[HillMan]

Originally Posted by xjosephjacob

I've been driving my Duster in Bangalore for a couple of weeks. Well, many of the places in Bangalore stinks, no offence meant, however I noticed that bad odors creeps in to Dusters cabin even if I'm driving with Windows shut and A/C on in air recirculation mode.

Hope you are pushing the slider all the way to the left after that slight stop it has. I generally keep the slider up to the stop point, but if there is bad odor outside, I push it all the way and it locks down the outside air.

[sridhu]

@xjosephjacob: Dont have a Duster but what my experience is that if you drive with the AC on in recirculation mode, mildew forms in the ducts. That smells pretty bad. If you switch off the ac and open the vents to outside air about 3-4 minutes before stop, there is no moisture in the ducts & hence the bad smells dont occur.

Sailors apparently consider it rude to comment on the smell/ smelliness of any city. All cities have their unique smell and every city smells weird until you get used to it. :-)

Cheers!

[sridhu]

A set back - Whitefield Renault is claiming that they cannot give the Insurance waiver as it was "last month's offer". Apparently I could not have got the waiver even if I had booked on Saturday when I took a test drive - the vehicle needed to be REGISTERED in March.

Am mildly upset. Thinking I will take my own insurance & push them on something else. But I dont want any accessories from the dealers.

Any advice? How can I get a 30k-40k discount on the price?

[xjosephjacob]

Duster is infamous for the wind noise. I’m wondering if it’s just the noise, or does too much of outside air (or rather smell) really enter the cabin at speeds when we start hearing the wind noise (above 70kmph)?

Originally Posted by sridhu

@xjosephjacob: ... if you drive with the AC on in recirculation mode, mildew forms in the ducts. That smells pretty bad. If you switch off the ac and open the vents to outside air about 3-4 minutes before stop, there is no moisture in the ducts & hence the bad smells dont occur.

Mildew is new to me. I do switch between fresh air and recirculation modes quite often, but I don’t have the habit of switching to fresh air mode just before switching off the car. Thanks much. It shouldn’t be the Mildew I suppose.

Sailors apparently consider it rude to comment on the smell/ smelliness of any city. All cities have their unique smell and every city smells weird until you get used to it. :-)
Cheers!

True, it's just a matter of getting used to it.
But then if someone complains, problem lies with the governing body of that place – Garbage, broken sewage lines and a poor road infrastructure despite a ridiculous road tax system. We must all work together to make our country a better place to live; Just my two cents.
Cheers.

[Waxeloquent]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Am mildly upset. Thinking I will take my own insurance & push them on something else. But I dont want any accessories from the dealers.

Any advice? How can I get a 30k-40k discount on the price?

My recommendation to go for your insurance in stead of taking it through the SA. I saved
Rs14K on that one line item. Same with accessories as in foot mats.. get elsewhere.
Cheers

[bdman]

Originally Posted by xjosephjacob

Duster is infamous for the wind noise. I’m wondering if it’s just the noise, or does too much of outside air (or rather smell) really enter the cabin at speeds when we start hearing the wind noise (above 70kmph)?

I think the wind noise is not excessive and seems similar to most other vehicles even at high speeds -- and can be drowned out by turning up the stereo.

Originally Posted by sridhu

Folks:

my mechanic threw a spanner in the works - he says that Duster has severe spare parts issues & some significant suspension issues. And the Terrano does not.

I know there was a spare parts issue a year ago when there was heavy demand for the Duster - this was just by looking at the accident vehicles in the dealership rusting away waiting for parts. I am hopeful that this situation has eased. But, I have NO complaints about the suspension.

Originally Posted by xjosephjacob

I've been driving my Duster in Bangalore for a couple of weeks. Well, many of the places in Bangalore stinks, no offence meant, however I noticed that bad odors creeps in to Dusters cabin even if

I agree with the smell/smoke. I suspect the seals around the doors are not air tight as it continues even when the a/c fan is not blowing.

[rudra_duster]

I have had trouble shifting the Knob to different positions (First Knob from the Left) and approached SRI SRI SRI Renault - Hyderabad for the rectification.

They offered to change the entire AC Blower Unit under warranty. It costs around 15,000/- + 3000/- (Labour).

Any one else having similar issues?

-RP - Hyd

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by rudra_duster

Any one else having similar issues?

-RP - Hyd

It's a known issue on earlier versions of Duster. The console is changed on complaint. Not a recall. You will find similar instances reported in this thread.

[sridhu]

IS there any place the Duster (India) drivers manual can be downloaded? Is the manual different for 85 & 110 PS or the same?

[srameshdelhi]

Originally Posted by HillMan

It's a known issue on earlier versions of Duster. The console is changed on complaint. Not a recall. You will find similar instances reported in this thread.

Though I knew this, I waited till 3rd service ( It took 15 months from Date of Delivery) to get the unit replaced. I lived with the hard turning of knob, thinking that until the existing batch of spares at their end gets exhausted, there is a possibility of the Knob becoming tight again after sometime.

Recently did by 3rd service (20000kms) and got the blower unit replaced under warranty.

[sumeshmani]

Originally Posted by HillMan

It's a known issue on earlier versions of Duster. The console is changed on complaint. Not a recall. You will find similar instances reported in this thread.

Though I have not faced issues of with the knobs getting stuck, they definitely are not smooth.
Should I proactively get this changed before I start facing serious issues?
Please advice.

On another note, some times I have had the headlight knob get stuck when trying to switch off. Has anyone faced this?

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

Though I have not faced issues of with the knobs getting stuck, they definitely are not smooth.
Should I proactively get this changed before I start facing serious issues?
Please advice.

On another note, some times I have had the headlight knob get stuck when trying to switch off. Has anyone faced this?

No harm reporting it. It could be a defective piece, or may be an assembly issue which could be rectified at the service center itself.

My horn had a problem. It wouldn't work randomly. Then one day it stopped responding. I was in a hill station. I pulled out the horn switch from the steering wheel, disconnected and connected back the wires and carefully closed it. No issue since then.

[sridhu]

Hi

Am purchasing a Duster this weekend and am getting mighty confused on the accessories. So I though it is better to localize all my confusion in one thread rather than spread it all over the forum!

I want advice on if a particular accessory is necessary/ advisable (paint sealant, for eg) and, if I want an accessory, which is the best place to get it done. An indication of the price I should expect to pay is also welcome.

Thanks & sorry for the huge post. So here goes:

• Paint sealant/ coating (3M/ Waxoyl etc)
• Under body coating
• 3M Noodle mats
• Bumper scratch protection flim
• Sunfilm (V-Kool or 3M) for the windshield & rear glass.
• Horn
• Phillips Extreme vision headlights (which ones for the Duster? H4 & H7)?
• Leather Interior
• OE Mudflaps

Please do let me know if I have missed any 'must have' accessories.

My current thoughts/ background on these:

- Have read the accessories thread on T-bhp & a lot of the individual threads. My issue is that a lot the threads are 3-4 years old and technology has moved on since.

- Paint sealant/ coating: I have never put this on after the Maruti 800 on any of my cars. But I am buying a black car for the first time & am very scared of the scratches. If not paint sealant, how do I protect the looks of my car for a long time? I am aware the t-bhp opinion is a 'No' for this. Wondering if the tech has moved on to change the opinion or if it just my gullibility talking!

- Under body coating - had it done for the Innova. Dont see any major use. But does not seem to be harming either. Useful?

- Love the Noodle mats but 3M is quoting 6.5k for it. After scraping my jaw off the floor, am looking for cheaper options. Am handy with tools so DIY does not faze me but am lazy too!

- Scratch protection coating: love the idea but does it work? THe key-poking picture does not mean anything as it shows the films' tensile strength and not its abrasion resistance. If it does, which areas do you recommend? At 450 sqft, I have to think about it.

- Sunfilm: It is a god given for our country and I certainly want it for the Windshield and rear window. With a black car with black interiors, this is a must have. Question is, V-Kool or 3m? I have used V-kool a couple of times in the past & can vouch for its effectiveness. 3M is a more known brand. Is it as good? I am primarily interested in heat resistance & not looking good.

- Horn. Obviously a must have for the Duster. Have you heard the OE horn? (THought so!) Am thinking of buying Roots/ Hella twin tone horns and getting it installed at the show room before delivery. Is a relay required?

- Headlights: Do want to upgrade them to Extreme vision/ Night breakers etc. Saw something called Phillips Diamond Vision 5k. Any good or stick with extreme visions? Also, should I upgrade both low beam & high beam? I normally drive on low beams with occassional flicks of the high beam to 'see better'.

Since the Duster manual is not downloadable, I have no clue what type of lights to buy. please help. Was thinking of buying these offline & getting it changed by the dealer before delivery.

- Leather is a must have for me. Which ones? Stanley is offerring to do the base version at 63k (dont know about taxes).

Karlsson at about 53k incl taxes for single colour. Was thinking of a mild highlighting/ piping in a different colour. They quoted 10% more for double colour. My problem is that with with their quote for double colour, they are too close to Stanley. I have always done Stanley on my cars and am pretty happy with them.

- Mudflaps: prefer the ones which are loose hanging flaps with form fitting plastic at the body end. Dont seem to be available for the duster. (The full hard type break very easily on contact with the pavement/ assorted rocks). So, question is, OE or generic?

THanks a ton folks. Appreciate the comments & opinions.

[sridhu]

Q&A: Can somebody tell me why the owner's manual for the Duster is a bloody state secret? See the response from Renault below.

Am trying to find out what head lights the vehicle uses.

Q: Can you please send me the link for the Duster 85 bhp RxL Optional driver's manual?

A: Thank you for writing to Renault India Customer Care

We regreat to inform you that for the below request you have to contact to the nearest dealership

You can also view the same information on our website www.renault.co.in

You can also contact us on our toll free no: 1800-300-44444 from 07:00am to 09:00pm, 7 days a week and also can write to us on customer@renault.com

Warm Regards,
Renault India Customer Care

[xjosephjacob]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Q&A: Can somebody tell me why the owner's manual for the Duster is a bloody state secret? See the response from Renault below.

Am trying to find out what head lights the vehicle uses.

Duster use H1 and H7 standard halogen lamps made by Jagan Lightings. Specifications are:

H1- 12V,55W (Part no: 448)
H7- 12V,55W (Part no: 701)

The light output is not bad for stock bulb. The only issue that I find is, the maximum height of the beam that can be attained using the headlamp beam level adjuster is a wee bit low for expressway rides; not a deal breaker though