[Samba]

Got a thorough checkup done at Renault Budgebudge.
Odo reading is at 15,500 km mark.

Firstly checked the fuel back flow values for all the four injectors. They connected 4 pipes and took a measuring bottle to take the value. The reading for all the four injectors came as 20 ml. They did the test twice and the value came same for the second time too.
15 ml to 27 ml is considered okay. They change the injectors, once it's above 27 ml. Above 30 ml the injectors start to malfunction totally. According to the technical team, 20 ml is a healthy value.

Renault Bongaigaon found the reading to be 28 ml. So they had to change it during my Arunachal trip. The warning lights were getting on intermittently & the car was losing power.

Apart from the injectors, checked the front two brake pads, rear brake shoe's, rear brake lining and all the four shock-absorbers for any leaks. Everything seemed to be fine.

A normal OBD scanning was also done & no error codes were found.

As of now, things are looking good.

[Samba]

Duster completed 17,000 km with a 1300 km trip to Sandakphu!

The link of the travelogue-

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...sandakphu.html (A weekend road-trip from Kolkata to Sandakphu)

After this trip, am truly impressed with the capability of the Duster AWD. This is the first time the car was put to harsh test.

Sandakphu is thoroughly a 4wd territory, where a low range is always preferable. I was very skeptical in the beginning but the way Duster performed, it exceeded my expectation's.

It climbed the steepest inclines between 1900-2500 Rpm in auto mode with three persons on board.

A video for reference -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iOfxRhFqBI

Only at one instance i had to launch the car at 3000 Rpm, where i had to stop for a jeep coming from the opposite direction. To build momentum, i had to reverse 10 feet and launch at 3000 Rpm, plus that's the only point i used the 4wd lock on the inclines. May be it could have climbed up in auto mode itself, but i didn't took a chance at that place.
Apart from this, i used the lock at a place which was filled with big boulders and rocks.

While negotiating the big boulders the car scrapped twice or thrice. Luckily there was no major damage apart from two small bolts, which came off, from this bracket. This is a protective bracket placed at the bottom of the shockabsorber and can be used to jack up the car too. As of now, i have totally taken it off. Will get it fixed soon.

This is at the left side.



Attaching the pic of the same bracket on the right side, just for reference.



Attaching another video of the bad roads with boulders (At places the boulders were much worse than this) -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZCGi3uxe3s

An observation from this trip-

With the clutch pressed, Duster AWD do not rev beyond 3250 Rpm but in neutral without pressing the clutch the car revs till 5,000 Rpm. I confirmed the same from Bhpian Aray too. He is using a Duster AWD since 2016. This looks like a protective measure to save clutch burn at critical conditions.

Sharing the pics from the trip -

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by Samba

Duster completed 17,000 km with a 1300 km trip to Sandakphu!
The link of the travelogue-
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...sandakphu.html (A weekend road-trip from Kolkata to Sandakphu)
After this trip, am truly impressed with the capability of the Duster AWD. This is the first time the car was put to harsh test.
Sandakphu is thoroughly a 4wd territory, where a low range is always preferable. I was very skeptical in the beginning but the way Duster performed, it exceeded my expectation's. ......

Splendid Samba! The videos (like the earlier ones by other members making the trip) & photos give a graphic view of the drive! One more addition to the T-BHP Sandakphu Club!

[Samba]

Gave some necessary attention to the Duster after the Sandakphu trip.

In my last post, i mentioned two bolts fell from this protective bracket.



So got it fixed with 3 new bolts from Automate Kolkata at Rajarhat. Finding the bolts were a bit difficult, as the exact size was not matching. They took the bracket and went to a nearby shop, matched the size of the bolts & then fixed it. Thanks to them for giving so much time for this minor work.



Checked the engine oil level. It's 7,000 km since the oil change. I sent this pic to Ranault & they confirmed, this much dip in level is fine in a cold engine. This can easily do another 3,000 km. Still, i will keep a check on it at every 500 km.



Lastly Duster got it's deserved wash from Automate and now it's shining as new.

Originally Posted by shashanka

Splendid Samba! The videos (like the earlier ones by other members making the trip) & photos give a graphic view of the drive! One more addition to the T-BHP Sandakphu Club!

Thanks a ton.

This is the link of the toughest last 4 km climb to Sandakphu.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmr5hKIV9gw

[shashanka]

The final 4 kms - truly gripping! I followed the earlier videos from our other members and there's just one word - gripping!

When I'm in Kolkata next & if there's an opportunity to drive to any of the places you have mentioned in your travelogues, I shall look forward to getting in touch with you.

Regards,
Shashanka

[AJ-got-BHP]

Originally Posted by Samba

So got it fixed with 3 new bolts from Automate Kolkata at Rajarhat. Finding the bolts were a bit difficult, as the exact size was not matching. They took the bracket and went to a nearby shop, matched the size of the bolts & then fixed it. Thanks to them for giving so much time for this minor work.

As a make shift arrangement, they have used a much smaller thickness of bolts and nuts and affixed the plate with washers which is fair. Their Extra length might play foul in the long run. Suggest to find the correct bolt and nut for it or just get it riveted which is always a better option. Kudos on the accomplishment !!

[Samba]

Duster AWD in an OTR

Car was sparingly used for the last two months. The odo now stands at 17,300 km mark.

Niggle- During the last refueling, the fuel meter again refused to work! Will again get it checked during the 20,000 km service.

Last Sunday there was a Team-Bhp meet, followed by an OTR by Kolkata Offroaders.
This was my Duster's first visit to a Team-Bhp meet as well as an OTR.

In this post, I will focus on how Duster performs in an OTR.

Lets start with the negatives-

The skid plate is made of fiber, so in places where the approach angle is not sufficient and the skid plate needs to take the hit, it may get damaged.
I had to be extremely careful before taking the obstacles.

On paper the ground clearance is 210 mm, this is sufficient for touring or on broken tarmacs. But with the long wheelbase this is not sufficient in a OTR. The breakover angle fails in places where there is steep upward incline and then a sudden drop.
The car gets seesawed. So both front and rear wheels lose traction and you need to tow it out.





The tow hooks provided by Renault are very small. Normal sized shackles just do not fit in! The shackles which fit in my Etios, refused to fit in the Duster.

So we had to make a makeshift arrangement to tow it out. Buying small sized shackles are recommended.





Monocoque cross-overs have a very limited wheel articulation. Wheels tend to get airborne much earlier than the body on frame suv's.

Taking an obstacle like this, where we need to come down in a bit angular way is not much confidence inspiring. With a body on frame Suv & a proper 4L we can just steer it out by not touching the A, B & C pedals. Here we need to modulate the brake with a perfect balance like, we do not lock the wheel, yet we control the speed.
The rear right wheel was airborne in the below pic.



Checkout the limited articulation.



The plastic fuel tank in the underbelly do not have any protection, it's bare.

The handbrake cable is just attached by a small hook. It can snap in-case of an underbelly hit.

A low range is always missed!

The owners manual suggest, Duster should not be towed for a longer distance in case of a breakdown, it needs to be carried on a flatbed truck.
Bhpian 1100D pointed this as a negative, as flatbed trucks cant reach everywhere.
Plus for example in-case of a minor fan-belt snap or similar it will be a headache for the owner to arrange a flatbed.

Now the positives-

The 1st gear! The short ratio is superb, it can crawl up-to a good extent.

With 4wd lock and ESP off, the brake traction control gets on. It works well on sandy inclines, or slush.

The vital parts in the underbelly are mostly well protected.

This is a capable vehicle, if the driver knows the car well.

Is Duster a good vehicle for doing OTR's?

Depends! It's good on slush, sand. But when one need to negotiate rocks, it will be risky.
So I will mostly say, no it's not meant for OTR's. Leave it for the jeeps!

If someone really wants to take it, it wont disappoint. The driver has to be careful and in the hands of a capable driver Duster will indeed perform well.
If you do not have much offroad experience, do not take a Duster for an OTR! Drive a Jeep first, be well versed with the do's and don'ts of off-roading and then take the Duster.
It's an excellent vehicle for touring. During trips we hardly need to encounter obstacle's which we take on OTR's.

Few pics from the OTR-









Oh yes, I was happy with my Duster!

[ARAY]

Oh yes we are all happy with our Duster AWDs .
Recently did Hyderabad Kerala ( blog in progress ) and some mild Off-roading. This car never fails to impress !

Great going - look forward to the chronicles of Lal Mohon !

[dhanushs]

Hi,

Thanks for the honest comments on the 4WD capability of the duster. Very rarely do normal users venture for an off-road excursion with their road cars. When they do, most of them take out the 4x4 toys. As for the Duster, I feel it's still a road car - BUT - I personally think the AWD with center diff locks and a short ratio first gear is more than enough to tackle 99.5% of what normal users tackle in daily life, or even on expeditions.

Originally Posted by Samba

..
The tow hooks provided by Renault are very small. Normal sized shackles just do not fit in! The shackles which fit in my Etios, refused to fit in the Duster.

So we had to make a makeshift arrangement to tow it out. Buying small sized shackles are recommended. ...

You need to use a Gator Jaw (soft shackle) in cases like this.

[tacho9000]

Fantastic update to the thread dada. The way you are training your Duster is along the same lines of 5522. 4222 is already famous. Will be more famous over time. And keep updating this thread with happenings of your Duster adventures. Every TL and ownership report from you has been a treat to the eyes.

Regards,
Subhra

[Samba]

Originally Posted by Samba

Niggle- During the last refueling, the fuel meter again refused to work! Will again get it checked during the 20,000 km service.

Bhpian Ghostrider28 who owns a Duster AWD from 2014, suggested me to fill a tank-full of diesel, whenever the meter will malfunction. This should sort the issue. I did that & indeed the fuel meter started working correctly.
According to him, whenever the meter malfunctions, a tank-full of fuel will sort it.

Learning many new things after owning a Renault. With a Toyota, one do not learn these things!

[GhostRider28]

Originally Posted by Samba

Bhpian Ghostrider28 who owns a Duster AWD from 2014, suggested me to fill a tank-full of diesel, whenever the meter will malfunction. This should sort the issue. I did that & indeed the fuel meter started working correctly.
According to him, whenever the meter malfunctions, a tank-full of fuel will sort it.

Glad that my suggestion helped! I have faced it at least 3-4 times since 2014. You have to ignore some of these niggles in the Dusty! I learnt it the hard way during my Ladakh trip (Jullay! Our unplanned trip to Ladakh in a Duster AWD), when the meter malfunctioned after the last fuel station at Tandi on the Manali-Leh route!

A fantastic ownership thread, by the way; comprehensive, informative and insightful. It is inspiring me to pen down my own ownership thread, mine being one of the senior most Duster AWDs in TeamBHP
After all, people should be told about Renault's extended warranty and the fuel pump issues...

[1100D]

Originally Posted by Samba

Learning many new things after owning a Renault. With a Toyota, one do not learn these things!

Great thing about your thread is that you are unearthing a lot of stuff that might not have been so well known!

Anyways, what was our wait time for the flatbed-truck to arrive?

[Burn_out]

Originally Posted by 1100D

Anyways, what was our wait time for the flatbed-truck to arrive?

Post the small mishap at Boinchi, I first contacted Renault RSA at 11AM and they said they will arrange a flatbed to my location free of cost. They said they will call back after discussing with their logistics partner, which in this case was TVS. They called back and said the flatbed will reach by 2PM and take the vehicle to the Barasat workshop. Since Barasat does not have a body shop, I insisted that they take the vehicle to Budge Budge workshop. To this request, they said that the RSA service will only drop the vehicle to the closest service center, which was Barasat. I did not relent and asked them to confirm how Barasat will fix the sheet metal damage without a body shop. To that they said they will check and call back.

We were in contact with Dibakar da from Budge Budge workshop all this while and he assured he will try to arrange for vehicle to be dropped till his facility. Almost after an hour of discussion on multiple calls with the RSA rep and the flatbed driver, the pickup was finally arranged for the vehicle to be dropped at Budge Budge workshop. ETA provided was 2PM, considering the location was offbeat and around 80kms from the city. They said that a Tow truck would have reached sooner but since my vehicle is an AWD model, it cannot be towed with any of its wheels in contact with the road.

As fate would have it, the truck was stopped at multiple points in the highway due to heavy vehicle restrictions on some bridges and railway crossing. The flatbed finally arrived at around 5PM and was able load the vehicle in quick time.

So, it took around 6 hours for the truck to arrive since first contact with RSA. But given the traffic situation and location of my vehicle, I do not blame the truck driver or Renault RSA. Special thanks to Dibakar da for his assistance on Sunday afternoon.

The help and support I received from you, Samba, Abhishek and the KO group was beyond my expectations. The 6 hours would had been a lot more chaotic and depressing without you guys waiting there with me.

[Samba]

Odo reads 18,500 km

This car is used sparingly. For the city runs, the Etios is the default choice now. I use this car majorly for the trips and highway runs. Within city the Etios is much more agile due to it's smaller dimension and the sweet 1.5L NA petrol. Just a tap and the car surges forward!

This March I had plans for two weekend trips. One to Dalma hills and Chandil in Jharkhand and the other to Ayodhya hills in Purulia, West Bengal.

The trip to Jharkhand was before mid March and I along with 11 other driving enthusiasts from Kolkata did that trip, but my Purulia trip with family was planned later on this month. Due to the outbreak of Corona Virus, we cancelled the trip.

Before the trip while checking the fluid levels, I found a dip in the coolant level. Searched thoroughly for a leak but could not find any. Topped up the coolant and did the 700 km trip. After the trip there was no dip in the level.

Dip after 17,500 km.



This trip was on good to excellent roads to some slushy off-roads. Slush was nothing major though. It was tackled by hatchbacks too.
For the sake of having fun, I went off the road to the nearby fields to have fun on deep slush! The AWD didn't disappoint! That helped me to get some nice pics of my car too!
On the good road, pushing this car was fun. This 1.5L k9k engine was keeping pace with a Freestyle TDCI!

Few pics from the trip.

Three cars with extinct engines! All thanks to the BS6 norms!
1.5L K9k, 3.2L Duratorq and the 1.3L Mjd.



The cars

From left to right- Nexon 1,5D, Avventura Mjd, Baleno 1.2 P, Ecosport Tdci, Endeavour 3.2 4x4, Accord 2.4L MT, Freestyle Tdci, Swift 1.2 P, 3rd gen Duster AWD, 2nd gen Duster AWD. We had a Safari Storme 4x4 in our team, but they left before the photo-shoot due to some urgent work.







Splash! Just for the sake of clicking this pic!







This is how the car looked after the trip! I love dirty cars!



But the very next day, Duster got a thorough wash.