[Abh1nav]

Originally Posted by HillMan

Congrats Abh1nav. Not many drive over to the stockyard for PDI
Your machine looks good in pics. Date stamp of August on the seats means the car is probably 2 months from assembly to delivery.

RxL 85 (O) is a good choice. I'd say its the best VFM of the lot.

Thanks HillMan!

To my surprise, the dealer's stockyard was just 2 Kms away from their showroom, right next to the workshop. Moreover, unlike many stockyards, this one was covered as well! The guy there told me that he had to move 10-12 other vehicles to bring my car out!

2 months seems like a decent time, and nothing to worry about i guess! And yes, even I think that the 85 RXL (O) is the most VFM option, considering I'll be driving in the (over)crowded streets of Delhi for the most part!

[Kartik Kumar]

Unfortunately I'm in the middle of the worst sales experience I could have imagined. Booked my Duster on the 19th and was promised delivery by the 31st. Now the sales consultant *and* his manager claims that my vehicle will only be delivered in the 2nd or 3rd week of November, apparently due to the festive season

I have paid the full amount and now its stuck and I'm completely at the mercy of the dealer

Since I thought that I will be getting the vehicle soon I didn't even insist on getting the invoice as the sales consultant said he would give it to me with the vehicle. So I have only the receipts to go by. Even the loan amount has been released by the bank.

They also have the RC book of my old car which I exchanged as they need to get that registered. This is something I regret doing very much.

Totally frustrated now.

Is it normal to give the dealer the full amount before the vehicle is allotted to you?

Does anyone have the contact details of someone from Renault who I can escalate this to? Since I don't have a hard date on the delivery I may think of cancelling it and would require Renault's help to get back my full amount since the dealer has failed to keep his promise of the delivery date.

[motorworks]

Hey, need feedback on the heaviness of the clutch in the duster / terrano twins. I was told that the clutch of the 110bhp version is rather heavy and makes city driving a little hard apart from the more obvious turbolag. Is this correct?
One of my friends is interested in the 110bhp version of the Duster or the Terrano, but is holding back the purchase due to the above reason.

[Waxeloquent]

Originally Posted by Kartik Kumar

Unfortunately I'm in the middle of the worst sales experience I could have imagined. Booked my Duster on the 19th and was promised delivery by the 31st. Now the sales consultant *and* his manager claims that my vehicle will only be delivered in the 2nd or 3rd week of November, apparently due to the festive season

I have paid the full amount and now its stuck and I'm completely at the mercy of the dealer

Since I thought that I will be getting the vehicle soon I didn't even insist on getting the invoice as the sales consultant said he would give it to me with the vehicle. So I have only the receipts to go by. Even the loan amount has been released by the bank.

They also have the RC book of my old car which I exchanged as they need to get that registered. This is something I regret doing very much.

Totally frustrated now.

Is it normal to give the dealer the full amount before the vehicle is allotted to you?

Does anyone have the contact details of someone from Renault who I can escalate this to? Since I don't have a hard date on the delivery I may think of cancelling it and would require Renault's help to get back my full amount since the dealer has failed to keep his promise of the delivery date.

Yes, it is normal in India to take full payment before the vehicle is allotted to you. The receipts issued by dealer are good enough. To assure you I went through the same process.

I guess the festive season does affect to some extent but not to the extent of 2, 3 weeks if you had chosen a colour not in 'great demand'. I was told that my Duster delivery would happen in 3 weeks but delivered it in a week. Only the smart card/RC book took about 2+ months; till then managed with the paper/document they gave.

I can not comment about the exchange scheme as I did not use that one.

Cheers

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by motorworks

One of my friends is interested in the 110bhp version of the Duster or the Terrano, but is holding back the purchase due to the above reason.

Ask your friend to TD the 110. Go for a 10km drive through traffic. Lightness or heaviness of the clutch also depends on personal preference. It is not too heavy to handle

If you drove a Scorpio, this is a light clutch. If you came from a petrol car, this one is heavy.

After good abuse the TD vehicle is sure to have the worst clutch. Imagine this clutch 4 years down the line. Go and sit inside the display car in showroom and depress the pedals. You will know the difference.

[Waxeloquent]

Originally Posted by motorworks

Hey, need feedback on the heaviness of the clutch in the duster / terrano twins. I was told that the clutch of the 110bhp version is rather heavy and makes city driving a little hard apart from the more obvious turbolag. Is this correct? One of my friends is interested in the 110bhp version of the Duster or the Terrano, but is holding back the purchase due to the above reason.

We, thats me and my wife, were driving Verna Petrol for 5 years and before that various petrol version cars. We bought
the 110 PS Diesel RxZ Duster about a year back. Most of our drive is on highways but we find NO issue with the clutch in
the city or elsewhere. One gets used to it. Seriously, that's not a show stopper at all. Yes we also read a lot about this and were concerned when we went for TD. Cheers

[Kartik Kumar]

Originally Posted by Waxeloquent

Yes, it is normal in India to take full payment before the vehicle is allotted to you. The receipts issued by dealer are good enough. To assure you I went through the same process.

I guess the festive season does affect to some extent but not to the extent of 2, 3 weeks if you had chosen a colour not in 'great demand'. I was told that my Duster delivery would happen in 3 weeks but delivered it in a week. Only the smart card/RC book took about 2+ months; till then managed with the paper/document they gave.

I can not comment about the exchange scheme as I did not use that one.

Cheers

Problem is that I don't have a guaranteed date now, its 2nd of 3rd week of November. But there is no guarantee. Initially I was told the vehicle has been dispatched from Chennai, now I'm being told that vehicle is not yet manufactured. Don't know what will be the story tomorrow. So it will be a month from booking to get delivery. And at booking time I was told vehicle is in stock/readily available.

Renault customer care keeps asking me to check with the dealer. Since there is no transparency from the dealer end that is not possible.

It would have been really helpful if I could escalate this to Renault but obviously those contact numbers/details will never be available to the ordinary buying public.

Not a happy experience at all

[Phoenix_Nemo]

Originally Posted by Kartik Kumar

Problem is that I don't have a guaranteed date now, its 2nd of 3rd week of November. But there is no guarantee. Initially I was told the vehicle has been dispatched from Chennai, now I'm being told that vehicle is not yet manufactured. Don't know what will be the story

Hi kartik,

Sorry to hear about your experience. Could you please tell me with which dealer have you made the booking? I am planing to book one with Whitefield Renault and they are also promising a ready delivery. Also, about the exchange bonus, I have a car registered in my name but the registration has been done outside Karnataka, any ideas if I could avail the exchange bonus.

Appreciate your help!

[xjosephjacob]

Booked Duster 85ps RxL(O) from Renault Thrissur , Kerala Here's the dealer price quote:

Showroom Price: 1106000
Insurance (B2B): 32023
Road Tax: 110600
Logistics: 7100
On the road price:1255723
Discounts: 30000
Final Price: 1225723


Please find attached the accessory price list.

I'll be working on the insurance part meanwhile as I intend to transfer the NCB from my Accent to Duster.

As I don't see a discussion on the exchange benefits on Duster here, here are my two cents on the same.

There're two types of exchange schemes :
1. Exchange your old car with the dealer (actually, you're exchanging with Mahindra first choice) and avail Rs 60000 (or rather, 60k) exchange bonus on selected models of Duster.
2. Show a proof that you sold your old car to someone else and avail 30k discount on Duster. (Renault translates this as: You're not happy with the price quoted by the dealer for your old car, and hence you're selling it to someone else)

Well, this exchange benefits worth Rs 60,000 on selected models of Duster is kind of a marketing gimmick by Renault and the dealerships. 30k (flat) from Renault and another 30k from the dealer makes up the 60k exchange bonus.

When a customer offers a car for exchange, the dealer in fact quotes 30k (Renault's share) plus the value of the car (as evaluated by the dealer) as the total exchange benefits. This became obvious when the dealer offered me only 50k including the exchange benefits for my well maintained 18 year old Maruti 800, and I sought an explanation for the same.

So, it all boils down to the 30k discount from Renault. Just like the variants of Duster, even the exchange offers are all screwed up.

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by Kartik Kumar

Not a happy experience at all

Guess they are busy assembling Terrano's. Just kidding

Sorry to hear. It is a surprise we have waiting period at this time when the sales are moderate. I was anticipating, they already have vehicles available in their stock yard.

Give a piece of your mind to the manager at the showroom. If the vehicle is still not manufactured, then on what basis did they ask for full payment?

The bank usually takes a week to process and payout the money, are you sure the Bank has done their job?

You must receive an SMS for all payments received by Whitefield Renault.

[ridinthru']

With the Ecosport playing spoilsport with the Duster's sales & the Terrano at the shelf for sale, isn't it the right time for Renault to release the 4X4 ?

[Waxeloquent]

Originally Posted by Kartik Kumar

It would have been really helpful if I could escalate this to Renault but obviously those contact numbers/details will never be available to the ordinary buying public.

Not a happy experience at all

You can still email them to the Renault India customer care. I did if I recall correctly and my delivery date was intimated soon after that Yes, I do email them whenever I find the Distributor/service centre response is not adequate.They in fact call you on receipt of the email as I found in Kerala (on travel) after blowing a fuse. You can find the email address in their website.

Cheers

When I enquired with a Chennai dealer a couple of days back about new variants/face-lifts expected in 2014 models of Duster, I was told no new variants/face-lifts are expected in 2014. The same variants would continue in 2014. So, Duster is not in my short-list for upgrade with many essential features like ACC, ESP, Hill Hold/Descent Control, steering telescopic adjustment, hand-rest, speed-sensitive automatic central-locking, dead pedal, side/curtain airbags, etc. missing even in the top variant.

[himadrimondal]

110 ps owners please confirm.
There is a suction like sound coming from the engine after the engine is turned off.

Can be heard only when the bonnet is open. Ask someone to switch off the car while you standing in front of the engine.

Quick update is much appreciated.

[Kartik Kumar]

Originally Posted by Phoenix_Nemo

Hi kartik,

Sorry to hear about your experience. Could you please tell me with which dealer have you made the booking? I am planing to book one with Whitefield Renault and they are also promising a ready delivery. Also, about the exchange bonus, I have a car registered in my name but the registration has been done outside Karnataka, any ideas if I could avail the exchange bonus.

Appreciate your help!

Renault Whitefield is my dealer. They promised me delivery in 10 days as they confirmed that stock was there. I was so surprised I ask again and they confirmed again that I would get it by the end of the month.

Originally Posted by xjosephjacob

As I don't see a discussion on the exchange benefits on Duster here, here are my two cents on the same.

There're two types of exchange schemes :
1. Exchange your old car with the dealer (actually, you're exchanging with Mahindra first choice) and avail Rs 60000 (or rather, 60k) exchange bonus on selected models of Duster.
2. Show a proof that you sold your old car to someone else and avail 30k discount on Duster. (Renault translates this as: You're not happy with the price quoted by the dealer for your old car, and hence you're selling it to someone else)

Well, this exchange benefits worth Rs 60,000 on selected models of Duster is kind of a marketing gimmick by Renault and the dealerships. 30k (flat) from Renault and another 30k from the dealer makes up the 60k exchange bonus.

When a customer offers a car for exchange, the dealer in fact quotes 30k (Renault's share) plus the value of the car (as evaluated by the dealer) as the total exchange benefits. This became obvious when the dealer offered me only 50k including the exchange benefits for my well maintained 18 year old Maruti 800, and I sought an explanation for the same.

So, it all boils down to the 30k discount from Renault. Just like the variants of Duster, even the exchange offers are all screwed up.

For all 110 PS versions, 60K from Renault. May be it is 30K for 85 PS models. Then the dealer also gives some BS on registration should happen before 31st of October which is definitely not the case.

Originally Posted by HillMan

Sorry to hear. It is a surprise we have waiting period at this time when the sales are moderate. I was anticipating, they already have vehicles available in their stock yard.

Give a piece of your mind to the manager at the showroom. If the vehicle is still not manufactured, then on what basis did they ask for full payment?

The bank usually takes a week to process and payout the money, are you sure the Bank has done their job?

You must receive an SMS for all payments received by Whitefield Renault.

Yes I need to give a piece of my mind to the manager but the thing is that nobody says who their manager is. The sales consultant made me speak to his manager and when I asked the manager who his manager was he said there is no one above me

Bank has definitely released the loan amount. So I owe the dealer absolutely nothing from my side now. They didn't have any answer to why full payment was needed if vehicle was not manufactured. Something really fishy is going on which I cannot get yet.

No SMSes from Renault Whitefield.

Originally Posted by Waxeloquent

You can still email them to the Renault India customer care. I did if I recall correctly and my delivery date was intimated soon after that Yes, I do email them whenever I find the Distributor/service centre response is not adequate.They in fact call you on receipt of the email as I found in Kerala (on travel) after blowing a fuse. You can find the email address in their website.

Cheers

Renault India customer care wants me to speak to the dealer
When I emailed them they asked me to call their customer care help line. I do have a formal complaint number so that's a start. Let's see how it goes - I have a 10 thread email exchange with them with not much action except sorry for the inconvenience caused!

All I'm looking for is transparency which does not seem to exist in the dealers dictionary.