Rivian R1S Running Board Install: Help Me Understand Plastic Hole Cutting

Rivian Mom · 2025-05-15T14:45:12+00:00

I've been using my phone's hotspot for months, and my Rivian connects to it automatically to run TuneIn and Spotify through the built-in apps on the main display. To be clear, this wasn’t Bluetooth streaming but actual phone data, and the apps worked perfectly without any issues. In Monday for the first time, I saw a Connect+ message pop up, even though the truck was linked to my phone’s data. I can still stream from my phone using Bluetooth, but the sound quality and user experience weren’t as good. This issue started between over-the-air software updates, though it might be tied to a specific date in the system. I tried a soft reset, but nothing changed. Has anyone heard if Rivian changed their policy on this? I remember Connect+ used to mention it provided "data" for streaming apps, suggesting you could use your own data instead. Now, it seems like you need Connect+ just to access the apps at all. I was surprised they allowed phone hotspots to work before, so this might be a deliberate change. I’m okay with paying for Connect+ if this isn’t just a temporary glitch. Any insights would be appreciated.

Rivian Blue

Member

Feb 8, 2025

Just recently I thought about ordering some running boards, the EVSportline RMaxx ones. Initially I was just going to take all the plastic panels off, but a friend convinced me that would be easy enough to keep them on and seal them with Gorilla tape.

One of the install details that confuses me the most is the hole cutting, specifically for R1S. When looking at the cutting template, the rear panels for driver and passenger side shows the circle hole overlapping the jack point access hole.

So I'm thinking, how does it actually look like in real life? Every guide and photo I've searched for has no R1S as an example, its always the R1T that doesn't have this overlap detail.

How did everyone else that have this running board deal with this detail on the R1S? Looks like my alternative are to go my initial plan with removing the panels completely, or trying the L-shape cuts. Would really appreciate it if I could get an answer on here.