo" seems to be working fine and we are happy to have her back at home.

One difference I noticed after owning premium cars and having them serviced at premium dealerships: service center didn't go the extra mile to provide not even a customary car wash, after more than 30 days sitting in their shop. Lots to learn, I guess.

 

[evforthewin]

The inefficiencies in Rivian's various processes makes it painful for those of us that really like the vehicles and think they are on to something very special. I agree with others, the assembly line quality control is not good enough. This is costing Rivian so much money unnecessarily. I just drove 400 miles roundtrip on Thursday to take my R1S to the OKC service center because Dallas is 5 weeks out. I was told to expect it to be there for 5 weeks, and it would be at least 12 days before of their 2 techs would actually be able to look at it. I'm sorry, but this is stupid. Over $400 a week for the Enterprise rental car. And, Enterprise could not even honor my reservation for a Chevy Silverado EV that the service center said they do have (was at another lot). So, I drove all this way but they could not pressure Enterprise to get the EV available for me when they are spending God knows how much with them.

The whole process reeks of stupidity (sorry, no other way to put it). I get the pressure to get the vehicles off the line and out the door but this is not driving profitability in any way, shape or form. It is also leaving early adopters thinking they made a big mistake. I cringe at the possibility of having more issues with my R1S in the next 2.5 years, as this process is just wholly unacceptable.

All this said, Rivian has so much potential and I love my R1S in many ways. There are numerous design flaws for me, but again, so much potential. Their R1 line is unique in the marketplace and in so many ways, exactly what I was looking for. It really is frustrating to go through these growing pains they are having, but hopefully they will iron this out and start making better decisions for the company, stockholders, and patrons.

 

[JonW716]

I have used the mobile service once and was very pleased. I am dropping my car off on Monday for water in the front (assuming A/C), and a noise mobile service couldn’t fix. They called to confirm appointment yesterday and I asked how long they will need it, they said 2 week’s minimum probably 3…. This is a huge turn off, and they are renting me a car…. This company is hemorrhaging cash from their service dynamic alone. Service can make or break a brand and personally I think they are setting themselves up for failure.

 

[keiferedits]

I have a gen 2 that been at the service center longer than it’s been in my own garage. Suspension issues, Bluetooth connectivity issues, trim alignment issues. I did have the car for 9 days before the suspension warning light came on, so that’s a positive. It’s a shame that my experience seems to be a common one. So far owning a Rivian has been a huge disappointment and I’m a long way from recommending this vehicle to others. On a side note, I understand the Halloween mode is a fun little distraction, but for someone experiencing actual vehicle software and hardware issues it’s a kick in the gut to see where their resources are being spent. Please fix the cars RJ and leave the gimmicks to Elon for now.

 

[pepe]

My R1S is at the Tampa service center again. It is like her second home. They love the car so much that instead of keeping her for a couple days or a week, they always keep her for a month or more.

I sent an email to customer service, and they always say they are eager to get back in touch with me but they never do:

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to Rivian Customer Support.

We eagerly look forward to connecting with you and will be responding to your email shortly.

...

I don't think it is their fault. It is just a different understanding of the philosophical category of time. What for me may be a day, for them is a week, a month.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

For folks that had a model 3 or y in the early days — 2017 or 2018 etc — how does this compare? Were cars in the shop for this long? I honestly do not have a comparison.

 

[atebit]

For folks that had a model 3 or y in the early days — 2017 or 2018 etc — how does this compare? Were cars in the shop for this long? I honestly do not have a comparison.

I got my M3 in 2018, had nothing more than minor issues with it. And even if I did, the closest Tesla SC was less than 40 minutes away. Not long after that, they opened up another SC that was even closer. Rivian’s hand waving-away the oversubscription of their SC’s will be their undoing, if there’s undoing to be done. Or… undone. Whatever.

 

[evforthewin]

The inefficiencies in Rivian's various processes makes it painful for those of us that really like the vehicles and think they are on to something very special. I agree with others, the assembly line quality control is not good enough. This is costing Rivian so much money unnecessarily. I just drove 400 miles roundtrip on Thursday to take my R1S to the OKC service center because Dallas is 5 weeks out. I was told to expect it to be there for 5 weeks, and it would be at least 12 days before of their 2 techs would actually be able to look at it. I'm sorry, but this is stupid. Over $400 a week for the Enterprise rental car. And, Enterprise could not even honor my reservation for a Chevy Silverado EV that the service center said they do have (was at another lot). So, I drove all this way but they could not pressure Enterprise to get the EV available for me when they are spending God knows how much with them.

The whole process reeks of stupidity (sorry, no other way to put it). I get the pressure to get the vehicles off the line and out the door but this is not driving profitability in any way, shape or form. It is also leaving early adopters thinking they made a big mistake. I cringe at the possibility of having more issues with my R1S in the next 2.5 years, as this process is just wholly unacceptable.

All this said, Rivian has so much potential and I love my R1S in many ways. There are numerous design flaws for me, but again, so much potential. Their R1 line is unique in the marketplace and in so many ways, exactly what I was looking for. It really is frustrating to go through these growing pains they are having, but hopefully they will iron this out and start making better decisions for the company, stockholders, and patrons.

Just wanted to update this post with my experience with the Oklahoma City Service Center - shout out to my service advisor, Anthony, and the whole team there.

Went and picked up my R1S yesterday. They definitely Under promised and Over delivered. It was there exactly 2 weeks (vs. the 5 they estimated it would be) and they got everything fixed. I have to give them kudos for pre-diagnostic work they did on the rear hatch and parking sensors not working, as they pre-ordered parts based on this work. They fixed all my trim issues as well, handled a couple of recall checks, did a courtesy check and had it cleaned, charged and ready to go.

Details on the rear hatch issue: loose connector on what they call an RCZ controller. I chalk this up to poor assembly which circles us back to my point in this post...fix assembly so you don't spend so much money, time and early adopter capital through the repair process.

Just want to add a few more comments. I spent the past two weeks reviewing and researching every other premium/luxury EV currently on the market. There seem to be quieter, more luxurious vehicles out there (BMW, MB, Polestar), but Rivian still stands out for it pure performance, software stack, storage space, and usable options. The only vehicle that looks like it could beat out the R1S in some areas is the upcoming Lucid Gravity (very intriguing).

I hope Rivian survives the growing pains, becomes more efficient at assembly/production, service, and profitability. And I hope they will continue to refine the R1S to improve aerodynamics in relation to highway noise and efficiency, add more sound proofing, improve the design of the seats and maybe even offer a leather package. As they sell more and reduce the overall price to produce, they can add more luxury features which I, personally, would gladly pay for.

 

[SparkyR1t]

I’m hoping that the Gen 2 will greatly reduce or eliminate the need for fixes in the field for deliveries. I think that would go a long way towards reducing the burden on the service centers. Beyond that, they need to get all the PTC replacements done quickly. I cannot imagine how many work hours are involved collectively for that project.

R2’s need to come off the assembly line 99.99% perfect. It’s doable and that fixes much of the service center backlog.

 

[simpsonhomer]

My Rivian was just at the Gaithersburg SC for the 5th time in a year. Each time, it sits there in the parking lot for over a week before anyone even looks at it. Then they spend 1-2 more weeks "diagnosing" it and then returning it unfixed almost every time. I've gotten to the point where I just let the failures collect until it needs to be towed (happened twice already), since they simply won't fix anything and blame it on "software bugs".

So now I have an ever-growing pile of problems with the car, but I know 100% that bringing it back to service will mean getting it back with "we see the problem but we think it's a software bug so we can't do anything about it...we hope you enjoyed the rental Malibu the past 3 weeks", based on past experiences. It's a 4-hour round-trip to the service center, to compound the problem.

We canceled our R2 reservation. Our R1 is the first and will be the last Rivian we own. We don't expect a perfect car, but we expect that problems get fixed under warranty, and Rivian hasn't honored that end of the deal.

 

[ModelXer]

I love my R1T. I am an early adopter, having received my truck in March of 2022. I am also a shareholder. Those things said, Rivian service is downright painful. In my current encounter, I dropped my truck at the temporary service center in Trenton, NJ eight days ago for the tonneau cover update and a comprehensive inspection.

I‘ll Spare you the details of how difficult it was just to get the status of my repair. My truck has not been taken into the shop yet. “When should I schedule a day to come pick it up? We don’t know yet. When will it go into the shop. We don’t know.” I can see the writing on the wall. When they finally look at my truck, they will find that they need a part. I will be driving this wonderful Chrysler minivan for weeks. I cannot arrange my life around an unknown pickup date. This is not the service I was promised when I purchased the vehicle and it is certainly one of the worst customer service experiences of my life.

RJ, this is fixable. It is costing company money, prestige and customers.

I would say it's teething pains. Tesla Service was awful at first. Six weeks for front suspension parts (I skidded on black ice). It will likely take a couple of years or so to get competent.

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