[deehunk]

Originally Posted by SinghP09

I got the shock today morning from the silk board, Bangalore service center that my clutch assembly is gone . They have to replace the clutch plates and few other parts. Estimate only for parts is 22000 plus taxes and labor.

When I raised the issue of poor quality on this thread a month back, few people wrote that "it looks like Renault picked only me to deliver such a crap car". I have listed the quality issues below to caution fellow members before buying this vehicle,
1. I have driven my Duster for 4.5K km now, already brake pads feel worn out.
2. The clutch assembly not looks durable, pain to drive in bumper to bumper traffic
3. Rattles have become prominent, has a potential to become next Rattle King. Blame the poor quality clips used on plastic panels
4. The paint quality sucks, the layer of paint is so thin that scratches are inevitable.
5. My relative's AMT version had an oil leak issue at just 2.5K km, OEM speakers gone for a toss, he is still waiting for replacement.
6. The RXL and RXZ variants have an aluminium finish on the bumpers, but there is no layer of primer, so paint peels off easily
7. I was shocked to see fuse plier and spare fuse missing in the vehicle, someone has already highlighted this in an earlier post.
People who bought a Duster before facelift have a better vehicle since the design was completely borrowed from the European version. After localization of parts and exports began from India, the car is a shadow of its past. I have made a part by part comparison of 2016 model with first generation vehicle, sub standard quality of parts is clearly visible. Since there is only one dealer in Bangalore, there is a monopoly. Escalating things to Renault is of no use as they are mere facilitators. Recently a Renault service center has opened in Hosur, I spoke to them last week and planning to take my vehicle for the first service to them. Owners of Duster in Europe have also highlighted the poor quality of Dusters exported from India in different forums. My suggestion to Moderators is to have updates to official reviews periodically.

[rajamuneeb]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bangalore

done the booking last week.

Hi Naveen. Congrats. Do post your initial experience and also some pics. Best of luck

[SinghP09]

Originally Posted by deehunk

When I raised the issue of poor quality on this thread a month back, few people wrote that "it looks like Renault picked only me to deliver such a crap car". Owners of Duster in Europe have also highlighted the poor quality of Dusters exported from India in different forums. My suggestion to Moderators is to have updates to official reviews periodically.

I got the brake pads changed at 20k and now again at 30k but this clutch issue is the first major issue I have faced in last two years. I will keep using it for another 10k kms and see after that. If it still develops any new issue, my duster will be up for sale.

[ampere]

Right on the day one of release Renault I think had mentioned Brake pad changes at 20K. Even I was surprised, as to why so early. But that was the ask from them.

I changed mine at 30K and then at 60K.

I am now nearing 80K and still the car drives well. With that kind of ride quality I am scratching my head as to what will be the probable next buy!

[deehunk]

Originally Posted by ampere

Right on the day one of release Renault I think had mentioned Brake pad changes at 20K.

I am now nearing 80K and still the car drives well. With that kind of ride quality I am scratching my head as to what will be the probable next buy!

True ampere, ride quality of Duster is unmatchable. Every weekend I am driving in the rural areas of South Karnataka, there is no match for its suspension, handling and GC. Renault team does not understand the difference between manufacturing flaws and maintenance, if I post something on their FB page, I get a call from their customer service team, they tell me to visit the nearest service center and get the issues fixed

[SinghP09]

Originally Posted by ampere

I am now nearing 80K and still the car drives well. With that kind of ride quality I am scratching my head as to what will be the probable next buy!

Exactly my feeling. I can take it to any kind of road or no road and just love the way it drives. I also had a 2500km drive from Delhi to Bangalore last year and absolutely loved it.
Brake pads at 10k km is certainly not a good sign and also clutch at 25-30k kms is not very bright considering this is my third car and I never had any issues with the clutch with my last two vehicles.
Here is the estimate for my 30k kms service. They also found some radiator fan shoulder broken which may have happened when I missed one big speed bump and it will cost me more than Rs 5200.

Are the parts prices and labor costs looking alright?

[Karthik Chandra]

Originally Posted by ampere

With that kind of ride quality I am scratching my head as to what will be the probable next buy!

Originally Posted by deehunk

True ampere, ride quality of Duster is unmatchable.

Originally Posted by SinghP09

Exactly my feeling.

The Hexa might be the perfect replacement/upgrade for Duster owners in terms of ride quality

Originally Posted by Aditya

Ride & Handling

Ride quality is one of the Hexa's strongest points. Rather, let me rephrase that = the Hexa's ride quality is AWESOME. Forget the Innova Crysta, there's no comparison with it. The Hexa easily meets or beats our ride comfort benchmark, the Renault Duster!!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra

The Hexa might be the perfect replacement/upgrade for Duster owners in terms of ride quality

This is what every one is saying. But the problem is size. Its just too big for my requirements. I will need at smaller sizes. Another aspect I have learnt over years is: Upgrade is not a requirement. A similar sized, similar spec'ed option is also equally good if it serves the purpose.

A case in point: I drive a 84BHP Duster. My only pain point: On the highway when cruising just at triple digits I am pained to see the engine growling at 2600 or so. While I would love to see it at 2000/2100.

Now I can get a nice 1.6 Diesel with 6 gears which solves that purpose. But I also get the 90BHP 1.3 MJD/DDIS which has a tall gears and which still serves the purpose. I drive sedate on the highway. So a 90BHP 1.3 should be more than enough. So you see, I am not saying upgrade is a must. Anything which serves the needs should be good enough.

[DieselLover]

Originally Posted by SinghP09

Exactly my feeling. I can take it to any kind of road or no road and just love the way it drives.

That is a costly 30k service

I did the 30K service of my 85ps duster last weekend and total bill was 10800/- which involved brake pad change apart from regular oil/filter changes. Your bill seems to be scary even if we exclude the radiator fan replacement.

[deehunk]

Originally Posted by DieselLover

That is a costly 30k service

The service cost of my previous car Skoda Rapid never costed more than INR 7800, it included the cost of replacing 5W40 grade Oil, Fuel filter, Air filter and Oil filter. I drove it for 39K Km in 2.5 years and did not have to change the OEM brake pads nor had any issue with it. Duster uses 15W40 grade Oil which is 3 times cheaper than 5W40 and still service cost of INR 11k for 30K km points to higher margins for the dealer. I don't even like to compare the quality of parts between Skoda and Renault.

I found these two links while searching for quality issues of Duster manufactured in India.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/po...x.htm?t=101792

https://thelogicalindian.com/story-f...tion-disposal/

Mods, we can start a new thread to share the after sales and service experience related to Renault Duster.

[SinghP09]

Originally Posted by deehunk

The service cost of my previous car Skoda Rapid never costed more than INR 7800, it included the cost of replacing 5W40 grade Oil, Fuel filter, Air filter and Oil filter. I drove it for 39K Km in 2.5 years and did not have to change the OEM brake pads nor had any issue with it. Duster uses 15W40 grade Oil which is 3 times cheaper than 5W40 and still service cost of INR 11k for 30K km points to higher margins for the dealer. I don't even like to compare the quality of parts between Skoda and Renault.

My service cost is high because of the clutch issue where few parts are being replaced But it seems I will have to spend 4500 on brake pads every 10000 kms.

Mods, we can start a new thread to share the after sales and service experience related to Renault Duster.

Is the situation so bad already that we need a separate thread?
My experience with the service center at Faridabad was alright(initial days of the ownership) but last two services in Bangalore have been hit and miss and I am not at all happy with the service center. I will try the Hosur service center next time as suggested by one of our friend on the forum.

[DieselLover]

Originally Posted by SinghP09

My service cost is high because of the clutch issue where few parts are being replaced But it seems I will have to spend 4500 on brake pads every 10000 kms.



Is the situation so bad already that we need a separate thread?
My experience with the service center at Faridabad was alright(initial days of the ownership) but last two services in Bangalore have been hit and miss and I am not at all happy with the service center. I will try the Hosur service center next time as suggested by one of our friend on the forum.

10K seems to be very less for brake pad replacement. Not acceptable for a car of this size/power. The clutch issues at 30k is also difficult to digest unless there is a manufacturing issue or problem with driving style.

[deehunk]

There is more of manufacturing issues because of poor quality control and lack of intiative to improvise by taking feedback from customers. Even Kwid has been recalled within a year of launch, maybe Renault does not have a good team in India. The top management just pass on mails to dealers and ask them to rectify manufacturing issues, so no use of escalating matters to these guys.
I read in one of the Dacia forum that Duster is no longer exported to UK from India because of quality issues.

[xjosephjacob]

Originally Posted by deehunk

The service cost of my previous car Skoda Rapid never costed more than INR 7800, .. I don't even like to compare the quality of parts between Skoda and Renault.

I found these two links while searching for quality issues of Duster manufactured in India..

Mods, we can start a new thread to share the after sales and service experience related to Renault Duster.

In a tier 3 city like Kochi, general service cost comes around 4800 to 7500 INR for odd and even multiples of 10,000 km. Ofcourse major service at 60,000 km was costlier. The rates are little bit on the higher side but not terribly overpriced; more or less in line with what we used to pay for our Swift diesel. Agree that Skoda's may be cheaper considering the 15k service intervals. My experience with the Service Center has been fantastic so far- probably because I invest on building relationships for mutual benefit

Brake pad and clutch issues are all down to the traffic conditions and way people drive. I changed my brake pads at 31,000 and 60,000 km and on both these instances pads had a usable life of around 1500 km. Clutch is still as good as new. Suspension remains exceptional despite the amount of abuse that it was put to- I don't remember slowing down even for a reasonably sized pothole or hump. The car may not give you the quality perception initially, but beneath the skin I think it's a very very solid machine.

Originally Posted by deehunk

There is more of manufacturing issues because of poor quality control and lack of intiative to improvise by taking feedback from customers...
I read in one of the Dacia forum that Duster is no longer exported to UK from India because of quality issues.

These were discussed here long time back. Shifting of production would be a strategic move for a company, there are no reasons to believe that quality standards cannot be maintained in a manufacturing unit in India. Yes, The car had it's share of niggles initially and a some of the early adopters from T-Bhp also faced it. However I think the quality control has noticeably increased over the years, because we have a 2013 2wd and 2014 AWD and the differences between them are very obvious. And to me, the 2016 Duster feels like a definite improvement over the models that we own. I'm not an expert in judging architecture of engine bay or the quality of parts- but I know a few Duster owners who have clocked over 1.2 lac km and still going strong without any issues.

[deehunk]

Hi Joseph, we have only one dealer in Bangalore, he already has a bad reputation of being a dealer for another brand here. This is why I am trying to find a good service center close to Bangalore. I do not mind driving even for 200km if I can have peace of mind. I am not the only person complaining about the issues, there are plenty of them on Renault India's FB page and other forums.