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-   -   Renault Duster : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/123824-renault-duster-official-review-61.html)

Don't understand "had to leave the seats for factory fitting " line. Did you mean that you removed the seats and left them with the accessories shop ?

Yes,I had to leave all the seats except the drivers at the accessory shop since they do not have a template yet for the duster seat covers and had to send the seats to their factory for the fitting.

With modern engines, you don't have to worry too much . Occasionally hitting 3000 rpm during run-in period will not cause any damage.

Ok. Thanx for the clarification. On the other hand I first drove the 110 and the turbo lag was clearly evident. When I asked the sales reps if they'd driven the 85 they all said yes and almost exactly what you said above:)
In fact I bought the 85 without the test drive. 2 days before my sales rep told me to trust him - "Why test drive the 85 when you will get yours in a couple of days!"

A few days back I wrote to Renault regarding the multiple issues that (potential)customers were facing with their Dealers or their new vehicles..

• Power steering failing in TD car

• Door lock not working (issue seen in Delhi & Bangalore showrooms (I went there..)

• AC Drain pipe getting clogged

• door rubber beading falling off

• Tyre burst

• Shuddering Wipers

• No info on delivery schedule from Renault

I got a reply from their CC and then later from Len Curran , VP S&M ( pun intended!) Saying all izz well and they are working hard to check any potential issues AND resolving them at the Factory itself. Good enough.

I went for a trip to Bangalore and had forgotten all about it..

On my return , I see that they have delivered a Duster to me !!! Yipppeee !!!
Here are some pics ! Enjaaaaayyyyy !

Even if I am not yet convinced to go with the Duster or not, its a nice gesture from the company clap:

I hope you conducted the PDI before taking delivery? :uncontrol:uncontrol

It's great to see Renault India being proactive. It's a little unnerving to note that there are more than a few niggles in the Duster. The AC issue is something many have reported. The quality of rubber materials is below average. this is something I'd noticed during my short TD. The two-speed setting for the wipers is shocking to say the least. Not to mention the quality of the wipers reported in the official review. Even the tyre-burst was reported by someone else on the Forum. The temperamental door-lock mechanism and the failing power-steering are things we can't afford to overlook. I genuinely hope they get these issues sorted ASAP.

But these issues don't take away the fact that the Duster is one of the best cars to have been launched in India, IMO. And I say this because of the crucial overall-package that it is.

We're going to be in the market for a new car in about a years time. The Duster is a strong contender, but the petrol variant is devoid of safety-features and this is what's pushing us away from the Duster and towards the EcoSport, when it arrives.

Good Choice of leather (or are these art leather?) clap: . Brand and price please ?

^^ I think all these niggles are down to the low quality suppliers they would have inherited from their Mahindra JV.
This is a vehicle that's been around for 3-4 years now. These can not be design flaws, otherwise they would have been sorted out till now.
The Duster may actually be built with low cost/poor quality parts to fit to a built-to-a-price model. Who knows..

Oh man, they sent you a left hand drive... :Frustrati

(But that's really sweet of Renault to do this, I'm going to send a complain mail too now :D)

The list of 'faults' is rally pretty minimal for a new car that has only just started coming down the production line. My car had a leaking A/C condensate pipe when I bought it and the dealer fixed it in five minutes. These tiny things just happen.

And any car can get a burst tyre too, just as any car can have juddering wipers. Sometimes the glass just needs cleaning properly. The rubber seal detachment certainly is annoying, and Renault does need to make sure that the Duster sealing works. Doubtless these small glitches will be corrected as the production teams get used to the car.

As for the power steering failing, well, what happened exactly I wonder, and anyway, parts can fail on any car?

In fact most of these things are not worth worrying about.

I will be very interested to see the RHD Duster when it arrives here, but, we are also getting the Sandero, which is smaller but built on the same chassis. The 'Stepway' version gets increased ride height and might just tick more of my boxes than the rather large Duster does. Let's see.

And the Sandero is cheaper too.

The real beauty of all these cars is the fabulous ride and the relative simplicity. These things are getting rarer in new cars and really need to be celebrated I reckon.

By the way, I read a review of the Brazilian Ford Ecosport, which praised the handling but commented on the very poor ride. No good for me then :)

Nice toy by the way. Keep it in its box and it will be worth a bit in about fifty years :D

Got delivery of 110 BHP RXL on Ganesh Chaturthi. As a background, I had booked for the 85 RXL(O) but the wait was killing me and I jumped on when the SA gave me the 110 option in the same color. The delivery process itself was very smooth, as everything was in readiness when I arrived including the IND number plates I had asked for. I thank Tejas @ Whitefield Renault for his good service in the entire process. He is quite knowledgeable, has most of the information handy, responds quickly and doesnt haggle you for anything.

Free Accessories:
1. Mud flaps
2. Floor mats (Beige color, black would have been better)
3. Bhagwat Gita book
4. Some chocolates (Car shape chocolates, wifey likes)
5. Mini Ganesha idol
6. Breakdown warning indicator

Went to the Mahadevpura Shell, and got a shock not aware of the recent hike in premium diesel. Rs 68/l for diesel. Thats more than petrol in some Tier II cities!

Everything has been great about the vehicle up until now, except that the Bluetooth, callers are hearing an echo of their voice. Is anyone else having this issue or is it just my phone model (Samsung Galaxy Nexus)?

Attaching some pictures. More details in ownership review in a month or so.

I beg to differ. I was the victim of tyre burst. I shudder to think what might have happenedif the tyre had been front instead of rear. Agree with you that tyre failure can happen to any car brand. However, the overall costcutting efforts that are glaringly visible makes me suspicious if this exercise was extended to the choice of tyres too. If that is the case, it implies that renault is more concerned about it's profit than the customer's safety.
As of now, no one even called me to find out how the tyre burst.Here, the pricing of Duster is premium and hence we expect premium quality, in all aspects. This is here the Duster falls below expectations, because of it's cheap feel vis a vis the amount that we are paying.
Ride quality alone really does not warrant this price if you procure from third quality vendors under the guise of cost cutting. What is the use of good design with poor implementation.

Congratulations on getting your Duster. Good move to go for the 110 RXL for faster delivery. Moreover you get increased power, torque & an additional gear. The choice of alloys is excellent, the hyper finish alloys look awesome on the red Duster.

Looking forward to more pictures & a detailed ownership review.

Congrats for the new SUV. You get a good choice of the alloys, add to your car's stance :thumbs up.

Suchit23 - thanks for the pics and congrats on your Duster! I think there is a bit of a mystery here, how come all Duster owners on the forum are cribbing on these threads about delivery nearly daily and as soon as they get the cars they make themselves scarce.

Guys what's happening? Where are all the regularly updated ownership reviews? I know there are 3 or 4 but these are updated sporadically, and I am sure there have been more than 4 deliveries on this board.

Don't you guys love your cars? Where are the detailed pics, the various updates and perspectives that only an owner can give. Are these guys too busy driving around the country with their new suvs'?

There are not many in-depth regularly updated threads that see for instance for the Yetis. Some Duster owner needs to step up here. No offence guys - just in good spirit.