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Metallitubby said

I may have asked this in the recent past, but have there been any R3’s seen yet? I love the Golf Country look, and ability that it would offer.

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No… the R3 isn’t due until 2027 or 2028…. As far as I know, there is only one road ready prototype right now and they are still actively designing for production. It’s pretty early times.

That said, I’ve crawled all over that one prototype and it is cooler than ****. I want one.

On the way out, I spotted this beaut:

I’ve never really been a yellow car guy. Most yellows feel loud for the sake of being loud. But there’s something about Rivian yellow that just works for me.

It’s kind of mustard… but not really. Muted without feeling dull. It doesn’t scream at you. And weirdly, it photographs terribly. In pictures it looks flat and strange, but in person it has this warmth and depth to it that I absolutely love.

]]> https://www.garagejournal.com/the-rivi-journal/#comment-39695 Wed, 20 May 2026 23:45:11 +0000 https://www.garagejournal.com/?p=4865#comment-39695

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Metallitubby said

It looks to be pretty easy.

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HAHA…

It’s funny though… If I dropped off my Tacoma for service and didn’t hear from Toyota the next day, I would think nothing of it… But after 2 years of Rivian service, I’m all like "What the **** man?!!"

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BTL-A4 said

I seem to use this all the time (heavy duty X-Acto blade). I use it with a straight blade, not an angled one:

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Dude. Same. I got mine from an antique store… Came in a cigar box with blades of all different shapes and sizes – all dull… But I love that blade holder. ]]> https://www.garagejournal.com/the-rivi-journal/#comment-39688 Wed, 20 May 2026 15:49:40 +0000 https://www.garagejournal.com/?p=4865#comment-39688

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Old tool guy said

Don’t understand. You got an immediate appointment and you got a free ride, no loaner for a reasonable excuse. And a quick polite response.

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To me, a perfect service experience is one with zero inconvenience. The first time the truck was serviced for the "low coolant" warning, they came to me and worked on the truck outside my office/shop. Had they not announced their presence, I wouldn’t have even known my truck was serviced.

I give it a 9 of 10 for this last service because I’m without a car for going on 24 hours for a service problem that apparently wasn’t fixed the first time.

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jmdirk said

Quality of service is something that can really set a company apart from its competitors. One of those things that you don’t think about until you need it. Stuff will break, especially on something as complex as a car. But, if you have great quality service when things go wrong, it will make those situation much more forgivable.

But I have to wonder how sustainable that is as Rivian ramps up volumes. They’re hoping to increase sales volume for 2026 by about 50% over 2025. At some point the pressure is going to come to increase margins and profitability (regardless of where those numbers are today, the market always wants more), and service like that is going to be one of those areas where it’s going to start to get exponentially more expensive as volumes build.

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I don’t think it is sustainable… To support the increased production numbers in the service department, they would need to increase overheard substantially and they would need to be hiring and training that talent right now. But for the past 18 months or so, they have been laser focused on cost control to help out their margins on the R1.

So long as they get a critical mass of R2 units in the market, I believe that car is going to sell… and sell well… That should help their margin issues and will eventually help with staffing up the service department. But before that, there will be growing pains for sure.

Thus far, I would rate my service experience to be 9 of 10… and it would be 10 of 10 if it weren’t for the experience I had yesterday. And ironically, this latest experience would have been considered fine or even good by Toyota or Ford standards. I mean, how many times have you made a same day service appointment at either of those? And you never get a loaner or even Uber credits with these traditional manufacturers.

Most notably, it made going to the junkyard a much more enjoyable experience. Just toss it in the tool bag and walk in. Trying to get that AC compressor out? This thing just saved you half a days work. Instead of fighting for hours with trying to remove a mangled rusty bumper crash bar blocking your access to the one remaining bolt on the compressor – you take 40 seconds and blast through it with the saw.
]]> https://www.garagejournal.com/a-savage-inventory-of-the-tools-that-actually-matter/#comment-39666 Tue, 19 May 2026 20:41:45 +0000 https://www.garagejournal.com/?p=5317#comment-39666

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Lassen Forge said

Oh God, I WENT through this 3 years ago when we moved,,, I had a ton of tools that, as it turns out, were not only not necessary, but taking up valuable real estate… but I couldn’t get rid of them, because, well, "What If?"…
But prune them? Heavens to Betsy, NOOOOOO!~!!!
It was a watershed moment for me… I can still do everything with 33% kess crapola I collected, hoarded, held on to, and somehow thought was irreplaceable. And now – Like above, I have a place to put **** where **** should go. I can FIND it. And I can get jobs done!

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I’m gonna be moving soon… The square footage will be whatever cruel number the new place decides to offer, and I will make my peace with it. But this list? This list is non-negotiable. Every single thing on it comes with me, no matter what. ]]> https://www.garagejournal.com/the-rivi-journal/#comment-39664 Tue, 19 May 2026 18:02:02 +0000 https://www.garagejournal.com/?p=4865#comment-39664

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gpiggaz said

So maybe Rivian will bring the loaners back in the future?

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I was curious, so I sent a message via the app:

"Usually, I get the option of mobile service or center visit… and if I do the service visit, I’ve always been given a loaner. This time, I was given Uber credits. Is this a policy change or?"

Rivian response:

"Hi Ryan,

Just to clarify — our policy hasn’t changed. Service visits over 24 hours come with a loaner vehicle, and shorter visits receive Uber credits.

That said, the Rivian SXSW event has left us temporarily short on loaners this week, and we expect to be fully stocked again by next week. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

If there’s anything we can do to make your experience better, please don’t hesitate to reach out."