[dr_anurag]

After a lot of deliberation and test rides of various cars like the Ciaz, City, and Rapid, when I finally drove the Fluence, I found it in a different league altogether. Already we have a Corolla and the ride and handling on the Fluence was vastly superior. Went for it. Chose a black one which had to be shipped in from their Chennai plant.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by dr_anurag

After a lot of deliberation and test rides of various cars like the Ciaz, City, and Rapid, when I finally drove the Fluence, I found it in a different league altogether. Already we have a Corolla and the ride and handling on the Fluence was vastly superior.

Finally! A Corolla owner to confirm my judgement that this car is in essence a more interesting modern day Corolla. It is very impressive as an overall package

Congratulations on the car and hats off to you for going against the tide for a truly capable yet underrated product

[Kshitizag]

Originally Posted by dr_anurag

After a lot of deliberation and test rides of various cars like the Ciaz, City, and Rapid, when I finally drove the Fluence, I found it in a different league altogether. Already we have a Corolla and the ride and handling on the Fluence was vastly superior. Went for it. Chose a black one which had to be shipped in from their Chennai plant.

Congrats. Fluence is indeed a far superior car than the others mentioned. Your observations regarding ride and handling are spot on. I dont understand the reason behind it being such a slow seller could you share the deal and discounts you were able to negotiate for this one.

[dr_anurag]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Finally! A Corolla owner to confirm my judgement that this car is in essence a more interesting modern day Corolla. It is very impressive as an overall package

Congratulations on the car and hats off to you for going against the tide for a truly capable yet underrated product

Originally Posted by Kshitizag

Congrats. Fluence is indeed a far superior car than the others mentioned. Your observations regarding ride and handling are spot on. I dont understand the reason behind it being such a slow seller could you share the deal and discounts you were able to negotiate for this one.

Thank you IshanIan and Kshitizag. I am thoroughly enjoying driving the Fluence. Not to mention the second glances the car gets everywhere (one guy on a bike took a U-turn and came back to ask me -which car is this ?) I have no issues with the clutch pedal as mentioned by some. Infact, the gearing is extremely tractable in city driving conditions and one need not shift often. I was not a fan of diesel sedans. I am now! This is an E2 model as the E4 was not available in black. I got it for 13,40000/- on road ( with zero dep. insurance) + 19900/- for 4 years extended warranty - 12000/- for no claim bonus on transferring the insurance on my Ford Ikon (sold off).

[RSM_TorqueZoner]

Originally Posted by dr_anurag

After a lot of deliberation and test rides of various cars like the Ciaz, City, and Rapid, when I finally drove the Fluence, I found it in a different league altogether. Already we have a Corolla and the ride and handling on the Fluence was vastly superior. Went for it. Chose a black one which had to be shipped in from their Chennai plant.

Little late to the party, but congratulations Anurag and welcome to the club! I've been loving every moment with my Fluence, and this to me is amongst the most underestimated cars in the market. The very balanced ride and handling is a pleasure to experience, and I believe its far more superior to the corolla, whichever way you look at it (Snub "Resale")! It should have definitely done better.

[TorqMaster]

Congrats dr_anurag. My brother (doctor) has also bought the same car in white in 2014 October.

Ajmat and others
Is it possible to upgrade the headlamps to LED? Currently running on Philips xtremevision. If LED is not possible would it possible to upgrade to HIDs for low beam?
Am concerned of the life of the HID bulb since the flasher uses both the high and low beams(not sure)

Any help appreciated

[RSM_TorqueZoner]

Originally Posted by TorqMaster

Congrats dr_anurag. My brother (doctor) has also bought the same car in white in 2014 October.

Ajmat and others
Is it possible to upgrade the headlamps to LED? Currently running on Philips xtremevision.

Sorry about such a late response, have you made any progress so far? I had checked with the Renault service several months ago and they mentioned approx. 70 K for the facelift upgrade which included the new grill, bumper, headlamps etc. You might want to reach out to your nearest dealer

[TorqMaster]

Originally Posted by RSM_TorqueZoner

70 K for the facelift upgrade which included the new grill, bumper, headlamps

Sorry, no advancements made. Do you mean to say there are LED headlamps available as part of a later model which the dealer would have ? I doubt that because I wasn't aware of fluence with LED hardware in india.

[vroom77]

Hello all,

Its been a while since I am back here, hope all of you are well.

So here is the case, my fluence is ready for a brake pad replacement, both front and rear. A quality certificate has come from Renault that shows various things to change, brake pads, intercooler hose, front arms.

The charges quoted for various items are as follows,

Front brake pad + labor - 4000 + 450
Rear brake pad + labor - 5600 + 500
Front both lower arms - 7000 + 900
Diesel filter - 5000 + 600
Intercooler Hose - 9500 + 600

I can see that on each item there is a 2/3k difference when you do it outside. Cartisan can do a brembo upgrade for front and rear at 7500.

I am checking the rates at Bosch service centers too for the intercooler hose.

So questions now.

a) What aftermarket disc is suggested, I see there is an option to go brembo or some other compatible brake pads or ceramic?

b) Will it be okay to do the intercooler hose from bosch? if they offer it hope specs wont get spoiled and hence performance

c) Diesel filter OEM vs bosch - need to find availability need to check that too.

Thoughts pls.

[fiestarry]

I am sure that with enough time and effort, you will be able to source all the listed parts and consumables outside Renault's service centre. However, given that the whole thing amounts to just around 30 k, is it worth the trouble considering that the Fluence is a quality automobile.

[vroom77]

Originally Posted by fiestarry

I am sure that with enough time and effort, you will be able to source all the listed parts and consumables outside Renault's service centre. However, given that the whole thing amounts to just around 30 k, is it worth the trouble considering that the Fluence is a quality automobile.

Thx for the responses. I don't intend to meddle with the key components, like the lower arms. But brake pads and filters why not if its OEM and done by bosch shouldn't harm the vehicles performance. Same for intercooler hose if the specs are right then performance shouldn't affect. I will avoid low quality manufacturers to save on the price.

Plus wanted to try a bosch service as I am not very happy with the way Renault service is done here in Bangalore. Esp with the a/c it has been a nagging issue for a while with no clear root cause analysis.

[fiestarry]

Sure, you could go ahead. On the other hand, cars that are low selling and from an upper segment , don't have many aftermarket suppliers in India. Critical parts like brake pads, rotors, callipers and intercooler hoses need to be sourced and installed correctly for sustainable safety and reliable operation. The Bosch A$$ are not bad but cannot be expected to have the same level of expertise on cars that don't come in regularly. The parts sources by them are not necessarily OEM grade. I have had A$$ experiences with Bosch centres for Skoda and Chevy cars.

[Nalin1]

Originally Posted by vroom77

b) Will it be okay to do the intercooler hose from bosch? if they offer it hope specs wont get spoiled and hence performance

c) Diesel filter OEM vs bosch - need to find availability need to check that too.

Thoughts pls.

It is always a gamble with Bosch. You never know! You could end up with a fabulous experience and come out all smiling or will regret big time.

Try and get some customer feedback online from that particular SC.

All the best !

[esoticoreventon]

Originally Posted by vroom77

brake pads and filters why not if its OEM and done by bosch shouldn't harm the vehicles performance. Same for intercooler hose if the specs are right then performance shouldn't affect.

Plus wanted to try a bosch service

I would like to share my experience with respect to Bosch. My old car was out of warranty and chose to get the brake pads changed from Bosch. While the OEM pads lasted 40,000 Kms, the Bosch lasted less than 10,000 km. I'm not even exaggerating. Changed it back to OEM brake pads and replaced the rotors as the Bosch ones had caused damage to the rotors. So while the Bosch service might be cheaper, you may not be getting the quality you are expecting. If you get the brake pads changed at the Renault service center, they are accountable so you can have some peace of mind knowing that.

[vroom77]

Originally Posted by Nalin1

It is always a gamble with Bosch. You never know! You could end up with a fabulous experience and come out all smiling or will regret big time.

Try and get some customer feedback online from that particular SC.

All the best !

Thanks guys, that changes the perspective. Shall stick to Renault itself. Peace of mind is very important :-) ..