[KMan]

Originally Posted by 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 ?...

The A/C in this car is not entirely impressive. When I just got the car, I was facing a problem where it wasn't cooling as it should. Told the service guys at the first service. They accepted it was a problem. Said the gas was short. Drained it and refilled it. Performance did improve. However, now that summer is here and the heat is insane, occasionally I too feel like there is an issue with the cooling. It happens for a little bit and mainly when stuck in traffic. It's worth getting checked out.

Originally Posted by adnaps

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.

Either way, I don't think it's adequate for highway driving. Not to mention that when the monsoon arrives, it will make things even harder.

[DriveTrain]

Originally Posted by KMan

Either way, I don't think it's adequate for highway driving. Not to mention that when the monsoon arrives, it will make things even harder.

You have a point , we have been lately blessed with Nor'westers in this part of the country and I have an incident to relate. I do not switch on my high beams unless absolutely forced. When driving through a bout of heavy rain , I noticed that the high beam part of the double barrel were heavily fogged up through about half the diameter of the plastic housings. Switching on the high beam at this point , made the high beam feel completely inadequate and it took quite a while for the heat build up to remove the condensation.

Any ideas how to prevent it, or do I need to switch on the high beams in heavy rain to prevent the condensation in the first place ?

[KMan]

Originally Posted by DriveTrain

You have a point , we have been lately blessed with Nor'westers in this part of the country and I have an incident to relate. I do not switch on my high beams unless absolutely forced. When driving through a bout of heavy rain , I noticed that the high beam part of the double barrel were heavily fogged up through about half the diameter of the plastic housings. Switching on the high beam at this point , made the high beam feel completely inadequate and it took quite a while for the heat build up to remove the condensation.

Any ideas how to prevent it, or do I need to switch on the high beams in heavy rain to prevent the condensation in the first place ?

Unfortunately, this seems like the only way to clear up the lens. Unless it's more than condensation and you have water swirling around inside, in which case it's a different ballgame.

For now, fire up the high beams. Most of the idiots on our roads tend to use them all the time anyway !

[nvikram]

The air-con has started leaking water inside our AWD Duster and I've noticed this more than once. On speaking to a Renault Service person, we got to know that this is an issue and that it would need two days to fix. I was wondering if others have noticed the same. Seems to be an obvious bad design.

[DriveTrain]

Originally Posted by nvikram

The air-con has started leaking water inside our AWD Duster and I've noticed this more than once. On speaking to a Renault Service person, we got to know that this is an issue and that it would need two days to fix. I was wondering if others have noticed the same. Seems to be an obvious bad design.

Which area does it leak from and where is the water accumulating ? Is there a pattern like a particular air-con setting or duration of usage ?

Have not faced it myself.

[nvikram]

It happened on our long trip to Udupi and Mangalore. The air-con was continuously running anything from 1 to 3. I initially noticed a few weeks back very little water around the central console vents. I did not bother much about it that time and even forgot to mention during my regular service. However, yesterday during our long drive things got worse and a jet of water started splashing out of the vents almost wetting the whole car. Irritated, we immediately took the car to a Renault Service center in mangalore and that's when the service engineer revealed similar complaints have come in and it would take two days to correct the issue.
It is probably due to prolonged use but in any case this is a frustrating issue and reflects really bad on Renault's quality.

[nvikram]

Originally Posted by DriveTrain

Which area does it leak from and where is the water accumulating ? Is there a pattern like a particular air-con setting or duration of usage ?

Have not faced it myself.

My bad, sorry for the misinformation. The issue seems to be a little more major than I explained. While there is "sweating" noticeable around the A/C vents, there was air-con water gushing inside the body of the car. Water gushing out was noticed next to front passenger seat and sides of the rear left and right passenger seats.

[Jaggu]

Have you checked the drain pipe leading out of the dash? easy way to inspect is let AC run for a while and see if there is drip of water coming out under the car through this pipe. If not, that is the culprit. Usually it gets clogged with leafs and such and then water starts spilling inside.

[nvikram]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Have you checked the drain pipe leading out of the dash? easy way to inspect is let AC run for a while and see if there is drip of water coming out under the car through this pipe. If not, that is the culprit. Usually it gets clogged with leafs and such and then water starts spilling inside.

Thanks! How about the leaks around the inside of the body? Any thoughts? Some hosing issues?
I have spoken to the Renault service center and plan to leave the car tomorrow for inspection. I will know for sure what the problem is.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by nvikram

Thanks! How about the leaks around the inside of the body? Any thoughts? Some hosing issues?
I have spoken to the Renault service center and plan to leave the car tomorrow for inspection. I will know for sure what the problem is.

If it is a leak it would happen all the while, when AC has been ON for more than around 10-15 minutes. If it is blockage, then it will fill up initially and then start to spill over inside. Hence you find it happening on longer trips.

[nvikram]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

If it is a leak it would happen all the while, when AC has been ON for more than around 10-15 minutes. If it is blockage, then it will fill up initially and then start to spill over inside. Hence you find it happening on longer trips.

I finally got the leakage issue permanently fixed (as assured by the Renault service personnel). The issue apparently was with a "misalignment" of the A/C drain pipe and the hose that lets the water out. Since this runs through the dashboard, the misalignment had caused water to leak from under the dashboard and spread all around the inside of the car. The cause of the misalignment itself is kind of a mystery because per the service person, there are many sources including user accidentally stretching too far and damaging the outlet joints.
In any case I shall monitor the same. On an unrelated case, since they had to completely open up the dashboard unit, they found traces of rat movement inside and suggested I go for a mesh arrangement to protect the various rat-bite susceptible parts. As a goodwill gesture (probably), they did not charge a penny for any of the above, which I think was a nice touch.

[KMan]

Hello everyone.

I just got the second service done a couple of weeks ago and I have to say that driving this car and dealing with Renault is turning out to be equal parts agony and ecstasy !

Along with the service, I had asked them to check out a few issues that had been bothering me.

The first issue was the vibration in the steering wheel which I've mentioned earlier in the forum. While out for a trial with the service adviser, he too noticed it and said it is normal for the car. However, they agreed to have a look and ended up changing the entire steering rack assembly. This was the reason that the car was lying with them for 5 days. The problem has marginally improved but is still prevalent. This was done without charge.

There was a software update for the head unit which they did. It has made the interface pretty quick and responsive compared to before. The phone connects to it much quicker too.

The A/C in this car has been annoying me since the start. I had brought up the cooling issue during the first service too where they drained the gas and refilled it. This time too, I was told that the gas was short. The repeated the process. To have this done at every service is ridiculous.

The inside part of the rubber beading on the front doors is already cut and beginning to come loose. They fixed it with Feviquick.

As has been observed by a few members of the forum, the spiderweb pattern on the inside of the headlight is a problem I'm facing too. It is only on one headlight. I pointed out to the service adviser that I know a few people who have had their headlights changed in warranty for the same problem and I would be expecting the same. They are still to get back to me on this.

I picked up the car in the evening and since it was dark, didn't really get a chance to look around. As I was driving back, once the car got above 70-80kph, there was a flapping sound on the driver's side door which drove me crazy. The next morning, I noticed that the right side indicator light was dangling down. The clip had broken. Not only that, the first scratch on my car was put during the service. (pictures attached).

When I got the feedback call, I told them about this and they have already fixed the indicator light. They have asked me to drop the car for 2-3 days so that they can fix the scratch.

All in all, the experience has me scratching my head because they are co-operative and careless at the same time. And the car too gives a similar feeling at times. We all know how well it drives but the occasional niggles can really get on the nerves !

[driverace]

Just sharing an awesome video of Duster 4x4
For sure, some serious water wading + slush fighting confidence.

Duster-Russian version

It's almost like a boat

Ace

P.S. It's all Russian, not sure how I stumbled upon this. LoL.

[DriveTrain]

Just completed a 4000 Kms round trip from Kolkata to Chail , then to Shelapani ( Mandhol , HP), onto Chansal pass and back to Kolkata with my AWD. Some observations from the trip.


It was sheer pleasure to drive the AWD.


While returning – on the leg between Panipat to end of Yamuna expressway at Agra , the AWD returned a mileage of 19.7 Kmpl in Auto mode with AC On. It actually touched 19.9 but came down to 19.7 as I kept the engine and AC running while waiting to cross the various toll plazas. The best mileage was returned while on cruise (Cruise control On) in 6th gear on Auto mode. Cruise speed was 90 Kmph on NH1 and 98 Kmph on Yamuna Expressway.


Mileage dropped significantly as I sped upto (105 to 110 Kmph , I know I was speeding ) on NH2.


Overall mileage door to door including the hills and Chansal pass was 15.2 Kmpl with AC on most of the way , yes even on most of the hills to avoid the dust.


Except for one hiccup the AC performed flawlessly. With 40 to 44 Deg C being the outside ambient temperature, the cabin continued to remain chilled. On the way to Delhi , suddenly the air flow from the AC reduced and the cooling became nominal, it was 43 Deg C outside. I called Renault roadside assistance , they picked up immediately and gave me the number of Kanpur ASC as I was passing Kanpur at that time. The service manager also picked up even though it was a Sunday , however he could not help as it was a holiday and the ASC was closed.. I shut down the AC and restarted it after 30 mins , the problem corrected itself and there was no hitch afterwards for the entire trip. We found the problem when I gave the car to service after returning home , it was a very dirty and choked AC Air filter (Cabin Filter). Apparently Renault recommends that you always keep the recirculation mode on when the air blower is on (irrespective of whether the AC is on or not to prevent this problem).


AWD was needed on the last 1.5 kms from Mandhol to Hotel Dwarika Residency at Shelapani. It had rained and there was deep ruts and the stretch was full of slush. Local Innova’s and a Scorpio could not make the climb , the AWD made it comfortably . The owner has a Gypsy 4X4 to ferry guests or stuck cars just for these occasions. On a very rainy afternoon as we were returning from Giri Ganga the owner thought we would be stuck, it was fun to tail his Gypsy turn by turn and climb up the ruts and slush in blinding rain, the AWD did not fail. I still have the stock MRF Wanderers.


The rocks and mud on the way to Chansal was no problem either , then plenty of Scorpios , Boleros the local Bus and even an Alto was making it as well !


I discovered that the Media Nav screen has a design flaw – if a USB stick is inserted in the slot and the system is running , the driver cannot see the time display on the right top corner of the screen.


In the hills the reflections of the windscreen is really bad , this is not discernible on the plains. The top raised portion of the dash board , the top of the Media Nav screen , the chrome door handles , all cast their reflections on the windscreen with the angled Sun coming on to the screen. I had a polarizer fitted on my dash cam , even then the reflections were there in the footage.


All in all I am a very happy and pleased owner of an AWD .

[KMan]

Now that the monsoon is here, I just observed a useful feature which I didn't know was present in the car.

If the front wipers are on, in any mode (or have been switched on and then switched off), and the car is put in reverse, the rear wiper starts by itself and remains on for the entire time that the car is in reverse. Once you take it out of reverse, the wiper stops after 2-3 movements. I went crazy initially trying to figure out if the rear wiper had a mind of this own. But eventually, made this observation. This was a pleasant surprise !