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Old 7th June 2019, 13:40   #1
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My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur

The Renault Captur


My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-side-profile.jpg


This will be a fairly detailed post, covering all the aspects of my purchase. To save your time, I have provided with an index.

Report Index:
Some Background Information and Options Considered
Booking and Delivery
Defect with the Vehicle
The Dealer - KUN Renault
The Good
The Bad
Paint Protection and Accessories
Final Verdict
Renault India - My Honest Opinion

Disclaimer
1.This is my first thread, so correct me if the post's formatting is not right.
2. I have not posted a lot of photos, and have posted only wherever necessary. If you want to see a detailed review with photos, please check the T-BHP Review (Renault Captur : Official Review).
3. This is not a professional review. I have just shared my views and opinions.

P.S: I recommend everyone considering to buy a Renault Car to read my thread as I have shared a lot of information that one might not know. Thank You.

Last edited by MadrasTurbo : 9th June 2019 at 17:41.
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Old 7th June 2019, 15:41   #2
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Some Background Information and Options Considered


Our 2009 Innova 2.5V had clocked 1,10,000 KMs and was nearing its 10th Anniversary. The car was serviced only in the Toyota A.S.S. from day one and was driven with great care. Also, just a year back, we had spent clost to 60k on ICE upgrades, Tyres etc. as we had planned to keep the vehicle for a few more years.

My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-innova.jpg


But then, during the scheduled service, I was given a quote of Rs.35,000 by Toyota for replacing the drum brakes of the car. Prior to this the 90K KMs service costed me about 25K. I was not very comfortable spending too much on the car as the resale value had come down drastically after the launch of the Crysta. So the search for a replacement began. We are a family of 4 and a 5 Seater SUV or a CSUV is what made the most sense for us. Also, since the new car would serve us for another 10 years at least, resale value was not a big deal for us.

My father and I test drove the following vehicles.

TATA

Harrier:
+ Unmatched equipment list on the top trim and the interior space the car offers is second to none.
+The rear seats space and comfort on offer was really impressive.
+Great ICE
+Looks

-Only downside was, we were not very impressed with the way the car handled.
-The steering felt very vague for some reason.
-Long term reliability.
But the main issue for us was the pricing. Undoubtedly, the vehicle is VFM, but a bit more than what we were willing to spend.
-Tata's After Sales support.

Nexon AMT:
+The steering was spot on.
+The AMT was very good with the shifts.
+TATA has done an excellent job with the rear seats as it was one of the most comfortable rear seats in the segment.

-Personally, rear design was not very attractive.
-Long term reliability.
-Tata's After Sales support.

Mahindra

XUV 300
+Excellent equipment list on the top end W8/W8(O) variant.
+Steering modes were surprisingly good.
+Extensive Safety Kit.
+All Wheel Disc Brakes.

-Smallest boot in segment with no parcel tray.
-Pathetic under thigh support for rear seat passengers. I am 6'2" but even for my father who is 5'9", the under thigh support was very poor. We were told by the sales executive that a lot of customers had shared similar feedback and Mahindra was notified of it.

The only reason why we walked away from the XUV300 is the rear seat comfort. Otherwise, a really good car.

Marazzo (The sales executive was very excited about the Marazzo and how the vehicle looks and drives like a shark. So we took the car for a TD.)
+SILENT engine. (refined)
+Smooth Gear Shifts.
+Captain Seats.
+All Wheel Disc Brakes.

-The W8 model is a bit pricey.
-Misses out on a lot of features. (Especially after looking at the XUV300)

I was particularly not keen on getting another 7/8 seater, but still was considering a few options.

Honda

BRV CVT
+Engine
+CVT

-Second Row was not very comfortable.
-Third row strictly for kids.
-Quality was not satisfactory for the price.
-Misses out on a lot of features.

WRV
+Looks
+Ride Quality
+Had most of the essential features that I needed.

-Felt a bit underpowered
-Not the best in terms of NVH
-Somehow, did not really like the ICE

Maruti

S- Cross 1.3
+Fit and Finish was good
+Pricing
+All Wheel Disc Brakes

-1.3L option only.
-NVH was very poor in the TD car.

Somehow, we never looked at the Brezza.

Hyundai

Creta
+SUV Looks
+Engine
+Interior Space
+Safety Equipment on offer

-Pricing
-Ride was too soft for my liking


Ford

Ecosport
+Looks
+Ride Quality
+Features
+Safety Equipment

-Pricing
-Rear Seat comfort

Nissan

Kicks
+Interiors
+360 Cameras on the top trim
+Ride Quality
+ICE

-Price
-Service/Support

We loved the ride quality of the Kicks and was considering the petrol as the top trim diesel was out of our budget. But the turbo K9K diesel, though an old engine was great to drive. My father was seriously considering the Petrol Kicks, but I was a bit reluctant as I felt even the top variant(XV(P)) that is being offered did not have a lot of features.

Others
Other than the above mentioned cars, we also test drove the Jazz CVT, Baleno AT. But my father preferred a CSUV as it made ingress and egress easier.

I also happened to test drive the Innova Crysta and was extremely impressed. Though it would be a stretch in terms of budget, the resale value would compensate for it. The base variant was considered, but it was not very attractive in terms of equipment.

Just when I thought we had considered almost all the options in the Indian Market, my father asked me if we could TD the Renault Captur. I had actually forgotten that such a car existed in our market.

I called Renault Mount Road and asked if a TD can be arranged. The sales executive said the vehicle had met with an accident and it would take two days to arrange a TD. After two days, I was provided with a TD and I actually liked the ride quality of the vehicle. Looks are extremely subjective and honestly, I liked the way the car looked.

The sales executive said they just sold all their 2018 inventory(with huge discounts) and fresh 2019 model is just about to be produced. The 2019 variant had very minor changes and had a 25,000 price cut for the top of the line Platine Variant. The 2019 Captur(Platine Diesel), was cheaper than the Kicks(XV Pre(O)) by 1.6L. Though the Kicks was a better car, it did not make sense to pay almost 18L for that car, given the service and support woes. I would happily buy a Hyundai Creta for that price.

Then looking at the sales of the Captur in 2019, in 3 months, they had sold 1000+ units. That is a lot when we all know how much Renault struggled to sell this car. There were months when they could hardly sell 70 units. I spoke with 4-5 new owners of this car, to get some honest feedback. They all were happy with the car except for a few ergonomic issues. I also happened to read the entire Renault Captur Official Review Thread and there were a lot of positive recommendations by fellow team-bhpians who owned the car. Example: anilntny, Carzesty, deepeshh.

I was very particular with selecting my dealer as it is a very important aspect of after sales service. There were only 3 Renault dealers in Chennai namely, Khivraj, Power and KUN.

KUN being a big player, and also having prior experience with KUN Hyundai, I called the Renault Kilpauk . The Sales Executive, was very polite and told me he would bring the vehicle for TD. I also felt the need for another TD, so I asked him when a TD can be scheduled and agreed to visit the showroom a few days later. I was also told 4 2018 Platine variants were available with them and was offered at a huge discount. Now this became a very attractive deal for me. With all the discounts, the car came at the price of a sub-4 meter SUV. And the Platine variant was LOADED with features.

Now, I took a long test drive and was able to do decent speeds. The way the car handled was extremely impressive. Since there were only 4 vehicles available, I had to make a decision. I could sense that the dealer was desperate to sell the vehicle, so I used it to my advantage. I asked for additional discount and the executive agreed after a lot of thought. I will discuss in detail about the good and the bad, later in this thread.

Last edited by MadrasTurbo : 9th June 2019 at 17:53.
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Old 7th June 2019, 16:13   #3
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Booking and Delivery


I had agreed to pay the booking amount on one condition. I should be allowed to choose my vehicle before registering the vehicle. The executive agreed and promptly came to my residence to collect the booking amount of ₹26,000. I was also assured, if I was not satisfied with the vehicles, I would be given a refund.

The only issue was that, all 4 cars were of the same color. . Cayenne Orange with Mystery Black Roof. We always prefer subtle colours like silver, champagne gold and now we had to choose between 4 orange cars. But again, the discount was really good and the color was not really bad.

While booking, I was quoted ₹42+k for 1+3 year comprehensive insurance by the dealer. I already had a quote of ₹32,400 from my insurance agent. So I told the executive that, I will buy the insurance by myself, after confirming the car, saving another ₹10,000.

After a day, I was told the vehicle will be moved from the yard to the showroom where I can check the car. I reached the showroom and the vehicle looked awful. The paint looked so dull and had so many swirl marks. And there was dirt and mud in all the hinges and panel gaps. Clearly, the vehicle was neglected in the yard. The car had 60 KMs on the odo. I asked for the key, and put it in the key slot, and the instrument cluster lights up with almost all the telltale lamps. I then turned on the AC, and no cold air at all, looked like the gas had leaked and the air had a bad odor. I was not very shocked as I exactly knew what I was getting myself into, as I had gone through the excellent thread about buying cars with an older manufacturing date on Team BHP.


There was another car on the showroom floor which had no issues and had 35 KMs on the odo. I asked the sales executive to arrange for another car which was not on the showroom floor. Another car with 50KMs on odo was arranged and was satisfied with the car. I also negotiated with the dealer to install roof rails on the car, which cost ₹10,000. The dealer agreed to that demand too. The loan process gets sanctioned without any problems and the vehicle was registered.

My father and I went to the showroom at 6:30 p.m. and collected the vehicle. The plan was to take the vehicle from the showroom and go straight to the temple for Puja where my family would join us.

Just hardly 200m from the showroom, my father told me "The vehicle seems to pull to the left"

I told him we will get it checked. We proceed with the Puja, fill diesel for₹1000 and the vehicle is home.

My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-pooja.jpg

Last edited by MadrasTurbo : 9th June 2019 at 16:29.
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Old 7th June 2019, 20:42   #4
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Defect with the Vehicle


Since colors like orange tends to get dull with time, and to prevent very minor scratches, I decided to get the car ceramic coated. So, the very next day, I take the car from my house to the detailing shop.

Drove just for a few kilometers and just like my father mentioned, I noticed, the vehicle pulled to the left. I immediately took the car to an alignment shop and asked them to just check the alignment values and to not adjust anything. Unfortunately, their system did not have alignment values for Renault Captur, even after almost 18 months since the vehicle launched. . I called my sales executive, and he asked me to bring the car to the service center.

So, instead of taking the vehicle to the detailing shop, I took my car straight to the Renault Service Center at Ambattur - Renault Ambattur Estate.


Here I was, with a brand new car, having driven less than 50KMs, waiting at the customer lounge of Renault Service Center. The lady at the reception, told, a road test needs to be done to evaluate the problem, and asked me to wait. I waited for almost 30 minutes, after which the road test was arranged. I took the passenger seat and a service technician drove the car. Empty stretch of road, he takes his hand from the steering and the vehicle completely pulled to the left.

As a matter of fact. even if you had your hand on the steering, the vehicle moved to the left. You had to forcefully hold the steering in the center position for the car to go straight.

The technician said.
Quote:
"Sir, it is normal for Captur to pull to the left, but not to this extent. So I request you to leave the vehicle and you can take the car in the evening"
I just could not believe what I just heard. I try to be as calm as possible, and a Service Adviser was allotted. He came and filled the job card, and I asked him about what the other person meant by saying that it is normal for the Captur to pull to the left, and he said,
Quote:
"Sir, there are a lot of customers who have this issue, and there was a customer for whom we had replaced all parts from suspension arms, steering column and still the vehicle pulled to the left. Technical team from Renault had asked us to educate the customers that the vehicle is designed to pull to the left, so that the customer stays alert and does not sleep while driving"
Now that was the limit for me. I am a very short tempered person, but I was very calm that day, I told him that I need the alignment report. A few hours later, I got the alignment report. Front Left Wheel had a slight positive camber, Rear right wheel had a negative camber. Clearly this would cause the car to pull to the left. This really annoyed me, as we all know the Camber is fixed and cannot be adjusted. I have a mechanical/automobile engineering background, so I spoke to the service adviser and asked him to fix the root cause of the issue and to not just deliver the car by rotating the wheels.

My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-alignment-report.jpg

After the call, I googled about this issue and found so many duster owners complaining about vehicle pulling to the left/negative camber issue. And also happened to read a blog post by Heeraz Marfatia, titled, A potentially fatal flaw in a new car that Renault will not fix. Do give it a read if you have time.

After 4 long days, I called the service adviser for an update and he said,
Quote:
"Renault has advised to change the front tyres of the vehicle."
I told him clearly, just by changing the tyres, the camber values won't change. He said, he has to follow the protocol and do as per Renault's instruction. I asked him about what Renault had to say on the camber values and he says as per Renault, the values are normal.


Clearly, the values were not within the tolerance limits. So, I told him clearly that I won't take the vehicle till the alignment values are within tolerance.

After two more days, I got a call from the Service Advisor, and he said,
Quote:
"Sir, your vehicle has very little fuel and we are about to take the vehicle for a road test, so..."
I asked him if he was calling me to ask for fuel expenses and he said yes.

There, I lost my cool. I told him, I had fueled up for ₹1000, and with the road test included, we had driven for about 120KMs. So I told him,

Quote:
"Sir, firstly,please do not take the vehicle for a road test without my presence and it is absolutely unacceptable to call and ask the customer for fuel expenses when your dealership has sold me a defective vehicle"
I reached the showroom for the road test, the dealer had fueled up the car, and was ready to deliver the vehicle. A driver drove the vehicle, I took the passenger seat. A Co-tech accompanied us. We reached the Chennai-Bangalore highway, the driver took his hands of the wheel for a few seconds and the vehicle slowly pulled to the left. On asking, the Co-tech said, the road camber(read: 'slope') is towards the left and that is why the vehicle moves towards the left. I knew the issue was not sorted. I knew the camber values were unchanged. By driving a vehicle with negative and positive camber on opposite sides, the tyre wear would be extremely uneven. A lot of duster owners have complained about uneven tyre wear too. I clearly told the Co-tech, I need this to be resolved, and I would go to any extent to ensure the same. The service advisor said, technicians from Renault have told 'left pulling' is normal.

I had not registered a complaint with Renault India, as I thought the issue would be resolved by the dealer in a few days, but I was wrong. So I called Renault's toll free number, and registered a complaint.

Now, I got a call from Renault India, and they made a conference call to the dealer. The CRM was on the line on behalf of KUN Ambattur Estate and also the Service Adviser was on call. I wanted this to go on record, so I asked the service adviser to repeat what Renault India had told regarding my complaint. The service adviser. on call, told,
Quote:
"Left pulling is normal in Captur"
The CRM then asked me to visit the service center, to further discuss this issue with the general service manager for Renault Ambattur Estate. I visit the service center and meet the general manager after an hour of wait. The manager did not want to listen to the customer at all. He kept saying, the issue will be resolved. I was really hoping that they would resolve the issue as everyone in my family were asking about the vehicle.

After another 2 days, I got a call from the service adviser and he told me that even after changing the suspension arms, the camber values did not change. I suspected issues with the chassis and went to the service center to find out what really was going on. It was almost 15 days, and there was no clear solution for my problem. I was told the general manager is on leave and instead of him another senior manager was handling my case. The senior manager was very helpful to be honest. He connected me with Renault's Area Manager. The area manager called me after a day and assured that the issue will be solved.

The next day, a team from Renault India came to Renault Ambattur Estate and they suggested the service center to change all 4 tyres with new ones. After all 4 tyres were changed, the vehicle was prepared for delivery again. I reached the service center and told them very clearly, only after a road test and only if I am satisfied, I will take delivery of the vehicle. I drove the car and the Co-tech accompanied me. Same Bangalore-Chennai highway, and the car handled no differently, the vehicle still pulled to the left. There was also a stretch of road where the road's slope was towards the right. Even in that stretch the vehicle pulled to the left. I was feeling helpless. The Co-Tech again told me that's how the vehicle is and nothing can be done. One last time, I thought maybe it was in my head. So, I called my father and asked him to drive the vehicle the next day. On this day, I happened to bump into an ex-RNIPL R&D Employee at the service center. He told me to ask for the new steering assembly and guaranteed that this would solve the issue. But again, after waiting for so long, I was vexed and also, the service center was ready to do only what Renault instructs them to do as that is the protocol.

I had already paid 2 EMI's and did not have the vehicle for even 24 hours in my home. I decided to file a case with the consumer court. So, I spoke with the senior manager, and told him that I will take delivery of the vehicle tomorrow after my father drives it and will take this case legally. I had all the documents to support my case. I wanted to know the complaint number that I had made with Renault India, so I open the app and I get a message saying that the registered mobile number has been changed. I call Renault's customer care, and they confirm that the registered mobile number has changed, and the complaint has been closed. I was furious. I was also told, the registered mobile number can only be changed by an authorized dealer. I called my service adviser, and he further confirmed that only dealer's can change the registered mobile number. I told him
Quote:
"I did not know that KUN would go to such extents to close a case without resolving the issue. I am not sure who did it, but I cannot think of anyone else who would do this."
The very next day, the complaint was opened again, and the registered mobile number was changed to mine. I was told, there was a server issue which caused this change. Very fishy though.

I read the thread on Team-BHP on What to do if you are stuck with a lemon (Defective car)? and had paid the fees for ICRPC. I was just collecting all the necessary documents and preparing the ICRPC documents.

The next day, my father and I reach the service center again, he drives the car, and immediately feels the pull. We came back to the service center and noticed that all the alloy wheels had irreparable damages on them, probably due to being careless when changing the tyres or during the alignment. We again complained about the same, and luckily without any fuss, they agreed to replace all damaged alloy wheels. They asked for few more days time to replace the alloy wheels.

My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-damaged-alloy-2.jpg

My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-damaged-alloy-3.jpg

My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-damaged-alloy.jpg

In the meantime, the area manager, agrees for a joint test drive. The joint test drive will have a technical person from Renault India, the area manager and myself. I took my father along for the joint road test.The area manager moved the vehicle from Renault Ambattur Estate to Renault Kattupakkam. After a just a day at Renault Kattupakkam, the joint test drive was arranged.

The area manager drove the vehicle first and showed that there was no pull in the car. I then drove the vehicle, and was surprised to the core
The vehicle did not pull to the left at all. Not just that, but the steering had excellent feel and feedback. I was extremely happy not just because that the complaint was rectified but the vague and poorly tuned steering was no more the case, the steering felt extremely responsive. More on that later.

My father drove the vehicle and he did not feel the pull too. I wanted to know what was wrong with the car, and what changes were done. I was not given any detailed answer, but was just told "changes with the steering and the steering geometry". One of the vaguest answers, but nonetheless I had no intention of further analyzing the issue. It was already a month at the service center so I was happy that finally, we could take the car home. Also, all the damaged alloy wheels were replaced with brand new ones. But the icing on the cake was, all alignment parameters were within tolerance. I just could not believe it. I was also offered the alignment report. I was later told that, the alignment equipment in Renault Ambattur Estate had wrong tolerance data in the system. I will explain this in detail in the next section of this thread - The Dealer - KUN Renault

The good in the bad:

1. 4 brand new tyres worth ₹42k+.
2. Renualt offered to refund 50% of my EMI. (Was really surprised at this move. Did not expect it either)
3. A full tank of fuel worth ₹3.5k.
4. Two Renault Cushions worth ₹900
5. An excellent steering with no vagueness or kickbacks.
6. I now know how to file a consumer case.
7. The contacts I have made in Renault.
8. Team-BHP membership. I had applied for a membership, mainly to share this experience of mine.

Last edited by MadrasTurbo : 9th June 2019 at 16:49.
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Old 8th June 2019, 00:05   #5
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The Dealer - KUN Renault


Renault Kilpauk - Showroom only.
Renault Ambattur Estate - Showroom and Service.
Renault Kattupakkam - Showroom and Service.

All the above three showrooms are owned by KUN Capital Automotive and I had experienced all three showrooms.

Sales
Renault Kilpauk is the best place to go to,if you want to buy a Renault car in Chennai. I had experienced Renault Mount Road too, but the customer service and promptness seen at Renault Kilpauk is excellent. I had test driven so many cars, and the only showroom where the executive wanted me to take a long test drive before booking, was Renault Kilpauk. The sales executive was kind enough to bring the vehicle for another test drive for my sister and mother the very next day. Also, the executive was very prompt and always picked/returned my calls. Full Marks.

Service

Now I can guarantee you, no one else would be able to give you a better feedback when it comes to servicing a Renault.

Renault Ambattur Estate is a big service center with lots of service advisers and a very nice customer lounge.

What it lacks?
Customer Support. I had visited this place at least 8-10 times and every single time, I was made to wait for at least 30 minutes. Even after the long wait, they fail to satisfy the customer when it comes to vehicle service. They take forever to diagnose a problem. After diagnosing, they mail the technical team at Renault and wait for them to reply. After following the instructions from Renault, they again test if the problem has been rectified. If not, they start all over again.

There is no one to quickly diagnose and approve a repair. I understand this is the company's protocol, but this process is painfully slow and frustrates the customer to the core.

The service general manager does not genuinely care about the customer. He just wants the customer to take delivery of the vehicle as soon as possible. He is not interested to listen to the customer at all. I was fed up of calling him. After a few days, he took leave and another senior manager took up my complaint.

Though the senior manager was one of the most helpful person in the service center, when I asked him for a loaner car after 15 days, he said,
Quote:
Sir, because customers are abusing our cars, we have stopped giving loaner cars. I request you to use Ola/Uber and I would help with the reimbursement
Why would a customer, who has paid a huge sum of money want to wait for Uber/Ola, print all the receipts and wait for reimbursement? I was already vexed and then when he said this, I lost it. I just walked away.

Maruti Suzuki offered a loaner car(Ritz) when my friend's Celerio had some issues with the engine. Almost all major dealers provide loaner cars, if the customer needs one.

I had another car and did not actually need a loaner car, but I thought maybe that would speed up things with the servicing. But for people who have only one car and have no other means of transport, it would be really difficult to be without a car for 1 whole month.

Also, I was later told by Renault's Area Manager that the tolerance data fed in the alignment system was wrong in the Ambattur service center.

So many car's come for servicing, if the tolerance data is wrong, then all the cars would have out of tolerance readings. So when I asked the Co-tech, he confirmed this doubt of mine and said,
Quote:
"Almost all cars have variations in alignment and are mostly outside the tolerance values"
How can they charge people for wheel alignment when they have a faulty system? We generally do not ask for the alignment report when done at A.S.S., but lesson learnt, if you do not get your alignment report, do not pay for it.

The CRM is very kind though.

Now coming to Renault Kattupakkam.

There was another dealer by the name Power Renault in Chennai. This dealership has been very recently taken over by KUN. The entire service team of Power Renault are at KUN Kattupakkam now. The team has 3+ years of experience with Renault cars as Power was one of the early Renault dealers in Chennai. Their experience gives them an edge in diagnosing and servicing. This team is extremely efficient and customer friendly. I do not know how good the previous team in Kattupakkam was.

Also, the general manager here, newly appointed is extremely customer friendly.

I recently got my vehicle serviced(first) at Kattupakkam and I am completely satisfied with their work. Would recommend Renault Kattupakkam for servicing.
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Old 8th June 2019, 21:06   #6
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The Good

  1. Looks
    I love the way the vehicle looks. The design is just stunning. Though I was not a big fan of the Orange color while booking, the car does look good in this color. A proper example of a crossover would be the Captur. Even the Wiki page for 'Crossover (automobile)' has a picture of a Renault Captur.
    My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-ripple.jpg
    A lot of people told me the rear design is similar to that of Kwid's, and I completely agree. But the ripple effect tail lamp looks good.

    My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-alloy.jpg
    The 17" alloys look great too.
  2. Lighting System
    • The full LED unit is exceptional. The throw is great and offers good visibility. The 'floating indicators', is just a gimmick I feel, but nonetheless looks fancy.
    • As mentioned earlier, the ripple led tail lamp looks really good in the night.
    • All interior lights are LED and have a dimming effect. It is a very nice touch. The lights are also focused towards the sides.
    • The complete in-cabin illumination is very nice. The car gets an illuminated glove box, and an illuminated cubbyhole.
    • Both sun visors get a mirror with a light.

    My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-mirror-light.jpg
    My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-interior-lights.jpg
    My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-drl.jpg
    My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-glove-box.jpg
  3. Fuel Efficiency
    The FE is outstanding. I get 15-16kmpl in city driving conditions, and 20kmpl on the highways(90-110). A full tank, easily gives a range of about 950KMs (unless you do 120+)


  4. Ride Quality
    I completely agree, the platform is old, but the rugged ride quality is something that I enjoy a lot. With 210mm of GC, and a decent suspension travel, the car goes through potholes with no issues at all. It is no magic carpet ride, but it is good.

  5. Boot Space
    Since all the other considered options were sub 4m, this seemed to have the bigger boot of the lot. It is more than sufficient for a road trip for a family of 4.

  6. Seat Comfort
    My father and I felt the seats to be extremely uncomfortable. I just was really frustrated with the messed up ergonomics, which caused slight neck and shoulder pain. But one day, I took my time, and adjusted the seat for almost 15 minutes to find the right spot. Once you find the sweet spot, the seats are supremely comfortable. The contours are well designed, the seats are firm and very supportive. The key is to find the sweet spot. This is a big turn off as most would not take the time or effort to adjust the seat during a TD. Many had complained about the ergonomics in the forum, I will address it in the next post - The bad.

    My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-seats-1.jpg

  7. Rear Seat Space
    Again, just like the boot space, I am comparing it with the CSUVs'. This car's packaging is pathetically poor. For the external dimensions, the interior spacing is very bad. But even then, the rear seats were very good and comfortable for 2.

  8. Road Grip
    The 17" tyres from Apollo(The Apterra HP), definitely surprised me with their grip levels. I had no expectations to be honest. but they are very good. The tyres on the Captur are the "modified" Apterra HP and is made to company's comound specification and is not available in the open market. The first set of tyres were the regular Apterra HP and the replaced set of tyres were the "modified" Apterra HP, and it makes a world of a difference. Even when the tyres are due for replacements, I would personally prefer the "modified" tyres.

  9. Features I like
  • Cruise Control: Works flawlessly. I always thought cruise control was not ideal for our Indian driving conditions, and it is mostly true. But, whenever you have empty stretches, the cruise control is a boon. The speed limiter function is also good, but I do not find much use for it.
  • Eco Mode: For city driving, the Eco mode does an excellent job. I turn it off only in the highways. The eco mode actually improves the driveability.
  • Walk away lock: I just love this feature. The vehicle also gives a beep and flashes the indicators once to confirm that the vehicle has been locked. This feature is the most convenient way to lock a car. I seriously wish every car with keyless entry has this feature.
  • Auto Headlamps: I never felt the need for auto-headlamps. But, since it is there, I must say, it works flawlessly. Even if it is a small subway, the lights turn on instantly.
  • Cornering lamps: In the T-BHP Official Review thread, it was mentioned that the foglamp. doubles as the cornering lamp. It is partly true, but there is a separate LED for the cornering light. The review also mentions that the cornering lamps, light up in the direction of the steering. That is true, but additionally, the cornering lamps get activated when the indicators are turned on too.
  • Cooled Glove Box: The AC opening in the glove box, actually does a wonderful job of cooling the glove box. It can chill tinned drinks.
  • Instrument Cluster: Again it is very subjective, but the instrument cluster does the job perfectly for me. Simple, Easy to read, looks good in the night. Though, undoubtedly it does not come close to what the competition offers. The XUV300's MID had a plethora of information.
  • Effective AC: The AC quickly cools the cabin. The rear AC vents, do their job well too.
  • Placement of the OBD port: The OBD port is placed deep inside the glove box, and also has a cover. It is very conveniently placed.


About the Steering
Even during the initial TD, I felt the steering to be poorly tuned. Because I took a lot of test drives, I exactly knew what I was buying. The kickback was really aggressive. But I am really happy with my particular car's steering post the repair work. I have driven this vehicle extensively in the highways and in the city and my Captur feels one of a kind when it comes to the steering. Extremely responsive and even in corners, the steering is just as it should be. Definitely the feedback is more than all other cars in today's market, and I personally like it. From what I understand, the steering has been worked on for the 2019 model, so those who are planning to book the 2019 Captur,(in 2020 of course ) you would love the way the steering feels.

About Turbo Lag in Second Gear
The turbo lag in second gear was bad. It was so bad, you had to rev the engine at least to 2500rpm before shifting. On the T-BHP official review thread, BHPian anilntny had mentioned about a software update done at the A.S.S. I had mentioned about the same during my first service and after the update, there is no turbo lag at all. It made a world of a difference.

Notchy Gear Shifts
The gear shifts were very notchy and the transition from 2nd to 3rd gear was not smooth at all. I had mentioned this during the first service, after which the shifts are super smooth. Not Hyundai smooth but definitely much better than what it used be.

Last edited by MadrasTurbo : 9th June 2019 at 17:06.
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Old 9th June 2019, 07:50   #7
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The Bad

  1. The Ergonomics
    I gave this a lot of thought and I present my hypothesis here.

    Renault Designers were asked to design a car that exactly looked like the Clio based Captur inside out. They worked a lot on the exteriors to match the look of the Euro spec Captur and got it right. But when they had to design the interiors. it looks like they just put a list of what all needs to be there, say, 2 bucket seats, rear bench, arm rest, dashboard. They manufacture and assemble all the parts inside the car after extensive R&D on how to inconveniently place the parts. Voila, The B0 Captur is born with completely messed up ergonomics.
    • The Seat position: The seats are placed unnecessarily high in my honest opinion. Being 6'2", at the lowest setting, there is hardly a few inches of headroom in the car for me. This is extremely dangerous.
    • The Sun Visor: Absurd placement. If I lower the sun visor, it not only blocks the sun but blocks the entire road. Well, it does what it is supposed to do. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
    • The center armrest: Cannot be moved, cannot be opened. It is fixed at the most inconvenient position, right above the hand brake. One needs to find a way under the arm rest to engage/disengage the hand brake. I have long arms, so I can rest my arm to an extent, but for people with smaller arms, it is a mere elbow rest as mentioned in the T-BHP official review.
    • The rear seat's recline angle: It is not the most comfortable angle to be seated at, for an hour or two it is fine, but after a while, you feel the need to sit a bit more reclined.
    Now I got used to all the mentioned ergonomic issues and I am able to drive comfortably. But as a new owner, I was definitely kind of annoyed.Any new car, needs some getting used to, but The Renault Captur takes this to a whole new level.

  2. The Interior Design
    Honestly, it is a hate it or hate it design. There is nothing fresh with the interiors. I understand Renault wanted to keep the design same as that of the Euro Clio based Captur but somehow, with almost all manufacturers offering floating displays, feather touch controls, multi-color MID, soft touch interiors, connected cars and whatnot. I was expecting someone to post the Captur's interiors in the worst interior thread, and GTO was quick to do that.

  3. The Keycard and the slot
    The keycard is actually not the best idea. It is big, and gets scratched easily. The buttons on the keycard feels cheap. Since the Platine variant is equipped with keyless entry, I don't need to slot the key every time to start the car.

  4. Fit and Finish
    Fit and Finish is just meh. The plastic quality is poor and cars one segment lower have much better plastics.

  5. MediaNav Evolution
    The head unit is one of the worst in this segment. I agree, the display, touch and the overall responsiveness of this system is better than the MediaNav system found on the Kwid, but everything else, remains the same. The UI and the features the system offers is just ridiculous. Though the audio output is good, it lacks bass. Arkamys has done a very mediocre job with the audio tuning.

    My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-medianav-evolution.jpg

    To be noted, the 2019 model comes with an updated MediaNav Evolution, which supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The new unit has a capactive touch screen and runs on linux. I did try this updated head unit at the showroom, and my in my honest opinion, it is not great either. The placement of the USB port is unchanged and for Car Play/Android Auto, the cable is a big disturbance.

  6. Lack of sufficient Cubby Holes/Utility Spaces
    You do have a few cubby holes but they are not smartly designed and are not sufficient at all.

  7. Interior Colour Choice
    The dual coloured seats, is mostly half white in color. The seats get really soiled in no time and look horrible. Also, the white plastics too are prone to getting soiled. I got the entire interior ceramic coated and now a simple wipe with a damp cloth is enough to clean the seats and dash.

    To be noted, the 2019 model has all black seats but the dash remains to be of the same colour.

  8. Cramped Footwell
    I do not mind if there is no dead pedal, but at least the footwell needs to be spacious enough to keep your foot next to the clutch. In the Captur, you have no choice but to keep it under the clutch, which is very risky.

  9. Turning Off A/C
    The A.C.C. does not have any ways of turning it off. You have to manually set the blower speed to 0, to turn off the A/C. How difficult is it to keep a button to turn off the A/C? Even a simple toggle button would have worked.

  10. Lack of an auto-dimming IRVM
    The lack of an auto dimming IRVM is not acceptable at all. Even the Baleno gets one. Friends at AliExpress would help with this but it should have been included.

  11. NVH Levels
    The NVH levels are decent. Nothing exceptional. Not bad, but definitely not worthy of being in 'The Good'.

Last edited by MadrasTurbo : 9th June 2019 at 17:08.
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Old 9th June 2019, 10:36   #8
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Paint Protection and Accessories

  1. 9H Ceramic Coating: - Exterior
    I got a 5-year warranty coat and I am extremely impressed with the gloss and the water beading property. The scratch test and fire test are just plain gimmicks. I got the windshield, and all windows coated too.
    To be noted. A maintenance coat has to be done every 6 months to revive the water beading property.
  2. Interior Ceramic Coating:
    Interiors were also coated and though initially I was very skeptical about this,
    I must say the coating does a good job of protecting the seats from getting dirty. The leather seats. dashboard and all plastics have been coated. Downside is, I was told the interior coat will last only for 2 years.
  3. Underbody Treatment:
    This is the first car that we have done an underbody treatment. I still do not know if it really is needed or not, even after going through the Underbody Treatment thread on T-BHP.
  4. Sunfilm (50%):
    I live in Chennai.
    We had 3M CR50 installed in our Innova on all windows(except the windshield). But because it was an Innova, we were never questioned. If you know what I mean
    After a lot of thought, whether to go with 70% visibility or 50% visibility, I chose the film with 50% visibility, for all the windows and and the windshield. I must say it does an excellent job in cutting out the heat, and also gives the car a truly floating roof look along with the black roof.
  5. Number Plates:
    Now all new cars are fitted with HSRP plates in TN. Since, my car was manufactured before April 2019, I removed the ugly number plates from the dealer and fitted new ones.

    My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-rear.jpg
  6. Footwell Lighting:
    Official Renault Accessory. Can be controlled via Bluetooth. Has a lot of modes and colour options. The brightness can also be controlled.

    My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-footwell-light.jpg
  7. Illuminated Sill Guards:
    Official Renault Accessory. Just like the footwell lighting, the colours and brightness can be controlled via the same app. Looks good but pricey.

    My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-sill-plates.jpg

    My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur-app.png
    Both the footwell light and the sill guards can be controlled with this app. Has lots of bugs and does not connect most of the time.
  8. 3D Mats:
    Duster's 3D Mats were a perfect fit. Got normal bucket mats for the time being. Will upgrade with high quality quilted custom 7D mats.
  9. Leather Steering Grip:
    Though the car came with a factory fitted leather steering grip, after a while due to sweat, the OE grip starts to peel off and the only option is to replace the steering wheel. To prevent this, I got a grip stitched on top. I had the choice of either removing the steering wheel and the stitch the grip, which would give a complete OE finish, but given the issues I have had with the steering and alignment in this car, I did not want to do this. So, without removing the steering, got a leather cover stitched.
  10. Door Protectors
    Found one model which was black and orange, which is not very common, so got it installed.
  11. Portronics CarPower One 200W Inverter
    Excellent product. Good Quality, works like a charm. Highly recommended.
Pending Accessories

  1. Window Deflector - Official Renault Accessory. Ordered and it just arrived, will get it installed when time permits.
  2. OE Fit Android Head Unit - 32GB ROM + DSP and 4GB of RAM with CAN BUS support, it also has full AV output support - Ordered and is in transit. This will be a great upgrade with tire pressure monitoring, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, OBD Tacho and diagnosis and would also support the vehicle information through the CAN BUS. Would do a detailed thread on this if successful with the installation.
  3. Dashcam - Will install after installing the head unit.
  4. 7D Mats - There is an excellent manufacturer in India called Top Gear. They completely customize and use top quality materials.
  5. Auto Dimming IRVM - Once the head unit is installed, would do this upgrade.
  6. LTD Stickers - Most important in the pending list.

Last edited by MadrasTurbo : 9th June 2019 at 17:42.
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Old 9th June 2019, 10:39   #9
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Final Verdict


I have completed close to 3000KMs, and I am a very happy customer. The car is fun to drive, F.E is excellent, solid build for the price and has decent NVH levels. The car is loaded with features in the Platine Variant.

The vehicle does speeds upto 160Kmph(have not pushed further) without breaking a sweat and is an excellent choice if you do a lot of highway runs.

Why did I buy this car?
The VFM after all the discounts was a no brainer proposition for me, and I do not regret the purchase at all. I am actually completely satisfied with the purchase.

Would I recommend this car(2019 model) with a revised pricing of 16.10L OTR Chennai?
No. Even though the price has been cut, it still is an expensive offering given the choice we have today. A lot of sub-4m SUV's offer great features for at least 1.5L lesser than the Captur. If someone wants a bigger car, for lesser price, maybe they can wait for the new duster which is being tested in India.
Though the base petrol variant is 11.2L OTR Chennai, with the launch of Venue and for what it offers, I would be hesitant to consider the Captur.

Who should buy the Captur?
If someone loves the looks of the car and wants a 4m+ SUV at the price of a sub 4m, the base variant may be considered.
In 2020, if offered huge discounts for the 2019 model, the Platine variant may be a good buy for the price. (Most likely to happen)

Last edited by ajmat : 10th June 2019 at 22:36. Reason: typo
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Old 9th June 2019, 11:31   #10
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Renault India - My Honest Opinion


Renualt India needs to up their game big time. There are very few happy long time Renault customers, while the majority of owners have had some kind of a bitter experience with Renault.

Renault India's after sales support is pathetic. They have incompetent mechanics and careless dealers. When I was looking at the complaints online regarding faulty Renault cars, I felt really bad for the customers who have bought a car with their hard earned money and to be left in the dark when they have a problem.

Also, if you had gone through my post, I had mentioned that, the service adviser told me that most Captur customers have complained about the left pulling and that is how the car is designed to be. But clearly. that is not the case, my car now drives in a straight line even if I take my hands off the wheel.

Everyone who drove the Captur had complained about the bad steering. Almost all reviewers and owners had mentioned about the kickbacks. Even I had this issue before the repair and now it is like a different car with a different steering.

The point here is, Renault might have fixed the issue, but are not willing to provide the solution to every customer. They wait till the customer complains, and try their best to temporarily satisfy the customer by convincing them with lies.

I can give lot of examples, The Kwid had an issue with the accelerator switch, which caused the car to accelerate on its own. Now, Renault never recalled to replace the faulty switches, instead, they wait for the customer to complain or ask for the replacement.

Similarly, the negative camber issues in a lot of dusters, which causes the vehicle to pull to the left and causes uneven tyre wear. Some cases, the tyres were worn out in just 10,000 KMs. An unconfirmed source in Autoportal, claims that the issue is due to faulty dies that were imported to India. It also mentions that more than 150 cases have been filed against Renault India for uneven tyre wear and tyre noise.

I was told, left pulling is found only in the 1.5L K9K and is found in every car of theirs, including the Duster, Lodgy and Captur. Lodgy seems to be the most affected. The pull is not observed in the petrol variants as the weight of the engine is lesser than that of the diesel engine.

Many Duster customers had water leaking in their rear seat floor.

Just a simple google search reveals so much information about the company.

Pricing
Renault India fails to learn their lesson. They have discontinued so many models in India due to their over optimistic pricing. The only two cars that are selling in decent numbers for Renault are the Kwid and Duster. Both these car sell only because of their pricing. Because of their pathetic after servicing quality and high cost of maintenance, the existing customers never recommend the brand.

Bottomline
Just by selling numbers, it is impossible to survive in such a competent market. We have seen a lot of manufacturers fail in India due to their after sales support. If this trend continues, I fear Renault would have to quit the Indian Market too.

Last edited by ajmat : 10th June 2019 at 22:37. Reason: typo
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Old 10th June 2019, 08:45   #11
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Re: My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 10th June 2019, 09:03   #12
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Re: My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur

Thank you @MadrasTurbo for sharing your experience with so much detail and most critically a summary. For your first thread this is a solid compliment. Sorry to hear of your travails.

Dear Readers, Safety + Reliability + After Sales Support in my opinion ought be the three first line criterion for selecting a car which after all for most of us is the 2nd largest asset after the house. We would usually not invest in a house simply because of the looks or paintwork or advertising B.S. of the builder. Same for cars.

After having owned about a dozen cars over 40 years of driving my unasked for advice to all our young members would be - first list your brands by Safety, Reliability and A.S.S. then pick a model within that short list which suits your tastes, needs and budget. If the three primary criterion are not met satisfactorily little else counts.

Last edited by V.Narayan : 10th June 2019 at 09:09.
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Old 10th June 2019, 11:45   #13
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Re: My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur

Quote:
Originally Posted by MadrasTurbo View Post
[u][center]OE Fit Android Head Unit - 32GB ROM + DSP and 4GB of RAM with CAN BUS support, it also has full AV output support - Ordered and is in transit. This will be a great upgrade with tire pressure monitoring, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, OBD Tacho and diagnosis and would also support the vehicle information through the CAN BUS. Would do a detailed thread on this if successful with the installation.
[/list]
An aftermarket Android head unit won't have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Since the system itself is Android based, there'd be no Android Auto.
What you'd get would be an Android Auto app on your Head Unit which would work independent of your phone. It would just need internet.
The only way to interact with your phone via your Head Unit would be with
"PhoneLINK" app which would have to be installed on your Head Unit as well as on your phone.
I recently was in search for a head unit for my Creta, and found out the above facts after a lot of Google research.
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Old 10th June 2019, 12:07   #14
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Re: My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur

Thanks for sharing the detailed review of the car. More so, for sharing the ordeal you went through after buying a brand new car and how you followed it till closure.
Would surely help prospective Captur / other Renault customers.
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Old 10th June 2019, 12:09   #15
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Re: My experience with one of the most hated, least selling cars in India : The Renault Captur

It can really be frustrating to go through such an ordeal with a brand new car, glad that the issue has been resolved!
How does such cars pass the quality check?
For me it would certainly affect my contentment with the car..
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