[Mortis]

The "Teflon" coating is a scam. You are better off waxing your car and getting it polishid once a year from outside. There are many other paint sealants and coatings available now that are far superior. Your city is also host to a few really good independent detailers like Nirmal sudojit and Ultimate detailerz both of which are members of this forum.

As for underbody coating, if you are restricted to city driving in Bangalore most of the time then no need. Its helpful in coastal cities like Chennai and Mumbai where the risk of corrosion is higher but otherwise most cars come with adequate underbody protection.
Go for it if you do a decent amount of highway driving as it will help with impacts of small stones or if you feel that the road noise is high then the coating will help in sound dampening.

[nvikram]

Originally Posted by Mortis

The "Teflon" coating is a scam. You are better off waxing your car and getting it polishid once a year from outside. There are many other paint sealants and coatings available now that are far superior. Your city is also host to a few really good independent detailers like Nirmal sudojit and Ultimate detailerz both of which are members of this forum.

As for underbody coating, if you are restricted to city driving in Bangalore most of the time then no need. Its helpful in coastal cities like Chennai and Mumbai where the risk of corrosion is higher but otherwise most cars come with adequate underbody protection.
Go for it if you do a decent amount of highway driving as it will help with impacts of small stones or if you feel that the road noise is high then the coating will help in sound dampening.

Thanks Mortis! I just got the under body coating done and had a look at it as well. Looks like the movable parts underneath are not coated owing to its different material. The coating product is from and 3M comes with a 5year warranty with renewed coating every 6 months.

[LoneRidder]

Originally Posted by Mortis

The "Teflon" coating is a scam. You are better off waxing your car and getting it polishid once a year from outside. T.

Hmmm, with due respect, I disagree with you!! Calling 'Teflon Coating" a scam? No, but Yes!

TEFLON is a patented material by DUPONT and it has varied application from cooking utensils to automotive. However, their composition vary based on the need.

In cars, generally it is a 3-stage process (4 stage on used cars).
1. The car has to be cleaned and dusted in an dust-free environment.
2. Next the Car Paint Protector is applied first.
3. Then the TEFLON coating material is applied on all the painted surfaces.
4. After letting it dry an few minutes the car is polished with a buffing machine.

However, most of the detailing centres may not use TEFLON, there by misguiding the customers. Teflon is again generally recommended for cooler conditions. Even a good wax polishing does a neat job. But would not match the finish of a TEFLON coating.

Also note, Paint Protection is different from paint restoration polish. Paint restoration polishing means the polishing liquid is buffed upon the paint which removes extremely thin layer of the clear coat which causes the paint (actually the clear coat) to look as new. This should not be done too often, and and is a strict no-no for a new car!

Most of the dealer/workshop that claim to offer Teflon coating is actually performing a paint protection or polishing work. Though the paint protection job done achieves similar effect as that of Teflon but for a much lesser cost, may be half of the cost.

So now the call would be to check if it is genuine Teflon or not and not a paint protection. After all it may not be a scam, but a case of using a easier terminology, just like calling xerox for photocopying!!!

[nikhiljaipurkar]

Hello All,

It has been a while since I posted an update about my planned purchase. I was able to lay my hands on the RxZ AWD Duster on March 14, 2015. Since then, have been planning to post an update but some thing or the other has kept me away from the forum.

First about the purchase process. The dealership at Mandi, HP is about 120 km from Shimla and hence it took us an entire day to bring the vehicle home. The whole family decided to go at the last moment, and hence it turned out to be a fun outing, though long & tiresome. We started off as early as we possibly could with kids in tow, and reached the dealership at around 1.30pm. It takes around 4.5 hours to cover the distance on hilly roads with quite a few terrible patches. The woodland brown color on the vehicle looked quite good, though not my first choice, & the contrasting color of side view mirror housing & door handles (silver) was a pleasant surprise. I didn't know about this, as the TD vehicle was white and I did not quite notice the contrast then.

The vehicle was being prepped and I conducted a quick PDI with the technical person providing all the required help. With the PDI over at the workshop, it was time to complete the payment formalities, insurance, paperwork for the temporary certificate, et al. That took some time and the car was brought to the showroom at around 4.30pm. With the mandatory puja done, we all piled up in the Duster & were on our way back at 5 pm. This was a bit later than I expected, as it meant we would be back home only by 10 pm. But the car behaved on it's way back and we were safely back by 10.

Now some observations on my drive till date:

1. First thing I noticed was that the headlights are totally inadequate for highway driving. Since my first real drive involved pitch dark & bad roads through winding hilly terrains, I found the headlights wanting and quite unsafe for night time driving. I have seen this observation from a number of other users. Any suggested upgrade options?

2. The entertainment system works adequately. I had an issue with contacts not being read from my phone, but was able to sort it out for 95% of the contacts. But even now, a few contacts are not being recognized and the phone number is displayed as unknown. iPod music plays quite well, though at times it stops playing if it reaches the end of a folder.

3. Rust issue is there as identified by many others. Rust can be prominently seen on the inner cast iron components of all four wheels.

4. Have driven 600 km till now. I have been told by the service advisor that a visit for inspection (not service) is suggested after 1000 km of driving. Given the distance involved to take the car to the dealership, I was wondering if this is something I can skip?

5. I am being shown a fuel efficiency of 12.3 kmpl. I have driven only on hilly roads and hardly get the opportunity to go into 5th gear. Most of the drive happens in the 3rd gear and 4th, with speeds of about 30-40 kmph. My 9 year old petrol swift (1.3l) gives around 11 kmpl, with similar driving styles.

6. I am facing a serious problem with the reflection of the dashboard on the windshield. The black plastics reflect very prominently blocking the view through the windshield, especially if you have the sun coming in from the front. I believe the problem could be especially severe due to the hilly, sloping roads and the sun coming at you at an angle at all times of the day (not just morning/ late afternoon). Is there some solution (like a mat or coating on the front dash) for this?

7. The reverse gear mechanism (lifting the collar) is easy enough to master but I have to be conscious about it, especially if I am reversing in traffic to take a sharp turn. I am driving both vehicles regularly and hence have to switch from Swift mode to Duster mode everyday! In fact the turn indicators are on the opposite side stalks too. Gets confusing at times.

8. I think the outside door handles are very flimsy and Renault could have used a more assuring & robust handle for this vehicle. I fear that they would break if someone pulled the handle when the doors were locked.

9. Coolant level was just above the min level when I checked just a couple of days after taking delivery of the vehicle. I may have missed checking this during the PDI, or may be they don't fill it up to the max level deliberately. In any case, any idea which brand I should use if I find the levels going down?

10. I happened to spot a vehicle in the showroom in the Amazon green color, and I must say it looks very, very different from the one we have seen in the print ads & websites. I in fact thought of it as some kind of dark dirty grey, rather than green. But the sales advisor confirmed that it was the Amazon green color & that they were also surprised when they first saw the color on the vehicle.

11. The doors auto lock function was not activated on my vehicle & the service advisor was not able to explain how it could be activated. In fact they went as far as saying that the door auto lock function is not present in this vehicle. I read the manual and found out that the auto lock (activated after the vehicle reaches a speed of 10 kmph) has to be activated by giving a long press to the button (with the ignition on) till it beeps. I was able to do it, and now the doors auto lock without fail each time.

12. I have mostly driven in 2WD lock mode, & only once had to put it in auto mode when I was going through a muddy patch. Have not driven it in 4WD lock mode as yet.

13. The horn actuator pad on the steering wheel was very very firm initially. I actually got a bad case of sore thumb within a couple of days of driving. I was using the side of my thumb to press on it and did not realize that I hurt my thumb doing it. Now wiser, I am using the base of my palm to press it. I am used to pressing the horn with my thumb in my Swift and never faced this. Could have been hard and firm, it being a new vehicle and all! (let's not get started on the Don't honk thing).

14. I think the windshield washer spray water container is very small, given the large size of the windscreen. I ended up exhausting the water in it in a couple of days, and when I tried to refill it, I found it's capacity quite inadequate.

Overall, a pleasant driving experience till date with a few minor complains here & there.

[Mortis]

LoneRidder : Sorry but Teflon coating for cars is a scam and doesnt exist. Dupont themselves do not have a product for this use but other companies use liquid PTFE in their wax/polish/sealant and claim to have the miracle benefits of Teflon.

Teflon simply will not bond to car paint unless it is baked on

[Seran Manian]

Originally Posted by nikhiljaipurkar

Hello All,

4. Have driven 600 km till now. I have been told by the service advisor that a visit for inspection (not service) is suggested after 1000 km of driving. Given the distance involved to take the car to the dealership, I was wondering if this is something I can skip?

9. Coolant level was just above the min level when I checked just a couple of days after taking delivery of the vehicle. I may have missed checking this during the PDI, or may be they don't fill it up to the max level deliberately. In any case, any idea which brand I should use if I find the levels going down?

13. The horn actuator pad on the steering wheel was very very firm initially. I actually got a bad case of sore thumb within a couple of days of driving. I was using the side of my thumb to press on it and did not realize that I hurt my thumb doing it. Now wiser, I am using the base of my palm to press it. I am used to pressing the horn with my thumb in my Swift and never faced this. Could have been hard and firm, it being a new vehicle and all! (let's not get started on the Don't honk thing).

Overall, a pleasant driving experience till date with a few minor complains here & there.

It may be too late to answer your query now...

1000 Km service generally is nothing but a check to see if all is ok. They do not change any thing. But this forms a part of the Warranty process. So I think is a must.

Minor coolant level top up can always be done using distilled water and this is a recommended procedure.

I too switched to using the Lower palm when I switched to Renault Logan. The problem was that, your left hand is always placed on the gear knob as you might shift gears frequently. So the right hand should grip the steering wheel as well as be used for honking. This becomes a bit tricky. Any way one gets used to it. .

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by Seran Manian

1000 Km service generally is nothing but a check to see if all is ok. They do not change any thing. But this forms a part of the Warranty process. So I think is a must.

I am not very sure of this piece of information. The manual suggests the 2000 km service at the end of 2 months. I just got that done some days back. In fact I got delayed by almost 15-20 days and still was some 500 kms short on the odo. No fuss at all.

Never knew about this 1000km mumbo jumbo nor was I ever asked about it.

Originally Posted by Seran Manian

Minor coolant level top up can always be done using distilled water and this is a recommended procedure.

Minor is a relative word. But going by what the OP says, if his coolant level is just above the minimum mark then he should buy the right coolant and top it up. If at all distilled water is being used I would say replace that with a proper coolant within the next 40-50 kms or as soon as you can. Most of the coolants are premixed nowadays and have certain proportions. Also, the modern coolants can withstand tremendous heat and boil without any adverse effect. Water in comparison will probably evaporate in no time and you will be without coolant.

[KMan]

Hello all.

I'm about 800km from the 10,000km second service. Should be dropping the car off in a couple of weeks. Plan to get some things checked out while it's there. The old issue of changing the shock absorber may be addressed as the noise that it was making hasn't returned since the service guys tinkered around with it. So i'm trying to decide if I should still ask them to change it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it !

Besides that, I wanted to know if I should switch over to synthetic oil. As far as I know, Renault uses a mineral based oil in the Duster that Elf has developed which they recommend changing every 10,000km. The Koleos on the other hand uses synthetic oil. Will it be worth it to switch to synthetic oil ?

Also, an observation that I made since summer is now here in full swing. The aircon is terribly weak ! I was used to being chilled in the Innova with its multiple blowers. In the Duster, if you have 3-4 people in the car during the day, anything less than the 3rd speed on the blower renders the aircon ineffective.

[Seran Manian]

Originally Posted by Zappo

I am not very sure of this piece of information. The manual suggests the 2000 km service at the end of 2 months.


Minor is a relative word. But going by what the OP says, if his coolant level is just above the minimum mark then he should buy the right coolant and top it up. If at all distilled water is being used I would say replace that with a proper coolant within the next 40-50 kms or as soon as you can. Most of the coolants are premixed nowadays and have certain proportions.

My apologies for the mix up. If the User Manual says 2000 Kms then there is no issue at all and he can very well await the 1st service.

If the coolant level drops by say 200 ml, top it up with distilled water and if the level stays, get it attended in the 1st Service was my view. Thanks for the suggestion.

[LoneRidder]

Originally Posted by Mortis

LoneRidder : Sorry but Teflon coating for cars is a scam and doesnt exist. Dupont themselves do not have a product for this use but other companies use liquid PTFE in their wax/polish/sealant and claim to have the miracle benefits of Teflon.

Teflon simply will not bond to car paint unless it is baked on

Sorry friend; Dupont does have Exterior Protection products. You may explore more at http://www.appipeline.com/index.html

But the question again is, does your agent really do it. But yes, Dupont does have Paint Protection Products, however you may still call it Dupont or Teflon as you wish

[DriveTrain]

Originally Posted by nikhiljaipurkar

some observations on my drive till date:

1. First thing I noticed was that the headlights are totally inadequate for highway driving. Since my first real drive involved pitch dark & bad roads through winding hilly terrains, I found the headlights wanting and quite unsafe for night time driving. I have seen this observation from a number of other users. Any suggested upgrade options?

6. I am facing a serious problem with the reflection of the dashboard on the windshield. The black plastics reflect very prominently blocking the view through the windshield, especially if you have the sun coming in from the front. I believe the problem could be especially severe due to the hilly, sloping roads and the sun coming at you at an angle at all times of the day (not just morning/ late afternoon). Is there some solution (like a mat or coating on the front dash) for this?

10. I happened to spot a vehicle in the showroom in the Amazon green color, and I must say it looks very, very different from the one we have seen in the print ads & websites. I in fact thought of it as some kind of dark dirty grey, rather than green. But the sales advisor confirmed that it was the Amazon green color & that they were also surprised when they first saw the color on the vehicle.

11. The doors auto lock function was not activated on my vehicle & the service advisor was not able to explain how it could be activated. In fact they went as far as saying that the door auto lock function is not present in this vehicle. I read the manual and found out that the auto lock (activated after the vehicle reaches a speed of 10 kmph) has to be activated by giving a long press to the button (with the ignition on) till it beeps. I was able to do it, and now the doors auto lock without fail each time.

13. The horn actuator pad on the steering wheel was very very firm initially. I actually got a bad case of sore thumb within a couple of days of driving. I was using the side of my thumb to press on it and did not realize that I hurt my thumb doing it. Now wiser, I am using the base of my palm to press it. I am used to pressing the horn with my thumb in my Swift and never faced this. Could have been hard and firm, it being a new vehicle and all! (let's not get started on the Don't honk thing).


Overall, a pleasant driving experience till date with a few minor complains here & there.

Congrats nikhiljaipurkar on your new ride !

I felt the same for the Headlights and upgraded only the bulbs . I installed the Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited Bulbs of the same Power rating - H1 for the High Beams and H7 for the Dipped Beam ones. I feel it is vastly better than the old ones, did not wish to tinker with harness and go for higher power rating or Xenons.

On a lighter note for the reflections - just wear a pair of polarized shades and most of it will simply vanish. . The biggest irritant seems to be the reflection of the windscreen demister outlet. The outlet is large and angled up , the design does not take the reflections into account. A matt coating may help , what will surely help would be felt (or some such material) dash cover , however not sure where you can get one or what it will do to the aesthetics.

I own the Amazon Green colour and your are correct , it is not the same shade compared to what is printed on the brochure. I personally like the colour and I have had complete strangers walk over and complement the colour ! The colour tone seems to vary with ambient light conditions and the angle it is viewed from.

It appears that the door autolock is not activated on delivery , it was same for me. I read the manual and activated the feature.

I am now quite used to press the horn with just my right thumb alone. Felt a bit heavy for the first few days.

[jmktm]

Hi,
My 4wd has done @ 9000 KM and is having an issue regarding the A/C. Occasionally the A/C compressor seems to switch off for about 2-3 seconds and then comes back (on) automatically. This is most notable during high outside temperature conditions, where loss of cooling shows up instantly.

I have seen this a number of times & am pretty sure I am not imagining this . I believe I did read about the same matter being posted by somebody else also some months back ,so it must have been for the Duster non-4wd model also ..

Must be some electrical gremlin/faulty thermostat only, and I intend to complain during the upcoming 10 K service.

Anybody else having this ?...

[KMan]

Originally Posted by DriveTrain

Congrats nikhiljaipurkar on your new ride !

I felt the same for the Headlights and upgraded only the bulbs . I installed the Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited Bulbs of the same Power rating - H1 for the High Beams and H7 for the Dipped Beam ones. I feel it is vastly better than the old ones, did not wish to tinker with harness and go for higher power rating or Xenons.

Hello. I completely agree with you regarding the inadequacy of the stock headlights. I'm dropping off my car to the service center for the 10,000 km service and was thinking of asking them to change the bulbs for me. Going with your recommendation, I'm presuming there is no need for a relay/cut out addition/modification ? It's just the bulbs that have to be changed, yes?

[DriveTrain]

Originally Posted by KMan

Going with your recommendation, I'm presuming there is no need for a relay/cut out addition/modification ? It's just the bulbs that have to be changed, yes?

Yes , in my case , I changed just the bulbs , no other addition or alteration was done

[adnaps]

Originally Posted by KMan

Hello. I completely agree with you regarding the inadequacy of the stock headlights. I'm dropping off my car to the service center for the 10,000 km service and was thinking of asking them to change the bulbs for me. Going with your recommendation, I'm presuming there is no need for a relay/cut out addition/modification ? It's just the bulbs that have to be changed, yes?

My impression was slightly different. Unlike most cars which I have driven I observed that on selecting high beam the low beam also continues to be on. That results in a relatively bright light patch close in front of the car from the low beam. When compared to this bright patch, the area lit by the high beam appears to be darker.

Intend to verify this theory shortly on a dark road after covering the low beam with a cardboard.