[VeyronSuperSprt]

This is a problem that's very common in another car too. It's called the Ambassador. The same beadings working loose, water seepage, damp carpets etc. But that was because the Ambassador was designed in 1947. To have the same problems in 2013 is something else altogether.

Such shoddy quality on so many cars can only mean one of the following - either Renault hasn't done it's homework or the quality department is on a permanent holiday or someone is making a lot of money in the purchase department.

Renault calls us "The Unstoppable Indian" - they will probably now find out what that name really means.

[acroback]

Pretty sure someone is making a lot of money in Renault.
Unfortunately we did not had a choice and Duster fits requirements perfectly minus QC.

I think Duster has put Renault on the Map of India, it is ahead of Volkswagen or even Honda. It is upto Renault to now make it or break it.

If I find any issue after paying 13L(which should have been 11.2L IMO), I am certainly not going to get amused. I just hope the diligence service dept showed at first service shall be carried forward for years to come.

PS:- I received a checklist from Dealer in mail. It mentions what needs to be changed or serviced at each recurring service interval. Good, finally something positive from the French.

[sumeshmani]

Originally Posted by acroback

PS:- I received a checklist from Dealer in mail. It mentions what needs to be changed or serviced at each recurring service interval. Good, finally something positive from the French.

Could you please share that list on this forum?
I think it will help everyone. How much did the first service cost you?

[woodcrawler]

Further UPDATE on Leakage problem:

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

Oh Boy,
My heart really goes out to you. My take is that either someone down the production line has messed up big time when he assembled the scuttle panel area or there is a defective component involved. Probably a newbie or yours might have been the first lot when people from training itself might have got it wrong. That was what lead to my A/c condensation leakage. Best solution is complete removal, replace and refit.Ask them for a complete replacement of all plastic components involved in and around the scuttle panel area. Maybe a vendor might have slipped in a wrong/defective/R&D based component.
And last of all, get your entire floor mat section, (this includes the floor mat, thermocol insulation etc) replaced. None of the "keeping it to dry" excuse from the dealer/manufacturer.
Dont allow them to use your duster as a guinea pig for their R & D. Renault has this obnoxious habit of trouble shooting on a stage by stage basis, meaning that they will first try refit and only then replace. Small problem here is the wastage of your time and increase in your anxiety level when the fix does not work. Be firm in your decision and dont be swayed by their mumbo jumbo. REPLACE AND REFIT AT THE SAME TIME.

Originally Posted by VeyronSuperSprt

This is a problem ...common in ... the Ambassador. ... designed in 1947. To have the same problems in 2013 is something else altogether.

Such shoddy quality on so many cars can only mean one of the following - either Renault hasn't done it's homework or the quality department is on a permanent holiday or someone is making a lot of money in the purchase department.

Renault calls us "The Unstoppable Indian" - they will probably now find out what that name really means.

Originally Posted by acroback

Pretty sure someone is making a lot of money in Renault.
Unfortunately we did not had a choice and Duster fits requirements perfectly minus QC.

.....
PS:- I received a checklist from Dealer in mail. It mentions what needs to be changed or serviced at each recurring service interval. Good, finally something positive from the French.

Thanks Neil. Just back from Coimbatore Renault. The engineer from the plant had opened up the scuttle panel area and identified the problem. It means the technician in the service center has not been trained properly

There is a rubber ring with a one way valve designed to open when water accumulates in the two sides of the scuttle panel. At first they said it was defective but I thought the leaflet of the so called valve was too thick for a little water to push open sufficiently. I also showed them the loose beading.
I got a call a little while back from Mr. Mahesh (Area Mgr, After sales). He said the issue was traced to assembly line failure (would you believe it?). They have worked it out and tested the vehicle by continuously spraying water for 10 minutes!! They are cleaning the carpets and replacing the beading as soon as spares can be lifted from the plant.. They have raised a VOR form for that!!

He had no answer when I asked him if the same 'assembly line failure' happened in one of the cars they dispatched to UK! I'm also left wondering about the competence of the technicians in the Coimbatore Service Center!

Anyway, he has said that the problem has been resolved but wants me to verify it for myself. I'll be getting the car back on Monday. I'll update about the progress after that.

[rubicon]

Happy to hear that the issue has been fixed.

Can you try pushing them for a floor carpet replacement ? I guess, having undergone all this, that's something you should be entitled for. Worst case scenario, let them not hurry up refitting the same carpets unless its 100% dry.

Originally Posted by woodcrawler

I'm also left wondering about the competence of the technicians in the Coimbatore Service Center!

Hate to hear that... IMO, these guys have brought disgrace to Coimbatore which is well respected in the Automotive / Component industry.

[woodcrawler]

Originally Posted by rubicon

Happy to hear that the issue has been fixed.

Can you try pushing them for a floor carpet replacement ? I guess, having undergone all this, that's something you should be entitled for. Worst case scenario, let them not hurry up refitting the same carpets unless its 100% dry.


Hate to hear that... IMO, these guys have brought disgrace to Coimbatore which is well respected in the Automotive / Component industry.

Thanks bro, but the issue has been fixed over phone
I'll be laying my hands on the car only on Monday. I've already told them that if the smell does not go completely I need a full carpet replacement. I'm not sure if that will work though, and I'm not a very aggressive guy.

I could not take pictures unfortunately but there are pictures showing the exact location of the problem in another forum

[AWD]

Congrats Woodcrawler, hope the issue gets resolved completely & forever. Also hope Renault takes immediate steps to prevent such issues cropping up in vehicles that leave the factory.

Commendable that Renault acted in a pro-active manner & worked on it. Hope they continue to work on customer feedback...

[woodcrawler]

Originally Posted by AWD

Congrats Woodcrawler, hope the issue gets resolved completely & forever. Also hope Renault takes immediate steps to prevent such issues cropping up in vehicles that leave the factory.

Commendable that Renault acted in a pro-active manner & worked on it. Hope they continue to work on customer feedback...

AWD, It took a month of knocking on many doors to get Renault India to move. I'm an isolated case. I hope my efforts wont be in vain. There are still many Duster owners who are exasperated with Renault's attitude on After Sales Service. I hope, as you said, this will be the end of the matter. It is a lovely car but the back up from Renault is pathetic. There is a person waiting for a leaking radiator to be replaced since four weeks

[zenren]

Originally Posted by woodcrawler

I got a call a little while back from Mr. Mahesh (Area Mgr, After sales). He said the issue was traced to assembly line failure (would you believe it?).

Glad to see that your issue would be resolved soon. I hope they would be replacing the carpet too.

If they've traced it to assembly line failure, they should be initiating a recall to check and fix this issue for all customers soon. Lets see how transparent they are in dealing with these stuff.

They have raised a VOR form for that!!

Can someone please explain what a VOR form is?

[woodcrawler]

Originally Posted by zenren

Can someone please explain what a VOR form is?

VOR = Vehicle Off Road

In service center parlance, it means 'Urgent/Emergency'. This is is raised when the requisite spare part or parts are not immediately available and has to be procured separately for a particular vehicle to be put back on road.

Normally bulk spare part orders are sent on a monthly basis usually taking into consideration the average monthly requirements of parts, classified as fast moving or slow moving.

In my case here a simple door beading, but it is apparently not in stock. Unbelievable

[longhorn]

Good to hear that the issue is finally getting acknowledged and more importantly, fixed. You should ask that SA if he still feels it's an A/C vaporisation problem.

[woodcrawler]

Originally Posted by longhorn

Good to hear that the issue is finally getting acknowledged and more importantly, fixed. You should ask that SA if he still feels it's an A/C vaporisation problem.

I'll certainly ask them on Monday. When I went to the service center yesterday the big-wigs from Chennai were protecting the technicians there.
When I told them to show me how to access the drain hole in the scuttle panel because I couldn't possibly keep taking the car back every time they said they couldn't reveal that. Apparently, it is the tech's job and when I asked him what I should do if a technician did not know his job he had no answer. He only said, "we will rectify the problem completely" and to my satisfaction. They have asked me to take delivery on Monday and give a satisfaction report only after I test it myself at home.

[Neil Roy]

Originally Posted by woodcrawler

Further UPDATE on Leakage problem:

Thanks Neil. Just back from Coimbatore Renault. The engineer from the plant had opened up the scuttle panel area and identified the problem. It means the technician in the service center has not been trained properly

At first they said it was defective but I thought the leaflet of the so called valve was too thick for a little water to push open sufficiently. I also showed them the loose beading.
I got a call a little while back from Mr. Mahesh (Area Mgr, After sales). He said the issue was traced to assembly line failure (would you believe it?). They have worked it out and tested the vehicle by continuously spraying water for 10 minutes!! They are cleaning the carpets and replacing the beading as soon as spares can be lifted from the plant.. They have raised a VOR form for that!!

Iam so happy on two counts.
1) First and foremost, for you as there seems to be some kind of light at the end of the tunnel. No one deserves a better DUSTER than you for your perseverance, tolerance and tenacity. Where any one in your place would have resorted to brand bashing and desperation, you stuck it out without losing hope .
2) For me cos "I TOLD YOU SO"You owe me a treat( a Duster meet should suffice)

Jokes apart, lets not get carried away, but wait till you can see that the problem is physically solved. One more thing, as I have mentioned in my earlier post, ask them to replace the floor mat along with the thermocol packing. Of late, I am noticing a lot of small insects breeding form the floor of my Duster and I cant help but wonder if it is due to the moisture accumulated from my previous leakage episodes. So better safe than sorry.

[woodcrawler]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

Iam so happy on two counts.
1) First and foremost, for you as there seems to be some kind of light at the end of the tunnel. No one deserves a better DUSTER than you for your perseverance, tolerance and tenacity. Where any one in your place would have resorted to brand bashing and desperation, you stuck it out without losing hope .
2) For me cos "I TOLD YOU SO"You owe me a treat( a Duster meet should suffice)

Jokes apart, lets not get carried away, but wait till you can see that the problem is physically solved. One more thing, as I have mentioned in my earlier post, ask them to replace the floor mat along with the thermocol packing. Of late, I am noticing a lot of small insects breeding form the floor of my Duster and I cant help but wonder if it is due to the moisture accumulated from my previous leakage episodes. So better safe than sorry.

Neil, thank you for those uplifting words. I've always believed that you can't get things done by raising your voice and screaming at everybody. If a problem has to get solved, it has a time and place. Perhaps my time was yesterday. Maheswaran, the ASM (After sales) called and said that they had sorted it out but he said that he'll wait for me to be satisfied. I'll give them that concession. After all, I'm totally smitten by the Duster.

There is no denying your role in solving Duster issues. After all your user review is unparalleled, and everybody here on Team BHP agree on that. I'll take your suggestion on a Duster meet. I usually take trips with my 10 year old son so I haven't been very adventurous. Perhaps if we can get a group of Duster owners to team up we could do something like Mahindra does. Maybe you should start a thread......

I've told them I'll demand a carpet if it still stinks of rotting veggies but I'll do that after I use my wife's hair dryer on it.

Will keep you posted

[mallumowgli]

Good to know that there is some activity and almost a solution in sight. Waiting for Monday and your final feedback. Hope it comes out well

Should appreciate your efforts - Renault now must have understood what 'unstoppable Indian' means .

At the same time, if person like you, who has some relation with the automobile industry finds it so tough to get things moving, the plight of the others is best left untold!!

Great work there by GTO for getting this to the attention of Renault