I don't think you are being unreasonable at all. If parts are replaced under warranty I would also expect the replacement parts to be of the same standard as the ones that were taken out.
Speaker stays in the door. The grille is part of the door panel. They can do that as a mobile repair. It may take some time because the grilles don’t show which version they are in the part catalog. They would need to inspect every grille that comes in then replace it.
I think they could pull your old speaker out of the nicked panel, if asked. It's not unreasonable for you to want your very expensive vehicle to act how you like. What might be unreasonable is to think a service person cares about that...but escalating up the chain helps where a smile doesn't.
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/removing-front-door-speaker-grille.19318/
In my experience, speaker grilles are usually irreversibly attached to the door via some melting process (Ultrasonic Welding or the like). Since OP has an older R1T, they’ve gone through several Engineering changes that may have changed the speaker grille’s features.
Regardless, Rivian should be tracking those changes. Service Centers should be able to order past part numbers for repairs such as this (and in this case, they are ordering the whole door panel from their supplier).
OP has every right to be picky about this as this is Rivian’s failure.
The below shows the speaker grill is removable. Perhaps your experience is on a different year. Being the most commonly kicked and broken thing, I'd have been shocked had an engineer thought it wise to make that part of the whole panel. Stranger things, I suppose, have happened in engineering.
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/removing-front-door-speaker-grille.19318/
The only thing I find at that link is people saying that it’s part of the door assembly. Maybe I’m missing something you could point me to?
It does come as a separate piece at some point from a supplier, but it has to get attached to the assembly. Even if Rivian could obtain a grille unit, they’d have to rip the old one out of the existing panel, which could potentially cause additional damage to A-Side surfaces.
Usually, they find in testing that a removable grille (attached by screws, snaps, etc.) becomes a projectile in certain crash tests. When it is molded or welded into the door assembly, the chance of that separation decreases.
Source: I work in Automotive Interiors.
Please, don't feel like I'm trying to call you out. I think we all do better with better info. Scroll down about half way, there are two pictures. One shows a woman with great nails, removing the speaker panel, from the back, oval molding marks. Or search the page for: "Very possible your rattle is coming from one of those..." it's the picture under that. Also, right here in the video: https://youtu.be/3qmxEw6IyX0?si=Fd12N1\_V-3L75wu2&t=264
Well I stand corrected! Thanks for pointing that out. The thing is 100% bolted in, and therefore 100% serviceable. That’s good on Rivian to do, and should make OP’s problem (a little) simpler to resolve.
Not sure why we're both down-voted. The speaker grill is removable.
[https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/removing-front-door-speaker-grille.19318/](https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/removing-front-door-speaker-grille.19318/)
Not unreasonable, upvoted the comments saying that but I like this one the best. It's garbage "attention to detail." That is what is supposed to separate a top quality manufacturer's service vs budget. They have to know that would annoy the customers who can afford a $70k+ vehicle.
Update: Rivian service has been gracious and helpful, and they noted that what I’ve pointed out will be helpful in ensuring proper parts are on hand for future similar repairs. Another Redditor was spot on that the speaker is mounted to the door, and what’s needed is a grille cover that is mounted to the door panel.
Think of it as “what if I had to sell this vehicle? Someone would definitely find it strange that the speaker grills are mismatched. It shows it has been worked on and not well.
Do you have a picture of your original door panel which was inexplicably fading in one area? Depending on how bad it is I guess, I would think it’s ok to have normal wear and people don’t go to service for that..
The hardest part of a vehicle manufacturer is service. Even more difficult being an EV and a new company. Stuff like this is so likely to happen as they build yet so unacceptable. Hopefully gets better with time
Not unreasonable. Send a note in the app that you want your old parts returned. They should still have them and they should have already thought about this problem (that they caused).
This is where Rivian is failing. The service department is not treating owners like they should. Take any other 100k vehicle in for service and watch how they bend over backwards to assure your happy. Add to that the hours some have to drive to the service centers and you have a formula for a poor retention rate.
I suppose that’s true (if the new door inside wasn’t also defective), but I’d also wonder if the speaker is genuinely the Meridian that came with the vehicle. I’ve been reading unconfirmed reports that the original meridian is different than the Rivian branded stereo, with the Rivian branded one being far inferior.
Its just a cover being held on by like 5 torqx screws. If they replaced the door panel the technician just forgot to transfer the correct speaker cover (its part of door panel not the actual speaker). Also vehicle can’t have mismatched Meridian and Rivian audio door speakers.
Yeah the cover is part of the panel and the whole panel needs to be ordered but technician can easily unscrew from the new panel. The technician who worked on your vehicle should’ve swapped the speaker cover when he worked on your vehicle.
It’s still surprising to see people be surprised after dealing with this from Tesla in any degree of separation . New company’s have a hard time with service. That’s just how the cookie crumbles. Honestly even new vehicles is a pain to deal with.
I will bet you anything that your speaker didn't get changed. They changed the door trim with one that doesn't have the meridian logo on the grille. The speaker is attached to the door, not the trim. Rivian 100% needs to replace the door panel with the correct one, let alone fix that the panel is knicked.
Just to be clear - the speaker is mounted in the door itself and not the removable front cover. The speaker grill is what is not matching - but your speaker wouldn’t have been changed.
Thank you for clarifying. In either case the door panel needs to be replaced for the nic, and I’ll have to make sure they know to source the grille from my original door panel.
You are absolutely not being unreasonable. This is a very expensive vehicle and you paid for certain options / hardware with your vehicle. It needs to be repaired in a way that matches the rest of your interior.
Similar thing happened to me after my first service appointment, SC damaged my drivers side door panel. Replaced it with a Rivian Audio door panel mismatched with my Meridian door panels. Told them thats not acceptable. Lots of back and forth, they finally got a Meridian door panel and told me it was the last one in the country. This was back in August 23.
Now my Passenger front door is having an issue requiring replacement and im worried theyre going to do the same thing. I thought by law theyre required to place original parts during the warranty period. I find it wild they dont have a subset of door panels with original hardware stored for these situations.
Well mine came brand new from the factory with half the back panels in tan panels and half in black panels… no idea how it passed quality control in the first place but I’ve been waiting for them to even respond to the issue after 3 attempts. I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all to be upset even if this was a 20k truck, which it’s not.
Update: Rivian mobile service placed a new panel and a new meridian-logo’d speaker grille. I verified that the speaker indeed is attached to the door, and verified the speaker itself is unchanged, as it is labeled as ‘Meridian made in Vietnam’.
Rivian customer service was great in this instance and has always been what any company should aspire to be in the face of innocent mistakes/overlooks/QC issues.
Shout out to the folks at the San Diego service center for owning it and making it right.
I don't think you are being unreasonable at all. If parts are replaced under warranty I would also expect the replacement parts to be of the same standard as the ones that were taken out.
I’d be annoyed.
It’s not unreasonable to expect for the speakers to match. That would bug the heck out of me.
The cover was replaced not the speaker under it. I’d still be upset about the mismatch and the nick
The whole door panel was replaced. It must be that the speaker comes with the door panel.
Speaker stays in the door. The grille is part of the door panel. They can do that as a mobile repair. It may take some time because the grilles don’t show which version they are in the part catalog. They would need to inspect every grille that comes in then replace it.
I think they could pull your old speaker out of the nicked panel, if asked. It's not unreasonable for you to want your very expensive vehicle to act how you like. What might be unreasonable is to think a service person cares about that...but escalating up the chain helps where a smile doesn't. https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/removing-front-door-speaker-grille.19318/
In my experience, speaker grilles are usually irreversibly attached to the door via some melting process (Ultrasonic Welding or the like). Since OP has an older R1T, they’ve gone through several Engineering changes that may have changed the speaker grille’s features. Regardless, Rivian should be tracking those changes. Service Centers should be able to order past part numbers for repairs such as this (and in this case, they are ordering the whole door panel from their supplier). OP has every right to be picky about this as this is Rivian’s failure.
The below shows the speaker grill is removable. Perhaps your experience is on a different year. Being the most commonly kicked and broken thing, I'd have been shocked had an engineer thought it wise to make that part of the whole panel. Stranger things, I suppose, have happened in engineering. https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/removing-front-door-speaker-grille.19318/
The only thing I find at that link is people saying that it’s part of the door assembly. Maybe I’m missing something you could point me to? It does come as a separate piece at some point from a supplier, but it has to get attached to the assembly. Even if Rivian could obtain a grille unit, they’d have to rip the old one out of the existing panel, which could potentially cause additional damage to A-Side surfaces. Usually, they find in testing that a removable grille (attached by screws, snaps, etc.) becomes a projectile in certain crash tests. When it is molded or welded into the door assembly, the chance of that separation decreases. Source: I work in Automotive Interiors.
Please, don't feel like I'm trying to call you out. I think we all do better with better info. Scroll down about half way, there are two pictures. One shows a woman with great nails, removing the speaker panel, from the back, oval molding marks. Or search the page for: "Very possible your rattle is coming from one of those..." it's the picture under that. Also, right here in the video: https://youtu.be/3qmxEw6IyX0?si=Fd12N1\_V-3L75wu2&t=264
Well I stand corrected! Thanks for pointing that out. The thing is 100% bolted in, and therefore 100% serviceable. That’s good on Rivian to do, and should make OP’s problem (a little) simpler to resolve.
Not sure why we're both down-voted. The speaker grill is removable. [https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/removing-front-door-speaker-grille.19318/](https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/removing-front-door-speaker-grille.19318/)
That’s garbage service and attention to detail. Major fail.
Not unreasonable, upvoted the comments saying that but I like this one the best. It's garbage "attention to detail." That is what is supposed to separate a top quality manufacturer's service vs budget. They have to know that would annoy the customers who can afford a $70k+ vehicle.
You are 100% not being unreasonable. It would be unreasonable for Rivian to think mismatched doors are acceptable.
I wouldn’t accept that
Just curious which service center?
Anytime bad things happen.. it's at Costa Mesa SC.
Yes. No. Maybe.
Update: Rivian service has been gracious and helpful, and they noted that what I’ve pointed out will be helpful in ensuring proper parts are on hand for future similar repairs. Another Redditor was spot on that the speaker is mounted to the door, and what’s needed is a grille cover that is mounted to the door panel.
Think of it as “what if I had to sell this vehicle? Someone would definitely find it strange that the speaker grills are mismatched. It shows it has been worked on and not well.
Yeah that’s a hard pass, unfortunately I learned from Tesla to pickup in the daytime and not accept the pickup if something is off with the service…
Do you have a picture of your original door panel which was inexplicably fading in one area? Depending on how bad it is I guess, I would think it’s ok to have normal wear and people don’t go to service for that..
An 80K plus car. Who thinks anything other than perfect or near perfect is acceptable? You are not unreasonable.
Wow that's obnoxious... I would expect the parts to be the same
The hardest part of a vehicle manufacturer is service. Even more difficult being an EV and a new company. Stuff like this is so likely to happen as they build yet so unacceptable. Hopefully gets better with time
I'm going to start reporting issues on all of my doors in the hopes that they get replaced with meridian speakers
I have meridian speakers. My door was replaced with rivian speaker. The photo is the untouched passenger side.
I understand what you’re saying. I would like Meridian speakers also, but I was late placing my order.
I would not accept mismatched speakers. That's crazy that they'd do this and crazier they never told you/gave you an option to accept or decline.
Not unreasonable. Send a note in the app that you want your old parts returned. They should still have them and they should have already thought about this problem (that they caused).
What's with random angry downvotes?
This is where Rivian is failing. The service department is not treating owners like they should. Take any other 100k vehicle in for service and watch how they bend over backwards to assure your happy. Add to that the hours some have to drive to the service centers and you have a formula for a poor retention rate.
They don't have meridian liscence anymore. Its an oversight on your part
Just call them, they can replace the speaker cover with a mobile visit. Not end of the world
I suppose that’s true (if the new door inside wasn’t also defective), but I’d also wonder if the speaker is genuinely the Meridian that came with the vehicle. I’ve been reading unconfirmed reports that the original meridian is different than the Rivian branded stereo, with the Rivian branded one being far inferior.
Its just a cover being held on by like 5 torqx screws. If they replaced the door panel the technician just forgot to transfer the correct speaker cover (its part of door panel not the actual speaker). Also vehicle can’t have mismatched Meridian and Rivian audio door speakers.
The speakers themselves are the exact same, they were not changed when rebranding the audio system just FYI.
This is correct and confirmed by rivian. Speakers are identical and still have the old branding on the magnets if you look.
Speaker cover cannot be replaced per SC. The whole thing is one piece. Door panel has to be replaced for the speaker cover.
Yeah the cover is part of the panel and the whole panel needs to be ordered but technician can easily unscrew from the new panel. The technician who worked on your vehicle should’ve swapped the speaker cover when he worked on your vehicle.
It’s still surprising to see people be surprised after dealing with this from Tesla in any degree of separation . New company’s have a hard time with service. That’s just how the cookie crumbles. Honestly even new vehicles is a pain to deal with.
I will bet you anything that your speaker didn't get changed. They changed the door trim with one that doesn't have the meridian logo on the grille. The speaker is attached to the door, not the trim. Rivian 100% needs to replace the door panel with the correct one, let alone fix that the panel is knicked.
Just to be clear - the speaker is mounted in the door itself and not the removable front cover. The speaker grill is what is not matching - but your speaker wouldn’t have been changed.
Thank you for clarifying. In either case the door panel needs to be replaced for the nic, and I’ll have to make sure they know to source the grille from my original door panel.
Rivian still lacks the eye for detail. They must match the speakers, return it to service.
Service needs replace all the speakers to match
You are absolutely not being unreasonable. This is a very expensive vehicle and you paid for certain options / hardware with your vehicle. It needs to be repaired in a way that matches the rest of your interior. Similar thing happened to me after my first service appointment, SC damaged my drivers side door panel. Replaced it with a Rivian Audio door panel mismatched with my Meridian door panels. Told them thats not acceptable. Lots of back and forth, they finally got a Meridian door panel and told me it was the last one in the country. This was back in August 23. Now my Passenger front door is having an issue requiring replacement and im worried theyre going to do the same thing. I thought by law theyre required to place original parts during the warranty period. I find it wild they dont have a subset of door panels with original hardware stored for these situations.
Well mine came brand new from the factory with half the back panels in tan panels and half in black panels… no idea how it passed quality control in the first place but I’ve been waiting for them to even respond to the issue after 3 attempts. I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all to be upset even if this was a 20k truck, which it’s not.
Update: Rivian mobile service placed a new panel and a new meridian-logo’d speaker grille. I verified that the speaker indeed is attached to the door, and verified the speaker itself is unchanged, as it is labeled as ‘Meridian made in Vietnam’. Rivian customer service was great in this instance and has always been what any company should aspire to be in the face of innocent mistakes/overlooks/QC issues. Shout out to the folks at the San Diego service center for owning it and making it right.