[engrohit]

Thanks a lot Dada. That was very helpful. Will carry the picture that you shared to the dealer, will definitely help put it in place.

[himadrimondal]

Everyone remembers the 'Thud' we experience when we start the 110 PS Duster, just found a way to bypass it.

Just depress the clutch while starting the car, the thud vanishes.
The engine, separated from the gear box as a result of the depress, sound a lot smoother while cranking.

[suhaas307]

Initially, I did not like the Duster at all and my votes went straight to the EcoSport. But after spending considerable time with some of them and spotting them by the dozens, I've found a certain fondness for it.

Sure, it has its drawbacks. The quality of plastics is questionable and the car does feel built to cost (exterior build quality is nothing to write home about). Add to that, the lack of equipment and crude '90s-like-bits can put you off (massively limited number of setting for wiper-speeds, seat-adjust controls / levers, etc.) Not to mention the lack of a 4x4 option and safety kit on most variants.

But this car has a certain charm that I haven't seen in most modern cars. Every other car is bland and uninspiring. But this one isn't. It has appeal and that's something we can never have enough of.

It looks chunky and very well proportioned. It makes our home-grown SUVs like the Scorpio and Safari look ungainly thanks to their high roof-lines and low shoulder-sills. I particularly love the stance and those bulging wheel-arches.

But what really appeals to me is the ride-quality and the Duster's ability to devour roads whatever be the condition. The fact that it can handle fast and smooth tarmac as well as most sedans in the segment is a huge bonus as well. It makes for a rather compelling package. The workhorses for engine-options only add more brownies to the points table. And you'll soon start forgetting about the poor plastics and lack of equipment.

What really ticks me off though is the lack of safety-features. Especially on the petrol Duster. And that's one of the main reasons why we might never see a Renault Duster parked in our garage.

Congratulations on your latest acquisition!

I've got to say, I hated this brown colour option when I saw it in pictures, and I did not care for it when I saw it in the flesh either. But your photographs are showing them in an entirely different light. It actually looks very pleasing and suits the car perfectly. That's some excellent lens-work right there.

Please do keep us updated on the after-sales-service experience and don't miss out on the nitty-gritties!

Take care and drive safe!

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by himadrimondal

Everyone remembers the 'Thud' we experience when we start the 110 PS Duster, just found a way to bypass it.

Just depress the clutch while starting the car, the thud vanishes.
The engine, separated from the gear box as a result of the depress, sound a lot smoother while cranking.

Yes, that is a very good practice. It disengages the transmission from the engine during start-up & prevents additional load on the clutch. I thought that most BHPians (if not all) would be following this practice. In many modern cars, this is made mandatory, the engine won't crank unless you press the clutch pedal. I did so from day one since I brought my car, have been following this religiously for last 8.5 years. Result I replaced my factory fitted clutch assembly only after 1,10,000 kms, that too just as preventive maintenance & not because it was giving me any problem. With usage the clutch springs become hard.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Yes, that is a very good practice. It disengages the transmission from the engine during start-up & prevents additional load on the clutch. I thought that most BHPians (if not all) would be following this practice. In many modern cars, this is made mandatory, the engine won't crank unless you press the clutch pedal. I did so from day one since I brought my car, have been following this religiously for last 8.5 years. Result I replaced my factory fitted clutch assembly only after 1,10,000 kms, that too just as preventive maintenance & not because it was giving me any problem. With usage the clutch springs become hard.

Correct!
Its good for the Clutch and the Car.
I have just started driving (on private roads) and i always depress the clutch before ignition.

[himadrimondal]

Thanks everyone for the time and comments.
Suhaas307 Sir, I too wish the petrol version came with all the safety features, may be after all the hype dies down, the company might think of having this version upgraded considering the demand or might take custom orders.
But to be honest, Renault has not been fair to everyone, range of models shows they don't have a big heart or is playing safe in India.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by himadrimondal

Everyone remembers the 'Thud' we experience when we start the 110 PS Duster, just found a way to bypass it.

Just depress the clutch while starting the car, the thud vanishes.
The engine, separated from the gear box as a result of the depress, sound a lot smoother while cranking.

Interesting. Why should there be any "thud" at all? Even if disengaging clutch is a good practice, there should be no "thud" if you crank without pressing clutch. What is this "thud" like? Just a huge noise or a kick/vibration at the pedal/lever?

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

It disengages the transmission from the engine during start-up & prevents additional load on the clutch.

Originally Posted by agambhandari

Its good for the Clutch and the Car.

Well, from the Skoda manual, I understood that it is good for the starter motor as it has to move less mass. For clutch, it should not matter.

[pjbiju]

Originally Posted by himadrimondal

...
My courtship with the Duster till this point is fantastic. The ride quality and stability is to die for.
...

Hi, since you own the RxZ model, can you tell me if the adjustable lumbar support is present in the co-driver's seat as well?

[raul]

Oops instead of quote I pressed thanks! To your question, no, only drivers seat has adjustable lumbar support

[woodcrawler]

Originally Posted by himadrimondal

Thanks BurningHeart for the comments.
Just back from my much awaited birding trip with the Duster but
the entire trip was washed out. Seems the rains followed me from Kolkata,
stayed with me in Sikkim, followed me back to Kolkata again.

...........

Though it was a trip cut short by rain, it did a lot of good from the Duster point of view.
I had started developing a feeling it was a cut to cost car with plastics and interiors cheap enough not to last at least 5 years.
To all those who have been shouting about how much cost cutting Renault has done in its interiors,
I now confidently know its made up with whats underneath the hood and body.

Lovely post bro, and very beautiful pictures. I'm just wondering how I missed this. As a matter of fact I chanced upon it while searching for info on alterations to the ICE in my Duster. Perhaps the official Team BHP review and Neil's ownership report had me starry eyed.

I've been having my Duster 85PS RxL(O) with me since November 1st and have had more than my share of niggles including a major water leakage problem which has seen my Duster in the service center for more than two weeks. As a matter of fact I'm yet to get it after the third attempt at solving the issue.

I see you've been driving through roads that are similar to the ones I drive on while I go Woodcrawling. Did you find any water seepage into your car at any point? Monsoons are a few months away so I don't know what my experience will be but the Duster takes any road without protest. You can see my experiences on my blog (see my profile for the link) or Google for 'Woodcrawler's Journal' and 'Mango Musings', both of which have my experiences with the Duster on record.

I love the car and is 'tacky' plastics. Even the old Maruti 800 had bad plastics but it lasted. I guess Renault won't be that bad and it should last till you plan to sell your car

It is a great car to drive and a perfect go-anywhere vehicle if you are not unreasonable in your expectations. Here's wishing you a very Happy New Year and many hours of enjoyable driving.

PS: I just realized you have already seen my post on the leak and made some suggestions there, including one about changing my Avatar pic. I did not see this post then, just replied to you. By the way, I did not change my Avatar pic because the leak was from the top not the bottom

[himadrimondal]

Originally Posted by woodcrawler

I just realized you have already seen my post on the leak and made some suggestions there, including one about changing my Avatar pic. I did not see this post then, just replied to you. By the way, I did not change my Avatar pic because the leak was from the top not the bottom

Ha ha ha, but I would suggest you go hyper about this leak problem and do something about it. Monsoons will be a nightmare.

I have taken mine through sever rain for days at a stretch with no water leakage. Even the outside smell others complain is not there for me.

Update on the first five months:
1. Car has received a few scratches, courtesy the Indian public. Many with expensive jeans need support while standing and rubbing.

2. Bonnet got scratches done by my dogs while chasing a cat.
All scratches hidden by scratch removal paste.

3. Car gives a steady mileage of 15.5-16 with my kind of driving.

4. No sounds from any of the doors or interiors.

The car has done 7500 plus kms and my next Sikkim trip starts from this week end. Will try to clean the air filter before the trip.

[woodcrawler]

Originally Posted by himadrimondal

Ha ha ha, but I would suggest you go hyper about this leak problem and do something about it. Monsoons will be a nightmare.

I have taken mine through sever rain for days at a stretch with no water leakage. Even the outside smell others complain is not there for me.

The leakage problem is solved, now I'm in the process of getting rid of the odour. Just threw out the OE speakers and horn, replaced them with JBL & Hella.

I'm ready to roll. We are off to Bandipur next week. Will keep you updated

[himadrimondal]

Got back last Saturday from another trip to Sikkim, same place as before as mentioned in the previous pages.
Some highlights:
1. Car performed flawless.

2. Mileage was 16 all through out.

3. There was no starting problems even at 1°C.

4. Have doubts regarding the Fuel capacity of the Duster. Started with full tank.
Stopped at a gas station while half empty/full. While going full tank again, 54 ltrs went in again in less than a minute.
Was awe struck, checked the manual where its written 50L as capacity.
Never had to fill in there after for the entire trip which was 600kms + 600 kms on plains and
125kms +125kms on mountains. Reached home with half tank remaining.

5. Some creeking sound was coming from the dash, asked the service station to look into it.

6. Found a strange problem with the visibility of the Duster while making steep uphills.
While going uphill, I can see the top end but as the top of the uphill is reached, the immediate downhill is not visible due to the flat bonnet positioning.
A little bit of guess work starts but that becomes even more difficult if the downhill starts with a curve.
The best solution is to take note of the road down below just before the top of uphill is reached.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by himadrimondal

...
4. Have doubts regarding the Fuel capacity of the Duster. Started with full tank.
Stopped at a gas station while half empty/full. While going full tank again, 54 ltrs went in again in less than a minute.
Was awe struck, checked the manual where its written 50L as capacity...

What is the actual capacity then? 70 litres? I think someone should try & contact the technical team and get the actual capacity.

What is the max anyone has filled so far?

[himadrimondal]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

What is the actual capacity then? 70 litres? I think someone should try & contact the technical team and get the actual capacity.

What is the max anyone has filled so far?

Its finally out, max fuel capacity of the Duster is more than 70 L.
After having the low fuel indicator on and travelling about 40kms in that state, I went to my regular fuel pump to fill.

Autocut occurred at 52.3 liters but as I requested the pump representative to top it up, liters followed. Lastly he stopped at 66 liters. Assuming a reserve of about 7-8 liters left, one can well consider a capacity of 70 plus liters.

While conversing with the representative, he mentioned a brand new Duster from the showroom came and filled some 80 Liters.

Enjoy the RIDE.