But back to the original point, less technicians needed. Rotating my tires takes 10 minutes
When do you think you will buy a 100% pure electric vehicle?
- Thread starter dmclone
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This isn't remotely true. Tires are the only thing that have the same cadence as ICE vehicles. Brakes have to be replaced eventually of course but not near the same cadence because you barely have to use them due to regenerative breaking. Even driving in the mountains going down you barely have to touch the brakes.
I'm not sure what all they do on site at the service centers but I know they give you a loaner if you have to take yours in. My brother has a Model 3 and the 1 time he's had to take it in they gave him a Model S no charge for the time being.
This is the Rivian schedule:
Maintenance Intervals
- Tire Rotation and Multi-Point Inspection: every 7,500 mi (12,000 km)
- Comprehensive Inspection: every 22,500 mi (36,000 km)
- Brake Fluid Flush: every 36 months
- Coolant Change: every 112,500 mi (180,000 km)
- Drive Unit Fluid Change (Quad-Motor AWD vehicles only): every 112,500 mi (180,000 km)
Please see my other posts…
The only critical difference to this point is ICE vs Electric power. All other roles needs are still there.
In terms of the original response, not just talking repair technicians here. You still ‘need’ all those people in the body shop, in the finance department*, aftermarket parts/accessories, etc.
Yes, the people directly related to internal combustion would go away, but that isn’t anywhere near 1/2. Now it might be what you can “see” at a Tesla location, but those roles/functions don’t simply or magically disappear due to electrification. They are performed elsewhere. Are they doing body/collision work at Tesla? Major repairs? Some (like finance) do disappear due to Tesla's business model, but that same model can be applied to ICE vehicles as well. Nor is it applicable to all EV vehicles.
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If this were my vehicle, I'd probably watch a youtube video or 2 to learn what "multi-point" and "comprehensive" Inspections consisted of. I'd consider buying a set of jacks and take the Rivian in once every 3 years. That would be the goal anyway.
Depending on what those inspections are, what the cost would be and where the service would be performed at, at most I'd take it in every 7,500 miles. One would hope that these inspections/tire rotations would be a lot quicker than your typical oil change.
Ideally, this would be a once every 3 years type deal.
So you are going 22,500 miles between service appointments instead of 10,000 in an ICE? While that’s not nothing, it’s hardly the savings that this was made out to be.
Right, its an inspection. There's how many less moving parts on an EV?
Also, I'm not doing my own maintenance on a $100k computer lol.
Here is more detail on what they actually do:
rivian.com
Also, I'm not doing my own maintenance on a $100k computer lol.
Here is more detail on what they actually do:
What is the maintenance schedule for R1 vehicles? - Support Center - Rivian
Rivian recommends the following maintenance be performed on time for all R1 vehicles. You can open a service request in the Rivian app or by calling our Service Support team at (888)-748-4265. Maintenance Intervals Tire Rotation and Multi-Point Inspection: every 7,500 mi (12,000 km)...
And missing sitting in the waiting room for your annual oil change and getting the sales pitch from the service people for (1) transmission fluid change (2) brake fluid change (3) alignment etc. Last time it was "Oh, there's a valve cover leak we can fix for $2000". Declined that. Actual mechanic in the bay does a little video of a check they do. Watched the video texted to me and it was "Slight leak which isn't uncommon on an older Audi. Mine does the same thing. No big deal right now."
The whole profit model at a lot of dealerships is up charging to bigger service from routine visits.
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You’re crazy if you think all of that upselling is going away when you go in for a tire rotation. Yes, the ICE related stuff will be gone, but they will still try to upsell you; ie alignments, new created snake oils like magical battery conditioning, etc.
Electric motors and batteries aren’t going to change their desire to milk customers for all they can.
Yes there will be less maintenance and less opportunities for this stuff, but EVs won’t magically make all this stuff a thing of the past like some are claiming.
Right, its an inspection. There's how many less moving parts on an EV?
Also, I'm not doing my own maintenance on a $100k computer lol.
Here is more detail on what they actually do:
What is the maintenance schedule for R1 vehicles? - Support Center - Rivian
Rivian recommends the following maintenance be performed on time for all R1 vehicles. You can open a service request in the Rivian app or by calling our Service Support team at (888)-748-4265. Maintenance Intervals Tire Rotation and Multi-Point Inspection: every 7,500 mi (12,000 km)...
That's useful info, but the listed maintenance isn't exactly rocket science.
All of this is non-technical
- Tire pressures and tread depth including spare (if equipped)
- Brake pad and rotor thickness
- Suspension wear and fastener torques including lug nuts
- Vehicle windows for chips and cracks
- Windshield washer, brake fluid, and coolant level check
- Windshield washer jets and wiper blades
And of all of those things, only "Suspension wear and fastener torques including lug nuts" would be something that I'd have to learn to do. And I highly doubt that needs to be checked every 7,500 miles. In fact, I'd skip this entirely and do the "comprehensive" checkup every 25,000 or so.
As far as the $100k computer part of it. That's way overblown. These things are mechanically VASTLY more simple than the ice comparison. Do computers need maintenance? Maybe a can of air to blow dust out every 5-10 years.
I will agree with @Clonehomer that service ever 20-25,000 miles is still more often than I was hoping for.
Mechanically they are vastly more simple than an ICE, that's not what I'm talking about. You know that though.
Still, I have no reason not to just let Rivian handle it. I'll be trading it in for another one, maybe the rumored 1000hp version, when my warranty is up.
I don't actually... I'm legit confused. We're talking about taking the vehicle in for scheduled maintenance. The maintenance listed is all mechanical except for whatever "Vehicle functions check" which might be their version of an ODBC dump.
I'm not taking my car in every 7500 miles to have the dealership look for windshield chips. That's absurd. If that list is correct, I don't see much value at all in taking it to the dealership every 7500. That checkup does next to nothing in "protecting my investment".
Is there something I'm missing from this conversation? Do warrantees require performing the scheduled maintenance?
But it think the point is that EV advocates are talking about how these are ‘maintenance free’ when really all you are avoiding is the oil changes. The rest of the maintenance and ultimately wear items are still there. When you think of repairs and part replacements that are done on your car, it’s typically on things that are still present on EVs.
You’re still replacing your struts every 50-100,000 miles
You’re still greasing ball joints
You’re still replacing brake pads and rotors
That’s really all I’ve ever done on our van over 150,000 miles. So yes, you can avoid 15 oil changes over that 10 year period. That’s not life changing to me I guess.
Those things needing replaced more often wouldn't surprise me with the heavier curb weight of a BEV.
I have a Kia and the warranty requires the owner to follow the maintenance schedule or they could deny a warranty claim.
That's what I was told for my CPO as well. Corps will try to jump through a lot of hoops to deny a spendy warranty claim.
I'm surprised by the number of people who don't touch fluids apart from engine oil. The advice I gave to friends with higher mileage cars, read from mechanics, is at very minimum to have every fluid changed by 100k to keep up a long, failure-free life. Trans, coolant, brakes, diff, etc. Fluids age and degrade with use and time, they aren't indestructible. Most other wear items have ways to tell you when they aren't performing well, but most fluids don't until something breaks.
Considering you don't own a Rivian, I guess you're confused...
It's really simple. You seem to be skipping over many of the parts of the inspections, that you can't do on your own, nor would you want to. More so on the larger inspections, not the 7500 mile inspection.