Team-BHP - Renault Duster AWD : Official Review

well,in the case of my duster, the rear drive shafts are perfectly rust free, but the front drive shafts show some early rusting!!
Was seeing on some other forums ( in a US F150 forum) that is some vehicles(especially 4WD vehicles) drive shafts are made of solid cast iron and surface rust is a common thing on them and nothing to be concerned about!! that was strange for me at least.
some people on the forum had painted their drive shafts, where as most of the people wereof the opinion that it was OK

:OT i recently inspected the drive shaft of my beat as well as a friends innova and both of them showed no signs of rust what so ever

Quote:

Originally Posted by KMan (Post 3609765)

[*]When the wiper is switched on, there is a constant clicking sound which comes from near the glove compartment, where I'm guessing the electronics are located.
[*]At the time of filling fuel, the pump automatically cuts off at about 40-43 liters. After that, another 12-15 liters can be filled manually, but extremely slowly, since the fuel does not go down quick. I don't know if this is a problem with all Dusters (design flaw?)

- The clicking sound is that of the timer relay of the wiper system that activates the wiper motor. Not to be worried of.

- Fuel filling after auto cutoff happens at a slow pace since the fuel has to expel the air/vapor inside the tank + fillpipe to make space for the additional fuel to fill in. Until then, there was sufficient volume available in the fuel tank and the fuel was dispensed quickly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_see (Post 3610273)

Exactly ! I found it strange too that they would consider this normal for a new car. I haven't noticed anything of the like in any car I've owned (in the recent past at least). I've told them that if they do not consider it to be a big issue, I would like it in writing from them that it is a normal occurrence and will have no bearing on the structural integrity of the parts in the long run. It might not affect the performance and safety of the car, but psychologically, you want your new car to be shiny and rust free ! :p

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gannu_1 (Post 3610343)

I was pretty sure it was the relay myself. This was also confirmed by the service rep. My point here was that when you buy a car worth 15 odd lakhs, you don't want these sounds permeating into the cabin. It's a good thing I can't drive without some music playing, but if one were to drive in silence during the monsoon, it would really get on your nerves ! I got a call from the service center and they said it is prevalent in all AWD cars (strange) and that nothing can be done about it. I was in no mood to argue, so let's see if anything at all can be done.

Regarding the fuel filling issue, the rep told me that it was the design of the tank and the fill pipe/neck that was the reason for the issue. He said he'll see if anything can be done about it. But it is quite annoying since I always top up the tank and the guys at the pump which I frequent have to spend the better part of 10-12 minutes to fill up my car ! :Frustrati

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_see (Post 3610273)

Was seeing on some other forums ( in a US F150 forum) that is some vehicles(especially 4WD vehicles) drive shafts are made of solid cast iron and surface rust is a common thing on them

I am afraid that, that forum you are referring to, is not right.
Drive shafts are not made of cast Iron because of its poor torque transmitting capability and is liable to shear. But Cast Iron has better anti rusting properties compared to steel.
Drive shafts are generally made of steel or other lighter composite materials.

Hello.

Got my car back from the shop on Saturday. Thought I'd mention briefly what work was undertaken to address the issues I'd written about.

Regarding the rust, I was told that the service rep had written to Renault. Attached is the email I received from them. I haven't decided if and what further action I can take.

The clunking sound that was coming from the back was isolated to be caused by the rear right shock absorber. Apparently, the guys at the workshop toiled until the late hours of Friday night trying to find the cause of the same. They claim to have swapped out a shock abs. from a demo vehicle with mine and then pinpointed that part to be causing the issue. Even though I'm running on the one that was originally in my car, and it is running quietly at the moment, they will replace it early January once they have the part in stock.

The erratic cooling by the AC was because of low refrigerant/gas levels. They vacuumed it out and then refilled it. There is a marked improvement.

Regarding the noise that is present when the wiper is on (relay), they said that nothing can be done about that. It is most annoying though !

The Duster comes with two pressure relief valves on its fuel tank. One is right near the mouth where the fuel is filled from and one is on top of the tank. That one still had its cap on. However, even after removing it, the issue remains.

Besides this, the first service was done where they check and top up all oil and lubricant levels. I additionally asked them to replace the engine oil and oil filter.

While I was not 100% satisfied, I cannot fault the attitude of the service department. I was kept abreast of developments every moment of the way. And they accommodated my requests pretty much all the time.

I have attached a few pictures of the car as asked by some.

Cheers !

Quote:

Originally Posted by KMan (Post 3611999)

Good to know that the shock absorber fault was determined and they will replace it shortly.

Regarding the rusting or oxidisation of the cast iron parts, I believe they are coated with some material to prevent that from happening. I think you should take it up with Renault and get them to do something about it.

Also your car looks great but I think the 4x4 decals which the showroom is supposed to apply are missing or maybe I could not see them in the photos.

I am keenly following this thread as I am quite interested in the AWD duster but am likely to wait till the teething problems get sorted out.

Please update on the response given by Renault on coating of the rusted / oxidised parts.

Hope you have a great and exhilarating experience in driving the car .

Quote:

Originally Posted by epijay (Post 3612974)

Can you let us know what these accessories are and where to get them?

I got it all done from the showroom. I'm sure all of these can be done at half the cost from outside, but I didn't have the time, patience and expertise to go looking around. I got the following done at the time of delivery.
Leather seat cover -they say it's original leather on the front side of the seat.
Rear view mirror with reverse camera display
4d mat (not sure why its called 4d)
Chrome handles
Illuminated Scuff plates
LED Turn indicators on the side mirrors

Thanks! Also wanted to know if there are arm rest pads in the aftermarket for the door arm rests? I'm told these are also hard surfaces that would benefit from such padding!

Jay

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swift (Post 3613355)

The showroom accessory guy did not have the armrest. Many in this forum has bought it from ebay. It's not very pricey at about Rs850. I wanted to get this fixed too, but looks like the seats will have to be removed and holes to be drilled. I don't think any accessory shop guy will do it if I get it from ebay.

Today, i`m to take delivery of my Duster RxZ AWD in Mysore ! Just yesterday, i visited the showroom and inspected my car. The metal rods that are part of rear suspension appear to be rusted. I was told that its superficial rusting and nothing to be worried of. I forgot to check the drive shafts and steering joints, but will make it a point to inspect them before i take the delivery...

My question is, rusting on dusters are some kind of usual thing that is suppose to happen or is it just plain neglect from the manufacturer ? in either case, what are my options ? I`m very eager to take the deliver today in the 3-4 hrs or so.. so please advise me !

Anything else i`m suppose to check ? please let me know.

Here`s the deal i got from Mysore Renault:

1310700 (ex-shw)
247331 (road tax)
7500 (handling)
4200 (accessories)
31100 - bumper to bumper insurance
-4200
-50000
=1546631

Quote:

Originally Posted by prabhatshah (Post 3612096)

Thank you ! It's been quite a fun experience apart from the issues discussed. My daily commute is around 75 km and this car just makes it worth it.

After the reply I already received regarding the rust issues, I'm wondering where I should escalate it to next, if at all, dealership level or directly to Renault India. Advice from the members will be appreciated.

As far as I know, the car does not come with the decals. They are usually on the display cars. Either way, I preferred to not have any on mine, so I did not bother asking about where I could get my hands on any.

The showroom does not offer a center arm rest as an accessory. That'll have to be sourced from aftermarket. If at all anyone finds any that are useful and not too hard to install, please share !

I've been looking for 3D mats for the car as the ones that they threw in free with the car are pretty useless. If anyone has any trusted dealers for Kagu in Mumbai, it would be very helpful. Or suggestions for any other good 3D mats also.

Does anyone else think that the headlights don't throw far enough ? I do a fair bit of highway driving after dark. I don't have that much of a problem with the brightness, but the levels are a little bothersome. A friend of mine recently installed Bosch HIDs on his SX4 that cost about Rs. 16k. I was very tempted when I saw the sheer brightness they offered !