[rajoy123]

The Last time my duster sees 4 digit ODO

The ownership experience has been trouble-free so far. Car feels great to drive, and frequent city use has been giving me satisfactory FE.

The car needs to be driven in Manual mode only for steep climbs. Other scenarios can be handled in Auto mode. The AC cooling is efficient, and car gives a planted-feel for drivers and the passengers throughout.

Hope the thread has been helpful to prospective car-owners.

Thanks,
Rajoy.

[bhp_maniac]

Originally Posted by rajoy123

Overall, it performed really well in bad roads, curvy roads, traffic snarls (at few locations near kumily and thekkadi) and the wonderful roads of Pala.

Thanks,
Rajoy.

Great ownership review I am in market for an automatic SUV and Duster seems to be the best fit.
On a side note, feeling proud of being a Palakkaaran

[SpoiledBratt]

Dear Friends,
I am currently out in the market shopping for a diesel AT sedan/SUV where my running is around 75 KMS / day for daily office commute from Faridabad to Noida. And also would make once a quarter highway trips. Most of the times it will be driven alone and weekend getaways in a quarter with family. I got an offer from the dealer for 12.5 Lacs OTR faridabad registration for Vento TDI DSG Comfortline and 13 Lacs OTR for Skoda Rapid Mid variant which essentially comes with important bells and whistles. Do you think this is a sweet deal? Other car under consideration is a Duster AMT diesel 110 PS (OTR 14.1). I am in a big fix what to choose? Can experts help please? I can stretch by budget a bit and go ahead with a duster if it is a better car than VW or Rapid. I am leaving out XUV or Create AT because of higher budget.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by SpoiledBratt

Other car under consideration is a Duster AMT diesel 110 PS (OTR 14.1). I am in a big fix what to choose? Can experts help please?

While the Duster is a good car, the AMT is something I wouldn't recommend at this price and hence, I'd say you go ahead with either the Rapid or the Vento DSG depending on what you like.

[SpoiledBratt]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

While the Duster is a good car, the AMT is something I wouldn't recommend at this price and hence, I'd say you go ahead with either the Rapid or the Vento DSG depending on what you like.

Duster has received zero rating in latest global NCAP crash test for the base model. However the model having driver airbag has scored three stars. The Latin made Duster has four stars last year and it seems that the Indian model has a smaller air bag compared to the later and that compromises the safety aspect. Full details in the below link.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/auto/st.../1/950270.html

It's really disappointing to see Duster performing so bad in the crash test even though the cost remains on the higher side. It's high time now Renault should pay attention to the safety features in all models.

This being a deal breaker for me - I dropped it now from my short listing. Thanks to a bhpian for sharing the above info with me on the official review thread of the duster.

[shiva_s]

With Rajoy and other fellow teambhpians review and input. I finally bought RXL AMT on March 10th.

Driven 2500 KM till date and below are the few highlights:

Likes:
1. Drive-ability and road presence is amazing.
2. Eats of potholes and bad road with ease. Suspension is marvelous.
3. AMT - During initial drives, I sometimes used to feel, did I made a mistake by buying a reno AMT? As there was a heavy gear shift lag in 2nd and 3rd. After continuous usage, now the gears shift like butter smooth.
4. Door lock button in the center is useful. Co-passenger can securely close the doors when drive is out of the car.
5. Music system is awesome (I am more of a vocal and clean thump listener). May be because of large and deep door pockets which are acting as a bass box.

Dislikes:
1. Door lock button has to be depressed for few seconds to active and deactivate the auto door lock functionality. Quite a weird functionality. Is the auto door lock option not necessary? What is kids depress it and deactivate door lock functionality.
2. Vehicle does not have a door lock button / two stage pull lock from inside. If you have kids you have a switch on the child lock. The door can be opened in one pull from inside. The door lock on the center console is to lock the door from opening from outside.
3. Passenger Airbag. I had to opt for RXL as I bought a 2016 manufactured vehicle and RXZ was not available. Creta gives two airbags as a standard in all its variants. Renault sorely understands the necessity to provide the safety standard. Hence the ZERO rating in the test!!!
4. Door pockets are too deep and the chrome design bend narrows the space for you had to reach the bottom. Renault has to deep some ergonomic research prior to install.
5. There is small space in glove box for the glove box light which is kept open. The higher variant comes with a glove box light. I wonder how such small cheap thing which could cost 100/- maximum becomes a comparative feature. Renault should understand that there are lot more features which can be other cars in the market and need to focus on those.
6. Volume button has limited functionality. It does not change tracks. The music system screen in piano black with white back light. The information on the screen can be read only from center direction. You have to move your head to middle of the row to read the information. Worse in the mornings.
7. Second row doors never shut properly, you always have to close them with a thud.
8. Seat comfort is mediocre. Lacks back support. The curve in the middle of the seat is too deep should be adjusted with a pillow or with nice seat covers.
9. Ignition key hole could have been much better.
10. The insulating floor matting are no glued, pull us every time you pull the floor mats for cleaning.

[ARAY]

Firstly congrats for your new ride. Lovely writeup and outlines just the relevant features . Welcome to TDI club.

[headers]

Nice review

I don't think the brake pads or the clutch needs replacing until 50k odd as the usage of both are limited unlike in manual gearbox.

The brakes are usually beefed up for an automatic transmission car

The clutch is operated via a DC motor in an AMT gearbox.. hence more accurate operations and hence a longer life than manuals

Good review

[sandeepmdas]

Originally Posted by SpoiledBratt

Dear Friends,
I am currently out in the market shopping for a diesel AT sedan/SUV where my running is around 75 KMS / day for daily office commute from Faridabad to Noida. And also would make once a quarter highway trips. Do you think this is a sweet deal? Other car under consideration is a Duster AMT diesel 110 PS (OTR 14.1). I am in a big fix what to choose? Can experts help please?

The RxZ model has 2 airbags, should certainly get 3+ stars. The Vento (I won't recommend Skoda to anyone) is German inside out, but it cannot give you the ground clearance or commanding visibility that a vehicle with high stance can offer. You should also look at the recently-launched Duster Petrol CVT. There's at least one ownership thread of this new avatar of Duster in this forum. It may give you 12kmpl only but the OTR is cheaper by a good 4 to 4.5L. You can thus use the money saved for paying your petrol bills which is pay-as-you-go only, unlike EMI and RT/insurance.

Originally Posted by shiva_s

With Rajoy and other fellow teambhpians review and input. I finally bought RXL AMT on March 10th.
6. Volume button has limited functionality. It does not change tracks. The music system screen in piano black with white back light. The information on the screen can be read only from center direction. You have to move your head to middle of the row to read the information. Worse in the mornings.

10. The insulating floor matting are no glued, pull us every time you pull the floor mats for cleaning.

6. The behind-the-steering control stack has a wheel beneath it. This wheel can change the tracks and radio stations as well.

10. This is because the bottom-side of the floor mats have a rough finish which causes the mats to "bite" into the felt-like insulation material. Try putting a newspaper between the mat and flooring insulation or (if you are really finicky about fine detailing) get some bubble wrap and place it on the rough surface of your floor mats.

I too bought a Duster AMT RxZ on 6th APR and have clocked 3300 approx.

[shiva_s]

Congrats Sandeepmdas on your new Duster.
Thanks for the bubble wrap idea.

[rajoy123]

As the #HumbleMonster was approaching its first birthday, i decided to give it something useful, rather than a routine-detailing or a fancy addition like new mats and such stuff.

The duster has a noticeable chink in its armor, which most owners would agree to, which is its "lighting capability". Even after adding better bulbs, the stock reflectors contribute very less to illuminating the roads.

"The palette was plentiful, the selection was tough."

Selecting the upgrade was challenging, as most of my friends gave many options. Projector headlamps, Auxiliary lamps, Light bar and even the choice of switching the fog-lamp bulbs to HID/LED was put into my mind.

I wanted something simple, and efficient. The motto was set: I need this light for night drives if visibility is poor, and not for torturing other drivers.

1. Adding projectors to the headlamps would mean visible changes to the appearance, which *may* lead to issues in warranty within first glance.

2. Light bars would improve lighting but would be an inconvenience for oncoming traffic.

3. HID would also translate to the earlier mentioned point.

4. Auxiliary lamps would definitely make things better, and it’s a familiar addition as I have already done it to my other car (Hella Black Magic on the i20), but kochi traffic police seem to dislike it and have been very strict against adding these additional lights.

During a casual discussion with my friend and bhpian Speed.Demon, he casually asked me if i wanted to go the “foglamp-projector” route. I immediately laughed it off, but like in the movie 'inception': the idea-seed was sown.

Though a bit more expensive, at Rs.14,000/-, the reviews by the owners was mostly positive. Their requirement of additional “controlled” lights was fulfilled. I shortlisted 2 vendors who dealt with this item and messaged both of them in facebook and in their mentioned whatsapp numbers.

While the other group decided to ignore the messages, Xenon Planet responded to the whatsapp message, and my series of doubts were answered patiently.

Finally i decided to buy the item after getting clarity in installation and warranty situations from them, and made the payment online on 20th August at night.

Item was shipped from Mumbai to avoid delay, and I received the item on 26th of August, 2017.



The box and its contents (projectors, ballast, wiring kit, mounting-clamps)


Unwrapped and contents verified by XenonPlanet via whatsapp

I decided to get the installation done on the birthday of my dearest duster (29th AUG) at a trusted car-accessories Store, named "Carrus Forcia" located at Edapally Toll Junction, Kochi.

Here are the pics of the installation that began at 11:00am and ended at 5:00pm.


Hooking up the setup and testing



Comparison between the existing foglamp and the new one



Fixing it was not much trouble since they supplied all necessary cables and mounts (even for the ballast)





The levelling was done according to my instruction, even though the store owner and Speed.Demon told me that the height is too high.
Reference pic:



(The light level was above knee level, which equated to "rearview mirror-height of bikers")



I was eager to wrap up things and ignored them, which i corrected later. The light spread was good, but since it was pointed slightly upwards, i couldnt use it that evening.

The levelling was done after a week, on 5th Sept because i had a road-trip to calicut for a close-friend's wedding.

Total cost of this light upgrade:
Rs. 14,000/- (cost of the foglamp projector kit) and Rs. 1,000/- installation charges.

Some pics taken at night, after leveling, using my phone:


1. Headlamp LowBeam 2. Foglamp LowBeam 3. Headlamp LowBeam+Fog Low Beam




1. Headlamp LowBeam+FogLamp HighBeam 2. Headlamp HighBeam + FogLamp HighBeam




Side View:


Only Parklamps+Projectors have been switched on in the following photos:







PS: Special thanks to the DIY thread of a4Anurag, that was a treasure trove for the work completion. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-do...-my-swift.html


Car odometer is now at 17,800kms. After two weeks of usage, I can happily acknowledge that the lighting has improved immensely, and exactly to my requirement and liking. The controlled light spread does not affect other oncoming bikers and car-drivers, and one flick of the high-beam is sufficient to make the most stubborn drivers dim their highbeams.

Kochi has been experiencing heavy continuous rains and the improved lighting is a blessing. I dont know how i would have managed the night-drives using stock headlamps!


Hope this addition would be helpful to other duster owners who prefer to keep the stock look of their car, while benefiting from the additional helpful light.

Parting shot:

[rajoy123]

* 20,000kms completed *

Greetings to everyone!

My car has now completed 20,000kms and was promptly taken for service at 20,090kms on the 09th of October,2017.

Total Bill was Rs.5,963.00/-

Below is the service bill, for reference:




Thanks,
Rajoy.

PS: Overall satisfactory maintanence so far!

[rajoy123]

Greetings everyone!

November was a bad month for my #HumbleMonster.

A young-chap on his scooter decided to drive across the road, when I was waiting to merge with the main road. He drove perpendicular (from my left to the right) to my car and slammed the scooter-exhaust on my car bumper. All this happened at the blink of an eye & i was stunned! (These scooters can really accelerate fast!)

This resulted in a dent that looked really small and I got down to see if the scooterist was ok. He was scared and drove-off immediately.

I found the damage to be little bad, so spoke to my SA at Renault, Vytilla and he asked me to come over and personally check it out.

Rubbing compound removed the scratches but the dent in the skid plate was working out to be an expensive fix (replacement costs 12,000/- upwards).




a close-up shot of the battle-bruise


Decided to take the car to marvel motors, and immediately called up & scheduled the workshop visit. Work estimate was 3,500/- and 3 days time.
Got few extra panels painted to body color, and the work was impressive as testified by other bhpians.



Really impressive finish and paint matching with the rest of the body panels.
(The fog-lamp covers have a rough-finish, which was to be handled to perfection).

I Totally recommend Marvel Motors, Nettoor, Kochi, for such repairs that require perfection.

Thanks,
Rajoy.

PS: odometer is now at 22,700kms.

[rajoy123]

My Duster was performing its city duties properly over the past few months, but a small sound from the front left wheel called for a workshop visit. It wasn’t a continuous sound, just a “click” sound at low speed. It was really difficult to recreate the sound so a visit to the Renault Maradu ASC was not fruitful.

The next time i noted it, took it to them and they decided to examine the vehicle thoroughly. Almost at the end of the day after regreasing the calliper-pins and checking the suspension bushes, control arm and other items, they free-rotated the wheel while still in the vehicle-lift and the click sound happened.

They initially suspected it to be a drive-shaft issue and asked me to keep the car with them for few days. Since the part was not readily available & I had few personal commitments due to the upcoming holy-week which included many church visits, we decided to handover the car to them on Tuesday (27th March, 2018).

The Service head, Mr.Roopesh, ensured that I get a spare vehicle for my use, and a decently maintained Scala was given to me for use during this time.

Drive shaft was replaced and multiple test-runs done, but that didn’t fix the issue. They kept giving live updates to a counterpart at Renault India and as per their instruction, finally the problem was found to be from the clutch.





(The gearbox)




Flywheel and clutch replacement was suggested, and the parts were brought to Kochi from the Calicut Workshop/Store.

The entire fault-finding and getting a satisfactory solution took more time than anticipated, but the service team, especially Mr.Thomas (the Service Advisor), made sure i was updated about the status of the work, and regularly called me on the phone to ensure the same. (He recognised how much i care for my car, and His work-dedication needs special mention).

Anyway, my Duster with the replaced flywheel & clutch isn’t making the click noise anymore now, and the car was taken for a trial-run by me along with few of the service team members. After a satisfactory drive, i took my car home. (A Zero bill was given since vehicle is in warranty period).

Odometer of the car while clutch replaced : 26,900kms.
Vehicle returned to me on 5th April, 2018 (10th Day).

Thanks,
Rajoy.

[rajoy123]

* 30,000kms completed *



Bhpian vaiskhr and myself decided to plan a small road trip to bangalore, to watch the “Avengers: infinity War” in IMAX screen only, and we were elated to find few seats for 2nd May, 2018 at IMAX Forum, Bangalore.

We were discussing which car to take, either his ciaz or my duster. My car odometer was around 28,500kms with the 30,000kms service fast approaching, so i suggested that the duster would be apt.

Vaisakh booked the tickets immediately on 29th April, and decided to drive down on 1st morning. We left kochi at 5am, and reached bangalore at 1:45pm. Saw the movie the next day, and returned to kochi on 3rd morning.

Vehicle handled well, and Vaisakh drove the car for around 600kms. I hope he posts his feedback on the car + the AMT behaviour.


Gave the car for 30,000kms service at Renault Maradu on 16th May, 2018.

I asked them for brake-pad replacement if needed, and also a small vibration sound that needed thorough investigation (which turned out to be vibration from ballast of the left side Fog-Lamp projector).

Bill Copies Attached:




Total Service cost was Rs.14,180/-


An East-Indian road trip is in the pipeline, and hope to make that a reality very soon. Overall a very satisfactory ownership so far!

Thank you,
Rajoy.