[mh09ad5578]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Timing kit / belt replacement?

Will suggest to get the car's cooling coil checked for leakage as filling gas every year is surprising.

Timing kit changed with OEM spares at 120k kms was only 2.8k in parts. Accessories kit was changed once at ASC at 60k for almost 10k rupees in parts plus labour. Accessories belt was changed at 120k kms OEM for Rs 400, parts and kit was replaced at 180k kms OEM for Rs2.4k parts. Yes I do think there's a leak in the AC system too, unfortunately I lack a good AC mechanic in my home town. Shall get it checked at a specialist.

[Phukan]

Hi guys. A query after a long time of owning my Duster and enjoying many beautiful moments with it. It's a 2013 diesel version and odo is in its 70's(k). Yesterday evening just as I was fiddling with my ac blower and I changed my air vent from re-circulation mode to vent-in mode. Suddenly, the sound coming from my air blower changed and it initially started making a sound as if some leaf or something is stuck. As I increased the air flow(speed) the sound of the blower changed to something like that of a blower whose suction has been restricted and it is starving.

I believe the blower needs cleaning but don't know how.

So I thought it would be nice to do some DIY stuff in this lockdown, if my fellow BHPians would help.

Thanks

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Phukan

I believe the blower needs cleaning but don't know how.

This seems to be common issue with the Duster/Logan the vent diverters gets stuck and it starts blowing air somewhere under the dash without it coming through any of the vents. In my case, I just keep playing around with the diverter knob as in turning it up and down repeatedly and it solves the problem. Face the same issue in my Logan as well. My advice to Duster/Logan owners who live in places with less rain is to periodically go through all settings on the diverter knob to prevent it from getting stuck.

[Phukan]

Originally Posted by Phukan

Hi guys. A query after a long time of owning my Duster and enjoying many beautiful moments with it. It's a 2013 diesel version and odo is in its 70's(k). Yesterday evening just as I was fiddling with my ac blower and I changed my air vent from re-circulation mode to vent-in mode. Suddenly, the sound coming from my air blower changed and it initially started making a sound as if some leaf or something is stuck. As I increased the air flow(speed) the sound of the blower changed to something like that of a blower whose suction has been restricted and it is starving.

I believe the blower needs cleaning but don't know how.

So I thought it would be nice to do some DIY stuff in this lockdown, if my fellow BHPians would help.

Thanks

Update: Went to local service guy. It turns out to be dry leaves that made its way into the blower suction. The location of blower suction is below the glove box as in most of the cars.

[hummer]

Hello,
I switched from a Nissan Terrano MT to Renault Duster AMT.

Here is my ownership review: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...uster-amt.html

[Shanmd]

So the rubber casing of the gear lever of my 85ps Duster has literally disintegrated. I have been driving for the past couple of days using the aluminium(?) rod of the gear shift.

Renault is selling the replacement for 4000/-Re. Out of stocks currently.

I have heard that the gearshifts available in the market don't really fit the Duster so well. More than one auto shopkeepers have told me so.

Anyone has a solution or an experience to share about this?

Thanks.

[SideView]

Originally Posted by Shanmd

So the rubber casing of the gear lever of my 85ps Duster has literally disintegrated. I have been driving for the past couple of days using the aluminium(?) rod of the gear shift.

Renault is selling the replacement for 4000/-Re. Out of stocks currently.



Thanks.

I have not tried the below, I remember checking for the same. Would something like below work?

https://www.amazon.in/LAXON-Silicone-Universal-Car-styling-Shift/dp/B07HRZRKML/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=60495745138&dchild=1&ext_vr nc=hi&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8eSexJCW6wIViX0rCh07zAkXEA AYASAAEgJed_D_BwE&hvadid=356408490223&hvdev=m&hvlo cphy=9062039&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=1333336612590 4489421&hvtargid=kwd-412242999784&hydadcr=8539_1936802&keywords=duster+ car+gear+knob&qid=1597251238&replacementKeywords=c ar+gear+knob&sr=8-3&tag=googinhydrmob-21&vehicle=Renault%3ADuster

[Shanmd]

Originally Posted by SideView

I have not tried the below, I remember checking for the same. Would something like below work?

https://www.amazon.in/LAXON-Silicone-Universal-Car-styling-Shift/dp/B07HRZRKML/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=60495745138&dchild=1&ext_vr nc=hi&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8eSexJCW6wIViX0rCh07zAkXEA AYASAAEgJed_D_BwE&hvadid=356408490223&hvdev=m&hvlo cphy=9062039&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=1333336612590 4489421&hvtargid=kwd-412242999784&hydadcr=8539_1936802&keywords=duster+ car+gear+knob&qid=1597251238&replacementKeywords=c ar+gear+knob&sr=8-3&tag=googinhydrmob-21&vehicle=Renault%3ADuster

Hi
Thanks for the response. But this won't work for me as the top knob itself is gone. Maybe I should put up some pictures here tomorrow for this to be clearer.
The above seems more like a soft cover for the gear knob than a whole new knob itself.. and the later is what I need.

[Route66]

Originally Posted by Shanmd

So the rubber casing of the gear lever of my 85ps Duster has literally disintegrated. I have been driving for the past couple of days using the aluminium(?) rod of the gear shift.

Renault is selling the replacement for 4000/-Re. Out of stocks currently.

I have heard that the gearshifts available in the market don't really fit the Duster so well. More than one auto shopkeepers have told me so.

Anyone has a solution or an experience to share about this?

Thanks.

Same thing happened with my Duster couple of weeks back. Initially, a part of the rubber knob broke which i fixed with some Fevi-kwik. But few days later, another bigger chunk broke which again was fixed with Fevi-kwik. But that didn't lasted long.

4000 charged by Renault is daylight robbery. I sourced one from a local parts shop costing 450 (i am not sure about price as someone from my father's office picked it up). The quality isn't close to OEM, but no way i am spending 4000 for this. How will it hold up with time remains to be seen.

I can share couple of pics if you want.

[Shanmd]

Originally Posted by Route66

Same thing happened with my Duster couple of weeks back. Initially, a part of the rubber knob broke which i fixed with some Fevi-kwik. But few days later, another bigger chunk broke which again was fixed with Fevi-kwik. But that didn't lasted long.

4000 charged by Renault is daylight robbery. I sourced one from a local parts shop costing 450 (i am not sure about price as someone from my father's office picked it up). The quality isn't close to OEM, but no way i am spending 4000 for this. How will it hold up with time remains to be seen.

I can share couple of pics if you want.

Yes, please. That would be nice indeed to compare to when I look at stuff available here in the city.
Thanks.

[Route66]

Originally Posted by Shanmd

Yes, please. That would be nice indeed to compare to when I look at stuff available here in the city.
Thanks.

Here are a few images. There was a lot of reflection from the central chrome part, so couldn't get good images.

Correction on price, it was purchased for Rs. 250.

[sharan_si]

This is my first car, I wanted to buy a car that provides a comfortable ride and reliable over the long term and it should be diesel (its Torque!! Not just for mileage).

Choices:
I had done test drive of almost all hatchback, sedan available at that time, started with swift and i20 went all the way up to XUV 5OO, Test drive and the selection process took around 3 months of time. After test driving multiple cars which include VW Vento, Verna, Polo, Linea, Punto, Ecosport, Duster, Swift, i20, Etios Liva, Etios, XUV and Ford Fiesta, I had shortlisted the following.

Hyundai i20 :
Likes:

• Best looking hatchback, looks better than swift.
• 1.4L Diesel engine, fast and fuel-efficient.
• practical book space for a hatchback.
• A lot of new features.

Dislikes:

• Never liked Hyundai steering at high speed, its light lacks feedback.
• Ride and handling at high speed.
• Hyundai service cost higher than competitor and premium price tag.

Hyundai Verna:
Likes:

• 1.6L Diesel, the most powerful engine in this segment.
• Ride quality at city speed.
• Spacious cabin, interior quality.
• Many segment-first features, reversing camera, electric folding mirrors, and more.

Dislikes:

• High-speed dynamics and ride quality. Softly tuned suspension.
• Light steering, Lacks feedback at high speed.
• Low ground clearance.

Ford EcoSport:
Likes:

• Futuristic design, Looks stylish (especially from front and side).
• Well sorted dynamics and handling for SUV, car-like to drive.
• Safety features, 6 Airbags, ABS + EBD, ESP, and Hill hold (AT).
• Build quality.

Dislikes:

• Stiff suspension, ride quality not as comfortable as Duster.
• 1.5L Diesel, Nowhere close to Hyundai's 1.6L Diesel in terms of performance.
• Sub 4 Meter SUV.
• Narrow cabin, best suited for 4 people not for 5, cramped interior.

Renault Duster
Likes:

• Excellent ride quality. Comfortable over any kind of road.
• 205mm of ground clearance.
• 1.5L Diesel offers good drivability, Consistent Mileage, and Reliable.
• Practical Boot space (475 - 1064 liters).

Dislikes:

• Interior quality fit and finish, not up to mark.
• Renaults after-sales service quality is unknown.
• Large boot but mediocre rear legroom would have liked more legroom.
• Missing features, mid variant(RXL) doesn’t has automatic climate control, ABS, etc.

XUV 500:
Likes:

• Powerful diesel engine.
• The new design and looks stylish.
• interior quality, a lot of features and was well priced.

Dislikes:

• The suspension setup is on the softer side, gets bumpy at high speed.
• Reliability issues over freshly designed Mahindra cars.
• Niggles and issues reported by XUV owners.

After considering the pros and cons, I booked Duster 85Ps RXL, soon after Ecosport was launched, I did a short test drive( There was a queue for TD). I liked the car and thought of booking it, after a couple of days I requested for TD during the weekday, I did 5-6 km TD didn’t like the suspension it was on stiffer side and cabin was not as spacious as Duster. Even though on paper EcoSport Engine is 5 PS more powerful than Duster 85Ps, I felt the duster engine was more drivable.


Day 0


80k+ km on odo


Most recent pic







Good part:

Out of all these cars I test drove, duster was the only car which offered the best ride quality and decent handling under 15Lkahs and only car in C2 segment which is comfortable over any kind of road and at both city and highway speeds, I liked 85PS because it has less turbo lag, offers Good drivability in the city and has adequate power on the highway, cruising at 90-110 is not a problem at all and steering feedback is good (it's hydraulic). Only when you cross 120 mark steering becomes light, it doesn’t give much feedback and the engine starts losing grunt. It takes a considerable amount of time to reach 150kmph(driven only couple of times to test top speed).

Duster engine(85PS) is low rpm friendly, there is not much turbo lag and you won't feel sudden surge once turbo kicks in, power delivery is linear, once you cross 4k rpm it starts making harsh noise it doesn’t like to revv further(there is no point in revving beyond 4k), unlike 1.3MJD which is high rpm friendly and best-driven post 2.5k rpm.

The engine hasn’t lost its power even after 80k and it still gives consistent mileage. One thing I observed is the engine is very sensitive to rpms, you will see a change in the mileage( I mean mileage differs even within a narrow rpm range 2400,2500,2600 rpms) when driving at different rpms on the highway.

Likes:

• Excellent ride quality, comfortable over any kind of road. Comfortable at both city and highway speeds.
• 205mm of ground clearance.
• 1.5L Diesel offers good drivability, Consistent Mileage, and Reliable.
• Practical Boot space (475 - 1064 liters).
• Mechanically reliable (no issues with engine, transmission, and suspension).
• Car-like to drive, good highspeed stability.

Recent Highway drive returned a mileage of 20.8kmpl( around 20kmpl considering errors) for a distance of 787 km(below pic)




Niggle and Issues:

Rattling noise from the front left side, rear doors whenever you go through a rough patch. The issue with AC knob which is used to adjust the direction of airflow, it was hard initially and gave up after 5 years, multiple owners reported AC knob issue. Few owners reported water leakage into the cabin but luckily never faced this.

• AC is not powerful, it takes time to cool the cabin(in summer).
• Tough to find a comfortable seating position(driver seat).
• Less storage space in both front and rear, no armrest in the mid variant.
• No Dead pedal.
• Diesel 1.5L 85PS lacks punch on the highway.
• No Rubber beading on Door (added in the later model).
• Heavy clutch.

Cost of ownership:

Initially, I changed engine oil every 5k km to just to keep service interval multiple of 10k, Post-warranty period that after 4 years I am changing oil at every 7k km. Have changed the clutch at 77000 km, it was not completely worn out but it had become hard (clutch is already on the heavier side in the new car) and was difficult to drive in Bangalore traffic, the mechanic suggested changing post 85k km. but I insisted to change to make it less heavy ( I like the clutch in my other car Punto, it's very soft).

I haven't maintained all the receipts, so it's difficult to give the exact amount of money spent on maintaining the car.

The list of parts changed:

• Clutch Plate @77000km
• Rear drum brake actuators @ 77000km.
• Running on the 3rd set of front disc brake pads ( changed twice).
• Front tires changed at 45k km and rear tires at 55k km.
• AC knob ( the one used for adjusting airflow direction).
• Headlights.
• Transmission oil changed once.
• Front right and rear left suspension had oil leakage @30k km.
• Rearview mirror (right side).
• Underbody anticorrosion treatment had worn out after 3 years, re-applied at free of cost by the service center. It was identified and suggested by SA, I didn't notice.

Timing kit is due for a change, mechanic advised to change after 85k km, there is no noise related to timing kit. The engine is running smooth.


Accessories/upgrades:

• Race Dynamics DieselTronic
• Head unit - Atoto A6 pro android HU.
• ODB reader.
• TPMS ( 1st with a separate display, then bought one compatible with an android head unit).
• USB Dashcam( Compatible with HU).
• 90/100 w headlights with wiring kit.
• Morel Tempo 6'' 2-way component system.
• JBL amplifier and subwoofer( Removed now).

Race Dynamics DieselTronic - Have installed this recently( a year back), Comes with 4 modes, can select modes with a remote.

Modes:

E - Eco mode, this is for mileage, have rarely used this.
S - Stock mode(stock mapping), This is the mode I use most of the time.
P1 - More powerful than stock, they also claim better mileage ( I haven't tested mileage part). I use this mode in highway drives, don’t have to downshift for overtaking, and provide good throttle response.
P2 - Most powerful, I have used this few times just to check the acceleration, Engine makes harsh sound and I don't use this mode.


Head unit: Atoto A6 pro Android HU

Amazon Link:

https://www.amazon.com/ATOTO-A6Y2721...7093408&sr=8-1



Features

• Dual Bluetooth one connected ODB reader and the second one for mobile.
• Android 6.0( Have received 2 firmware updates).
• Toshiba pre-amplifier with 4x29w (RMS) power output: For most users, this is enough, don’t need an additional amplifier, and sound quality is good.
• Bluetooth 5.0 with Aptx.
• Fast boot - less than 2s, it doesn’t switch off for at least 1 week(don’t know if other HU also does same), it stays in low power state for a week ( using this from 1+ year, haven't faced the issue with the battery, bit early to judge).

TPMS: Comes with USB receiver, you need an android head unit for this. Bought from AliExpress.


Removed one sensor intentionally for the pic (to show warning).

Morel Tempo 6'' 2-way component system: Best speakers in the car I heard till now, it cost me around 13k for pair, you need an amplifier if you want to get best out of these, these speakers have excellent midrange and highs. Bass is decent not the best.

Even after 7 years, whenever I drive it, even though it looks old school by design and interior quality is not up to mark. Its suspension, handling, drivability and reliability of engine keeps me happy, I wouldn't sell this car even if I upgrade!!

[yesyeswe]

My friend is in the process of buying a pre owned Duster, the car is from the year 2012 and is the RxZ variant. The car has run 63500 kms which we got checked from Renault and is a genuine reading. I test drove the car and everything seemed fine apart from the heavy clutch.

After negotiating the deal was finalized at 407000rs, the owner has recently changed the tyres, installed a new battery and renewed the insurance of the car. The current owner is known to my friend so we can trust him, but even he is the second owner of the car and is selling the car after a year as he wants to buy small petrol hatchback.

After going through various threads i came to know about the infamous injector failure issue of the car , that made me a little worried. But what i came to know is that it happens mainly in the humid areas or areas with heavy rainfall. I am from jaipur, rajasthan and it's pretty dry up here, and we have a lot of dusters in the city.

The car would be mainly used for city commutes and occasional outstation trips. My friend used to have a Wagon R before but sold it recently due to the old age of the car, so this would the only car in the house. Due to the low running, good condition and low price, my friend and I are pretty tempted to get this car.

I am attaching the pictures of the car so that everyone can see and give their suggestions.

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by Tgo

First thing First - Buy Extended Warranty coverage.

Then go with ASC recommendation with full peace of mind.

AMT's have had low sales volume and are dependent on a control module which has its own internal wizardry for any of the regular owners or garages to comment. Air in any hydraulic system can cause it to malfunction and in your case it is felt more in 1st gear since you are moving from standstill. Just remember, since clutch actuation is controlled solely by the module, just remember that any excessive wear or tear reported by the ASC should be covered under warranty since clutch operation has no user involvement.

I have got EW during my purchase itself. Its good to note that, clutch is a part of EW as driver has no role in it. In my case the jerk is felt more when its hot rather than a cold start.

Originally Posted by audioholic

But how did air get into the system in the first place? The AMT unit comes sealed with oil that is filled from factory. I dont think its a good idea to mess with it unless they know what they are upto. Jerking issue will be due to the warpage of clutch disc which has been common in Maruti AMTs. Being a diesel, with a beefier clutch, it would have appeared now for you. Unless there is a technical reference to this bleeding activity in the service manual or some circular, dont get it done.

Logical question and haven't asked him either. All I understand is there should be an updated algorithm, which is what SA could have told. The car is in my native and haven't finalised on the work.

I shall keep you posted.

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by sharan_si

Even after 7 years, whenever I drive it, even though it looks old school by design and interior quality is not up to mark. Its suspension, handling, drivability and reliability of engine keeps me happy, I wouldn't sell this car even if I upgrade!!

Thats a nicely maintained car. Hope it gives you joy for years to come. 85 PS is quite adequate for our roads and highways.

Originally Posted by yesyeswe

...suggestions.

Enjoy the car. Injector failure was a problem with the 110PS engines. I believe this is a 110 PS RXZ too. Don’t worry and make hay while the sun is out.

At 4 Lac you don’t even get a Renault Kwid these days. Tell your friend to venture out of the city and enjoy this car to the fullest. Just take RSA from Renault. @2500 for 3 years, its a good bargain.