[Tgo]

We took our duster from Jaipur to Dehradun recently. By the end of the trip it had clocked another 1,400 km and the final mileage on the ODO now stands at 18,000 km in 8 months of ownership.



Overall very happy with the loading space. On the way back we hauled 50 kg of mangoes from Dehradun. And the driveability too. It feels like a big car but actually isnt. the 110 bhp motor is quite peppy. On the way to The Mall road in Mussoorie the lack of low end torque was noticeable but one has to learn to change the driving style when migrating from a DI engine to the modern day (small block) common rail ones.


USB recognition is really fast. Really really fast. Maybe due to the fact there were no folders on the device.

The Duster was seeing its first monsoon and the wipers were jerky and noisy in operation for the first 10 minutes. It was like rubber getting stuck onto the glass and then being pulled forward by the wiper arms. A lot of squishy and squeaky noises to begin with. But since then they have become inaudible. The single wipe feature was missed at times.

The rubber boot covering the lower part of the hand-brake (between the lever and the ORVM adjustment knob has fallen inside the center console moulding. It hasn't broken off but is not in the place it should be. I suspect a shoddy job after adjusting the play in the hand brake from the 10k service.

The brakes have lost their bite and definitely need replacement. I also discovered that the spare wheel is not an Alloy for me. And the door squeaking noise has evolved into door rattling noise. Quite irritating. No solution from Renault, yet.

The Renault emblem from the boot lid was stolen from the parking at Amer fort in Jaipur. Proper Screwdriver job. for those who want to know, it is not pasted on but has 3 or 4 clips to keep it into place.

PS: For FE lovers... 13.5 kmpl overall, for the trip.

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by Tgo

The brakes have lost their bite and definitely need replacement. I also discovered that the spare wheel is not an Alloy for me. And the door squeaking noise has evolved into door rattling noise. Quite irritating. No solution from Renault, yet.

Tgo,
The rattling you mention is from the door itself or something inside? Or could it be the glass?

[himadrimondal]

Originally Posted by HillMan

IMHO, our 4x2 beasts are not meant to be off-roading in the wild.

How about a sheet of metal reinforcement over the fiber skid plate (sandwich them together), tightened by screws to the fiber itself and not directly to the chassis?

The hardness of the metal will help distribute the weight on impact and improve resistance to scratch.

What say ?

Perfectly said.
On the road or with soft off roading, chances are I never might scrape the bottom. All I was worried about was hitting a animal on the highway and getting stuck with a damaged carburetor.

Hence the design and its exactly according to your line of thought.
"Reinforcement over the fiber skid plate (sandwich them together), tightened by screws" but the end part gets attached to the chassis.

[sumeshmani]

Originally Posted by himadrimondal

Perfectly said.
On the road or with soft off roading, chances are I never might scrape the bottom. All I was worried about was hitting a animal on the highway and getting stuck with a damaged carburetor.

Hence the design and its exactly according to your line of thought.
"Reinforcement over the fiber skid plate (sandwich them together), tightened by screws" but the end part gets attached to the chassis.

Hi Himadri,
How would you be getting the skid plate fabricated? Id you do get one made, please share the info so that I can replicate it in Bangalore.

My Duster does not have the fiber skid plates to start with. So I have been wondering if the cost of new ones are justified.
If i can find a metal alternative, that would be preferable.

[himadrimondal]

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

If you do get one made, please share the info so that I can replicate it in Bangalore.

I am in the process of making it from scratch, hopefully things turn out as I have imagined.
Will be documenting each step with detailed measurements so that you can replicate it.(only if it turns out to be good )

[crazydave]

Sigh, 2 week old Duster now has a huge dent on one side thanks to inconsiderate State Transport bus driver. Is it best to get it repaired at the official service center or to go to a body shop like KJ Anthony in Delhi? And is it worth making an insurance claim or spending out of pocket, given how new the car is. This is the first accident in 7 years that has required body shop/denting work :(

Suggestions please guys

[himadrimondal]

Official service center would be my choice and make the insurance claim rather than paing through your pocket.
Service center would have the exact paint.
The NCB after one yr would be much less than the cost of repair you will be incurring now, approx 7-8k.

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by HillMan

Tgo,
The rattling you mention is from the door itself or something inside? Or could it be the glass?

It is a rattling noise inside the B pillars. On slightly rough roads it is squeaky noise on bad ones it sounds like a rattle (or more so, a number of squeaks in succession).

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by crazydave

Sigh, 2 week old Duster now has a huge dent on one side thanks to inconsiderate State Transport bus driver. Is it best to get it repaired at the official service center or to go to a body shop like KJ Anthony in Delhi? And is it worth making an insurance claim or spending out of pocket, given how new the car is. This is the first accident in 7 years that has required body shop/denting work :(

Suggestions please guys

First check the possibility of paint-less dent removal option at a good body shop. Generally it costs much less and certain kind of dents can be removed fully retaining OEM paint.
I know couple of good places in Bangalore which do this job should be there in Delhi/NCR as well. A.S.S generally do not undertake paint-less procedure.

[crazydave]

Originally Posted by himadrimondal

Official service center would be my choice and make the insurance claim rather than paing through your pocket.
Service center would have the exact paint.
The NCB after one yr would be much less than the cost of repair you will be incurring now, approx 7-8k.

Originally Posted by amitk26

First check the possibility of paint-less dent removal option at a good body shop. Generally it costs much less and certain kind of dents can be removed fully retaining OEM paint.
I know couple of good places in Bangalore which do this job should be there in Delhi/NCR as well. A.S.S generally do not undertake paint-less procedure.

Thanks himadri and amit for your suggestions. I will first get it checked at a body shop to see if paintless dent removal can be done. I think the bloody bus left some scratches as well so that will also need work. If this is not an option, then will let insurance take the hit because NCB claim will be less than cost of repair as pointed out by himadri!

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by Tgo

It is a rattling noise inside the B pillars. On slightly rough roads it is squeaky noise on bad ones it sounds like a rattle (or more so, a number of squeaks in succession).

Looks like, it is to do with the seat belt pre-tensioner or one of the related mechanisms. Might need some cleaning inside. Check if you hear noise when you pull the seat belts real slow.

[crazydave]

This is what the body work looks like thanks to UPSRTC bus!! Think a local denting shop should be able to handle this?

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by crazydave

Think a local denting shop should be able to handle this?

I'll recommend to claim insurance and replace the fender. This will cost you more for tinker and painting.

[crazydave]

Originally Posted by HillMan

I'll recommend to claim insurance and replace the fender. This will cost you more for tinker and painting.

Just went to a local body shop that has got some good reviews on the forum, Bright Motors. They quoted 10K for this and some scratches on the other side. Guess it will come down to 9K with haggling. What I'm also worried about is the duration for repair - they said within 4 days. Lets see what the official service center says about duration tomorrow! Thanks everyone for all the suggestions

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by crazydave

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions

See what works best. Also consider the fact, that the service center will be replacing the existing parts with new ones and paint them fresh.