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-   -   Renault Duster : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/123824-renault-duster-official-review-165.html)

I have been through 3 weeks of hellish experiences with Renault India after-sales service, and Renault India Road Side Assistance. It is still ongoing. The story probably deserves its own thread, and there have been many twists and turns since I last posted anything here. But for the last 3 weeks I have been suffering great anguish and have lost my peace of mind, and have the following things to say: -


1. The Duster is a good car; but if you need peace of mind, stay away from Renault India until they smooth their operations out. Fact as told to me by Renault - they do not have a new radiator to spare in all of India(!!!). After waiting for 2 weeks, I had to agree to get an old used radiator fitted in my car, as my business was suffering due to me being immobile. What kind of pathetic inventory management is this?


2. If your Duster does not have air-bags, do get a front bull bar to protect the radiator/intercooler unit as it literally is right there at the front with next to nothing for protection. This is a serious design flaw IMHO. In all other cars that I have experience with, there is a significant amount of space/protection between the front of the vehicle and the radiator. Sedans are of course better off in this area, but just take a look at Tata Safari’s unit to see how protected it is. I get the approach angle bit, and the water wading bit, but still. Fact - I agreed to get an old radiator fitted as I needed to get mobile; but within a couple of days while driving (I was going to Raipur to get a new radiator fitted), a dog suddenly came running on the highway and collided with my car. The dog lived to tell the tale (unscathed), but my Duster broke down with damage to the intercooler (I'm not sure if that's the intercooler, I'm no expert). Just imagine how I’m feeling with two similar break-downs within a couple of weeks. The cause of the first one was not explained to me, the cause of the second one is a living dog. I still hate bull-bars, but the Duster needs one for sure.


3. I asked Renault RSA to take the car to Raipur as I was really disillusioned with the way my case was handled at Kolkata, and I did not want the hassle again in such a short time with the same set of people. I offered to pay for the difference in distance to Kolkata and distance to Raipur as calculated from the location of the break-down. Renault RSA agreed to this without any reservations/conditions. I was happy with their consideration of a customer's concerns. But later they backtracked and out-rightly refused to take the vehicle to Raipur, degrading to threatening me with “Your vehicle is being taken to Kolkata” when I had asked for no such move. This in spite of me having a signed document in my possession that states that the car is being taken to Raipur. After 12 hours of calls and deliberations, I finally asked them to return the car to me, as I believe I will be able to manage this better than them. They agreed, but now after 24 hours of the breakdown, I have neither my car nor any idea where it is. I have called twice again today (day after the incident), but have received only “we will call you back” from them.

So sorry to read this. I hope your car is fixed ASAP.
As for staying away, too late for me. I am expecting delivery of my Duster by this week end. I do hope things improve with Renault.
Else every highway run that i make (many will come), I will have this fear looming over me.

The lack of spares is very concerning. What happens if Renault is required to fix something under warranty?

Let's say snkjr's radiator spring a leak and needed to be replaced. Will the Duster be immobile until they get the spares? In which case their 4 year warranty is pretty much useless.

I think this is a serious issue which needs to be on the potential Duster purchaser's and Renault's radar.

I had water leakage in the rear passenger area, the service center says its due to speaker being setup from unauthorized service center.The strange part is the ICE was setup last august and water leakage is happening since only one month. They have said that its due to beading alignment not being set properly and they do not have spare part for the beading available.

I have been one among a large group of Duster fans all these while. Booked it just couple of months after its launch, waited with bated breath for 4 months and cancelled it off due to sheer frustration of not getting it. Since then, the thought ‘I am missing something close to my heart’ has been haunting me day and night, till a fortnight ago when I re-booked my beloved machine. Alas, the delivery was made in mere two weeks.clap:

Took delivery of Rxl 85, Pearl Galaxy black beast yesterday from Trident, Whitefiled. Got the roof rails, door handles and side sills painted in silver color. Got a quote from Sachin’s Auto shop for Plati alloy wheels (25 K). They have been telling about a brand called Aveo (Thailand). How about the reliability of this?

Finally bit the bullet and booked a 110 RxZ (O) with Renault South Delhi. Getting an official quote of 14.36 but after throwing away the accessories and getting insurance from outside, it should drop to 14.2 I'm hoping! Except for the Woodland Brown color, apparently the others are available within 4-5 days waiting period (such as the grey I'm going with). 85 RxL (O) in comparison is 3 weeks across colors!

Had a couple of questions on must-buy accessories and mods that I need to plan a budget for (which is stretched to the breaking with the RxZ (O) decision btw):

• Are there good 3D mat options available in the market? Checked online and came across an outfit called Star Mats - any reviews of their quality?
• Has anyone swapped their tyres for AT options? Wondering if that makes sense for someone looking to use the car for 3-4 weeks/year in the hills?
• Has anyone covered their windscreen with CR70-grade sunfilm? Somehow I got the feeling from the TDs that the coating (if any) on the windscreen was inadequate (definitely not like what the Honda guys have put on the Amaze)

Am I missing anything glaring that needs to be bought/in place based on the experience of more experienced Duster owners on this thread?

- Music system (speakers) is at best average. Check it out and most probably you may have to change it. The HU is good. Just need to change speakers.

Its been that way for quite some time. In fact; as far as Bangalore goes, the OTR pricing of the 85 RXL (O) has gone up, I think by more than a lakh after it was introduced!

A little OT but I had no idea Renault has increased their prices by that much! Doesn't the XUV 5oo W6 version make more sense at that price?

Any idea how much is the 85 RxL (O) in Delhi OTR ?

In November last year when we took delivery of our 110 RXZ (O) in Jaipur it came for 13.05L On-road under price protection for a booking done in August. At that time the difference in prices between Delhi and Jaipur must have been to the tune of 25-35 thousand.

That means a price increase of
14.36L
- 13.05L
1.31L
+ 0.30L
1.61L

in less than a year! Lets see for how long do the cash registers at Renault are kept busy!!

This will not stay for long. Expect price cuts once Ecosport pricing is out.
And if Nissan Duster is anywhere around the corner, and if its priced higher, that also would warrant a price cut. I expect the pricing to come down to almost introductory pricing.

Renault would basically introduce discounts, to lure the customer back. It would have been the same pricing at which it was launched!

And i for one can't wait for that to happen! I'm willing to live with lack of features for the ride quality & space on offer if the price cuts bring it back to the launch price. Its price currently includes a significant "aspirational" premium which now should get a deep cut. Else Ecosport it is!

Guys, does the audio control behind the steering control wheel has next track or previous track buttons ?

It works like a charm. I have only used it with an Apple device though. But I think it works well with any USB device too.

+1. Premium for the aspiration value is extremely high. This natural correction will happen. And its good to hear that production has stabilized. Because the most delayed trim of RXL(O) 85 is available in 3-weeks and the 110 versions available on shelves!

Not really IMO. XUV does not match the Duster when it comes to ride quality, mileage, and lack of niggles. The latter especially was a key deciding factor.

Don't have the exact price list with me but I think the 85 (O) is 1.4 lakhs cheaper

I think they will keep ringing for a while. I waited till the Ecosport was fully reviewed but it is clear that they are completely different class of vehicles. Simply put, TINA (there is no alternative)

I know I'm going to be very pissed when this correction happens (though I think it will happen more because of the Nissan variant rather than Ecosport pressure) but I think given that this is at least 6-12 months away (both the Nissan launch and full availability of the Ecosport) , there is no other option in the market for a person