Servicing?

[Alexisenquirers]

Writing from Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. Looking at pre-ordering, my biggest concern currently is service. 1st gen vehicle is bound to have issues, how will I get service being on an island in Canada. I know someone with a tesla and their mobile team will come right to his door, but will Rivian be capable of this? To me a partnership with Ford dealers would make sense to start with, but i'm sure the legalities go deep. Interested to hear your thoughts, or if anyone else living rural has these concerns.

 

[EyeOnRivian]

@Alexisenquirers, welcome to the forum!

Recommend checking out the YT video below from the TFLnow channel. They conducted separate interviews with RJ and Charles Sanderson, VP of Vehicle Integration and Development, during the private event recently held in Denver, CO. Of the topics discussed was a big one ... servicing. Still lacks specifics but RJ and Charles both admit it is clearly an important factor that they are working on. When Charles was asked about "white glove" service. he mentioned that if you don't have a partner dealer near by, Rivian will come to you. So the obvious question, for you, will his comment apply to Rivian owners in Canada. I don't see why not, but ...

Other topics discussed with RJ in the video was competition and the factory. Charles talked about the chassis, power-train, independent wheel traction ("tank turn" like ability), air suspension modes, off-road rock crawling, and charging.

 

[ajdelange]

As the president of the company recognizes the criticality of a strong support segment (and says so in the video) and as there is no evidence or rumor of the construction of Rivian service or dealership facilities and as the clock is running out (vehicles will supposedly be on the roads a little over a year from now) I am guessing that Ford is going to handle the support segment role for Rivian. A quick check shows two Ford dealers in Victoria. That's not to say that both, or either, will be able to service Rivian. Under Scaringe's "we'll come to you" I guess they'll put a Ranger (that's what Tesla calls them) on the ferry followed by a flatbed if that is necessary and take it to Vancouver or the States.

Let's be honest with ourselves. It's crazy to be a first adopter for a transportation system (I emphasize system because the support segment is just as important as the vehicle segment) like this. If we want to participate in the excitement anyway we are going to have to expect to deal with a few slings and arrows.

 

[ajdelange]

Rivian reps at the Atlanta event assured questioners that service would be "white glove". It looks as if Ford will not be involved. From the reports I get the impression that, initially, it will be like Tesla's Ranger service i.e. they will be coming to us with a service van and, where necessary, a flatbed perhaps loaded with a loaner. They will be relying heavily on remote diagnostics. At first I am sure they will be bending over backwards to accommodate customers who need service and, in so doing, losing huge sums on this (the support) segment considering those losses to be an investment in future sales. And, as has been the case with Tesla, I am sure that "white glove" quality will, over time, degrade until it is something like that of the rest of the auto industry.

 

[EyeOnRivian]

Found the following posted on another forum that's relevant to this thread:

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"I came across this post on the Rivian Facebook Group from a guy who attended the recent even in Atlanta. He shared a bunch of information that he learned ..."

- No specifics on vehicle warranty but stressed that they understand how important a good warranty is to the success of the company as a new startup. So I was told to expect an excellent warranty.

- Similarly, I was told that the 1st day they start delivering vehicles they will post an international service map. They also said that all service will be handled by Rivian. Based on further explanation my understanding was that you would initially deal with Rivian and then depending on your location they would either directly service your vehicle or arrange for service one of their partners. Engineer also said that the vast majority of the time the vehicle will alert you and Rivian at the same time about service needs and what those needs are. He also said that most service would be done by mobile service similar to Tesla’s mobile service. Cox Automotive’s investment was also mentioned as a big plus in this regard.
</snip>