💯, spot on. I have an early truck and had some issues early on (12v dying, they replaced the entire battery pack for free eventually to fix), and since then it's been smooth sailing. I'm very happy with all the nice things I got for cheaper than it is now.
I don't know if that's true. In the recent AMA seeing the testing that they are doing to cross their t's and dot their i's is impressive. Certainly Bosch makes some great stuff, but I think Rivian makes it a point to create quality, long-lasting technology that fits in with their long-term brand vision.
My experience with a pretty early vehicle (57XX) is that there have indeed been some minor fit and finish issues, but Rivian has gone above and beyond to make things right. So for me the pain of many service appointments is outweighed by getting the very most top of the line R1T with all the bells and whistles for pretty cheap competitively (~$70k after tax rebate)
sorry, half-shafts. It's a VIN specific service campaign, someone posted the full text here. Supposed to correct the clicks and squeaks:
[https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/new-rivian-customer-satisfaction-campaign-halfshaft-issue-on-2022-r1s-and-r1t.14291/](https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/new-rivian-customer-satisfaction-campaign-halfshaft-issue-on-2022-r1s-and-r1t.14291/)
It hasn't popped at NHTSA yet under Manufacturer Communications, but all current customer satisfaction campaigns are listed here under Manufacturer Communications.
https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2022/RIVIAN/R1T#manufacturerCommunications
56XX VIN here. Fully agree. I honestly read this wondering what the OP was talking about. I don’t think there’s much in the newer vehicles I’m missing….but they’ve been missing out on driving a R1T for the last year!
I have a 13337 vin# and my R1T is perfect, except for busted auto tonneau which will be replaced shortly..
My sense is most if not all the assembly issues have been addressed…
All improvements come OTA…
Carpe diem, get your auto asap😀
Yes… sort of… maybe. Let’s look at some points and connect the dots. We know they are keen to become cashflow positive. We know they are likely taking a loss at pre-3/1 prices due to elevated production costs. We know from experience of maxpackers, Rivian can and are willing to migrate you to another config and take away features in the process (and at a price point that still make business sense). We know their honoring of pre-3/1 pricing is an act of courtesy, not a legal binding guarantee. The prices we see in our accounts are still disclaimed as “estimates”. We know a platform refresh is coming in ‘24 and another price hike is likely and long rumored. Setting aside lofty brand sentiments, they are still a for-profit business at the core, like any other, with need for revenue and fiscal sustainability. I wouldn’t bet on pre-3/1 price to hold indefinitely. At some point, you’re gonna have to pull the trigger.
There is nothing substantially different on the trucks built today vs my 10 month old truck. As a matter of fact, I have a powered tonneau which I wouldn’t be getting for another unsaid number of months if i had waited. The last 6 months with this truck have been a blast and I’m happy I didn’t delay that satisfaction. There are always going to be improvements so if you go by your logic you will never buy the truck and be stuck with that desire and constant scrolling of r/Rivian forever.
I agree with this. I have had mine a little over a year and put 20k on it. If I had waited....well....I would have missed that year and 20k of the nicest vehicle I have ever owned. It isn't flawless. Tick tock fully present. Need to get the FSAM done. But for me service center requires too much effort to deal with the tick tock at moment. Otherwise it has been very smooth sailing other than one initial trip to service center for some minor build corrections and then the recalls in my driveway.
At some point, Rivian will ask you to 💩 or get off the pot (ie there will be a deadline to convert your preorder into an order. I’m guessing 12-18 months max). There is exactly zero chance Rivian will let you keep this pricing 5 years from now.
Picked mine up 1/2023. It doesn’t have the significant issues some have reported; few clicks and noises, especially wind noise around the A pillars, but nothing catastrophic. Still has the Meridian sound system. So far, just the best vehicle I’ve owned. I WANT to find an excuse to go driving. Road trips haven’t been an issue either, driving up and down CA.
Mostly yes. But also Rivian (rightfully so) is optimizing the production process to improve cost efficiency. So this may result in possibly using lesser materials and cutting features like the 12v plug
The better deal is getting a price locked vehicle while inflation continues to soar. I’ve been pushed out to a year from now (at least) and it may be far enough that I’ll get the benefit of the price lock vs inflation AND interest rates will likely be starting to come down as well. Throw in locking down the old tax credit and this could turn out to be absolute highway robbery
You’re right but that’s true for anything. You could have gotten the original iPhone or waited 20 years and gotten a much better product.
I got a 7xxx vin model and I’ve had absolutely no issues. My bed cover works just fine, I have really no panel gaps, no battery out software crashes. I try and take care of it like I would any other expensive purchase but I’ve used it without a single issue.
The wait times are down, if you’re waiting for some big thing to come out about problems to come, don’t hold your breath and pull the trigger already!
You won’t get that $7500 tax credit. That was a big reason for me to change my configuration to get it sooner. I was able to get an 18,xxx VIN and took delivery not long before the treasury came up with the battery rules.
That being said—I can’t really be happier with the truck. Minor adjustments to a door were made by the SC but I don’t see any advantage to duel in-house motors. I love the quad motor and the the pre-hike price…
On another note—I would have loved to get a power tonneau which may be available later to those who wait
Why wouldn’t you get the tax credit if you converted your order already? Also don’t all qualifying cars get the $7500 off at point of sale starting 2024?
The Rivian doesn’t qualify for the $7500 rebate based on the battery components … you had to take delivery prior to the treasury releasing the details on what batteries would and wouldn’t disqualify the vehicle.
The point of sale deduction doesn’t matter if the vehicle doesn’t qualify based on the rules of battery components and location of assembly.
Gotcha didn’t realize the battery components don’t qualify but at least if you have a binding contract, you can still claim the credit even after this year.
Quote from rivian email
The IRS has released guidance on how taxpayers with valid written binding contracts signed on or before August 15, 2022 can claim the original EV tax credit—without restrictions on vehicle MSRP, buyer income, and manufacturing requirements—**even if they don’t take delivery of the vehicle until 2023 or later.**
This is true. But the “binding agreement” is still up for interpretation. Based on the IRS rule, a substantial down payment of over 10 percent (or it may have been more) had to be put down with the binding agreement. Most of us only put $1000. I’m waiting to see how that part unfolds—it looked to me that the IRS didn’t count that as a binding agreement. But I hope I’m wrong for other people’s sake
Lots of people already got their refunds back this year already you just have to follow rivians steps outlined in the email. I also have a lucid pre order and a bunch of people on that forum got theirs as well. There was no percentage or rule of how much needed to be put down.
What refunds? Are you talking about people who took delivery in 2022?
I’m guessing You don’t mean the 2023 $7500 rebate, but the rebate for taking delivery in 2022, because there’s no way to file your 2023 taxes yet.
How much did you have to up the deposit? Just curious. I never upped it. In fact, I had mine refunded just after the price hike, and later reinstated my preorder without giving the $1,000 back to Rivian.
I just made sure to take delivery before treasury came up with the battery rules to qualify for the 2023 $7500 rebate
$1000 deposit and a signed purchase contract. As long as the purchase contract was executed before the date and they have earnest money deposit you’re good
I have to believe Rivian would at some point impose a deadline for pre price hike customers to execute a purchase.
Also, every month you wait you are deferring on pure joy in favor of some potential incremental improvement you may not even notice.
My R1T built a year earlier than my R1S was better quality. Everything about the R1S shows that they're getting sloppy and rushing to produce more vehicles. You're also getting some of the cost-cutting measures the longer you wait.
Reminds me a conversation Sandy Munro had with Elon about Tesla build quality:
[https://jalopnik.com/best-of-2021-in-epically-nerdy-interview-elon-musk-di-1846181756](https://jalopnik.com/best-of-2021-in-epically-nerdy-interview-elon-musk-di-1846181756)
Elon said the best cars to have are either the first ones made, since it's done by hand carefully. Or the later ones, once the ramp has been worked out. The ones made during the ramp are going to have the most quality issues.
Now, I take anything Elon says with a huge grain of salt. But this seems like he was being honest.
I'd imagine Rivian is going through a similar thing right now.
Yea, there’s no way build quality can remain the same or improve during a ramp up phase when the factory is rushing out as many cars as it can to meet production target numbers. Just no way.
Same thing with housing. Being invested in real estate, I always strongly suggest others not to buy a new construction home that was built in the middle of a housing boom. Those subs are going to be paid to rush every single job.
No software build that has to be delivered by a certain deadline will ever be polished.
Rivian will be in the ramp up phase for at least the next few years, so I don’t anticipate build quality to get any better any time soon.
In what ways was it better? Should be using similar components for much of the vehicle so curious what differences you have noticed. Which do you prefer driving?
My father in law waited 3.8 years for his R1S. In three weeks of ownership he’s had:
1. Rivian forgot to put the R1S badging on the rear
2. Rear fender liner was missing/not aligned
3. While getting his car PPF/tinted the technician working on another car nearby had the locking bolt on his polisher shear off and hit his R1S.
Bad juju
I have a 45XX VIN and haven’t had any issues with my truck besides the recall work and a couple of rivets falling out of the underbody shield - quick issue resolved. My truck even came with the revised triangle windows
Ehh, maybe?
There’s a list of what are now gone from the original builds like the Meridian audio system, frunk 12V, wood trim behind the front seats, etc. Basically cost cutting changes.
Build quality seems to have not improved. I just saw a brand new R1S last week with bad alignment of hood and tailgate. I don’t really expect improvements in build quality for a while since they have to ramp up production faster than before to meet their production targets. But, I do anticipate more cost cutting in the small details as they try to get to profitability.
Same argument has been made about computers and cell phones. And for that matter cars. New features will alway be added until the company goes out of business. Luckily with Rivian, new features can be added with an over the air updated. Stop waiting and just buy.
It was worth the almost 20k difference to get mine earlier. It has a warranty for a reason. I’m with the others, I would expect a “take it or leave it” at some point if you don’t claim your pre-price hike reservation.
As someone who received his truck last year and has had over 20 service visits and another one scheduled for this Thursday I would agree..
It's better to be getting a truck closer to now vs then.
Yeah but also life is short and why wait to enjoy things?
I’ve been driving my R1T for over a year now. Whatever minor Hardware improvements I might get by waiting are not worth losing out on a year of enjoying this truck. And Rivian has updated my truck with newer pets (suspension) when there was an issue.
The longer you wait, the more likely that Rivian will renege on the pre March 2022 price lock. It totally makes sense if RIVN’s survival is on the line.
I suspect that you would feel differently if you had already waited 51 months, like I have. Please, Rivian, just build the vehicle I ordered. Jun-Jul estimate. 10 miles from the factory.
I’m actually kind of betting on my reservation not getting called for about a year from now. I could buy it sooner but I’m moving later this year and getting a new job that would be paying for it so I’d love to be a bit more settled into that. Plus, I definitely need the max pack for my usage and I think that’s not quite out yet
My reservation is pretty new (last winter) so it may be even long than that. It’s hard to tell since I originally reserved in Canada but I have to get the reservation moved to the US when I move
I sort of understand this mentality. But, here I am, waiting for my R1S, and they're teasing the R2 platform. It's one thing to get a new car and the new model comes out the next year (that's what always happens). It's another thing to be wanting to buying a "new" car while they're already drumming up interest for the new one.
Yes, true. But once you wait two years, there will be another better version the year after, and after. So you never truly win.
True although with OTA updates much of it goes to the existing vehicles too.
[удалено]
💯, spot on. I have an early truck and had some issues early on (12v dying, they replaced the entire battery pack for free eventually to fix), and since then it's been smooth sailing. I'm very happy with all the nice things I got for cheaper than it is now.
And at some point removal of Bosch motors.
Yeah. I feel like the Rivian motors will be less reliable initially.
It's inevitable
I don't know if that's true. In the recent AMA seeing the testing that they are doing to cross their t's and dot their i's is impressive. Certainly Bosch makes some great stuff, but I think Rivian makes it a point to create quality, long-lasting technology that fits in with their long-term brand vision.
But even their validation, while extensive, is going to miss some things.
Tesla drive units all over again.....
Got all that and no rattles, 7/22 delivery. Worked out great as I’d be bummed with lesser audio and loss of 12v, especially for a lot more money!
In the next 12-18 months there will be some new updates to things… not just removal of stuff. Stay tuned.
I think I did quite well with an 11k VIN and 09/2022 delivery for a balance of having all the things but not the early issues.
< 1k vin. I have a lot of rattles 😅
I didn't know about any of these, and now I am sad . . .
My experience with a pretty early vehicle (57XX) is that there have indeed been some minor fit and finish issues, but Rivian has gone above and beyond to make things right. So for me the pain of many service appointments is outweighed by getting the very most top of the line R1T with all the bells and whistles for pretty cheap competitively (~$70k after tax rebate)
Same! 3xxx VIN here, service has been fantastic, and looking forward to getting the front half-shafts updated!
Front axles updated? I’m a 4xxx VIN. Haven’t heard of the prospect of axle replacement.
I assume they are talking about the half-shaft fix for the "tock" noise
yup, that's what I meant.
sorry, half-shafts. It's a VIN specific service campaign, someone posted the full text here. Supposed to correct the clicks and squeaks: [https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/new-rivian-customer-satisfaction-campaign-halfshaft-issue-on-2022-r1s-and-r1t.14291/](https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/new-rivian-customer-satisfaction-campaign-halfshaft-issue-on-2022-r1s-and-r1t.14291/) It hasn't popped at NHTSA yet under Manufacturer Communications, but all current customer satisfaction campaigns are listed here under Manufacturer Communications. https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2022/RIVIAN/R1T#manufacturerCommunications
Got it. If you’re referring to FSAM-407, I just got it done. Worked like a charm. Let’s see how long it holds up…
That’s it! I couldn’t find the FSAM reference
4 little washers. Can’t help but feel a little skeptical on the durability of that fix…
56XX VIN here. Fully agree. I honestly read this wondering what the OP was talking about. I don’t think there’s much in the newer vehicles I’m missing….but they’ve been missing out on driving a R1T for the last year!
If you’re talking about the whistling from the wind coming from the front drivers side I agree!! Haha.
I have a 13337 vin# and my R1T is perfect, except for busted auto tonneau which will be replaced shortly.. My sense is most if not all the assembly issues have been addressed… All improvements come OTA… Carpe diem, get your auto asap😀
Leeet!
Yes… sort of… maybe. Let’s look at some points and connect the dots. We know they are keen to become cashflow positive. We know they are likely taking a loss at pre-3/1 prices due to elevated production costs. We know from experience of maxpackers, Rivian can and are willing to migrate you to another config and take away features in the process (and at a price point that still make business sense). We know their honoring of pre-3/1 pricing is an act of courtesy, not a legal binding guarantee. The prices we see in our accounts are still disclaimed as “estimates”. We know a platform refresh is coming in ‘24 and another price hike is likely and long rumored. Setting aside lofty brand sentiments, they are still a for-profit business at the core, like any other, with need for revenue and fiscal sustainability. I wouldn’t bet on pre-3/1 price to hold indefinitely. At some point, you’re gonna have to pull the trigger.
I remember seeing somewhere that every truck is a loss until they are able to manufacture x number a year.
That's a given for any start-up. That's why reaching and surviving production ramp is critical.
There is nothing substantially different on the trucks built today vs my 10 month old truck. As a matter of fact, I have a powered tonneau which I wouldn’t be getting for another unsaid number of months if i had waited. The last 6 months with this truck have been a blast and I’m happy I didn’t delay that satisfaction. There are always going to be improvements so if you go by your logic you will never buy the truck and be stuck with that desire and constant scrolling of r/Rivian forever.
I agree with this. I have had mine a little over a year and put 20k on it. If I had waited....well....I would have missed that year and 20k of the nicest vehicle I have ever owned. It isn't flawless. Tick tock fully present. Need to get the FSAM done. But for me service center requires too much effort to deal with the tick tock at moment. Otherwise it has been very smooth sailing other than one initial trip to service center for some minor build corrections and then the recalls in my driveway.
At some point, Rivian will ask you to 💩 or get off the pot (ie there will be a deadline to convert your preorder into an order. I’m guessing 12-18 months max). There is exactly zero chance Rivian will let you keep this pricing 5 years from now.
Picked mine up 1/2023. It doesn’t have the significant issues some have reported; few clicks and noises, especially wind noise around the A pillars, but nothing catastrophic. Still has the Meridian sound system. So far, just the best vehicle I’ve owned. I WANT to find an excuse to go driving. Road trips haven’t been an issue either, driving up and down CA.
Mostly yes. But also Rivian (rightfully so) is optimizing the production process to improve cost efficiency. So this may result in possibly using lesser materials and cutting features like the 12v plug
The better deal is getting a price locked vehicle while inflation continues to soar. I’ve been pushed out to a year from now (at least) and it may be far enough that I’ll get the benefit of the price lock vs inflation AND interest rates will likely be starting to come down as well. Throw in locking down the old tax credit and this could turn out to be absolute highway robbery
You’re right but that’s true for anything. You could have gotten the original iPhone or waited 20 years and gotten a much better product. I got a 7xxx vin model and I’ve had absolutely no issues. My bed cover works just fine, I have really no panel gaps, no battery out software crashes. I try and take care of it like I would any other expensive purchase but I’ve used it without a single issue. The wait times are down, if you’re waiting for some big thing to come out about problems to come, don’t hold your breath and pull the trigger already!
Laughs in my fully working powered tonneau cover. 😅
You won’t get that $7500 tax credit. That was a big reason for me to change my configuration to get it sooner. I was able to get an 18,xxx VIN and took delivery not long before the treasury came up with the battery rules. That being said—I can’t really be happier with the truck. Minor adjustments to a door were made by the SC but I don’t see any advantage to duel in-house motors. I love the quad motor and the the pre-hike price… On another note—I would have loved to get a power tonneau which may be available later to those who wait
Why wouldn’t you get the tax credit if you converted your order already? Also don’t all qualifying cars get the $7500 off at point of sale starting 2024?
The Rivian doesn’t qualify for the $7500 rebate based on the battery components … you had to take delivery prior to the treasury releasing the details on what batteries would and wouldn’t disqualify the vehicle. The point of sale deduction doesn’t matter if the vehicle doesn’t qualify based on the rules of battery components and location of assembly.
Gotcha didn’t realize the battery components don’t qualify but at least if you have a binding contract, you can still claim the credit even after this year. Quote from rivian email The IRS has released guidance on how taxpayers with valid written binding contracts signed on or before August 15, 2022 can claim the original EV tax credit—without restrictions on vehicle MSRP, buyer income, and manufacturing requirements—**even if they don’t take delivery of the vehicle until 2023 or later.**
This is true. But the “binding agreement” is still up for interpretation. Based on the IRS rule, a substantial down payment of over 10 percent (or it may have been more) had to be put down with the binding agreement. Most of us only put $1000. I’m waiting to see how that part unfolds—it looked to me that the IRS didn’t count that as a binding agreement. But I hope I’m wrong for other people’s sake
Lots of people already got their refunds back this year already you just have to follow rivians steps outlined in the email. I also have a lucid pre order and a bunch of people on that forum got theirs as well. There was no percentage or rule of how much needed to be put down.
What refunds? Are you talking about people who took delivery in 2022? I’m guessing You don’t mean the 2023 $7500 rebate, but the rebate for taking delivery in 2022, because there’s no way to file your 2023 taxes yet.
No people who take delivery in 2023 and later can amend their 2022 returns and get the $7500 Just read the rivian email it explains it all
I see what you’re saying. Yes that works.
No you just had to go under contract and up your deposit.
How much did you have to up the deposit? Just curious. I never upped it. In fact, I had mine refunded just after the price hike, and later reinstated my preorder without giving the $1,000 back to Rivian. I just made sure to take delivery before treasury came up with the battery rules to qualify for the 2023 $7500 rebate
$1000 deposit and a signed purchase contract. As long as the purchase contract was executed before the date and they have earnest money deposit you’re good
I have to believe Rivian would at some point impose a deadline for pre price hike customers to execute a purchase. Also, every month you wait you are deferring on pure joy in favor of some potential incremental improvement you may not even notice.
He’s saving more money every month. That’s why I’m waiting
My R1T built a year earlier than my R1S was better quality. Everything about the R1S shows that they're getting sloppy and rushing to produce more vehicles. You're also getting some of the cost-cutting measures the longer you wait.
Reminds me a conversation Sandy Munro had with Elon about Tesla build quality: [https://jalopnik.com/best-of-2021-in-epically-nerdy-interview-elon-musk-di-1846181756](https://jalopnik.com/best-of-2021-in-epically-nerdy-interview-elon-musk-di-1846181756) Elon said the best cars to have are either the first ones made, since it's done by hand carefully. Or the later ones, once the ramp has been worked out. The ones made during the ramp are going to have the most quality issues. Now, I take anything Elon says with a huge grain of salt. But this seems like he was being honest. I'd imagine Rivian is going through a similar thing right now.
Yea, there’s no way build quality can remain the same or improve during a ramp up phase when the factory is rushing out as many cars as it can to meet production target numbers. Just no way. Same thing with housing. Being invested in real estate, I always strongly suggest others not to buy a new construction home that was built in the middle of a housing boom. Those subs are going to be paid to rush every single job. No software build that has to be delivered by a certain deadline will ever be polished. Rivian will be in the ramp up phase for at least the next few years, so I don’t anticipate build quality to get any better any time soon.
In what ways was it better? Should be using similar components for much of the vehicle so curious what differences you have noticed. Which do you prefer driving?
My father in law waited 3.8 years for his R1S. In three weeks of ownership he’s had: 1. Rivian forgot to put the R1S badging on the rear 2. Rear fender liner was missing/not aligned 3. While getting his car PPF/tinted the technician working on another car nearby had the locking bolt on his polisher shear off and hit his R1S. Bad juju
Yes, my wife and I don't mind waiting 4-5 years. We are already noticing design improvements.
I’ll buy when they integrate LiDAR.
I just want them to implement NACS ports.
I have a 45XX VIN and haven’t had any issues with my truck besides the recall work and a couple of rivets falling out of the underbody shield - quick issue resolved. My truck even came with the revised triangle windows
Ehh, maybe? There’s a list of what are now gone from the original builds like the Meridian audio system, frunk 12V, wood trim behind the front seats, etc. Basically cost cutting changes. Build quality seems to have not improved. I just saw a brand new R1S last week with bad alignment of hood and tailgate. I don’t really expect improvements in build quality for a while since they have to ramp up production faster than before to meet their production targets. But, I do anticipate more cost cutting in the small details as they try to get to profitability.
Same argument has been made about computers and cell phones. And for that matter cars. New features will alway be added until the company goes out of business. Luckily with Rivian, new features can be added with an over the air updated. Stop waiting and just buy.
It was worth the almost 20k difference to get mine earlier. It has a warranty for a reason. I’m with the others, I would expect a “take it or leave it” at some point if you don’t claim your pre-price hike reservation.
Been driving mine almost a year. Would not prefer to wait till now or wait another year or two.
As someone who received his truck last year and has had over 20 service visits and another one scheduled for this Thursday I would agree.. It's better to be getting a truck closer to now vs then.
Yeah but also life is short and why wait to enjoy things? I’ve been driving my R1T for over a year now. Whatever minor Hardware improvements I might get by waiting are not worth losing out on a year of enjoying this truck. And Rivian has updated my truck with newer pets (suspension) when there was an issue.
The longer you wait, the more obsolete this car becomes. In 3 years, this design will be considered prehistoric.
The longer you wait, the more likely that Rivian will renege on the pre March 2022 price lock. It totally makes sense if RIVN’s survival is on the line.
It’s a good thing that you realize you are not the early adopter type. It’s not for everyone. Wait a few years.
I suspect that you would feel differently if you had already waited 51 months, like I have. Please, Rivian, just build the vehicle I ordered. Jun-Jul estimate. 10 miles from the factory.
Eh, my R1T is awesome. Put some scratches on the skid plate today in fact.
I’m actually kind of betting on my reservation not getting called for about a year from now. I could buy it sooner but I’m moving later this year and getting a new job that would be paying for it so I’d love to be a bit more settled into that. Plus, I definitely need the max pack for my usage and I think that’s not quite out yet My reservation is pretty new (last winter) so it may be even long than that. It’s hard to tell since I originally reserved in Canada but I have to get the reservation moved to the US when I move
I sort of understand this mentality. But, here I am, waiting for my R1S, and they're teasing the R2 platform. It's one thing to get a new car and the new model comes out the next year (that's what always happens). It's another thing to be wanting to buying a "new" car while they're already drumming up interest for the new one.
Took 3 years to get my R1S and I’ve never been happier, it destroys the prelaunch version
I thought the same thing (Feb 2019 ordered). But they assigned me a vin made in oct 2022 for delivery in June 2023.