Team-BHP - Renault Duster : Official Review

I too have noticed this issue on my June 2017 model RXZ done 17K km.

I notice this occasional issue of gear getting stuck at 1st. It may take a bit of force to move to 2nd gear.
Also, another thing that happens occasionally is a shuddering in 1st gear. When I get moving slowly in first gear (b2b traffic), it starts shuddering, and then stabilizes as the vehicle picks up speed.

Both these issues are happening only after I drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic for some time (say around 30 mins). But not always does this happen. That makes me confused.

I am planning to talk to the service center about this during my 20K service.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNayak (Post 4514029)

So looking at the pics, does it look like a clutch plate wear out and do I go ahead with replacing the same ?

Which engine do you have? And is it AMT/AWD/2WD? What is the current odo reading? Clutch seems to be moderately worn out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tgo (Post 4514271)

Which engine do you have? And is it AMT/AWD/2WD? What is the current odo reading? Clutch seems to be moderately worn out.

Mine is duster RXZ 85 PS. It's a 2WD and has run 31K. Mix of Highway and city drive.

My SA just called me and told that they have to change the clutch plate, master slave cylinder, clutch pedal and also there is some oil leak happening in the gear box and they have to fix that as well. I was very surprised to see that for gear getting stuck and some random shuddering in the vehicle, they are asking for so many changes. I asked the quality of cars being manufactured considering in 2.5 yrs of sedate driving, I have to change so many things.

The master cylinder and clutch pedal will be covered under warranty however clutch and slave cylinder will not be under warranty. So the total bill estimate is around 23K.

Now the big question is should I change the clutch plate now or should go with it for some more miles ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Repsol (Post 4514056)

I notice this occasional issue of gear getting stuck at 1st. It may take a bit of force to move to 2nd gear.
Also, another thing that happens occasionally is a shuddering in 1st gear. When I get moving slowly in first gear (b2b traffic), it starts shuddering, and then stabilizes as the vehicle picks up speed.

These are issues that I have not only observed on my Duster but also a friend's Duster. Both cars are of 2015. I first observed this in the first 10,000 Km or so. The workaround for the first gear issue is that you depress the clutch again and release it slowly and you should be able to engage 2nd. It is very random and pops up out of the blue. Also my car is close to completing 80,000 Km on the original clutch assembly. I think the clutch should be good for another 10-20 K at least. I'd suggest against a clutch replacement unless there are other tell-tale signs of a worn out clutch. Did you notice any loss in power or need to rev the engine to get the car moving?

Hope this helps.

Also, the Duster seems to be equipped with self-healing properties. Some issues magically disappear on their own, if judiciously ignored. lol:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masda (Post 4514312)

Did you notice any loss in power or need to rev the engine to get the car moving?

There are no issues with power delivery so far. It's just that randomly this gear issue or shuddering pops up. But then as you said, I follow the workaround. I am taking the clutch replacement non-sense if at all the service center suggests it. Let's see, I still have another 2K kms to go before the third service.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Repsol (Post 4514319)

I will advise you to get it fixed during next service which would be ideally under warrant for you. Insist them to check this properly and resolve before your warranty is over. The advantage is that you can get the spares replaced freely. There are many spares which are covered under warranty and not under extended warranty. I just learned this today from my SA

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNayak (Post 4514551)

Sure, the plan is to report this and see what they come up with. Fingers crossed !

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriveTrain (Post 4506260)

In your case it will be the Anytime Warranty that is only available on a per year basis (1 year or 20,000 KM) and can be renewed yearly upto 7 years or upto 1 Lac Kilometers , whichever is earlier. The warranty is transferable to a new owner on resale.

What is covered can be found here, while the prices can be found here.

Thanks much - I have got it. However the guys at trident Renault Silk Board have wrongly entered the odometer reading (21k instead of 30k) and it’s being rectified. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNayak (Post 4514300)

My SA just called me and told that they have to change the clutch plate, master slave cylinder, clutch pedal and also there is some oil leak happening in the gear box and they have to fix that as well.

Quote:

Now the big question is should I change the clutch plate now or should go with it for some more miles ?

Since its open now, better to change the plates and live peacefully till next 5-6 years. If you don't want to keep the vehicle for so long then you can skip.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tgo (Post 4514822)

Is it possible that the oil leak was onto the clutch plates which made them slip? Better to reason it out with them that the faulty master could have an impact on everything else so better to replace it all under warranty.

Since its open now, better to change the plates and live peacefully till next 5-6 years. If you don't want to keep the vehicle for so long then you can skip.

I was not very convinced with clutch plate replacement so did not go ahead with change. They have changed the master cylinder and clutch pedal under warranty. The gear oil leak issue is now fixed but they did not agree that the master cylinder issue could have caused this.

Had driven around 20 KMs after the repair and all looks good. Have a long drive planned this week and hopefully will be able to know if the issue of gear getting stuck is completely resolved.

Also I had complained of low mileage and that seems to be fixed. Also I strongly feel that giving service on weekend is not a good option. They just replace engine oil and air filter and give it back. Better to take some pain to give it on weekday. Concerns are addressed and work quality is much better.

Thanks to Charanjeet Singh for sending this image in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

If this Duster owner has any sense, that's just an empty cover for show and the actual spare wheel is in the original place. Else, it'll be too much of a load for the poor tail-gate. That said, it definitely has potential if executed well:

Renault Duster : Official Review-img20190101wa0144.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNayak (Post 4516186)

Had driven around 20 KMs after the repair and all looks good. Have a long drive planned this week and hopefully will be able to know if the issue of gear getting stuck is completely resolved.

I did the year end drive to Munnar and Kumarkom and clocked around 1400 Kms after the repair work being done. The gear getting stuck in 1st being completely resolved and no shuddering observed during the drive. Overall I am very happy to find my dusty back to normal. All this without the clutch being replaced as highly insisted by SA. So overall I could make out their intentions :D

Also dusty performed really well with 4 people and 1 child on board with luggage filled to brim in boot. I was able to drive through ghats, bad roads with ease. I am just loving my drives once again :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tgo (Post 4389465)

Is it an AWD or 2WD model?

I have ever heard Shock oil change story by ASC. They usually say the shocks have failed by seeing the oil leak out of the oil seals and their remedy has been to change the shock absorbers altogether.

If he says they need an oil change I doubt what they are cooking now. How has he determined that the oil inside the shocks has gone bad? Is he going to get the shocks overhauled? Since when did Renault start being so cost conscious for the benefit of the customers?

Advise you to take a second opinion. For a vehicle with 26k on the Odo I doubt if there is anything wrong with the suspension. You may rest in peace and check the tyre pressures for starters.

Worst come worst, you can buy a set of Monroe (OEM replacement) shocks and VIR bushing/mount kits for all four corners for about 12K. PM me your number. Installation at a decent garage would cost about 2-4 K. so for the same amount of money you would have new suspension.

Hey there, my front shockers are leaking, odo is 74k, need this contact information, very cost-effective if the price you have mentioned is indeed what it is.