[evboi]

Buying my first car!

Hired an executive from Zekardo to do the PDI and found an issue with the car.

It's a Renault Kiger RXZ CVT Turbo Urban Night Edition. As seen in the video, when slotting the gear from P (park) to R (reverse), there is a sudden jerk in the engine. Which is also quite noticeable when sitting inside. There is also some vibration.

Zekardo executive also attached the OBD device, the engine load also increases from 27 to 40 when put in reverse.
Video of car alloted: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q1S...ew?usp=sharing

We also tested the this on another red Kiger at the stockyard of the same model. As seen in the video, when slotting in R from P, the push is very subtle and not as sudden as the car allotted to me. The vibrations are also less. The engine load also does not increase too much. Went from 25 to 30.
Another car video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q2f...ew?usp=sharing

Ideally, I would have rejected the car and would have requested another, but Renault made only 300 of these Urban Knight edition and this is the last of it. Then I would have to go for a regular version which I am not ok with.

Spoke to Renault and they are giving their usual dialogue of how there are so many checkpoints they conduct during internal PDI and the car is of perfect condition. I told them I'll buy the car but only after an email is exchanged where this issue is acknowledged and mentioned that if something goes wrong in my ownership related to this, they will have to bear the full cost of the repairs.

I am supposed to disburse the amount today and this has dampened our spirits. Please suggest what to do. Thanks!

[bijims]

Originally Posted by evboi

Ideally, I would have rejected the car and would have requested another, but Renault made only 300 of these Urban Knight edition and this is the last of it. Then I would have to go for a regular version which I am not ok with.

Spoke to Renault and they are giving their usual dialogue of how there are so many checkpoints they conduct during internal PDI and the car is of perfect condition. I told them I'll buy the car but only after an email is exchanged where this issue is acknowledged and mentioned that if something goes wrong in my ownership related to this, they will have to bear the full cost of the repairs.

I am supposed to disburse the amount today and this has dampened our spirits. Please suggest what to do. Thanks!

I wouldn't suggest you go with this car which has abnormal engine jerkiness, there may be other factors that may seem insignificant at first but will crop up over the course of ownership, Good that you went with professional PDI as these things may have been overlooked in a normal PDI.

Moreover, I don't think they would be willing to acknowledge this issue and willing to bear any liability as regards this, if they do then well and good, but still I don't know if it's worth the hassle. Moreover, Renault is not putting the sales charts on fire if this is the last one of the Urban Knight in this dealership, this may not be the case in others. Just check out other dealerships whether they have one in stock, if not, In my opinion, you would be better off with another car rather than accepting a defective one.

[Nonstop-driver]

Hi evboi

I recently purchased a pre-used Hector Plus CVT and experienced a similar jerk when shifting from D to P. That's the only shift which has this jerk, everything else is smooth. My previous ride was a TC AT Creta and it was smooth all across. I posted a video of the jerk from inside (didn't check engine bay). The jerk is strong enough to be felt in rear seats too.


I took it to the service centre and they spent the entire day with no diagnosis or solution. I doubt they checked engine load or maybe they didn't share that observation with me. I compared the same thing with other Hectors and it was similar to yours - all had this jerk but most had lot less than mine. I spent many hours looking for a similar issue shared on the internet but couldn't find any. I've decided to make peace with it for now, but I haven't come across a mechanical issue due to this. If you find a solution later, please do share.

[TheCamShaft]

Originally Posted by evboi

As seen in the video, when slotting the gear from P (park) to R (reverse), there is a sudden jerk in the engine. Which is also quite noticeable when sitting inside. There is also some vibration.

Reject the car and save your peace of mind. Also the other car in the video also has jerks , while not as much as the one allotted to you. Am suprised to these level of jerks in general during gear shifts, it's as if there is a rough engagement with the transmission.

[evboi]

When I spoke to Renault sales assistant who also spoke to their technical team, he mentioned that there will be a slight jerk when putting the gear from D to R. But I found the jerk to be from P to R.

I also noticed that the jerks are not always there. The jerk seems to be absent when I slot the gear easily and not hurriedly.

I might even go ahead with the car since I don't see a major issue with this. But what if it causes major issue in the future. This issue has put me in such a fix. Not sure what to do anymore.

Will let you know if I find the technical reason for this. Please let me know if you find one as well.

[Jeroen]

It is not unusual to feel a little jerk whilst shifting to D, P, or N. it is also perfectly normal that the engine loads shift a bit. In a different position, the engine encounters different resistance so it adjusts for that.

The real question is whether this is outside the normal range. I really can’t tell, but I can tell you than on most cars you can adjust the way the way the autobox shifts, whilst holding the car on the brake. Or when braking for that matter..

Where are you want to go that way it’s up to you. Making these sort of adjustments usually takes quite a bit of experience and you need to have the right OBD scanner. It’s easy to make it worse.

At the end of the day, it is probably more about piece of mind than anything else.

Good luck

Jeroen

[evboi]

Originally Posted by Nonstop-driver

Hi evboi

I recently purchased a pre-used Hector Plus CVT and experienced a similar jerk when shifting from D to P. That's the only shift which has this jerk, everything else is smooth. My previous ride was a TC AT Creta and it was smooth all across. I posted a video of the jerk from inside (didn't check engine bay). The jerk is strong enough to be felt in rear seats too.
Attachment 2530102

I took it to the service centre and they spent the entire day with no diagnosis or solution. I doubt they checked engine load or maybe they didn't share that observation with me. I compared the same thing with other Hectors and it was similar to yours - all had this jerk but most had lot less than mine. I spent many hours looking for a similar issue shared on the internet but couldn't find any. I've decided to make peace with it for now, but I haven't come across a mechanical issue due to this. If you find a solution later, please do share.

When I spoke to Renault sales assistant who also spoke to their technical team, he mentioned that there will be a slight jerk when putting the gear from D to R. But I found the jerk to be from P to R.

I also noticed that the jerks are not always there. The jerk seems to be absent when I slot the gear easily and not hurriedly.

I might even go ahead with the car since I don't see a major issue with this. But what if it causes major issue in the future.

Will let you know if I find the technical reason for this. Please let me know if you find one as well.

Here are a few links that I found related to this issue.

1. https://www.quora.com/What-causes-yo...-it-into-drive

2. https://www.reddit.com/r/Crosstrek/c..._cvt_so_jerky/

3. https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-in-drive.html

It's funny and sad at the same time that I've found myself reading these articles even before buying the car. This issue has put me in such a fix. Not sure what to do anymore.

[DRIV3R]

I don't see an issue here. Car # 1 I felt was cold started and still warming up, hence rpm is higher by 300-400. (700 vs 1100 rpm)

When you shift at higher rpm, the jerk will be more violent for obvious reasons. The higher load is also explained by the higher rpm and transmission fighting the brakes.

Car # 2 - already warmed up and idling comfortably as heard on audio, hence jerk is less violent.

Outsourced PDI is all good, provided the company personnel at ground applies some common sense too.

[evboi]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

I don't see an issue here. Car # 1 I felt was cold started and still warming up, hence rpm is higher by 300-400. (700 vs 1100 rpm)

When you shift at higher rpm, the jerk will be more violent for obvious reasons. The higher load is also explained by the higher rpm and transmission fighting the brakes.

Car # 2 - already warmed up and idling comfortably as heard on audio, hence jerk is less violent.

Outsourced PDI is all good, provided the company personnel at ground applies some common sense too.

It's actually the other way round. Car#2 (Red Kiger) was cold started and had absolutely no issues. While car# 1 (Black Kiger, my car) was running for good 3-4 minutes when this video was captured.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by evboi

I might even go ahead with the car since I don't see a major issue with this. But what if it causes major issue in the future. This issue has put me in such a fix. Not sure what to do anymore.

This is the first time I have come across a third party involved in the PDI of a brand new vehicle. I am surprised the dealer allowed the PDI agent to plug in a OBD scanner!

You have a vehicle warranty. If something does go wrong, you use that warranty to sort out the issue.

There will be a minor jerk when the gearbox engages with the engine. This is not a defect. If there are abnormally high vibrations felt, thats an issue.

[sgmuser]

Only the other owners of Kiger CVT has to confirm about this behaviour. Until that personally I would stay away as there are 100s of options to choose from at this juncture. As you rightly said looking to troubleshoot a problem with a product which you have not even purchased yet, is unfathomable for me personally. How about the equivalent Nissan sibling which also has a CVT. Test drive and see.

[jomyboy]

Speaking as a Kiger CVT owner, there is always a jerk when going through R. But I will put out a keen eye later this evening when I first move from P to R to see if it is that exaggerated. Anyways congrats fellow Mumbai Kiger owner, the extra features on Urban Knight is something to boast of!

[CrossLife]

If I were in your place, I would have simply rejected this car. However, I'm curios to know what is special in this edition?

[W.A.G.7]

Looking at the videos, I would avoid the car. No matter how special the edition is, there's no point in risking your hard-earned money. The engine movement seen in the video is quite a strong one, and for me, that is a big red flag. Special editions will always come and go, but this car seems to be a possible lemon right from the outset. I would simply move on.

It's the last special edition piece remaining; possibly because of this issue, the dealer is unable to get it off his inventory.

Originally Posted by CrossLife

However, I'm curious to know what is special in this edition.

Exactly, I am also curious to know what's so special about this Urban Knight edition; that it's indispensable for you over the regular car?

[90Horses]

Automatic cars usually jerk when moving P-R-N-D.

I saw your videos, and I think it could be the trans and engine mounts as well. I have following Q.

1. Was there any incline difference between your car and the Red Kiger?, If car was on a downward slope (even slight) and slot the car in R, engine load and jerk will be higher.
2. Does it happen always or the first time? 3-4 minutes is not warming up, trans oil and others won't even reach their opt temperature, you must try on TD kiger CVT which is hot vs your car running for least 15 mins.

Anyways, you may reject this car for mental peace, what's with the variant, when you sell the car it wouldn't matter much to the buyer.