[HillMan]

So guys after looking at the universal arm rest on @pahwa's Renault Duster, which fit well. I couldnt' resist the temptation anymore.

I ordered a beige, as that was the lightest shade available. My interiors are butterscotch. The one from eBay delivered and looked like this.


The material seemed good. Only disappointment was the black pieces that looked like metal to me are actually plastic. But for the weight of our hands, it must be durable. Cannot exert pressure on it though. The armrest is screwed into the center console for a permanent fix.

As advised by friends on Tbhp, the seat needs to be removed to fix it. That is true because the fitting needs to go onto the center console.
Note:The package does not come with screws for attaching to the console.

So I took the arm rest to Shivakumar of Imperial Leathers. Who had done my seat covers earlier. They were my best bet with the right expertise.

The beige somehow wasn't fitting into my interiors and looked out of sync. So Shivakumar pitched in again and I'd really appreciate he did. He opened up the top panel and agreed to stitch a similar finish.

It had its challenges. The material used on the armrest is a thin variety, but looked durable and good quality. Luster Leather I have is a thick material and they didnt have any template to go with. They had to stitch the material using the material from existing arm rest. In the process the original material on the arm rest was destroyed and a new one was stitched and set in place.

The result

Looks premium and authentic.


Side view.


Perfect stitch


Bottle holder is not compromised much. Large tall bottle will stand in a slight angle touching the armrest.


Extended for comfort.


Arm rest has a little rubber mat.


Up position. You can also see a small adjustment for changing the angle of the armrest.


This is what I notice:

• The feel is nice and comfortable.
• Using gears is not an issue at all. In-fact it feels very comfortable to use with just wrist movements.
• The universal arm rest does not come with screws to attach the base to console.
• The seats need to be removed to fix it.
• The base might not hold if a child is made to sit on the armrest
• The handbrake can be operated by sliding hand under the armrest from the side or with armrest folder Up.
• The slots for seat belt gets a bit inconvenient to use with armrest down. Also you will need to move the seats forward or backward to free up the slots fit in properly.

PS. Spreadsheet updated with latest stats and expenses.

[pahwa]

Originally Posted by HillMan

So guys after looking at the universal arm rest on @pahwa's Renault Duster, which fit well. I couldnt' resist the temptation anymore.

I ordered a beige, as that was the lightest shade available. My interiors are butterscotch. The one from eBay delivered and looked like this.

The material seemed good. Only disappointment was the black pieces that looked like metal to me are actually plastic. But for the weight of our hands, it must be durable. Cannot exert pressure on it though. The armrest is screwed into the center console for a permanent fix.

As advised by friends on Tbhp, the seat needs to be removed to fix it. That is true because the fitting needs to go onto the center console.
Note:The package does not come with screws for attaching to the console.

So I took the arm rest to Shivakumar of Imperial Leathers. Who had done my seat covers earlier. They were my best bet with the right expertise.

The beige somehow wasn't fitting into my interiors and looked out of sync. So Shivakumar pitched in again and I'd really appreciate he did. He opened up the top panel and agreed to stitch a similar finish.

It had its challenges. The material used on the armrest is a thin variety, but looked durable and good quality. Luster Leather I have is a thick material and they didnt have any template to go with. They had to stitch the material using the material from existing arm rest. In the process the original material on the arm rest was destroyed and a new one was stitched and set in place.

The result

Looks premium and authentic.

Side view.

Perfect stitch

Bottle holder is not compromised much. Large tall bottle will stand in a slight angle touching the armrest.

Extended for comfort.

Arm rest has a little rubber mat.

Up position. You can also see a small adjustment for changing the angle of the armrest.

This is what I notice:[*]The feel is nice and comfortable.[*]Using gears is not an issue at all. In-fact it feels very comfortable to use with just wrist movements.[*]The universal arm rest does not come with screws to attach the base to console.[*]The seats need to be removed to fix it.[*]The base might not hold if a child is made to sit on the armrest [*]The handbrake can be operated by sliding hand under the armrest from the side or with armrest folder Up.[*]The slots for seat belt gets a bit inconvenient to use with armrest down. Also you will need to move the seats forward or backward to free up the slots fit in properly.
PS. Spreadsheet updated with latest stats and expenses.

Great work Hillman and Shivakumar! The armrest in your Duster looks like factory fitted. Don't be surprised if people compliment about Duster's interiors here on.

OT! Mileage figures of your car have been increasing with very fillup. 17+ is superb. Were you on highway for this latest run?

Yes, not just cosmetic but the armrest also makes long rides very comfortable.

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by pahwa

Don't be surprised if people compliment about Duster's interiors here on.

OT! Mileage figures of your car have been increasing with very fillup. 17+ is superb. Were you on highway for this latest run?

Thanks for the compliment and I am sure liking it a lot. Only need to find a solution for the seat belt. Bending it towards the seats a bit might work.

The Mileage figures are based on auto stop at petrol bunks. I dont fill the tank to the brim. This time it could have been a freak incident. Guess the nozzle was more sensitive and stopped early. On the trip computer it was showing around 14.8kmpl. It will even out as more miles ad on.
No highway runs. I am already capturing approximate highway runs in the column 'Highway drive' at every refill.

Next I plan to capture the average speed also from the trip computer into the spreadsheet.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by HillMan

No highway runs. I am already capturing approximate highway runs in the column 'Highway drive' at every refill.

You can use of the many android apps available to track your fuel and service costs. Just make sure, the app you chose has a capability tp export an Xcel or any output file which can then be read on a computer. Works much easier that way. Esp when you have to feed in that odometer reading along with the fuel filled. This works very well.

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by ampere

You can use of the many android apps available to track your fuel and service costs.

Yup I use Carango Pro for tracking the expenses of my two cars. Easy to note down when the expense was incurred and what kind of expense.

I am keeping this shared spreadsheet updated for The Grey Hound, so I dont have to upload images and files to posts later. This will be a running sheet which will keep accumulating my vehicle data and stats as we progress. Clicking on this link will always get you the latest update at a glance.

The formulas will keep the stats updated so I don't have any rework. So usually I only need to add a row in fuel section once or twice a month and service info once a year. Not a burden at all.

[::CMS::]

Originally Posted by HillMan

The parking is very tight, so to protect the ORVMs, I went for 3M Scotchgard Paint Protection Film

FYI (not to discourage you), IMO its not worth the effort and money since the cost of the cover is ~200+paint, you can change it twice for the amount you spent for the film.

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by ::CMS::

FYI (not to discourage you), IMO its not worth the effort and money since the cost of the cover is ~200+paint, you can change it twice for the amount you spent for the film.

It has saved me a couple of scratches already, guess I've got half my ROI already Once it was a concrete electric pole while negotiating a narrow lane.

But I will not recommend it for the body of the vehicle. That is totally not worth the cost.

One thing to note; Once installed, its not easy to remove, specially on ORVMs because the paint is on plastic. Paint doesn't hold on plastic as well as it does on metal. Trying to remove can chip the paint. The PPF can be polished and waxed like regular paint to maintain its shine. So anyone looking for installing it should keep this in mind.

For now it looks good to me, until I face an incident. So, I'll keep the negative opinion away for now.

For the wheel arch, I am thinking of getting the cladding. Not sure where to get them thou.

[pahwa]

Originally Posted by ::CMS::

FYI (not to discourage you), IMO its not worth the effort and money since the cost of the cover is ~200+paint, you can change it twice for the amount you spent for the film.

Hi CMS. Which ORVM cover and paint costs Rs. 200?

I just spent Rs. 2000 at Trident Renault for repainting the default black ORVMs to body color silver ones.

[::CMS::]

Originally Posted by pahwa

Which ORVM cover and paint costs Rs. 200?

The cochin service manager told me this, even the entire assembly costs ~1500/1600+ (single piece). I will check it once again on my next visit.

spent Rs. 2000 at Trident Renault for repainting the default black ORVMs to body color silver ones.

Its daylight robbery to charge 2k for ~1sqft

FYI, each mirror cost ~200/-

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by ::CMS::

Its daylight robbery to charge 2k for ~1sqft

FYI, each mirror cost ~200/-

Do check with the dealership, thats good info.

From what I understand from earlier posts. Whitefield Renault uses a new water based painting technology which gives showroom finish. Cost is at higher side.

For the replacement ORVMs, I am sure the cost is minus the labor and painting. The cost seems very reasonable for the unit. I dont believe it comes only as the outer shell. Usually only the mirror is a replaceable part. It is good news if it does.

[::CMS::]

Originally Posted by HillMan

Whitefield Renault uses a new water based painting technology which gives showroom finish. Cost is at higher side.

All renault service centers will have almost the same level of equipments and finish. I will check if there is indeed a change in finish at whitefield renault.

For the replacement ORVMs, I am sure the cost is minus the labor and painting.

Only the part which needs painting is the cover in the orvm. Also its available separately. (Cover : body colored portion in RxL)

[pahwa]

Originally Posted by ::CMS::

All renault service centers will have almost the same level of equipments and finish. I will check if there is indeed a change in finish at whitefield renault.

Only the part which needs painting is the cover in the orvm. Also its available separately. (Cover : body colored portion in RxL)

I was told that the cover comes in default black color only. Any chrome or body color painting charges are extra. At the time of purchase of vehicle I was asked for 3k for the repaint. The charges came down to 2k when I enquired during the first service.

Worst was - they charged me 500 bucks for removal and refitting of the mirror cap (the painted area) which just takes 30 sec to remove and refix. Should I take this up with Renault?

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by ::CMS::

Only the part which needs painting is the cover in the orvm. Also its available separately. (Cover : body colored portion in RxL)

This is pretty much a news to me. Usually replacement body parts come in black matte finish if they are to be painted. The painting is done separately based on color to match. This holds good even for plastic parts like the bumper and ORVMs.

Still, the rates look very reasonable. Guess Cochin is the place to go for Duster repairs.
Bangalore seems to be charging IT rates

The tax structure could be the culprit too.

[ecosport rules]

Hey Hillman,
Just came across your thread.
A very crisp and well written review.
Congrats on your ride.
The arm rest looks perfect.

Wish you many miles of happiness.

[HillMan]

Odometer: 4594

Noticed a crack on the rear right side tyre wall, see picture. Never had something like this in so many years. I am a pretty careful driver and dont like to drive on un-tarred roads.

I am losing faith in MRF with this.

There is no air leak. I filled up 40ps to check. Anyone else seen a similar issue?