[Neil Roy]

Originally Posted by ::CMS::

Few doubts on the 30K service bill, could you please clarify:
If the above is true, then its day light robbery, 3710/- labor for just the brake servicing even w/o brake fluid changing.

Any idea, Is there any implication with the warranty if we do the rest of the servicing outside except the oil change and wheel balancing and alignment from the service center?

The disc brake replacement/disc phasing part of the regular maintenance is the cash cow for all Renault service centers. It cannot be done outside as of now since the OE disc brake is available only with the service centers. I take cheer in the fact that I extend my brake replacement schedule to 30000 kms as against the 20000 kms insisted upon by service centers.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Guess Duster owners are turning out to be the most intuitive ones!

What noise does this cancel out - The wind noise or something else?

How much did these lights last? Mine lasted a full year with quite a few 600+ kms / 10 hours trips with at least 6-7 hours of continuous driving with the headlights ON.

The noise and smell which permeates through the door gaps in traffic signals is cut down drastically. Wind noise is also reduced significantly.
Regarding the bulbs mine lasted exactly a year with nite drives similar to your usage pattern for at least 10 long drives and innumerable nite local commutes of 1 hour each almost every day. Hope this clarifies.
Now, Iam in two minds. Whether to invest in OSRAM night breakers for H1 and H7 for the headllamps or enhance the H7 in the fog lamps using 80Watts with cut out or Xenon. Fog lamps are easier and cheaper to replace compared to the OE headlamps.

Now for my update. Presenting the 50000Kms service bill.


Iam hugely satisfied with my ownership experience thus far, looking at this bill alone. You can see 2 entries under warranty. Here's the thing. I never even told the SA that I had problems in these areas. The KHIVRAJ PEARL SERVICE TEAM took it upon themselves to run an entire diagnostics check on my Duster and replace whatever is necessary and that too under warranty. That, my friends, is what customer satisfaction is all about
Granted, it is always an advantage to have a more functional knowledge about your vehicle to get the best out of service centers, but my 50000 kms service experience was totally out of this world.

[::CMS::]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

Presenting the 50000Kms service bill.

What the heck, what do they do in periodic maintenance, even the washing is separate (different than your previous bill, arent these charges consistent?) I know the oil change labor is 300/- and the remaining is for checking the lights/fluids? Also another component general labor, what does it mean? Did they do any brake components checking / cleaning the brake pads?

Good that they did the replacements under warranty, what are those parts?

What is the reason for the EGR valve cleaning, was there any power loss or is it part of the maintenance cycle?

[rdhawan15]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

my friends, is what customer satisfaction is all about
Granted, it is always an advantage to have a more functional knowledge about your vehicle to get the best out of service centers, but my 50000 kms service experience was totally out of this world.

Great experience Neil, look forward to 100,000 km update !!! Nice job done by the Renault team.

[vibhavraghav]

nice thread Neil. You've made the decision to buy duster a lot easier for me. I would like to ask you something. I live in Himachal. Fellows at the dealership said do not go for ABS in hills, a non ABS version is better. I am confused now. I have booked RXL+ (85)but i have an option of changing to RXL. Do you have any idea regarding this?

[Neil Roy]

Originally Posted by vibhavraghav

..........I live in Himachal. Fellows at the dealership said do not go for ABS in hills, a non ABS version is better. I am confused now. I have booked RXL+ (85)but i have an option of changing to RXL. Do you have any idea regarding this?

The best person to answer this is our fellow bhpian Himadri. He has a RXZ 110 and does sikkim sojourns ever so regularly come rain, snow and shine.
My personal take on ABS is that it is always better. In some circumstances, where rains are perennial and unpredictable, ABS vehicles take a longer distance to stop compared to Non ABS vehicles. However,ABS is not only to ensure shorter braking distance but also to help the driver steer the vehicle under hard braking. In Non ABS vehicles, once the wheels start to skid under braking, the driver loses the ability to steer. This can be avoided in ABS fitted vehicles. At least that is the theory. Cheers

[Neil Roy]

Clocked 58982 kms on the ODO when all circumstances came together for me to go for a fresh set of shoes for my Duster. Chrome alloys were a real pain to maintain and started pitting and rusting, so I went ahead and powder coated them to glossy black
Anyways, when the powder coated rims arrived, the itch to replace the OE steel rims and the OE MRFs grew stronger and finally yielded to the temptation before I touched the 60K mark.

I chose Yokohama Geolander HT-S 92C Tubeless P 225/70R 16 101H as my choice for replacement/upgrade. The primary reason was that I need higher GC for my regular reserve forest trips and the OE setup was scrapping my under body away to glory.
The tyre specs can be found here
http://www.changemytyre.com/Car/Tyre...-HT-S-92C/2613 .Please note, I did not buy online but from a dealer in chennai. The information is to show the tyre attributes.

This is how the tyre looks with the powder coated alloys

This is how the tread looks like

And this is the new look for my Duster

Now for my feedback.
The upsize calculates to an additional 5.2% positive GC, which should be negligible. However, with the upsize, the tyre started rubbing against the mudflap and a certain section of the mudflap had to be cut( as marked in the yellow ring) to accommodate the new tyres. The ride quality is far smoother compared to the OE MRFs. The noise which I thought was wind noise when I crossed 100KMPH is completely gone now(Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me). The ride comfort is enhanced and the steering feedback is greatly reduced. In fact steering is butter smooth compared to the OE tyres. The mild off road grip level is very high despite very low rolling resistance in the highways. My verdict is, this set of tyres scores better on all counts compared to the OE MRFs, if not for the following two negatives.
1)Higher body roll under braking and sharp turns.
2)Panic braking does not inspire confidence even at moderate speeds.
I am still on two minds whether these two negatives are due to tyre quality or increased Ground clearance as any change in ground clearance wreaks havoc on the overall dynamics of the car. Iam inclined to believe that it is because of the increased ground clearance.
My verdict - overall I am happy with the upgrade but I will advice fellow bhpians to go for any MNC brands with the OE tyre specs of 215/65-16 or 235/60-16 for best ride quality.
PS- My yokohama had a "Made in Japan" tag...

[himadrimondal]

You seem to be munching miles. My Duster is still around the 30k mark after I got the Thar. But the Yokohoma upgrade you did seems to be the best choice available. My Thar with OE Bridgestone was horrible, the Yokohoma upgrade of same OEM did wonders to the jeep.
I am thus suprised when you mentioned 'panic braking does not inspire confidence'. What air pressure are you maintaining now?

[Neil Roy]

Originally Posted by himadrimondal

......I am thus suprised when you mentioned 'panic braking does not inspire confidence'. What air pressure are you maintaining now?

The air pressure is 29psi with nitrogen. I will narrate the overall picture so that you can give me your interpretation because I am a little worried if this might be a wrong choice.
As soon as I changed my tyres I did my regular reserve forest kanyakumari trip totalling 1600 kms . 1500 kms of this trip is NH and 30kms is city roads and 70kms is pure reserve forest terrain.In the reserve forest terrain, where grass is always coated with dew/rainfall, the yokahomas gripped far better than the MRFs which had a tendency to spin even when new.Mind you these are HT tyres and not AT tyres. So grip level is higher than MRFs.
Now, returning to chennai on the NH, i was cruising at 90KMPH and slightly distracted by my son's nagging. Looked up and saw 4-5 cows trying to cross the road 100 metres in front of me. Panic braked and ABS kicked in, but the tyres were squealing like a pack of pigs. The sound of the tyres made the cows stop in their tracks and thankfully I was able to maneuver away. I am 100% sure the vehicle would not have stopped had the cows proceeded with their path.I never had a lack of confidence under high speed braking in my MRFs, not even once.
Maybe AT tyres are better suited for Duster than HT. That or higher GC changing braking dynamics can be the only possible inferences. The ATs are however very noisy and howl like lorry tyres on a highway.
One more detail, the mileage returned, both average speed and diesel mileage was higher even though my driving style was the same, in fact more subdued as I was riding with my family.

[himadrimondal]

Going by your narration, I too acknowledge the confidence we had with the Duster's brakes with the AT tyres. Though the concept is true that HT tyres would provide a better grip on turmac, my experience too is otherwise. The thar had a horrible road grip with the Bridgestone ht tyres. Once changed to yoko geolander AT, the grip changed instantly. Strangely geolander AT does offer less noise than the Bridgestone HT. It was raining and the Thar was around the 100km/hr mark when a bike in front applied brakes on the middle of the road to slow down on a pothole. Applying the infamous brakes the thar is famous for, could literally feel the yokos clinging on to the turmac.
I don't think GC increase by an inch would have so much effect on the braking, the squealing you mentioned is due to the tyre material. You should have a word with the tyre dealer, try the AT yoko ones and go for a test. Please do update.

[Herbie98]

I agree with himadrimondal on tyres. We have a Bolero which came with Bridgestone Duelers H/T, I had a tough time stopping the car at times whenever quick braking was required. Later changed to Yokohoma Geolander A/T, Bolero immediately transformed to a far better vehicle. Three things which were prominent were - silent ride, far better grip on highway speeds & on rocky slippery bad roads and super quick braking. All this in comparison with the Bridgestone Duellers H/T. However fuel efficiency went down by 1km after the change to Yokohoma, but its worth for the grip & confidence it offers.

In my opinion Bridgestone Duellers are more of high mileage tyre giving a long durable life, coupled with good fuel efficiency but with less grip levels. Geolanders are the way to go for us who love driving!

Your tyre squeal could be due to oversize tyres, this is my guess and I not sure on this. But generally the stock set up or at the max a 10mm increase in the width are the best bets. Anything more always tends to cause minor problems in handling, wheel well scraping and a marginal increased load on the hubs & bearings.

Sorry for going off-topic into tyres on your ownership thread. Happy motoring, glad to see your duster mile munching.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

I chose Yokohama Geolander HT-S 92C Tubeless P 225/70R 16 101H as my choice for replacement/upgrade. The primary reason was that I need higher GC for my regular reserve forest trips and the OE setup was scrapping my under body away to glory.

I have some more time to go. I am at about 37K. Was wondering if Latitude Tour HP, would make any sense to pay for or stick to Wanderers even after change. Because it would be easily 10K+ more for the Michelins. I dont see any Yoko in the same spec.

[Neil Roy]

Originally Posted by Herbie98

...Sorry for going off-topic into tyres on your ownership thread. Happy motoring, glad to see your duster mile munching.

Why sorry? Your feedback along with Himdari's is of immense use to me and to all our fellow bhpians who chance upon this thread and want to upgrade their tyres.... and you are definitely on topic.
Interestingly Hankook was offering 235/60-16 MT tyres as Duster equivalent. I saw one of those in the service station today when I left my Duster for the 60k service. Customer feedbak is that the ride is markedly uncomfortable and the steering is very tight.
It is safe to assume that AT tyres are the way to go for Duster.

Originally Posted by ampere

...... Was wondering if Latitude Tour HP, would make any sense to pay for or stick to Wanderers even after change. Because it would be easily 10K+ more for the Michelins. I dont see any Yoko in the same spec.

I did ponder over the Michelins but my understanding is that Michelins are not abuse friendly in comparison with their counterparts. The performance is miles ahead though. I am guessing here that Latitude Tours are more HT type than AT type and you might face the same issues I faced.
For a long time I was wondering if the performance of the Duster was because of the wanderers or in spite of them. 60k kms, a blown tyre and innumerable punctures later, i can safely say go for a different brand if you can afford it. The ride and comfort quality has to be experienced to be believed.The only advantage the Wanderers have is the cost but if you are willing to pay for an overpriced Duster, you should be able to buy an overpriced tyre also
Regarding the Yokos, my tyre is not listed in any official site but I called up their regional office in chennai and they confirmed both it's availability and my warranty ..whew

[Tgo]

Eagerly waiting for updates and guessing when does a ownership thread becomes eligible for a transfer to the long-term kind?...You are almost there...

[sumeshmani]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

Then refit the beading and close the door and feel the difference.The following things are bound to happen.
1) Door will not close as easily as before.
2)When the door lever is pressed to open, the feel is more springy.
3)The door itself will feel heavy.

Hi Neil,
Thanks for this D.I.Y. I have few queries about this process.

1. Is the door beading stuck to the door frame? or does it easily come out and re-attach?
2. How are they holding up after all this time?
3. As per the process, did you end up with two rubber chords running through the full length of the door beading?

[divyankar]

Modifications done and accessories added.
1) Bling alloys at the cost of 44 k
2) Philips extreme vision H1 and H7 bulbs for a total cost of 2.7k
3) Hertz co-axial 5-1/4 inch at a cost 3.8k


Hi Neil
Here in Pune I enquired about head lamp bulbs and couple of dealers are quoting price in between 7K to 10 K, I know that the prices you mentioned was for 2012 but is the price tripled in two years, can you please through some light regarding the price.

I really like the minute details which you have shared in your thread; it really helped me a lot for choosing different accessories.
It’s been a while you have not posted any picture of your ride, just curious to know if you have done any new modifications?
I would love to hear about them..