[//M]

I have been waiting to buy the Duster for quite some time now. Finally decided to book the 85 PS (O) but all these stories about the rattles and squeaks are not convincing. Now I am clueless and back to square one. I really love the Duster as a vehicle but all this issues plus no dealer in my city are forcing me to look elsewhere (read Ford EcoSport). Still in a state of dilemma whether to go ahead with the Duster or wait for the EcoSport.

[acroback]

Originally Posted by engrohit

Mate, I have taken my car to Renault Thane for the door rattling issue and they eliminated it completely, only for it to re surface within 5 days. First it was on the left door and now the driver door has also joined the chorus.
The driver seat makes a creaking noise as well, if i bend forward to pick something or to adjust those wonderfully placed a/c controls.
This was my first premium purchase (so to say) considering I was upgrading from Santro, and this is the last thing that i wanted to see

What a coincidence I upgraded from a Santro too .
This seat creaking is exactly I noticed. The reason is a bugger spring in the seat, get it checked. They should be able to fix it easily. No annoying creaks for me now from driver seat. I think you should bug those guys, they should be adding more padding to front doors. That is what I am gonna get done on my doors.

Originally Posted by Dr.Nishath

Was gonna book this car this week , but now the fact that it isnt abuse friendly with such parts and the rattling seems to be overshadowing the pros that include great driveability and a suv for 13 lakhs (the 85 rxl with option pack model ) in bangalore. So do all of you people here who have had experiences with this car feel i should go ahead and book it or go for an alternative?

[self praise mode on] I am one of the guys who look at thinks objectively and rationally [self praise mode off].
If you have even decently tarred roads, you will not hear any kind of rattles, there are none. The rattles ( mind you these are very tiny rattles) appear if I go over a bad stretch composed of very evenly spaces imperfections in road for couple of meters. I have taken Duster to place where there was no road, only those dry soil stretches with uneven ups and downs littered all around. Not a single rattle. Creaks? yes my seat creaked, which was fixed in first service with proper explanation.

That said if you prefer function over form, you may like it.

Originally Posted by //M

I have been waiting to buy the Duster for quite some time now. Finally decided to book the 85 PS (O) but all these stories about the rattles and squeaks are not convincing. Now I am clueless and back to square one. I really love the Duster as a vehicle but all this issues plus no dealer in my city are forcing me to look elsewhere (read Ford EcoSport). Still in a state of dilemma whether to go ahead with the Duster or wait for the EcoSport.

I will say, wait till Ecosport is launched. What is the harm in waiting for a month, when you can save close to 2 lakhs compared to Duster. I got Duster because I needed it urgently. Add to that gullibility which comes free with Indians

[Dr.Nishath]

Originally Posted by acroback

[self praise mode on] I am one of the guys who look at thinks objectively and rationally [self praise mode off].
If you have even decently tarred roads, you will not hear any kind of rattles, there are none. The rattles ( mind you these are very tiny rattles) appear if I go over a bad stretch composed of very evenly spaces imperfections in road for couple of meters. I have taken Duster to place where there was no road, only those dry soil stretches with uneven ups and downs littered all around. Not a single rattle. Creaks? yes my seat creaked, which was fixed in first service with proper explanation.

That said if you prefer function over form, you may like it.

I stay in bangalore too , and less said about the roads due to metro constructions and underpasses the better Now if i'm buying a car thinking long term , would the duster which already has rattling problems and cheap plastics satisy my requirements?

[acroback]

Originally Posted by Dr.Nishath

I stay in bangalore too , and less said about the roads due to metro constructions and underpasses the better Now if i'm buying a car thinking long term , would the duster which already has rattling problems and cheap plastics satisy my requirements?

I cannot comment on long term durability. Remember cheap is not same as fragile. Interiors are cheap but are built to last. But some parts like ac knobs are cheap and damage prone on rough usage. Rattling is not a problem as long as renault can identify it and fix it. I would say wait for ecosport. Ecosport launch is giving me hope that renault is getting to its senses that, they may lose market. I would say take a long test drive in a TD vehicle over bad roads, see for yourself. Good luck

[BUXX]

Originally Posted by shamanth

Guys, I recently took my uncles duster for a visit to temple through Charmadi ghat. Was quiet impressed with car like drivablility, one thing i noticed was when front tyres when passed through small poth holes the steering used to turn either left or right side, this is scary if you are negotiating with curves in good speed if you are not holding the steering tight it might change the direction itself.

My Uncle told this complaint to service center during 5000 kms service, he was told its normal it will become alright after sometime. I doubt there might be some problem with particular car steering, or any of you guys faced same issue?

I face the same "issue" and it has also been highlighted in the official review as well, I think.

The steering does has a pretty violent throwback in the opposite direction to the turn/curve and you have to be conscious of that fact when taking curves or flyover loops.
This is most apparent with the newer concrete surfaced roads on the flyover where there is a metal gap between road sections which causes that steering jump.

Another of the Duster's quirks. and very unnerving.

[Tgo]

Hello everyone.

I was back home for our family's annual get-together. Used the duster (110 RXZ O) extensively in the city and on a short trip to Deogarh near Rajsamand. Had a good time driving the vehicle. Upgrading from a fluidic Verna seems fine and justifiable now but only till the engine the seating position and the biggish car feel you get.

On the highways the play in the straight ahead position of the steering wheel was very evident. Handling was good both in the city and on the highway. Tackled some bad roads where there wasn't much suspension noise creeping into the cabin. The rear wheel arches need some cladding in them to stop noises creeping in and disturbing the rear passengers dosing off in the rear seat which has a very comfortable recline angle. Boot space was ample and we could pack in 2 days worth of luggage of 10 people in the car (6 medium sized stroley bags)

Its been two months since we got the vehicle and it has clocked over 5000 km in this time. The fuel efficiency as per the MID is at 14.6 combined which is over 60:40 city:highway driving. Another good thing about the engine is the absence of the surge when the turbo kicks in. Felt really mature and predictable.

Here is a picture of the Duster on the Salt Bed of Sambhar Lake where we drove to on our way back from Deogarh to catch a glimpse of a flock of Flamingos that has come here in search of warmer climate.

Originally Posted by engrohit

Agree. Boot DOES NOT lock itself automatically, unless it's an option pack with speed sensing locks. Else you have to manually lock it.

There are no speed sensing locks in our option pack vehicle.

Originally Posted by engrohit

Well being a Duster owner for now over three months, I can safely say that the car is not going to age well.
Both my front doors make such a scary creeking noise every time I brake or accelerate, that it reminds me of the slowly opening door of Bhoot Bangla in Ramsay movies.

I must say rohit that this problem of the doors creaking. It was more of a clicking noise in my case was really annoying and i took the vehicle for running repairs and check up just before i left home. The guys at the service centre did not know what to do with it. They said its because of some play in the door latch. I accompanied their "technical coordinator" to the body shop where i was appalled to see hammers being used on the stub on the b-pillar. The setting of the doors improved a bit but the noise is still present. They even sprayed some 3m spray-on grease on the door beadings to try and cover up the noise. But it was mainly to show that they are attending to the problem. All this has left a sticky residue all over the door frame which is a dirt magnet

The judder while cranking the engine id disturbing and i was told is present in all the 110ps cars. I was skeptical whether the engine foundation bolts were loose.

Another observation was significant suspension noise from the front while driving over gravel or bad roads with the steering turned more than a quarter of a turn. Has anyone else experienced this? I heard another customer complaining of the same when i had visited the service centre. I noticed it on my car only after leaving from there.

The stereo i felt was decent enough in terms of sound quality. Better than the one on our Verna. But that is all the good i have to say about it. It was just once that i paired my phone and used the stereo to make a call and stream music. After that i was puzzled by its frequent disconnecting, switching off and the very prominent echo heard by the caller on the other end. Their standard answer to that was, sir it is a handset specific problem. I was told that they will register a CIR (Complaint Inquiry Report) for this issue. God only knows what they are upto now. Can anyone update on this issue? How to correct it? Replace the stereo? File a complaint? I have used stereos of other cars to make calls and never heard any complaints of echoing.

I feel cheated on account of these few problems. If you guys are selling the cheapest SUV at an inflated price, at least have the ethics to attend to the problems with some sense of responsibility.... And guilt if i may add.

[raul]

The Duster is not a cheap SUV, that's not just a bit, but hugely misleading. And about to become a bit more, the renault india website prices are being 'revised' right now!

It devalues and makes the 10-14 lakhs segment look like small change which it is not, not at our current income levels, and even globally $25K USD gets you decent wheels, we are talking CRV, Accord, RAV 4 at x5 our income levels etc so this is not a 'cheap' segment for anyone, but the rich in wide income disparity countries.

Let's look at OTR prices Mumbai:

RXL 85 - 12 lakhs (No abs or airbags)
RXL (O) 85 - 13 lakhs (Abs + airbags + alloys)
RXL 110 - 13 lakhs (No airbags, no alloys)
RXZ 110 - 14 lakhs (Airbags, alloys, lumbar support)
RXZ 110 (O) - 14.5 lakhs (leather seats)

This is not 'cheap' for what's on offer, but then the Jetta, Laura, Yeti, Fortuner, Accord, Camry, CRV are all 'happily' overpriced too for what they offer and their pricing in global markets, value king XUV is now nearly 16 lakhs OTR for the W8 in Mumbai - is this cheap or value?

There is more to a car than ride quality and engine. It's the 4x4 which should cross into 13 OTR. The current prices don't look sustainable to me and Renault will have to update the car with better quality interiors, features or cut prices when competition shows up.

14 to 14.5 lakhs is too much money for the Duster imho and buyers will not see the money and inevitably feel a bit shortchanged. But all the awards and demand have clearly gone to Renault head.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by raul

globally $25K USD gets you decent wheels, we are talking CRV, Accord, RAV 4 at x5 our income levels etc so this is not a 'cheap' segment for anyone, but the rich in wide income disparity countries.

Let's look at OTR prices Mumbai:

RXL 85 - 12 lakhs (No abs or airbags)
RXL (O) 85 - 13 lakhs (Abs + airbags + alloys)
RXL 110 - 13 lakhs (No airbags, no alloys)
RXZ 110 - 14 lakhs (Airbags, alloys, lumbar support)
RXZ 110 (O) - 14.5 lakhs (leather seats)

This is not 'cheap' for what's on offer, but then the Jetta, Laura, Yeti, Fortuner, Accord, Camry, CRV are all 'happily' overpriced too for what they offer and their pricing in global markets, value king XUV is now nearly 16 lakhs OTR for the W8 in Mumbai - is this cheap or value?

14 to 14.5 lakhs is too much money for the Duster imho and buyers will not see the money and inevitably feel a bit shortchanged. But all the awards and demand have clearly gone to Renault head.

Agreed that globally you get quite a bit more for similar moneys.

I disagree that the Yeti is overpriced in India. It is more or less priced at the equivalent of the same price as in India for the same spec level in UK and Australia. (22 lacs: 40K AUD: 24K GBP). The Yeti being a CKD, thus, is very fairly priced in an India vs International scenario. This is one of the reasons which influenced me in plumping the cash and buying one. Indian consumers feel that they should get a larger vehicle for that kind of money but as I have said before,here,it is size and bling and features that matter, over quality, safety and other such. We are still quite an unsophisticated market which needs to evolve to be able to appreciate the concept of 'quality' over 'size and quantity'.

Ref Duster pricing: By contrast the Duster top spec fully loaded brother with many airbags and ABS and EBD and 4WD etc costs approx 14K GBP which equals 13 lacs. For this money all we get is the poor cousin the 85 bhp option pack vehicle. If one goes by this yardstick the poor Indian customer is getting ripped off by Renault, and big time because it is locally assembled,contains a good amount of localization in parts content etc. Renault is making the export spec fully loaded 4x4 Duster here and sending them to the UK and Ireland so whats the problem giving us poor joes also the same spec, at least as an option? Also, as an aside, doesn't the Duster RXZ 110 version also get ABS?

Other brands: I would like to submit seriously here that even the much vaunted Toyota Altis (15 lacs), Fortuner(29 lacs), Hyundai Santa Fe(32 lacs), VW Jetta(20 lacs), Honda CRV(30 odd lacs) Honda Civic(14 lacs) and the likes of these are all totally overpriced in India.

Come on! These are also complete rip offs here but we 'mango' people seem ever willing to fork out this kind of money! And to add insult to ones intelligence, no one here ever seems to want to hear anything against the great Japanese brands like Toyota and Honda! Reliability and all that is fine,but lets realize we are also paying top dollar for that, compared to anyone else in the world! The irritating thing about Suzuki is that they always de-spec the safety and strength of their cars for our Indian market. Things like those euro spec strong side impact beams, and other safety reinforcements are not there on the India spec SX4 for example but are mandatorily there on the 'export' spec!

We would do well to view the factual perspective that Honda and Toyota also seem to think that the Indian consumer is always going to be all forgiving on account of the great Toyota and Honda Brand names,where in fact,abroad, they are classed at the same level as Suzuki and the Koreans always get classed at a few notches below the Japanese.

Even the Mahindra Rexton - while 18 lacs or so seems a great price, why should we be forced to pay such moneys for an older generation vehicle whose dies and other factory stuff are probably all fully depreciated? It is a good quality of vehicle, yes, but it is clearly no longer good enough for the 'developed' markets and here in India they are playing a positioning game with its pricing because the flagship XUV can never hope to compete with its second cousin the Rexton in terms of quality, fit and finish.

Taking all this in perspective, yes,the XUV with all its bling, OTT styling and electronic gizmos and freaky lights etc seems like a really VFM vehicle. However, I still maintain it needs at least a year or two more to get completely sorted. I would like to get some confirmation whether the XUV sold here and the XUV sold in say,South Africa are actually exactly the same or is there an 'export' quality game being played there also? I believe that they will certainly be applying this double standard to the XUV as with most else.

Bottom line is that most of these manufacturers are making tons of hay while the sun shines and until our car mania comes down a bit and we get a little better informed across the market segments, they will continue to rip us off.

[Dr.Abhi]

Let's look at OTR prices Mumbai:

RXL 85 - 12 lakhs (No abs or airbags)
RXL (O) 85 - 13 lakhs (Abs + airbags + alloys)
RXL 110 - 13 lakhs (No airbags, no alloys)
RXZ 110 - 14 lakhs (Airbags, alloys, lumbar support)
RXZ 110 (O) - 14.5 lakhs (leather seats)



14 to 14.5 lakhs is too much money for the Duster imho and buyers will not see the money and inevitably feel a bit shortchanged. But all the awards and demand have clearly gone to Renault head.[/quote]

RXL 85(no airbag, ABS) for 12 lac OTR
That is some crazy money for such a bare basic car with poor interiors and that too from not so known Renault.
IMO top end Quanto c8 @ app' 9 lac OTR Mumbai is far better and that too with ABS and Airbag (off course life is precious)
Use the rest of cash for far flung Himalayan holidays (thats why we have bought them, didnt we?) and then left with some.
IMHO All cars have their pros and cons, but my little experience with both test drives, I can definately tell that RWD Quanto can tackle desolate Indian roads better than FWD Duster any day.

[raul]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Agreed that globally you get quite a bit more for similar moneys.

I disagree that the Yeti is overpriced in India. It is more or less priced at the equivalent of the same price as in India for the same spec level in UK and Australia. (22 lacs: 40K AUD: 24K GBP). The Yeti being a CKD, thus, is very fairly priced in an India vs International scenario. This is one of the reasons which influenced me in plumping the cash and buying one.

Shankar - agree with you, the Yeti is undoubtedly an excellent vehicle, solidly put together and very sensible, if it wasn't for the bit quirky looks (for me) I would have definitely taken advantage of one of the tastier discounts last year and got it instead of the RXZ Duster (Yes the RXZ does have ABS)

You can get the 2.0 TDI CR spec (110 bhp) for under $15k in the UK, so I do think there is scope for better pricing, maybe plonk in the 1.6 TDI, or have the 110 CR at around 13 OTR and the 140bhp at 16 OTR. You can get the 170bhp for around 20-21KGBP so that should be doable. Better pricing gets more volumes, and if Skoda had localized and priced better, maybe they could have enjoyed the same success Mahindra and Renault have.

The whole argument of volume is misleading sometimes, price well and you will get volumes even in the 12-16 lakh segment, so there is money in the market,

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by raul

Shankar - agree with you, the Yeti is undoubtedly an excellent vehicle, solidly put together and very sensible, if it wasn't for the bit quirky looks (for me) I would have definitely taken advantage of one of the tastier discounts last year and got it instead of the RXZ Duster (Yes the RXZ does have ABS)

You can get the 2.0 TDI CR spec (110 bhp) for under $15k in the UK, so I do think there is scope for better pricing, maybe plonk in the 1.6 TDI, or have the 110 CR at around 13 OTR and the 140bhp at 16 OTR. You can get the 170bhp for around 20-21KGBP so that should be doable. Better pricing gets more volumes, and if Skoda had localized and priced better, maybe they could have enjoyed the same success Mahindra and Renault have.

The whole argument of volume is misleading sometimes, price well and you will get volumes even in the 12-16 lakh segment, so there is money in the market,

Hey.
Actually I did some research before buying and as mentioned elsewhere, the spec to spec comparo shows that the Indian Elegance 140BHP 2 litre Diesel 4x4 is the same as the UK 'Experience' variant and both offer identical trim levels and are priced pretty much on par, albeit in different currencies.
The 110 version was never in my consideration set at all and indeed, it hadn't yet been launched in India when I picked up mine.

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by BUXX

I face the same "issue" and it has also been highlighted in the official review as well, I think.

The steering does has a pretty violent throwback in the opposite direction to the turn/curve and you have to be conscious of that fact when taking curves or flyover loops.
This is most apparent with the newer concrete surfaced roads on the flyover where there is a metal gap between road sections which causes that steering jump.

Another of the Duster's quirks. and very unnerving.

Thanks for update, so it looks like this is inbuilt problem in Duster. Hope Renault comes up with some solution if more and more owners complain.

[engrohit]

[quote=Tgo;3008102]Hello everyone.

There are no speed sensing locks in our option pack vehicle

Oops! My mistake. Thanks for pointing out

I must say rohit that this problem of the doors creaking. It was more of a clicking noise in my case was really annoying and i took the vehicle for running repairs and check up just before i left home. The guys at the service centre did not know what to do with it. They said its because of some play in the door latch. I accompanied their "technical coordinator" to the body shop where i was appalled to see hammers being used on the stub on the b-pillar. The setting of the doors improved a bit but the noise is still present. They even sprayed some 3m spray-on grease on the door beadings to try and cover up the noise. But it was mainly to show that they are attending to the problem. All this has left a sticky residue all over the door frame which is a dirt magnet

Yeah they also did the spray thingy on my door, only for the noise to come back after 4 days. Even the service manager mentioned to me that they have become frustrated with the no. of complaints reg doors in Duster. He said we have written to Renault to provide better solutions for this.

The stereo i felt was decent enough in terms of sound quality. Better than the one on our Verna. But that is all the good i have to say about it. It was just once that i paired my phone and used the stereo to make a call and stream music. After that i was puzzled by its frequent disconnecting, switching off and the very prominent echo heard by the caller on the other end. Their standard answer to that was, sir it is a handset specific problem. I was told that they will register a CIR (Complaint Inquiry Report) for this issue. God only knows what they are upto now. Can anyone update on this issue? How to correct it? Replace the stereo? File a complaint? I have used stereos of other cars to make calls and never heard any complaints of echoing

You would be the first one to say any good thing about Duster sound quality. On a serious note, I have had the software upgrade (Patch) for music system which has addressed both FM reception and bluetooth connectivity issues. Follow up with your service center for the same and get it doen ASAP.

[woodcrawler]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

I have posted the same information given below on my ownership report. .........
Another interesting thing that I have observed is that the OE Audio system can be turned on without the key being inserted into the ignition.This means that without the keys itself, you can playback songs and connect to Blue tooth etc. Just press the POWER button and see for yourself. Credit to this incredible find goes to my 3 year old Son, who kept fiddling with the HU even after I removed the ignition keys.Sorry if this info has already been posted.
Cheers

Hi Neil, The audio system ideally should not come on without the key in the ignition. There is a power switch on my Punto but the audio can be switched on only when the key is inserted.

I've not checked my Duster since the service guys are still grappling with my leak (they called today and said they need another day )

Coming back to the audio switching without the key, don't you think you can end up draining the battery if it gets switched on accidentally? I know but a hypothetical question. I'm not sure if it is a 'planned option', maybe an aberration like my leak!

Your son reminds me of mine. He's 10. He reads the manuals and tells me about all the functions and discovers stuff that is not there, like how to scroll through folders and some other things I was cracking my head over.

[Schoudhury]

Is a 4X4 in the pipeline for Indian Customers by any chance.
The reason why i ask is this

"Car & Bike Show on NDTV
How much should the Renault Duster 4X4 be priced at? SVP"

Cheers