Renault Duster - anyone have one?

hj2k_x

hj2k_x

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Hoping to test one tomorrow.

Anyone bought one yet?

I'm not expecting the world for the price it's selling but it looks pretty decent.

Any issues waiting for parts from France even if under warranty and service plan?

Anyone else got any feedback (except for "don't buy a French car")? http://m.renault.co.za/cars/duster/home


H
 
Why do you say "don't buy a french car?"
They are great cars.
The parts can be expensive but it's all relative really.
 
Look like a cool car, was also considering one but they do not bring in the automatic.:( Only problem as you mentioned is the parts. Brother has a clio and sometimes have to wait 3-4 weeks for standard parts. Extremely expensive if you have an accident to fix as all replacements are ordered from France.
 
hsmnel said:
Look like a cool car, was also considering one but they do not bring in the automatic.:( Only problem as you mentioned is the parts. Brother has a clio and sometimes have to wait 3-4 weeks for standard parts. Extremely expensive if you have an accident to fix as all replacements are ordered from France.
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Ya. That's a concern.

Warranty and service plan should mean you don't pay at least but no good if you have to wait weeks for parts.

Do they give you a replacement car while they wait for the parts to arrive? It seems unlikely...
 
hj2k_x said:
Ya. That's a concern.

Warranty and service plan should mean you don't pay at least but no good if you have to wait weeks for parts.

Do they give you a replacement car while they wait for the parts to arrive? It seems unlikely...
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I never had to wait for parts with my Clio, it just cost a bit more.
But the parts are a good quality and last a long time so as I said, it's all relative.
Resale value is not great on Renault's though.

Regarding a replacement car, does your insurance not cover that?
 
Its cheap and nastyish but should be ok reliability and parts wise.
 
hj2k_x said:
Have you been in one? Is it also slow and not much fun to drive?
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It's not a rocket but it's actually quite pleasant to drive and doesn't feel sluggish. Bit of wind noise over 80km/h. Nice gearing on the 1.5dci - good torque so don't have to change down as much. Very good value IMHO.
 
garp said:
It's not a rocket but it's actually quite pleasant to drive and doesn't feel sluggish. Bit of wind noise over 80km/h. Nice gearing on the 1.5dci - good torque so don't have to change down as much. Very good value IMHO.
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Sounds good. I'm hoping I can work out a trade in tomorrow with the dealership.
 
hj2k_x said:
Have you been in one? Is it also slow and not much fun to drive?
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I haven't. I have however had the misfortune of driving a Sandero which is its closest relative and it is unrefined, cheapest plastics known to man, no power et cetera.

Remember its a re-branded Dacia. Dacia pretty much used to be the worst cars on the planet, they used to bring them in to SA a while ago and a lot of them failed roadworthy when new, lol. They didn't last long. I'm sure they have improved a lot and Renault is willing to put their badge on it but I can tell you from the Sandero its a very basic, unrefined vehicle. Reviews tend to agree with me but they do say that it is exceptionally cheap and if you just need something basic it will do the job fine.
 
Having 5 Renaults, I can say they have come a long way. Part pricing has gone down and they generally have the common parts in stock (in my experience, the branch I use has never let me down). There are time when you have to wait for parts from France but those are not the common parts (in my case, it was a floor cover covering the compartment) and that took about two weeks. In terms of reliability, they have never let me down and keep running strong. One is now due for its 280k km service and the other is on 250k km and both are still going well
 
hj2k_x said:
Sounds good. I'm hoping I can work out a trade in tomorrow with the dealership.
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The only feature I would have liked is cruise control for long distance, but that's not everyone's preference. I was also impressed that the Dynamique models come with SATNAV standard.
 
Brawler said:
I haven't. I have however had the misfortune of driving a Sandero which is its closest relative and it is unrefined, cheapest plastics known to man, no power et cetera.

Remember its a re-branded Dacia. Dacia pretty much used to be the worst cars on the planet, they used to bring them in to SA a while ago and a lot of them failed roadworthy when new, lol. They didn't last long. I'm sure they have improved a lot and Renault is willing to put their badge on it but I can tell you from the Sandero its a very basic, unrefined vehicle. Reviews tend to agree with me but they do say that it is exceptionally cheap and if you just need something basic it will do the job fine.
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The SA market ones are built in India, but as with all brands these days the parts are sourced globally.

The original horrendous Dacia van that you won't ever see on the roads because it fell apart instantly was pre-Renault, I think. The 1.5DCi engine is pure Renault and the same engine is used in the Qashqai and numerous other Nissan/Renault derivatives as well as, believe it or not the new Mercedes A-class. The Sandero is not at all indicative of the Duster - they are chalk and cheese.
 
If I was looking for a smallish, new SUV.. The Duster would be very high on the list tbh...

They seem to be great cars for the money, and also relatively competent offroaders as well.
 
The Duster is a damned good buy - you certainly get good value for money, even if finish is not top drawer.
 
In any metric other than offroad capability vs price the Duster doesn't impress me in the least. The material quality is poor, as are general ergonomics - see the position of the ventilation controls relative to the gear lever for an obvious example.

I'd much rather spend the money on a higher tier vehicle that's a couple of years old.
 
Electric said:
Why do you say "don't buy a french car?"
They are great cars.
The parts can be expensive but it's all relative really.
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Yeah even if still under warranty, it just takes a bit of Googling to see that cars stand for weeks on end waiting for parts.
 
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