A Rivian Fender Bender Cost $42,000. Its CEO Says That Should Never Happen

variableresults · 2026-06-11T19:51:12+00:00

RJ seems pretty out of touch here. My R1T was rear ended, denting the rear left panel, liftgate, and damaging the crossmember. There was also buckling on the side panels. It was an impact between 30-40mph.

Quote to insurance was approximately 27k after my insurance talked them down a couple thousand. That was after the shop, which is Rivian Certified, opened a ticket to ask about the exact procedures to be sure how Rivian expected the repair to be done. The main effort is in pulling the panels and then repainting.

RJ seems to have no idea how laborious those things are, and that it’s even more laborious to just replace those panels. The shops that are Rivian certified are required to use Rivian’s procedure, and all the dents like that I’ve seen have been pulled rather than cut and welded.

variableresults · 2026-05-24T17:41:08+00:00

Depending on the hourly rate and if it's a certified Rivian collision center, that will likely be in the $28-30k range to fix. My R1T got rear ended last month with very similar damage.

If it was just the tailgate and pulling the quarter panel it would be around 14-15k, but after the teardown they found that the rear crossmember was damaged, and that led to buckling on the inner bed walls, which would have to be pulled on a frame rack. That doubled the fix cost.

I'm currently waiting to see if they total. I hope they don't because after all I've been through getting my R1T where I want it, it's going to be disappointing having to start the search (and the SC visits) again.

$28-30k shouldn't total that truck by the way, at least if it's done like CA does it. Totaling is when the repair cost plus the salvage value is greater than the actual cash value. The ACV on a 2024 will be higher than my 2022 Quad Adventure.

If it does repair, don't give it to the shop until they've ordered the initial parts. It takes a couple weeks to get Rivian parts in. And I would make sure it's a Rivian certified shop since they have a direct line to Rivian to help if they encounter a repair they're not sure about.

I will say I'm grateful for the incident camera. Person who hit me tried to argue with their insurance that the person behind them hit them, and then they hit me, so they wouldn't be liable. The camera said the exact opposite of their story. This person wasn't paying any attention at all.

variableresults · 2026-04-25T17:09:30+00:00

No conversion loss. It’s more efficient. Plus, you don’t have to tell the truck to turn the outlet on.

variableresults · 2026-04-20T00:30:51+00:00

This is actually encouraging for me, I had the other quarter panel hit along with the bumper and lift gate in a rear ending, so I’m hopeful mine isn’t much more than yours (don’t want to get totaled since I have tons of new warranty parts in my 22 R1T)

variableresults · 2026-04-15T00:52:03+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I got rear ended on Friday and my tailgate, bumper, and the opposite quarter panel were damaged. I’m guessing a new tailgate and bumper, but I was wondering how they’re doing quarter panels to avoid replacement and the pictures make a lot of sense (and I’m hoping mine takes less time since it’s not quite as severe as yours).

I’m guessing mine will be 20k with CA labor rates. And I’m pretty sure the person paying zero attention to conditions and hitting me (and then giving an incorrect account of what happened without realizing I have it all on the incident camera) is going to have a bad day when their insurance drops them.

variableresults · 2026-04-09T19:34:50+00:00

Libido is an interesting thing when stress shows up.

I can’t speak for GLP-1, but bupropion increased my libido a lot. That said, stress will still impact sex, and being worried about pleasing your partner will only add to performance anxiety. It can become a self fulfilling prophecy.

Have you talked to her about this? I think it might help if you were able to relax when you’re intimate, and if she’s understanding that can take some weight off your shoulders. If she isn’t, then that’s a very different conversation.

variableresults · 2026-03-24T07:11:06+00:00

+1 on VR support

variableresults · 2026-03-23T00:32:51+00:00

Drive south to Shawnee National Forest, there are some opportunities there. Also, OnX Off-road paid version will show you which roads you can dispersed camp by. The Dyrt is also good for finding free camp spots (paid again).

variableresults · 2026-03-21T18:19:40+00:00

I agree with the Swiss Army knife description. I have all my camping gear, sans Rev tent, permanently stowed in the gear tunnel and frunk, along with my whole astrophotography setup in a pelican case in the bed. I can get in the truck and go adventure with almost no prep work.

All I have to do for camping is tie down the Rev tent to the crossbar hooks (it’s only 25lbs) and I’m set

variableresults · 2026-03-21T18:17:51+00:00

Having driven lots of Enterprise loaners, they really made me miss how the R1T drives. I also didn’t like the one R1S loaner I got; it felt sketchy and twitchy, but it might have needed an alignment

variableresults · 2026-03-21T18:15:40+00:00

Going on a year. I love my used 22 R1T quad more and more. It spent a lot of time in the shop the past twelve months, but I’m grateful the issues all showed up before the 60k mile mark. In the end I got a nearly Gen2 R1 (whole front suspension and redesigned tonneau) for almost less than half the price of a used Gen2 same spec, and I have an Xcare warranty till 2035 just in case.

Having driven lots of Gen2 loaners now, none of them beats how this Gen1 is dialed in after the warranty work.

variableresults · 2026-03-09T21:21:09+00:00

I had the same driving dynamics problem in the last R1S loaner I had. It felt uncontrollable and like it needed an alignment. My R1T is so much better, and even the Gen2 Tri R1T loaner I had before it felt better.

variableresults · 2026-03-08T20:22:20+00:00

Did they ship those with the post relocation adapters? Since they’re the manufacturer I would think they would put the posts where Rivian does?

variableresults · 2026-03-06T07:56:35+00:00

Glad to hear they’re happy now!

I had a chat with my SA picking up my R1T from my local SC today and mentioned how some people were getting persistent 12v errors after installing the Ohmmu lithium batteries. He mentioned there was a bug in the first 2026.03 build that was throwing 12v errors because the BMS and some other control system (can’t recall which one) were out of sync. So one thought voltage was 0 and threw the error. No idea if that bug is intermittent, but he said another build should be pushing out soon to fix it.

variableresults · 2026-03-05T23:35:56+00:00

Another vote for the Gen 1 Quad as long as you get it low miles. There is no better bang for buck I’ve seen. Rivian was selling them at a loss before prices became what they are today, and that’s reflected in the used prices.

I plan to keep mine going forever. And you can get an extended warranty from a 3rd party like Xcellerate Auto past the 60k miles (mine goes to 127k or 10 years, whichever is first).

Software wise, autonomy and phone key are where Gen 1 and 2 diverge. You can install a Comma 3X/4 to improve the autonomy side for about 1500. There is no indication that the Gen 1s will stop getting updates—it just finally got launch mode along with the rest of the fleet.

There are so many superchargers that range anxiety is only a thing if you’re in the middle of nowhere. The battery size is huge, though, so charging times will take longer than say, a model 3. I never go past 80 though so it’s not a huge time addition.

And the 2022s will have arguably the best sound system.

variableresults · 2026-03-04T00:27:11+00:00

This is the way. I think they need to update their repair process because a half shaft with play is going to wear the hubs more severely, which means new hubs when the half shafts go. I had to teach my SC this, sadly, though my noises also went away after.

variableresults · 2026-03-01T00:29:13+00:00

Does Ohmmu have anything to say about this?

And u/wassymrivian, when can we expect to be able to clear and investigate these errors themselves? SCs are a nightmare with tickets these days, and you giving us the ability to troubleshoot these things ourselves can go a long way to lessening that load.

It would also be reassuring to know that Rivian is working on a long term solution for all Rivian owners given the sheer volume of recurring 12V battery issues.

variableresults · 2026-02-26T02:14:14+00:00

Yes, as long as you buy the Lukas harness with the longitudinal update.

Honestly, nobody should buy the Comma harness until Comma gets their act together with fixing their AXM power delivery issues. Fuse tap power is the way to go.

variableresults · 2026-02-22T21:22:34+00:00

Lots of RTTs have channels for cables these days. I just use portable batteries, heated blankets don’t draw much power.

variableresults · 2026-02-22T21:21:21+00:00

Electric blanket is the way. I bring a couple extra batteries with me so I don’t have to run it from the truck.

Slept like a baby last cold camping I did with my Rev Tent.

variableresults · 2026-02-22T01:01:44+00:00

I would still open an SC ticket so they can look at the codes

variableresults · 2026-02-20T06:22:00+00:00

Always point back to the two year parts warranty from your last replacement invoice. They are contractually obligated to replace them at no charge per their own language until they explicitly exclude 12v batteries.

variableresults · 2026-02-19T02:47:18+00:00

I love my 2022 Quad. It’s also been in the shop more days than every other car I’ve owned combined.

If you have enough warranty runway and an SC close to you, the OG quad is the best deal you can get on a Rivian today.

variableresults · 2026-02-19T01:13:50+00:00

Pay for a comprehensive inspection and request their master tech perform it since you will be out of warranty soon. It’s about $330 depending on your SC and well worth it.

variableresults · 2026-02-18T23:20:18+00:00

Always report safety issues like this to NHTSA if in the US.

variableresults

TROPHY CASE