[jmktm]

Hi,
Duster AWD 100,000 KM Service bill, was done in July 2018.

Total amount- Rs.15366/- (Parts- Rs.11486/-+Labour-Rs.3880/-)

Parts major item was front brake disc set, at Rs.5940/-

Cheers

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by Samba

Update-
Just a word of caution to Renault owners in Kolkata, please avoid their Barasat service center! The Budge Budge service center is big, honest and much better equipped.

Such an unfortunate event ! Hope you have escalated this to the concerned authority and posted this on social media. Many unfortunate souls who are not technically inclined or without contacts will be easy prey for them. I really hope Renault takes action against errant dealerships like this one !

[revved_up]

I got my Duster AWD 60K service done yesterday at Renault Mayapuri, Delhi.

I knew it was going to be a costly affair, but i was in for some shocks!
I was given an estimate of 30000(including tax) for the below tasks:
- Service labour - 3000 (This is probably the highest labor charges i have paid for any of my cars owned ever!)
- Engine Oil Synthetic - 4500
- Coolant - 1400
- Accessory belt and timing belt - 15000
- Diesel Filter 2300
-Cabin Filter - 500
- EGR cleaning - 1500 (i got this removed later)
-Radiator Cleaning - 1500(I got this removed later)
Rear Differential oil change(this was being done at my request) As per SA this is a not needed to change in lifetime. - 1300

From the above list i immediately asked them to remove EGR, Radiator cleaning which they promptly did.
I asked them why are service charges so high(3000). He said this is major service and it takes more time and labor thats why.

Now, i told the SA that i was under the impression only accessory belt will be replaced, how come they are changing the timing belt too? Then he said all Duster after Jan 2015 need timing belt every 60K and showed me the below schedule.


When i told him mine is 2014 manufactured, he said they consider sale date. So i had no choice but to agree and pay the extra amount and get timing belt replaced.

Meanwhile i checked the "My Renault" app and in the 60k service estimate and to my surprise it wasnt showing the timing belt replacement.


When i showed this to the SA, he initially denied saying app is wrong, but later agreed to check with their technical head. He came back and said , yes no timing belt replacement needed for my car, and they have confirmed through the vin number.
However, i still feel for the newer Duster owners. This is probably the only car which i have heard needs a new timing belt every 60k kms.

So i went a go ahead to the work now. Work was completed farily quickly as per my expectations and car was ready by 2pm. I was present with the car almost during the entire work, since i had a good rapport with the mechanic doing the job.

When i was shown the final bill, in the labor charges, apart from the exorbitant 3000 paid service charges, i saw another 1000 for accessory belt replacement.
Now i pointed this to the SA again, as to why are they charging the initial 3000 for the extra labor in 60k service when accessory belt labor is anyways extra? He said 3000 is being charged due to extra time it takes in this service and component replacement charges are anyways extra. After some arguing, i asked him to connect me with their service head. Instead a lady from customer service came, she listened to my story and promptly removed the extra labor charges.
So the final billl stands at around 18k.





So, as usual my feedback is Renault will take you for a ride if you are an unsuspecting customer and trust them. In my case i would have ended up spending 30K(instead of 18K). I think its a big difference considering i was not getting wheel alignment/balancing brake cleaning from them anyways.

Also, the service charges from Renault are sky rocketing all the time. Till last year, the minor service charges were around 1500 , now they are 2100.
And major service anyways is 3000 which is exorbitant to say the least.

Maintaining a Renault Duster(which is a cost cutting example) is no where an cheap affair. Of all the vehicles i have owned so far, i think Renault is the one which has the highest maintenance and part costs. Not to mention the service center is always ready to milk you and make that extra money.

Hope this information is useful for fellow duster owners.

@Renault i hope you read this and take this as a genuine feedback.

[blorebuddy]

Originally Posted by revved_up

Maintaining a Renault Duster(which is a cost cutting example) is no where an cheap affair. Of all the vehicles i have owned so far, i think Renault is the one which has the highest maintenance and part costs. Not to mention the service center is always ready to milk you and make that extra money.

Hope this information is useful for fellow duster owners.

@Renault i hope you read this and take this as a genuine feedback.

Thanks for sharing. I was seriously considering Duster as my next car because of the ride quality, and packaging for the price. After reading the duster threads it’s off my list. Hope they take the feedback’s seriously and work on them.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by blorebuddy

Thanks for sharing. I was seriously considering Duster as my next car because of the ride quality, and packaging for the price. After reading the duster threads it’s off my list. Hope they take the feedback’s seriously and work on them.

You can take it off your shopping list unless you want AWD. It is not very city friendly despite the dimensions.
However, It remains to be a very capable cruiser on and offroad.

Okay, question for duster owners.

My friend's Duster is nearing 90K KMS, the clutch replacement is around 60-70 K INR, but I did not hear of a timing belt replacement from the dealer so far.

How much does this timing belt replacement cost?

Scheduled Maintenance costs are high despite the car being thoroughly reliable.

[revved_up]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

My friend's Duster is nearing 90K KMS, the clutch replacement is around 60-70 K INR, but I did not hear of a timing belt replacement from the dealer so far.

How much does this timing belt replacement cost?

Pre 2015 Dusters need timing belt replacement at 120K Kms. Cost is around 7500+Taxes.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by revved_up

Pre 2015 Dusters need timing belt replacement at 120K Kms. Cost is around 7500+Taxes.

Many thanks my friend. I hope there are no additional zeros in that, but nevertheless it lasts this long, so i guess it's okay.

[Tgo]

A belt is designed to go through a certain number of cycles (lets say revolutions). If the duty life of the part is reduced to 60,000 km for new models without change in the load it handles, the only thing that has changed is the quality of the parts itself. Needless to say the part should be cheaper as well. But Renault has not revised the price.

A tactic employed to please the dealers in order to earn higher profits which is required since poor sales figures of the product bring fewer than projected cars to the service centers.

Originally Posted by revved_up

@Renault i hope you read this and take this as a genuine feedback.

They are not listening. Practices like this similar to the handling/logistics charges scam all dealerships run, and the manufacturers turn a blind eye to.

Renault is not going to survive. I believe they even lack the funds and more importantly - the will, to even try to mend their ways like Skoda.

[revved_up]

Originally Posted by Tgo

They are not listening. Practices like this similar to the handling/logistics charges scam all dealerships run, and the manufacturers turn a blind eye to.

Renault is not going to survive. I believe they even lack the funds and more importantly - the will, to even try to mend their ways like Skoda.

Agree. I have "still" lodged a formal complaint with Renault which they have smartly diverted to dealership again.
Lets see.

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by revved_up

Agree. I have "still" lodged a formal complaint with Renault which they have smartly diverted to dealership again.
Lets see.

They are crooks of the first order. You stop having faith in them when, instead of taking up the issue with the dealer themselves, they divert you to deal with them.

At Maruti Suzuki, complaints are handled from the company end. A guy coordinates with you and the dealer and sees if there is merit in your case - accordingly action is taken.

Renault have posted a Co-Tech (Renault Employee) at each dealership to handle technical complaints and issues. Usually he is sucks up to the dealers so will not divulge you anything which the dealer doesn't want you to know.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by revved_up

Rear Differential oil change(this was being done at my request) As per SA this is a not needed to change in lifetime. - 1300

Can you please share the copy of the bill. I am curious as the what oil they put and what is the labour bill for it.

Originally Posted by revved_up

@Renault i hope you read this and take this as a genuine feedback.

Cost of parts and maintenance is definitely going to kill Renault. For a car that is sold from 10 to 16 lakhs, the cost of some parts and service items are exorbitant.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by Touringlawyer

I would urge you to put the entire episode on record and write to customer@renault.com with cc to Renault India's CEO at sumit.sawhney@renault.com (got this email id from internet through google search). Also, tweet to Renault India on their official Twitter handle.

Sorry for replying late. Earlier this month, i mailed to Renault by the mail Id provided by you. The very next day, i got a call from a Renault official and they even sent a technical team from Chennai to Kolkata to address the problem.

My friend having a 10 months old Duster AWD was facing a similar issue (fluctuating rpm) and it was diagnosed as a faulty injector.
Sadly due to my tight work schedule i couldn't take my car on that day but i was assured, if anything goes wrong they will attend my car in priority basis.

Thanks a lot for this pointer. It really worked.

[SajiNSalin]

I got the 50K service done for the Duster from Trivandrum. The experience goes like this:

Called them several times on the number I had used a year back, repeatedly got the message that the number does not exist. I then decided to download the Renault app and tried to call them, same response: number does not exist. I booked the service through the app and waited for the confirmation call; no reply.
I then called up one of the service persons I had dealt with earlier; he picked up and directed me to the booking person. She said the computer system is down, so they did not get the service request, but she did it manually for last Friday. I asked her to send a driver to pick up the vehicle at 9am on Friday. I mentioned that the Map (GPS) was not functioning for sometime now and the rear wheel camber was out of spec.

On Friday, wife calls up to say that nobody has turned up at 10:30 even, I called Renault Trivandrum again and they said, sorry, the driver is on leave. Next another driver called up saying he is in the other part of town (Technopark) and is coming by bus and it will take another hour to reach my place. I called up Renault again to find out if this is really a Renault driver (don't want anybody scooting with the vehicle!).
Finally the vehicle was taken away at 12 pm, only 3 hours delayed.
The service person called up to say that one of the rear shocks is leaking and needs to be replaced (no warranty, at my cost). The rear slave brake cylinder is stuck and needs to be replaced under warranty.

The vehicle was ready for pickup by 4pm on Saturday. They had rectified the GPS MAPS by installing the latest version and corrected the camber on the rear wheel. Overall it was well done and I took it for wheel alignment and balancing at my regular MRF shop and they confirmed the camber is now within spec.

The cost of the 50K service came to Rs 17,662. The breakup is as follows:
air filter 600, engine oil 1426, oil filter 541, rear shock absorber 6729, labour for shock 531, paid service 2006, brake cleaning 1239, ac vent cleaning 849, premium interior cleaning 2549.

Overall it was a satisfactory experience and the last one year has been trouble free.

[tomraven99]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

Cost of parts and maintenance is definitely going to kill Renault. For a car that is sold from 10 to 16 lakhs, the cost of some parts and service items are exorbitant.

Couldn't agree more. Cost of 4 injectors are about 1 lakh plus for a 10 lakh vehicle. If one adds the prices of all the spares it would be about 3 or 4 times the price of the vehicle. The service center horror stories have started to kill off the vehicle.

[Touringlawyer]

Hi Folks, I have been meaning to write a detailed travelogue about our recent Spiti Expedition in the Duster AWD, with our 2 dogs. We started from Noida on 13th October 2018 and traveled via Shimla, Sangla, Chitkul, Kalpa, Tabo, Kaza, Losar, Manali, Shimla - and back to Noida on 26th October 2018.

Haven't been able to pen down the travelogue for various reasons, so thought of sharing these videos and photos which really showcase the most exciting part of our journey. These videos and some of the photos are from the last leg of our Spiti Expedition - from Losar to Gramphoo. We stayed at Losar (altitude about 4000 metres) for 2 nights. At Losar, the night temperatures were in the range of -15 to - 20 degrees. In the morning of 22nd October, when we started from Losar at about 8.40 am, the temperature outside was - 7 degrees. None of us, both humans and the two dogs, had ever endured anything like this ever before. This drive from Losar to Gramphoo (via Kunzum Pass - elevation about 4590 Metres) is about 79 Kms and took us about 6 hours to cover, and I'm very excited to mention that we were the only family to cover this part on our own in a private non-local vehicle on that day. Also, if I'm not mistaken, Raid de Himalaya incorporates the Losar to Gramphoo drive in the competition on some occasions.

Undoubtedly, it was the most surreal driving experience of my life - exciting, thrilling, risky, fearful, amazingly beautiful - all at the same time.

The reason I have put these videos here is that they showcase the capabilities of the Duster AWD - I fall in love with this vehicle every time I drive it, it has never failed me once and performed amazingly at the riskiest terrain I have ever driven on. When we were at Kaza (Capital of Spiti), almost everyone advised us to turn back and not travel to Losar due to extreme weather and do the Losar to Gramphoo part citing the early heavy snow this year which had made the roads (esp. Losar to Gramphoo) filled with Ice and slush, and very risky. In fact, at Losar, we also saw the formal notice by BRO and the District Administration stating that the road had been officially closed for traffic on 15th October and anyone who travels on it does it at his own risk and the Govt. and BRO will take no responsibility for the same. Well, I'm glad we decided to go against the advice and complete our planned trip, or else we would never have experienced and witnessed what we did (Check the videos and pics).

The videos have been captured by the Dashcam Blueskysea B1W which I bought from Aliexpress for approx. INR 3500. I am quite satisfied with the video quality at the price that this camera sells for. There is a slight reflection in the videos from the dashboard, but I think that is manageable.

Hopefully, you will like the videos. If any of you want to travel to Spiti and need any help with places to stay or planning the trip (even with pets), feel free to send me a PM.

You are invited to watch the full videos, but before every video I'm also adding the timing of the most relevant part of that video that one must watch, in case someone doesn't have patience or time to watch the entire videos.

Watch 10:44:45 to 10:46:51

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-mEAHSHYvo&t=48s

Watch 10:47:35 onwards

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcuTk67YBd4

Watch from 11.18.15 to 11.19.25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjjNmUlG33I

Watch 11.25.35 to 11.26.32

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka0ic05cIYY

Watch 11.35.40 Onwards till end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEB4WUISNKI&t=217s

Watch 11.45.30 onwards

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKw-GmrFIRs&t=211s

Watch 11.50.10 to 11.51.40

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-VFTkaqIx0

Watch full video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PSIxr-VDIA

Sharing some pictures of me and my family, from the entire trip. The pic of the 4 of us is taken outside Tabo Caves at Tabo. The pic of me and my dogs is taken at Kunzum Pass.