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Old 21st March 2023, 15:17   #196
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

Thank you, so much. Very generous of you to share your number in an open forum. I've noted your number; will be in touch with you for sure, sir.
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Old 17th April 2023, 21:58   #197
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

65,000 km update

The running has been low for the past 3 months. In Jan end after the Winter Spiti trip the odo reading was at 64,000 km. Driven only 1,000 km since then.

No niggles or any sort of problems cropped up after the trip. Everything is absolutely fine.

Attended an OTR with Kolkata Offroaders in the meantime. This event had a lots of driving through water and slush, while the outside temperature was more than 40 degree C.
The car performed beyond my expectations, specially on the river crossings. Duster as usual was good on slush. The Ac was turned off during the water crossings, on rest of the time the AC kept the cabin chilled in that heat!

Post OTR got a thorough wash of the underbelly by opening all the 4 wheels and made sure there was no unwanted soil stuck anywhere.

Actions from the OTR-





Sharing few pics-

Duster AWD among a sea of SUVs.

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-338218656_927721055038099_685792628227396954_n.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-338172694_1383573439105554_5222185965943193755_n.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-338402534_546785590671393_2581315047172582997_n.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-338223068_1326517511538160_3953712889458720725_n.jpg

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Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-338205740_772146141103685_3781581054591011035_n.jpg
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Old 19th June 2023, 01:28   #198
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

66,000 km update

The self was taking an extra round to start the engine. I got the battery checked, but the results were fine, though I still have my doubts on the condition of the 2 years old battery. Off-late the usage of the Duster is quite low, so this can be a reason as well.

Still, I put the OBD & scanned for any error codes. It again showed a problem with the Glow plugs.

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-5b8f69c856dd49c8b64ebb539d171386.jpg

Last time in Feb, I got one of the glow plugs replaced, and again I got the same error. Took the car to the service center, and got it checked. They confirmed that, the 3rd and 4th one have failed. During the Spiti trip in Jan, the 2nd one failed, and I got that replaced in Feb. So this time I got the rest 3 replaced, & kept the one which was fine, as a spare.
Damage to pocket - Rs 3,300.

During a rain drive, I noticed that the wiper washer fluid was not coming out from the nozzles. Tried to clean them with a wire, and sprayed WD40, but it was of no use.

Had to open the rubber pipes from inside the bonnet, and sprayed WD40 from inside, till it came out through the opposite end of the nozzles. Kept it for 20 mins, and refitted the pipes back. Thankfully the clogging got cleared, and now it's working fine.

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_6324.jpg

Barring these two niggles, the car is running fine.
Am getting a constant mileage of 15-16 km/L in city, which is actually pretty good.

Last edited by Samba : 19th June 2023 at 01:35.
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Old 19th June 2023, 08:15   #199
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

Quote:
Originally Posted by Samba View Post
.. This event had a lots of driving through water and slush..
Hi Samba, love the way you are putting the Duster to good use.

One thing about water crossings through.. Water crossings always create more issues than worth doing it. Though not immediate effects, gradual effects also create so much headache. Like failing starter, alternator, wheel bearing issues, CV Joints etc etc...

You can not diagnose where water is and prevent the damage. Especially since its a beautiful car and you plan on using it daily, I'd suggest avoid water.. Completely.
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Old 19th June 2023, 08:43   #200
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

Quote:
Originally Posted by dhanushs View Post
One thing about water crossings through.. Water crossings always create more issues than worth doing it. Though not immediate effects, gradual effects also create so much headache. Like failing starter, alternator, wheel bearing issues, CV Joints etc etc...
Thanks Dhanush.

I 100% agree with you. I generally try to avoid waterlogged streets too.
This otr was supposed to happen on a dry riverbed, & a lot of driving on the sand was expected.
A week prior to the otr when the recce was done, the water level was quite low. But unfortunately a couple of days before the otr it rained, and the water level increased. Even we were a bit surprised!
Now to reach the otr location, we had no other options left other than crossing this portion of the river. And on top of it the sand was wet & slushy.

Had I known this earlier, by no means I would have taken the Duster, I would have taken a jeep for the OTR.

After the otr the Duster got a thorough washing by opening all the four wheels, but it still hurts.

Last edited by Samba : 19th June 2023 at 08:51.
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Old 15th July 2023, 16:03   #201
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

69,000 km Update (Duster is back from another 2,500 km trip through Odisha & Chhattisgarh).

Took the duster for a monsoon drive through the forests and hills of Odisha & Chhattisgarh. A bit tied up with work, will try to compile the travelogue soon.

More than 1000 km of our drive was on single-lane highways through forests, hills, & ghats, with constant rain.

The car performed brilliantly. I got an excellent mileage of 16.3 km/L for the whole trip. The cruising speed I maintained was between 90-110 km/hr for majority of the drive.

I used a can of Liqui Moly diesel additive in this trip. I have no idea if it was a placebo effect or not, the NVH level felt a tad better.

One sore point from this trip was, my car's front windshield got chipped by a stone coming from a trucks tyre. Right now I have decided to try some DIY with those kits available online. If the crack increases with time, will get the glass replaced.

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_6588.jpg

The 70,000 km service is now due. The last service was done at 59,000 km, and the odo is already about to reach the 69,000 km mark. Planned to get the service done in August 1st week. Till then will refrain from using the Duster as much as possible.

Few pics from the trip.

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_2914.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_2915.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_2962.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_2995-1.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_3016.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_3047.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_3055.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_3176-5.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_3297.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-new-folder-2.jpg

The mandatory wash after a trip

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_6604.jpg

Last edited by Samba : 15th July 2023 at 16:19.
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Old 5th August 2023, 23:45   #202
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

Got the 70,000 km (8th) service done with a current odo reading of 69,150 km

This was just a routine service.
Parts replaced-
Engine oil (Mineral)
Oil Filter
Ac Filter
Air filter
General checkup
Diesel filter (This was not a scheduled change, Renault, suggests to change it at every 20,000km, but as we know the 110 ps Duster is sensitive to bad fuel, I change it at every 10,000 km)
Two under body protection clamps came off during an off-road drive. Got them replaced.

Total Damage to pocket- Rs 10,668

The car will turn 5 on 1st September. So another two big expenses are due this month. One will be the 5th year Road tax which will be roughly Rs 71,000, & the other will be the insurance which should be around Rs 16,000.

A detailed break-up on the expenses to maintain the car during these 5 years -

1st free service (2,000 km)- Rs 45
2nd free service (10,000 km)- Rs 5864
3rd Free Service (20,000 km)- Rs 9343
4th Service (30,000 km)- Rs 9289
5th Service (40,000 km)- Rs 27,373 (Unscheduled replacements: Diesel filter, & rear shock-absorber for both side.)
6th Service (50,000 km)- Rs 23,300 (Unscheduled replacements : Brakepads, brake shoes, Tappet cover, wiper blade, underbelly protection clamp, Diesel filter)
7th Service 60,000 km)- Rs 21,327
8th Service (70,000 km) - Rs 10,668 (Unscheduled replacements : Underbelly protection clamps, Diesel filter)
Total- Rs- 107,209

The unscheduled visits to the service centre-

Running repair- Rs144
Running Repair- Rs 3088
Running Repair- Rs 144
Running Repair- Rs 4,881
Running Repair- Rs 687
Running repair- Rs 2925
Running Repair- Rs 3030
Running repair- Rs 911
Running Repair- Rs 1003
Running repair- Rs 4875
Body Shop- Rear Bumper Paint- Rs 4012

4 Tyres- Rs 29,000
1 new Battery - Rs 6,200

Total- 60,900

Running repair includes parts like -

Front brake pads- Twice
Rear brake shoes - Once
4 Glow plugs
Turbo Hose O ring
Tappet cover

Parts changed under warranty (FOC)-

Injectors, when they failed in quick succession during the initial days.

After changing the engine wiring harness, & dashboard wiring harness, Renault again proactively changed all 4 injectors together.

Reason- Consecutive injector failures during the first 36,000 km.
Status- Solved.

Fuel tank, float, Cluster meter
Reason- Erratic fuel meter behaviour.
Status- Solved.

EGR, head gasket, Radiator & hose.
Reason- Renault ASS was clueless to find the actual reason for coolant consumption.
As a trial and error they changed so many parts. The actual culprit was a leaking radiator joint hose!
Status- Solved.

Rear wheel cylinders

Steering angle sensor

The total Expenditure for 5 years & 70,000 km = Rs 168,109
So the maintenance cost comes to Rs 2.40 per Km for 5 years & 70,000 km.


The above list do not include costs like- Fuel, Insurance or Road Tax.

As of now enjoying the monsoon in West Bengal!

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_6439.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_6696.jpg

& Oh, did I just say- Slush is good?

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_6701.jpg

Last edited by Aditya : 6th August 2023 at 07:23. Reason: As requested
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Old 6th August 2023, 10:31   #203
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

Quote:
Originally Posted by Samba View Post
Got the 70,000 km (8th) service done with a current odo reading of 69,150 km

(This was not a scheduled change, Renault, suggests to change it at every 20,000km, but as we know the 110 ps Duster is sensitive to bad fuel, I change it at every 10,000 km)

Attachment 2486065
Nice to hear your Renault Duster reaching 70k KM mark and that too within the 5 year timespan. Proactive change of the Diesel filter is on the lines of 'Preventive maintenance'. So that is well worth it.

This thread has becomes a go-to thread for anyone owning a similar vehicle. Thanks for sharing.
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Old 14th August 2023, 15:54   #204
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

My Duster has reached 65000 odd kilometers in the 6 years of ownership, and has largely been niggle free. I come to you guys to ask about this hard left pull on the steering when driving. I have almost new Conti tyres, and even the rims were changed about the same time to MOMO's without change of size. I have tried multiple rounds of alignment, and balancing but to no avail. I even showed it to a mechanic who worked on some arm but there has been no improvement.

The car is pulling left, and you really have to hold the steering hard to the right to keep it in check on the highways. At about 110kmph, the steering wobbles just like it would if the tyres were poorly balanced.

Any suggestions where to look apart from the tyres. This is really taking away the driving pleasure of an otherwise amazing car. FYI, I have the 4x4 Adventure version.
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Old 14th August 2023, 23:23   #205
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

Quote:
Originally Posted by pratyaksh View Post
The car is pulling left, and you really have to hold the steering hard to the right to keep it in check on the highways. At about 110kmph, the steering wobbles just like it would if the tyres were poorly balanced.
Check for uneven wear on the tyre treads.
Get the suspension checked at Renault.
Rotate the tyres.
Inspect the tyres for any uneven wear, flat spot, or bulge.

Use the below values for alignment, and get it done for both the front as well as the rear tyres.

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-474c7168e4774d3cbd55470d14417556.jpg

I somehow have a hunch that your tyre alignment shop is goofing it up. Vibration post 110 km/hr is a clear indication of faulty wheel balancing. I will suggest you to change the shop, and try these out at some other reputed tyre shop who deals with alignment and balancing.
Find a shop with a new and well calibrated machine.

This should sort the issue.

Last edited by Samba : 14th August 2023 at 23:29.
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Old 21st August 2023, 22:56   #206
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

Quote:
Originally Posted by Samba View Post
Find a shop with a new and well calibrated machine.

This should sort the issue.
Took it to the agency and everything is A-OK after a round of alignment and balancing ... Thanks a ton Samba
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Old 1st September 2023, 00:00   #207
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

My Duster turns 5 with 69,300 km on the Odo.

This year was the time to take some critical decisions as to whether to retain the Duster or to sell it off. The best time for selling it would have been in February, just after returning from the Winter Spiti trip. But the way the Duster performed during the trip, it was very difficult to let the car go!

This August, the 5-year road tax, insurance, and the 70,000 km service - all were due, plus the car would go out of warranty.

So I was in two minds, whether to spend this amount on the Duster, or to go for a new car after all.

We decided to retain the Duster, and ended up spending aound Rs 97,000 on all these.
5 years road tax - Rs 71,000
Insurance - Rs 15,500 (B2B, thanks to Bhpian Sayata)
70,000 km service - Rs 10,500

My reasons to retain the Duster is a story to tell.

The hunt for a new car began in Oct 2022.

Cars considered-

Toyota Hyryder AWD-

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_3874.jpg

Checked the Hyryder AWD. But I couldn't justify paying Rs 20L for a car which will have better features than the Duster, but will be a downgrade in terms of engine specs and capability. I am not even bothered about some of the features.

ScorpioN 4x4-

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_3923.jpg

Then we checked out the ScorpioN 4X4, and I was impressed with the car. But thinking about the future of diesels, and the DPF issues related to all the BS6 diesel cars, I let it go.

Mahindra Thar Petrol-

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_4160.jpg

After the ScorpioN, I checked out the petrol Thar. I absolutely loved this car. Diesel was not a consideration since I wanted to stay away from a BS6 diesel. Nevertheless, after some quick math, I let it go too.

For a 5,000 km road trip to the hills, considering the mileage to be 8-9km/L, the fuel cost was adding up to roughly Rs 65,000. For the same distance, my Duster will require fuel worth Rs 32,000 considering a mileage of 15-16 km/L. For every 5,000 km I have to roughly pay Rs 30,000 more for my fuel bills!
On top of this, the rear seat of the Thar is uncomfortable for long-drives. Plus, the boot space is too little to carry luggage for a 15-day road trip.

Maruti Jimny-

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_5847.jpg

There was nothing to dislike in the Jimny. Reliable, old-school Maruti, globally recognised, returns a decent mileage too. Everything was in its favour. A couple of things which I didn't like about the Jimny - firstly, was its rear seat. It won't be a comfortable place for my parents to travel 500 km+ in a day, & this car will lack the punch which the Duster provides on the highway. Though I prefer cruising between 90-110km/hr, still the short high-speed sprints will be missed!
But this car will always be in my consideration.
Heart says Thar, mind says Jimny!

There is a news that Renault may relaunch the Duster again with the 1.3L turbo and AWD. If Renault really launch this, and price it correctly, will definitely consider this in the future.

As of now my Duster is running without any trouble for the past few years. After the initial niggles got ironed out, it is slowly proving out to be reliable.

No car currently will give me this combo- Economical diesel, decently powerful, fun to drive on the highways, can off-road pretty well, damn comfortable with decent amount of space. Plus there are no issues with spare parts availability. The only flip side is, the maintenance cost of this car is on the higher side when compared to the other cars from the same segment. But again is there another car from the same segment that will provide so many things in the same package?

Plus, whenever I thought of selling the Duster, Sukanya aka Bhpian DogNDamsel12 was hell bent on retaining this car. She went to an extent, that she will buy this car from me, but I can't sell it to anyone else.
So after spending few months on looking for a new car, I ended up retaining my 5-year-old car! So the Duster stays...!

Few fun facts-

Together we have completed 34 road trips.

Driving on the snow - Check

Driving on the sand - Check

Driving on the beach - Check

Driving on the slush - Check

Driving inside a forest - Check

Off-Roading in an OTR - Check

States covered-14

West Bengal
Odisha
Chhattisgarh
Madhya Pradesh
Jharkhand
Bihar
Uttarpradesh
Uttarakhand
Sikkim
Assam
Arunachal Pradesh
Meghalaya
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh

Sharing some pics for its birthday memories -

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-duster-3.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-duster-6.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-duster-7.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-duster-9.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-duster1.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-duster.jpg

Last edited by Samba : 1st September 2023 at 00:09.
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Old 1st September 2023, 00:45   #208
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

Dear Duster, wish you a very Happy 5th Birthday.

Here's reminding Bhpian Samba why you are what you are, and so that he can keep holding on to you forever.

You have given me so many memories in such a short span, and despite your OTR streaks, you remain so comfortable on the inside.

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img_4038.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img20210407wa0003.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img20230111205944.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img20230111175515.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-20211112_225916.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img20210902wa0092.jpg

And just ensuring that if Samba does decide to sell, I have your back!

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img20230606200537.jpg

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-img20230126wa0021.jpg

Loads of love!


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Old 1st September 2023, 09:22   #209
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

Belated happy birthday to your Duster. Apologies if I am unable to recall its pet name, if any.

On today’s date, Duster is a vehicle with a unique proposition that no other vehicle can provide even in the future with a sub-15L price bracket. Apart from the known whimsical injectors and higher maintenance costs, nothing can be perceived as cons in this car.

5 years back, I needed a vehicle with the basic requirement of having a 4WD drivetrain, carrying two people to places, and a factory-fitted AC under 10L ex-showroom price. I was late into the 4WD spaces, and there was only one option to tick all these checkboxes. If I could dispense with the last parameter, despite being an AWD, the Duster was the only car, I was trying the best to get my hands on. However, I still drool at properly maintained Duster AWDs, and virtually feel the real fun the owners are having by going through the forum!

However, some talks from the head first.

The short-listing of the replacement vehicles you mentioned made me invoke some of my own automotive principles (while staying in India). Nowadays, I consider a car to evaluate it mostly from the utilitarian POV. Even with the defined requirements and use case, I try to retain and maintain a car as long as possible and as long it caters to my needs. In general, 160K km is the tacitly declared life of a standard Indian vehicle. With proper care, this number can multiply manifold. No doubt, in your hand, Duster can see many more happy returns of this day.

Smaller diesel-powered private cars are no longer an option after the promulgation of RDE norms in India. While people are cursing the manufacturers for this, I prefer to look into the flip side of this coin. It is the road infrastructure and the traffic situation of India that failed the so-called technology, which is successful in other continents. Moreover, the ever-tightening norms by NGT (especially in NCR) rendered BS6 diesels to be defunct sooner. I always suggest people to retain their BS4 diesels as these gems are becoming a rare species with the passage of time.

Now from the heart—Any vehicle we have so many memories to cherish with is hard to let go of. The severance of the bonding developed over time with the car is always painful. I fondly remember, a few days back, how I was persistent in convincing a fellow bhpian and Duster owner not to let go of his Duster. Rather, I suggested having as many vehicles as he wishes to quench the thirst of driving fun unless parking is a constraint. Hopefully, he will pay heed to my suggestion at least after reading your birthday-cum-decision-making post. :-)

Wishing you and DogNDamsel12 many more happy miles and memories with the Duster.

Signing off,
Blooming Flower.

Last edited by Blooming Flower : 1st September 2023 at 09:27.
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Old 2nd September 2023, 16:17   #210
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Re: Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view

Happy birthday Lalmohon babu.
The vehicle has a very close resemblance to the famous character Mr Lalmahon of Feluda highly underrated but packs a punch when the time arrives.

Having owned a similar AWD, I can clearly resonate the thoughts you have the unfortunate truth is at least in the Indian market there is no easy replacement of this vehicle. We love this vehicle not because we own one but because we drive one !

This is the latest iteration of Dacia Duster and I see it plying on the roads of UK and on the nooks and corners of uncharted meadow. Folks in EU prefer it because of its simplicity and effectiveness. I hope this one arrives in India soon.

Renault Duster AWD : An owner's point of view-daciadusterextremelimitededition.jpg

Last edited by ARAY : 2nd September 2023 at 16:20.
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