Where get tires rotated?

[Mark_AZR1T]

Welcome to Rivan Life and the forums. Both are an adventure. There are some very knowledgable guys/gals here,. Thanks for those that recommended our magnetic jack pucks, we do appreciate it very much!

As a site sponsor and owner of an R1T and R1S, we are all in on the Rivian experience. I designed the magnetic jack puck back in 2022 for myself, and then built them for the Rivian community and the service industry. With thousands shipped, it is much to do with our Rivian Forums community, so thanks again!

OP. Enjoy your Rivian, they are amazing in every way!!!

Mark
From One Rivian Owner to Another

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[jpadz41]

I think I might get the SC to do it even though I'm at 6,300+ miles out of the 7,500 since it'll be there for service. Not worth waiting another 1k miles and then going back again. It doesn't pull so not sure if I should ask for an alignment too.

i was in basically the same position, except my car did pull to the right some. i had my tires rotated at ~6700 and requested an alignment. they denied me a couple of times, saying “we don’t know your driving habits” but i pushed kindly but firmly saying 10 months and 6700 miles isn’t acceptable to be needing alignment. rivian did cover it, saying there is a 12 month/12k mile warranty it fell under.

 

[Der]

go to Rivian unless you have a local shop you trust. all it takes is a little research and professionalism to do it right. you're not going to find either at Discount Tire (@Discount Tire).

here's my recent experience: https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...g-discount-tire-watch-them-like-a-hawk.28845/

 

[Dave Cundiff]

@Doni Landefeld: Glad to see you continuing the adventure!

The Rivian Service Center network is the only branded chain where you can be CERTAIN (mostly) that they have correct equipment and use it consistently.

Behind them is the national Discount Tire chain, https://www.discounttire.com/. In areas where another entity does business with a similar name, the national Discount Tire chain operates locally under a different name (such as America's Tire in Southern California), so use the web site above to confirm where to go in your area. Stores of the national Discount Tire chain were all issued pucks and offered training. Some local Discount Tire stores do a great job. Others seem to have misplaced their pucks, forgotten their training, or both. Some appear to have pucks, but damage Rivians with REALLY stupid mistakes such as the one @dleewla visited in Kirkland WA. (We had a very good experience at Discount Tire in Hillsboro, Oregon.) It's a crapshoot, but you can probably get a good job at a https://www.discounttire.com/ store if you bring your own high-quality pucks; brief staff in advance; and watch them do the work.

Behind that is just about every other tire store and independent mechanic in the country. Here it's all about the intelligence, caring, and integrity of the local staff.

***

Assuming you go with a non-Rivian entity, @Doni Landefeld, consider preparing this way:

(1) Buy your own set of HIGH-QUALITY jack pucks. @Mark_AZR1T, a Site Sponsor on this forum, owns Rivians and operates https://jackpucks.com/ . Mark has an excellent reputation with me, and seemingly with everyone else. He operates with integrity and strives to make it right when customers have legitimate complaints (which isn't often). I've bought two sets of four JackPucks from Mark. I wouldn't consider buying from anyone else at this time.

(2) Download and print out the appropriate Tire Service Manual from Rivian. Also copy the link to the Tire Service Manual and email it to yourself and the local tire shop you want to use. For me, this was my nearest Costco Tire in Warrenton, Oregon. I've come to trust the Costco Tire manager more than I trust any other tire professionals within an hour's drive of my home.

(3) Meet with the manager and staff of the local tire shop, preferably before making the appointment. Give them a copy of the Tire Service Manual and see if they have any questions. Costco had questions, which Rivian refused to answer (except with the company line to trust Rivian and Discount Tire and nobody else). However, @Mark_AZR1T answered all of Costco's questions and emailed them and me a protocol that has worked for other independent shops including his local Costco stores.

(4) Be aware that sometimes things happen. Our R1T had a misalignment of the plastic panel under the right front jack point (and not at any other corner). So Costco wasn't confident they could jack it up without causing damage. They stopped work safely, took photographs and emailed me a narrative of their findings, and suggested I get advice from Rivian before proceeding. Portland Service Center took me as a walk-in, adjusted the panel position to be almost correct, and advised me that even though it will look misaligned when the puck is inserted, the right front puck will shift toward the middle of the hole when the vehicle is lifted. But the SC didn't have time to rotate the tires on a walk-in visit, so now I have to go back to Costco for the actual rotation.

#4 shows the reason to choose a shop that has integrity, one whose people you trust, and one that will hold itself accountable to "do the right thing" when something unexpected occurs. These are complicated vehicles. You need someone who's humble and conscientious to work on them.

***

I hope this helps!

 

[Doni Landefeld]

@Doni Landefeld: Glad to see you continuing the adventure!

The Rivian Service Center network is the only branded chain where you can be CERTAIN (mostly) that they have correct equipment and use it consistently.

Behind them is the national Discount Tire chain, https://www.discounttire.com/. In areas where another entity does business with a similar name, the national Discount Tire chain operates locally under a different name (such as America's Tire in Southern California), so use the web site above to confirm where to go in your area. Stores of the national Discount Tire chain were all issued pucks and offered training. Some local Discount Tire stores do a great job. Others seem to have misplaced their pucks, forgotten their training, or both. Some appear to have pucks, but damage Rivians with REALLY stupid mistakes such as the one @dleewla visited in Kirkland WA. (We had a very good experience at Discount Tire in Hillsboro, Oregon.) It's a crapshoot, but you can probably get a good job at a https://www.discounttire.com/ store if you bring your own high-quality pucks; brief staff in advance; and watch them do the work.

Behind that is just about every other tire store and independent mechanic in the country. Here it's all about the intelligence, caring, and integrity of the local staff.

***

Assuming you go with a non-Rivian entity, @Doni Landefeld, consider preparing this way:

(1) Buy your own set of HIGH-QUALITY jack pucks. @Mark_AZR1T, a Site Sponsor on this forum, owns Rivians and operates https://jackpucks.com/ . Mark has an excellent reputation with me, and seemingly with everyone else. He operates with integrity and strives to make it right when customers have legitimate complaints (which isn't often). I've bought two sets of four JackPucks from Mark. I wouldn't consider buying from anyone else at this time.

(2) Download and print out the appropriate Tire Service Manual from Rivian. Also copy the link to the Tire Service Manual and email it to yourself and the local tire shop you want to use. For me, this was my nearest Costco Tire in Warrenton, Oregon. I've come to trust the Costco Tire manager more than I trust any other tire professionals within an hour's drive of my home.

(3) Meet with the manager and staff of the local tire shop, preferably before making the appointment. Give them a copy of the Tire Service Manual and see if they have any questions. Costco had questions, which Rivian refused to answer (except with the company line to trust Rivian and Discount Tire and nobody else). However, @Mark_AZR1T answered all of Costco's questions and emailed them and me a protocol that has worked for other independent shops including his local Costco stores.

(4) Be aware that sometimes things happen. Our R1T had a misalignment of the plastic panel under the right front jack point (and not at any other corner). So Costco wasn't confident they could jack it up without causing damage. They stopped work safely, took photographs and emailed me a narrative of their findings, and suggested I get advice from Rivian before proceeding. Portland Service Center took me as a walk-in, adjusted the panel position to be almost correct, and advised me that even though it will look misaligned when the puck is inserted, the right front puck will shift toward the middle of the hole when the vehicle is lifted. But the SC didn't have time to rotate the tires on a walk-in visit, so now I have to go back to Costco for the actual rotation.

#4 shows the reason to choose a shop that has integrity, one whose people you trust, and one that will hold itself accountable to "do the right thing" when something unexpected occurs. These are complicated vehicles. You need someone who's humble and conscientious to work on them.

***

I hope this helps!

@Dave Cundiff - wow, this is super helpful Dave, thanks so much! I've read enough other posts that have scared me about going to Discount Tire Center and am now thankful Mavis couldn't accommodate me, especially since I'm not at my primary residence. I'm driving home to FL on Friday and will check with a shop that I feel good about, but will really ask a lot of questions, show them the pucks I ordered and then decide if they'll be ok with me "micro-managing" to ensure all will be a win-win. If not, hello again Tampa service center. So be it. Part of being an early adopter with this technology is some inconveniences and I'd rather err on the side of caution! Thanks again.

 

[Doni Landefeld]

@Doni Landefeld: Glad to see you continuing the adventure!

The Rivian Service Center network is the only branded chain where you can be CERTAIN (mostly) that they have correct equipment and use it consistently.

Behind them is the national Discount Tire chain, https://www.discounttire.com/. In areas where another entity does business with a similar name, the national Discount Tire chain operates locally under a different name (such as America's Tire in Southern California), so use the web site above to confirm where to go in your area. Stores of the national Discount Tire chain were all issued pucks and offered training. Some local Discount Tire stores do a great job. Others seem to have misplaced their pucks, forgotten their training, or both. Some appear to have pucks, but damage Rivians with REALLY stupid mistakes such as the one @dleewla visited in Kirkland WA. (We had a very good experience at Discount Tire in Hillsboro, Oregon.) It's a crapshoot, but you can probably get a good job at a https://www.discounttire.com/ store if you bring your own high-quality pucks; brief staff in advance; and watch them do the work.

Behind that is just about every other tire store and independent mechanic in the country. Here it's all about the intelligence, caring, and integrity of the local staff.

***

Assuming you go with a non-Rivian entity, @Doni Landefeld, consider preparing this way:

(1) Buy your own set of HIGH-QUALITY jack pucks. @Mark_AZR1T, a Site Sponsor on this forum, owns Rivians and operates https://jackpucks.com/ . Mark has an excellent reputation with me, and seemingly with everyone else. He operates with integrity and strives to make it right when customers have legitimate complaints (which isn't often). I've bought two sets of four JackPucks from Mark. I wouldn't consider buying from anyone else at this time.

(2) Download and print out the appropriate Tire Service Manual from Rivian. Also copy the link to the Tire Service Manual and email it to yourself and the local tire shop you want to use. For me, this was my nearest Costco Tire in Warrenton, Oregon. I've come to trust the Costco Tire manager more than I trust any other tire professionals within an hour's drive of my home.

(3) Meet with the manager and staff of the local tire shop, preferably before making the appointment. Give them a copy of the Tire Service Manual and see if they have any questions. Costco had questions, which Rivian refused to answer (except with the company line to trust Rivian and Discount Tire and nobody else). However, @Mark_AZR1T answered all of Costco's questions and emailed them and me a protocol that has worked for other independent shops including his local Costco stores.

(4) Be aware that sometimes things happen. Our R1T had a misalignment of the plastic panel under the right front jack point (and not at any other corner). So Costco wasn't confident they could jack it up without causing damage. They stopped work safely, took photographs and emailed me a narrative of their findings, and suggested I get advice from Rivian before proceeding. Portland Service Center took me as a walk-in, adjusted the panel position to be almost correct, and advised me that even though it will look misaligned when the puck is inserted, the right front puck will shift toward the middle of the hole when the vehicle is lifted. But the SC didn't have time to rotate the tires on a walk-in visit, so now I have to go back to Costco for the actual rotation.

#4 shows the reason to choose a shop that has integrity, one whose people you trust, and one that will hold itself accountable to "do the right thing" when something unexpected occurs. These are complicated vehicles. You need someone who's humble and conscientious to work on them.

***

I hope this helps!

@Dave Cundiff - hope you don't mind one more question on this thread. I purchased Mark's jack pucks and now that I'm back home in FL, went to my mechanic who I know/like/trust. Met with the manager this morning and showed them the pucks, discussed weight of vehicle, etc. He's confident they can use their one specialized lift that raises the vehicle by suspension instead of traditional lift that would come in contact with any delicate plastic underneath vehicle. But, jack pucks can certainly be the back up. He's also ok with me going into the shop to make sure all settings are go into change tire mode and not have the suspension toggle between drive modes. He asked me if there's any other reason that tire change mode is important and I didn't have an answer. Wondering if you or anyone else on this thread may have any additional insights? Much thanks for your support!

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

@Dave Cundiff - hope you don't mind one more question on this thread. I purchased Mark's jack pucks and now that I'm back home in FL, went to my mechanic who I know/like/trust. Met with the manager this morning and showed them the pucks, discussed weight of vehicle, etc. He's confident they can use their one specialized lift that raises the vehicle by suspension instead of traditional lift that would come in contact with any delicate plastic underneath vehicle. But, jack pucks can certainly be the back up. He's also ok with me going into the shop to make sure all settings are go into change tire mode and not have the suspension toggle between drive modes. He asked me if there's any other reason that tire change mode is important and I didn't have an answer. Wondering if you or anyone else on this thread may have any additional insights? Much thanks for your support!

Tire Change Mode primarily eliminates the vehicle from adjusting suspension height when it's initiated. Why is this important? If you have a floor jack on one side of the vehicle and begin to lift it, then the vehicle will try to make adjustments in the suspension to level out the vehicle. This is an obvious no-no, when servicing tires or wheels.

On another note, lifting your Rivian for tire servicing via the suspension is an option, but it not the primary method, which is via the four ports Rivian designed for this purpose.

 

[Dave Cundiff]

I'm trying to stick with what I know, @Doni Landefeld. I regard @Mark_AZR1T as an expert on tire changing. I'm grateful @Mark_AZR1T stepped in with a knowledgeable reply.

Best wishes!

 

[Doni Landefeld]

Tire Change Mode primarily eliminates the vehicle from adjusting suspension height when it's initiated. Why is this important? If you have a floor jack on one side of the vehicle and begin to lift it, then the vehicle will try to make adjustments in the suspension to level out the vehicle. This is an obvious no-no, when servicing tires or wheels.

On another note, lifting your Rivian for tire servicing via the suspension is an option, but it not the primary method, which is via the four ports Rivian designed for this purpose.

@Mark_AZR1T - I'll be sure to share this with the shop. Thanks very much!

 

[Doni Landefeld]

I'm trying to stick with what I know, @Doni Landefeld. I regard @Mark_AZR1T as an expert on tire changing. I'm grateful @Mark_AZR1T stepped in with a knowledgeable reply.

Best wishes!

@Dave Cundiff as am I! Truly, this forum is great. I've learned so much in the few months I've had my Rivian, thanks to the tremendous support!

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

@Mark_AZR1T - I'll be sure to share this with the shop. Thanks very much!

Sounds good and you're welcome. There is a simple video on the product page for our magnetic jack puck kit, that shows how to get a Rivian ready for tire change and using our pucks. Just a rough draft we put up, while our polished version is getting ready.

If you scroll through the photos and videos you'll see it. Show your shop that video and you'll be good to go.

Jack Pucks How To Video Embedded in Product Listing LINK

 

[Doni Landefeld]

@Dave Cundiff as am I! Truly, this forum is great. I've learned so much in the few months I've had my Rivian, thanks to the tremendous support!

@Mark_AZR1T @Dave Cundiff and everyone else who has been super helpful with this post...wanted to thank you again and let you know tire rotation happened this morning and went well! I emailed myself a one pager of Mark's video, notes for adjusting suspension height and going into tire change mode, etc. and all went extremely well. I also printed the one pager and went through everything with the shop manager and tech. They were super nice and the manager had no problem letting me ride into the bay and adjust the settings for suspension height and tire change mode. I let them use their drive on lift and made absolutely certain nothing was touching any of the delicate plastic. So in the end, I didn't need the jack pucks for this garage though am happy I bought them from Mark's company so I have peace of mind on the road if they are needed. I paid $55 total including tax, not bad at all and checked underneath after I got home to make sure all looked as it did before I took into the shop. Thankful again for this community and how we all support one another! I've seen other Rivians in my community so will start a new thread so locals know there's a great, trusted shop that can now do safe, competent tire rotation of Rivians to their services, thanks to our collective efforts! Yay!

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

@Mark_AZR1T @Dave Cundiff and everyone else who has been super helpful with this post...wanted to thank you again and let you know tire rotation happened this morning and went well! I emailed myself a one pager of Mark's video, notes for adjusting suspension height and going into tire change mode, etc. and all went extremely well. I also printed the one pager and went through everything with the shop manager and tech. They were super nice and the manager had no problem letting me ride into the bay and adjust the settings for suspension height and tire change mode. I let them use their drive on lift and made absolutely certain nothing was touching any of the delicate plastic. So in the end, I didn't need the jack pucks for this garage though am happy I bought them from Mark's company so I have peace of mind on the road if they are needed. I paid $55 total including tax, not bad at all and checked underneath after I got home to make sure all looked as it did before I took into the shop. Thankful again for this community and how we all support one another! I've seen other Rivians in my community so will start a new thread so locals know there's a great, trusted shop that can now do safe, competent tire rotation of Rivians to their services, thanks to our collective efforts! Yay!

Great job Doni! Sounds like everything went well and you had a solid experience with your service facility! What more can you ask for....and thanks for being a fantastic customer!

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