7 months with a used Renault Lodgy: Why I'm not happy with my purchase

The ownership of the Renault Lodgy is not what I intended with all the breakdowns that have happened in the past few months.

BHPian RhythmDivine recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi All,

Have been a fan of pre-worshipped cars for the last 14 years, from Cielo to Fabia to Linea. My lineup has had 12 pre-worshipped cars in the past 14 years. No cars in the past have given me any trouble and I was able to drive those for around a year before selling them off to a new buyer. My last pre worshipped car was Fiat Linea and it was in my garage for a good 2 years before I have to sell it off because of NGT rules in Delhi NCR. Now the search again started for a new pre worshipped car.

My requirement was for a 6 or 7-seater vehicle so ultimately there are few listed vehicles in the lineup.

1. Mahindra XUV500
2. Mahindra Rexton
3. Toyota Innova
4. Renault Lodgy
5. Nissan X Trail

Started the search and found some examples as well however for one reason or other the listed vehicle were not up to mark and hence rejected. Search continues for a good 3 months when I got a call from a dealer for a good Renault Lodgy with 3 years still left as per NGT rule. Went ahead and took a test ride and the vehicle felt quite comfortable at lower as well as higher speeds.

Purchased the vehicle in January 2022, got it serviced from Renault and went with family for a long journey to Kashmir to our 2nd home. Journeys continued from Kashmir to Himachal to Punjab and back to Kashmir. However, in between, there were a few MAJOR niggles which cropped up. I will list them below.

• Oil cooler leak
• AC direction knob malfunctioned
• Engine mounting all replaced
• Turbo waste gate pump fail
• AC water leak

Well, this is the first vehicle in my pre-owned vehicle category that has come up with so many malfunctions. As of now, have spent more than 50k on all the parts replaced. Sourcing them from Renault would have cost a bomb so relied on sourcing them from either Boodmo or parts dealer from Delhi.

Break up of things:

1. Oil cooler leak > involved in replacing oil cooler along with replacement of whole coolant system and flushing the coolant tank and pipes with battery water thoroughly and then pouring coolant again. As per Renault, they quoted an amount in excess of 30k for the whole process and got it fixed from a local multi-car service showroom with parts sourced from outside for less than 20k.
2. AC direction knob on the front malfunctioned so had to remove the whole dashboard to fix the Manulak motor, Renault quoted a price of more than 15k, again got it fixed from outside for less than 5k
3. Engine was making noise so got it checked from Renault and they diagnosed it with faulty engine mountings, quoted a price of more than 30k, and got it fixed from outside for less than 15k with original parts sourced from Boodmo
4. Vacuum pump failed and the vehicle started making a wheezing sound on acceleration, got it checked at Renault and they quoted a price of more than 70k for the whole turbo to be replaced. Got it checked from the outside and the problem was diagnosed with the actuator pump of the turbocharger. Sourced it from outside for less than 5k. Got all the hoses and pipes connected to the turbocharger cleaned including the turbo and intercooler and total thing cost less than 15k
5. AC waste water started seeping in from the front of the dashboard, got it checked and the pipe was blocked hence removed the blockage and it is working now
6. Along with that normal wear and tear including brake pad, brake disc, and gear oil is replaced.

In short, the ownership of the Renault Lodgy is not what I intended with all the breakdowns that have happened in the past few months however it has been a long tourer with Kashmir, Himachal, Punjab, Leh and Jammu as its destination. With a family of 3 adults, 2 kids and luggage this has been a perfect vehicle to commute long however the consistent niggles that have happened are making me think again. Should I keep this vehicle or sell it off for a new one.

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