[Samba]

Got the 60,000 km service done at 59,000 km mark. Just before the service the Duster was taken for another 1200 km road trip to Odisha.

The details of the trip has been shared here-
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post5455961 (A Road-trip to Puri. EDIT : Updates on Page 2)

Now coming to the car-

Got the service done from Renault Budgebudge. They again did a fantastic job. I am more than happy the way they have provided me all the backup since the purchase of this vehicle. If my next car is again a Renault, Renault Budgebudge will be a major reason behind that decision.

The 60,000 km service.

The service cost came to Rs 21,376.

Parts replaced-

Engine oil (Mineral)
Engine oil filter
Diesel filter
Air filter
AC filter
Brake oil
Differential oil
Timing belt
Accessory belt

A thorough check up was done for the vehicle too. Post service the car is feeling much more silent, smooth and the pickup has improved.

Let me share all the service expense of this car since purchase-

List of parts changed under warranty-

5 injectors -
Each costs Rs 29,000 = Rs 145,000

Finally, Renault changed the engine wiring harness to solve the repeated injector failures in my car.
-Rs 17,000

EGR- Renault suspected this for the coolant consumption issue, but it was not the culprit. Still replaced. Approximately Rs 13,000

Head Gasket- Renault suspected this for the coolant consumption issue, but it was not the culprit. Still replaced. Approximately Rs 7,000

Radiator & hose- The culprit was a minor crack in the radiator joint. The actual reason for the coolant consumption issue. Approximately Rs 7,000

Steering angle sensor- Due to a faint nose while rotating the steering wheel. Approximately Rs 8,500

Wheel cylinders- Rs 7,000

Fuel Float due to erratic behavior of the fuel meter - Rs 3,000

Dashboard wiring harness due to erratic behavior of the fuel meter. - Rs 25,000

Cluster meter due to erratic behavior of the fuel meter.- Rs 8,000

Fuel tank - Due to erratic behavior of the fuel meter. Approximately Rs 35,000

Approx Rs- 2.75 Lac! (FOC)

Parts replaced due to wear & tear-

Front brake pads (twice) Approximately Rs 4,400 X 2 = Rs 8,800

Rear brake shoes- Rs 6,200

Turbo hose O-Ring. Approximately Rs 600

Diesel filter while changing injectors on a trip. Approximately Rs 3,000

Tappet cover (twice)- Rs- 3,200 X 2 = 6,400

Rear shock-absorbers both sides- Rs 14,600

Battery- Rs 6,200

Four tyres- Rs 29,000

Underbelly protection clamp (both sides)- Rs 1,600

Approx Rs 75,000. (Paid by me).

General service-

10,000 km, 20,000 km, 30,000 km, 40,000 km & 50,000 km service costed approximately Rs 10,000-12,000 per service.
The 60,000 km service costed Rs 21,000. So roughly it will add up to Rs 75,000.

Body shop-

I carelessly reversed the car and got a minor dent on the rear bumper. Got it repaired for Rs 4,000 at Renault.



Total money spent by me - Rs 155,000 approximately.

Cost per kilometre- Rs 2.58

For the trip to Odisha, I used Xtra green Diesel from IOCL. Honestly I could not figure out any difference in performance, NVH or fuel economy. It felt all the same. Plus Xtra green diesel has lesser sulfur content, which can be even worse for the already sensitive injectors, I shifted back to normal fuel.



Pics after the service-





A couple of pics from the trip-





For this trip, I kept the speed within 100 km/hr and the Duster returned an amazing mileage of 17 km/L.

[Lowflyer23]

Damn, Renault's maintenance charges are quite high compared to other compact SUVs. Rear brake shoes and shockers should easily last well past 60k kms, it seems to be a sign of mediocre part quality. Also, can you please tell why the tappet cover required replacement twice?

[Bismaya]

Nicely done. Glad to know that the Duster is still a reliable companion even after all these years. The costs aren't that expensive even though it's a diesel. Good to know that the parts got replaced under warranty.

Lotus Resort is a great place for weekend getaway. I am planning on visiting the Ecoretreat again for the festival during the Christmas time. Here's some parting shots of my car the last time I took the pics on Marine Drive Road.

[architect_santo]

Congratulations on your car ownership sir, you maintain your car with love and passion as most of us do that. Although 2.75 laks worth parts changed on FOC basis seems like good customer friendly policy from Renault side, however it makes me doubt the quality of the parts they have used in the car, considering that K9K is a workhorse and mile muncher, what is wrong in this case sir?
Anyways, hope you the best and many more miles.

[ritedhawan]

This is a Nice thread. Read all your important service interval posts which are part of this thread and they are worth getting back to again and again!

You have been meticulous in terms of keeping your Duster up to date. The rebadged Dacia Duster which has been sold in our country under the arbor of Renault has done its due in imparting an impression about this French carmaker: Its ability to provide a competent vehicle whose ride and handling thanks to its sorted steering and suspension setup is second to none compared to other such offerings in the same price bracket.

Your Post #81

I instantly knew any one of the injector have failed! .........
In next 1 hour they confirmed two injectors need to be changed and luckily we had two injectors ready! Injector no 3 & 4 were malfunctioning.

The question's are-

What's the guarantee these injectors will not fail again during my next trip?.........

The rpm fluctuation issue still remains in my Duster and in some of my friends Duster till now. It might need an Ecu update which the Duster's in Europe have received long back but still in India we are not getting a solution!

Hope Renault higher up's are reading this post!

My observation:

It seems you were well aware about the niggles associated with your Duster. What's interesting is the moment those lights flashed on the dashboard in the wee hours, the very next moment you came to the conclusion that injectors had failed! What happens post that is of vital importance: your successful attempt via an acquaintance to acquire an injector, the trusted ASS back home doing its bid to provide you remote assistance, the same trusted ASS coordinating with nearest ASS to update them about the situation, the nearest ASS assisting in terms of replacing the injectors.

The scenario exhibits an owner's perspicacity in terms of pointing out the failed part, the back home ASS efforts in going out of his way to coordinate with another nearest ASS. The nearest ASS doing the job.

The pertinent questions that you have put across to Renault are something many other Duster owners may have had the moment they ended up facing such an issue.

Originally Posted by Samba

Duster completes 1 year 1 month with 11,814 km on the odo.

Lets start with the negative-

The only niggle which has cropped up yet again is, the fuel meter malfunctioned twice this month. I have called up Renault service center and updated them. Now they are suspecting a faulty fuel sensor or lose wiring. Am yet to give them a visit.

Originally Posted by Samba

Odo reads 20,000 km

Few updates-

The not so good part-

I topped up the coolant at 17,500 km mark from Min-Max. After 2,500 km, it again came down to Min. Am not sure whether there is a leak or it's evaporating. This much dip in 2,500 km is not acceptable. I topped up the coolant again till Max mark yesterday.

Originally Posted by Samba

21,000 km up

The not so good part-

A niggle surfaced. In the last 3,000 km the car required 1L coolant top-up.
On an average, for every 1000 km there is a dip of 300 ml roughly.
No visible leak could be found, I checked the engine oil too, but couldn't find any trace of coolant by blotting paper test or from the dipstick.

Originally Posted by Samba

24,000 km & an interesting update.

The coolant consuming issue was finally solved after a couple of visits to the service center. In the first visit the car was kept for 26 days and on the 2nd visit the car was kept for 18 days. Total 44 + 1 (In Aug to change the EGR cooler) = 45 days.

At the first visit the EGR cooler was changed, but the problem persisted.


On 1st September I gave the car to Renault Budgebudge.

1st September - 26th September

They did the following-

Radiator & hoses - Checked
Coolant reservoir and cap- checked
Pressure test for 12 hours at 2.8 bar for the whole cooling system - Checked
Heating coil by opening the dashboard - Checked
Head Gasket- Replaced
Test for checking warpage in engine head & block - Checked
Water pump - Checked
Oil-water heat exchanger- Checked
EGR cooler - Replaced

& according to them, all the above were fine.

Still the coolant level was going down in the same rate.

The multiple quotes that I have attempted to pick up from your thread relate to two persistent issues other than the well known injector failing issue that you had experienced.

One of those issues : The slow yet persistent coolant leakage issue which enabled you to perform periodic top ups. The second is a quirky one: The fuel meter gauge intermittently providing false reading.

The innumerable hit and trial methods employed by your trusted ASS in order to fix the coolant leakage issue to an extent that at one point the car was with the ASS for multiple days until the technical team arrives in order to finally fix the issue.

Another set of hit and trial methods employed by your trusted ASS in order to fix the second persistent issue that I have stated above. One wonders, why didn't the technical team look into the second issue when they had looked into the first and came out with the best solution.

Its to the relief of the owner of this vehicle that the total number of hit and trial methods employed in order to fix those two persistent issues came under the arbor of warranty, which acted as a big time relief for the owner of the vehicle. Its to my utter amazement that the parent company seems to have given "enough bandwidth" --lack of a better word-- to their ASS operations to continue with such methods.

This thread bears the hallmark of a meticulous, perspicacious owner who knows the niggles associated with the Duster back and forth, and has those in the back of his mind. That 3 am incident in the post #81 is a testament to that. The owner is well aware of what goes under the hood of the car, and it may not be far from truth that multiple times he may have been spot on in terms of figuring out which part has gone bad. Therefore, credit to you for providing us with the useful information about your Duster. The credit is due to the home based ASS who has been persistent in terms of fixing the issue's brought up by the owner of the vehicle to their attention. Albeit at the expense of multiple hit and trial methods employed by them.

This thread is definitely worth a read and I will go through it again in future.

[nettooran]

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23

Damn, Renault's maintenance charges are quite high compared to other compact SUVs. Rear brake shoes and shockers should easily last well past 60k kms, it seems to be a sign of mediocre part quality. Also, can you please tell why the tappet cover required replacement twice?

I am not sure of that. Every person I know with a duster including mine has replaced the rear pads only after 60k. Even for the front pads, I have changed the second one only at 1L.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23

Damn, Renault's maintenance charges are quite high compared to other compact SUVs. Rear brake shoes and shockers should easily last well past 60k kms, it seems to be a sign of mediocre part quality.

Exactly my thought.

Originally Posted by Samba

List of parts changed under warranty-


Parts replaced due to wear & tear-

More than the above feeling, the list is too long for 60,000 km run vehicle. Whether parts changed under warranty or on you own, there are too many parts in the list. I wouldn't go one part by one, but I'd not be comfortable if the car has to go through so many parts replacement.

Just for reference, other than the accident repairs, for my current ride the wear and tear parts replacement was limited to timing belt change, accessory belt change, front dampers, brake pads once and 1 set of tyre change. The car is run 123,000 kms.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23

Damn, Renault's maintenance charges are quite high compared to other compact SUVs. Rear brake shoes and shockers should easily last well past 60k kms, it seems to be a sign of mediocre part quality. Also, can you please tell why the tappet cover required replacement twice?

The problem is with the wheel cylinder. I had to replace it under warranty. The faulty wheel cylinder was the primary reason for the premature failure of the rear brake shoes.

1st tappet cover was replaced when Renault ASS decided to change the head gasket.
The 2nd change was not at all expected. We assume that, either the replaced part was faulty or the installation by the mechanic was not proper.

The rear shock-absorbers in the AWD has lesser life. They last much longer in the Duster 2wd models. Sadly we can't install the Duster 2wd shockabsorbers in the AWD variant.

Originally Posted by Bismaya

The costs aren't that expensive even though it's a diesel. Good to know that the parts got replaced under warranty.

Lotus Resort is a great place for weekend getaway. I am planning on visiting the Ecoretreat again for the festival during the Christmas time. Here's some parting shots of my car the last time I took the pics on Marine Drive Road.

Awesome shots of your new car. I indeed loved my stay at the Lotus Eco resort.

Regarding the expenses, I feel it's on the higher side. Am sure, maintaining your Kiger will be much more economical than the Duster.

Originally Posted by architect_santo

Congratulations on your car ownership sir, you maintain your car with love and passion as most of us do that. Although 2.75 laks worth parts changed on FOC basis seems like good customer friendly policy from Renault side,

2.75L is indeed on the higher side, but some early detection of the faults could have saved a lot. Changing the wring harness after the first injector failure could have saved the price of the next 3 injectors! 90k savings!

To detect the coolant leak, the head gasket and EGR was replaced. An accurate detection of the problem could have saved atleast 25k.

For the faulty fuel meter, starting from the fuel tank, fuel float, dashboard wiring harness everything was replaced. Am sure detecting the actual culprit could have save a lot!

So in actual case the faults were-
An Engine Wiring harness- Rs 17,000
A radiator joint leakage- Rs 12,000
An injector - Rs 30,000
For the fuel meter let me assume another - Rs 30,000

So the total should have been well below 1 Lac!

Originally Posted by ritedhawan

This is a Nice thread. Read all your important service interval posts which are part of this thread and they are worth getting back to again and again!

You have done a spot on analysis. I just gave the breakups above to Bhpian architect_santo on what exactly went wrong.

I have done a lot of research on this vehicle. I even know how to change the injectors in a 110ps Duster! I have spare injectors, OBD scanner and tool kit in my car!

Renault has not solved the injector issue of the Duster 110 ps engine for this whole 10 years and this in one word is pathetic.

The common problems of a Duster AWD are-
Injector failures
Rear shock absorbers have less life.
Some cars had issues with their high pressure fuel pump.
Rear brake cylinders are prone to failure after every 30-40k km.

Originally Posted by nettooran

I am not sure of that. Every person I know with a duster including mine has replaced the rear pads only after 60k. Even for the front pads, I have changed the second one only at 1L.

My car see a lot of hill driving. May be that can be a cause, my car's front brake pads do not last beyond 30,000 km. Though my other cars with similar usage gave better brake pad life.

Originally Posted by shipnil

Exactly my thought.

More than the above feeling, the list is too long for 60,000 km run vehicle. Whether parts changed under warranty or on you own, there are too many parts in the list. I wouldn't go one part by one, but I'd not be comfortable if the car has to go through so many parts replacement.

I just shared the detailed reason here. But thankfully, all these issues have been sorted since the 40,000 km mark. It's running pretty well now. Plus the 60,000 km service didn't require any parts replacement due to wear and tear. It was just the service. Let's see how it goes.

Next year my car will turn 5.
So I will have to pay the road tax. In the beginning I was thinking to exchange this car with a new one. But as the car is running trouble free and turning out to be reliable off-late, I feel it's best to retain the Duster now!

I test drove the Hyryder AWD. It's no match for the Duster in terms of power and off-road capability.

Test drove the Thar Petrol- It was not practical, less comfortable, unusable rear seats and it goes hardly 8 km for a liter of petrol! So for a 5,000 km road trip, a Thar petrol will cost me Rs 25,000-30,000 more, if I compare the fuel cost with my Duster!

ScorpioN 4x4 - I do not want to enter into the BS6 DPF issues, as my cars see a lot of high altitude drives.

Force Gurkha- Though I like the vehicle, it will be difficult for me to live with it, unless they provide a more powerful engine for highway cruising.

Though the Jimny is on it's way, am not sure how comfortable it will be, or how good a highway cruiser it's going to be!

So maybe when Renault relaunch the next gen petrol Duster AWD, it can replace my current Duster AWD!

So unless I get something exciting or the itch to buy a new car hit me badly, I will retain the Duster!

[drsachin]

This seems to be a case of car companies employing sophisticated technologies but it's not matched by competent mechanics. When a car owner knows more about the fault then the OEM mechanic, this shows the sorry state of affairs. What do these car companies expect the owner do so degree course in car mechanics before buying their car.
Hyundai suffers from same syndrome. I never felt comfortable with most Delhi NCR survice centres. A little conversation tells you that most mechanics don't have any idea even about engine oil grades or coolant types forget any sophisticated fault diagnosis. Most of the time, my diagnosis is better then the service centre's diagnosis.
Anyway now that your car has turned 5years, it must be out of warranty. In initial years it required 2.75 lacs worth of repairs.In the next 5 years this could be double of that from your own pocket. Even if the car is good but the service centres seen to indulge with hit and trial methods which will very costly from own pocket. So any wise person would suggest you to get rid of this white elephant.

[Samba]

Odo reads 64,000 km & Duster is back from a 5,000+ km trip from winter Spiti!

When I bough the Duster AWD in 2018, I had two trips in mind. One was Sandakphu & the other was Winter Spiti. The Duster completed both the trips with flying colors!

Now let me start with the negatives-

1) It snowed all throughout the night, the outside temperature was -11c. We went with 3 Dusters. Tried to start all the cars in the morning. The rest two started in the first crank, but mine refused to start. I immediately knew something was a miss.
2 to 3 times I put the ignition on for 30 secs and allowed the glow-plugs to heat the cylinders, but still the car was not starting. I put the OBD, and the rpm was not going over 280 to 300 rpm while cranking.
I checked the error codes and voila! The culprit was detected. One of the glow plugs failed!

Just beside our homestay there was a mechanic. Along with him, we poured some hot water on the diesel filter, primed the diesel filter valve. The engine slowly started to come back to life. But by then we have already cranked around 10 times. I was afraid the battery might drain out. So decided, not to take a chance and use the jump start cable. We put it on Bhpian Arays Duster, revved it to 2500 rpm and cranked my car. On the next 2-3 attempts the engine came into life.

The next two nights at Kaza, we kept the engine on from 11 pm to 7 am. After leaving kaza, once the temperature was over 0 degree C, the car started without any fuss, even with a failed glow plug.

2) On a steep down slope with a sharp turn, the road was covered with black ice. Even in first gear, Duster reached a speed of 25 km/hr. It fishtailed a bit. That was scary. Missed a low range at the time. With a lowrange gear box, I could have taken the down slope on a more controlled way, as on blackice we can't touch the brakes!

Now the positives-

I was in two minds. This year the Duster will turn 5 and here in West Bengal, we have to pay the road tax every 5 years & after 5 years the Duster will be out of warranty too. So whether to keep the car or sell the car. After this trip, I decided to retain the Duster.

Reasons-

1) The car is running more or less in a reliable way. Apart from some minor niggles, no major problems in the last 30,000 km.

2) It's a brilliant long distance tourer.

3) The car is robustly built. It can take rough terrains without a sweat.

4) The 52L diesel tank gives a very good range.

5) Got an mileage of 14+ km/L for the whole trip.

6) Driving on snow or slush is just like a cake walk. I do not even had to engage the 4wd lock mode. The auto mode did the job exceptionally well.

7) The ESP & ABS worked like a charm on slippery surfaces.

8) The heater kept us warm even at -15 c.

9) This car is damn comfortable for long hauls. The driver just do not feel any fatigue even after driving for 1000+ km in a day.

10) All the 3 Dusters performed brilliantly. Apart from a failed glow plug, and a flat tyre on Bhpian mountain_deep's Duster, there was absolutely no issues with the cars.

Will write the travelogue shortly. Till then sharing few pics from the trip-

























And a mandatory wash after the trip. This time I tried My Carz Studio in Chinarpark, Rajarhat. They did an excellent job. They washed the car thoroughly and now it's shinning like new!

[ritedhawan]

Originally Posted by Samba

Odo reads 64,000 km & Duster is back from a 5,000+ km trip from winter Spiti!

2) On a steep down slope with a sharp turn, the road was covered with black ice. Even in first gear, Duster reached a speed of 25 km/hr. It fishtailed a bit. That was scary. Missed a low range at the time. With a lowrange gear box, I could have taken the down slope on a more controlled way, as on blackice we can't touch the brakes!

I am assuming that you were falling short of traction when going down hill. If that was the case then why not deflate tires lets say to the value of 10-15 PSi in order for the tires to act like elephant feet---figurative meaning!.

Now the positives-

I was in two minds. This year the Duster will turn 5 and here in West Bengal, we have to pay the road tax every 5 years & after 5 years the Duster will be out of warranty too. So whether to keep the car or sell the car. After this trip, I decided to retain the Duster.

Without a doubt, good decision to retain the Duster. Albeit wary of one or the other part replacement.

Eagerly waiting for the travelogue.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by ritedhawan

I am assuming that you were falling short of traction when going down hill. If that was the case then why not deflate tires lets say to the value of 10-15 PSi in order for the tires to act like elephant feet---figurative meaning!.

In fresh snow bringing down the psi will help you gain traction, but in black ice, it will increase the contact patch and it may skid more. So on black ice it's better not to reduce the PSI. Our biggest mistake was not putting the snow chains on the black ice.

[Samba]

We had a Duster owners meet on 5th March. There were eight Duster AWDs & one Duster 110ps, 2wd.

The highest driven Duster was the 2nd face-lift 110 ps, 2wd with 110,000 km on it's odo, while the youngest was the 3rd face-lift Duster AWD with 30,000 km on it's odo. Most of the Dusters had an odo reading between 60,000 to 90,000 km.

The only common dialogue among all the owners were, none wants to sell their Dusters now, as the best possible upgrade, the Compass AWD costs a whopping 35 lac on road, whereas the Scorpio N 4x4 which still looks VFM has waiting period of more than a year!

The good thing was, despite all the know issues everyone was happy with their Dusters!

Pics from the meet-



















No fun without going a bit of up & down!















The Thar belongs to Bhpian AnishD. We had a tasty snacks at his place 'The Big Bite' before wrapping up the meet.

[Mr.Fawlty]

Hello @Samba, excellent write up, and stunning photos! Owning a Duster, I suppose, does something to one. Or, at least, has done to me! I still turn around to admire one that passes by, whist driving mine. I can't think of a suitable replacement/upgrade.

If you'd be so kind to advise, please. I'm (sort of) new in the city.

Originally Posted by Samba

Got the service done from Renault Budgebudge. They again did a fantastic job

Is this listed as Renault Kolkata Central? Any experience with Kolkata South Service (Rameswar Shaw Road) or the one in Barasat? I'm located in the New Town area and the South branch seems to be nearest. Mine has always been serviced in ASSs in Bangalore to my complete satisfaction, and I'm skeptical of experience in unfamiliar service centers.

Originally Posted by Samba

We had a Duster owners meet on 5th March. There were eight Duster AWDs & one Duster 110ps, 2wd.

Fantastic pics! Nine of those beasts together, would surely have turned many heads, despite the zillion swanky new crossovers the roads are full of. Perhaps a humble 85ps 2wd could join next time, to see the big brothers play? :-)

[Samba]

Originally Posted by Samba

I checked the error codes and voila! The culprit was detected. One of the glow plugs failed!

Took the car to the Renault service center at Budgebudge last Saturday. They connected their laptop to the OBD port and indeed a glow plug was the culprit. The 2nd one failed.
I asked them to replace all four, but they assured the rest three are absolutely fine and tested them individually. So they replaced the faulty one.
Got a thorough checkup done for the car too, and asked them to rotate the tyres. Everything was absolutely fine.
Damage to pocket Rs 1269.

Current odo reading is 64,750 km. Covered only 700 km in last two months.

Originally Posted by Mr.Fawlty

Is this listed as Renault Kolkata Central? Any experience with Kolkata South Service (Rameswar Shaw Road) or the one in Barasat? Perhaps a humble 85ps 2wd could join next time, to see the big brothers play? :-)

Yes, it is listed as Kolkata Central. During my first service at Renault Barasat, my experience was not that great. From then I shifted to Renault Budgebudge (Kolkata central). Since then my experience over there is fantastic, so I have not tried the one at Parkcircus, hence I can't comment on how good or bad they are.

You are more than welcome to join our Duster meets. I do not see an option to PM you and share the details. Am not sure whether it's legal to share my phone number directly in this forum. But since I can't PM you, am sharing my contact number here. Do connect me at 9830031323.