Another Duster

Author
Discussion

ChocolateFrog

Original Poster:

28,654 posts

180 months

Saturday 19th March 2022
quotequote all
Yes I jumped on the bandwagon.

Traded in my 61 plate Touareg for a new Duster, the cost to change being not that much in the grand scheme of things, I could have got money back if I'd gone for the basic spec Essential in UN white, dropped my PH card on that one.

That said I've done it all wrong and gone for top spec, in Dacia parlance that's Prestige. 1.3 petrol turbo and 2WD, which with a set of all season/winter tyres will be enough for me. The additional £4k seemed almost a no brainer to me for things that I'll actually appreciate, heated seats, cruise, 360 degree camera, nicer interior, bigger infotainment screen with Android Auto etc. All for the cost a lower/mid spec Fiesta.

The one thing I'd happily not have with the higher spec is the diamond cut alloys but that will be sorted with a swap to steels and all season tyres in the winter.

It'll be the only new car I ever own and I'm hoping I'll keep it a long time to offset the depreciation.

It's currently sat on my drive with a whole 10 miles on the clock.

Here's a shot of it before collection yesterday in gleaming Fusion Red.


ChocolateFrog

Original Poster:

28,654 posts

180 months

Saturday 19th March 2022
quotequote all
I'm most excited at the fact not a single 'technician' will have had a chance to tamper with it and then break/bodge things back together, leave out every other tab or screw etc. Every single clip, screw and bolt should, theoretically atleast, be in place and as I'm the only one that will touch it outside of MOT's and tyre changes it should stay that way.

Macron

10,781 posts

173 months

Saturday 19th March 2022
quotequote all
Self servicing?

Are these belt or chain?

Looks great in red!

ChocolateFrog

Original Poster:

28,654 posts

180 months

Saturday 19th March 2022
quotequote all
Macron said:
Self servicing?

Are these belt or chain?

Looks great in red!
Belt I think.

I haven't paid for service or maintenance work since about 2001 when still at school I realised garage bills were expensive.

Well that's not entirely true I paid £100 circa 2005 for someone to patch up the wiring loom on a Volvo S40 because it was sitting under the radiator and had corroded, it was wet and horrible at the time and as a student I didn't have a garage or even a driveway to work on.


Macron

10,781 posts

173 months

Saturday 19th March 2022
quotequote all
Excellent! Satisfying and as you say, you get to sort everything out.

scoey1001

779 posts

88 months

Sunday 20th March 2022
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Agreed that looks really smart.

The Rotrex Kid

31,678 posts

167 months

Sunday 20th March 2022
quotequote all
ChocolateFrog said:
Macron said:
Self servicing?

Are these belt or chain?

Looks great in red!
Belt I think.

I haven't paid for service or maintenance work since about 2001 when still at school I realised garage bills were expensive.

Well that's not entirely true I paid £100 circa 2005 for someone to patch up the wiring loom on a Volvo S40 because it was sitting under the radiator and had corroded, it was wet and horrible at the time and as a student I didn't have a garage or even a driveway to work on.
The 1.3 TCE is chain driven thumbup

The Rotrex Kid

31,678 posts

167 months

Sunday 20th March 2022
quotequote all
ChocolateFrog said:
Macron said:
Self servicing?

Are these belt or chain?

Looks great in red!
Belt I think.

I haven't paid for service or maintenance work since about 2001 when still at school I realised garage bills were expensive.

Well that's not entirely true I paid £100 circa 2005 for someone to patch up the wiring loom on a Volvo S40 because it was sitting under the radiator and had corroded, it was wet and horrible at the time and as a student I didn't have a garage or even a driveway to work on.
The 1.3 TCE is chain driven thumbup

Shinyfings

203 posts

54 months

Sunday 20th March 2022
quotequote all
I like that colour. I collect mine on the 29th. Arizona (not choice but it was available in a couple of weeks) comfort 1.3 but auto box - I wouldn’t go beyond £20k. I looked at similar stuff second hand and prices are silly for tat. E.g. an approved used ŠKODA had no service record for its first three years and was the same price as the brand new Duster. I believe some dealers are now quoting December delivery.

Edited by Shinyfings on Sunday 20th March 09:12

Alfahorn

7,792 posts

215 months

Sunday 20th March 2022
quotequote all
I think the Duster is the only model in the Dacia range that’s appealing. It seems ideal as a daily and makes sense over a used car. A sensible purchase and I’m sure it’ll serve you well.

HTP99

23,304 posts

147 months

Sunday 20th March 2022
quotequote all
Norton850 said:
Renault group are expecting three price hikes in the coming months so i was told this morning so while my deal wasn't superb i did get £400 off retail, mats and a full tank thrown in .

Placed my order 2nd January so all in all just under 3 months..
Why do dealers do this, what you git was near enough the full margin, Dacia don't count or pay towards targets, the margin is only 5%, they can sell every single one that can be built, they are factory order only, it just baffles me.

The Rotrex Kid

31,678 posts

167 months

Sunday 20th March 2022
quotequote all
HTP99 said:
Norton850 said:
Renault group are expecting three price hikes in the coming months so i was told this morning so while my deal wasn't superb i did get £400 off retail, mats and a full tank thrown in .

Placed my order 2nd January so all in all just under 3 months..
Why do dealers do this, what you git was near enough the full margin, Dacia don't count or pay towards targets, the margin is only 5%, they can sell every single one that can be built, they are factory order only, it just baffles me.
Yeah same, bonkers.

Mikebentley

6,714 posts

147 months

Sunday 20th March 2022
quotequote all
Maybe to get someone into a Dacia instead of something else and make on the after care.

Shinyfings

203 posts

54 months

Sunday 20th March 2022
quotequote all
Only way I’d have got anything off mine was a factory order which would arrive in Q4 and isn’t much use to me. Paid full list for a car a dealer had in the showroom but hadn’t registered. Main compromise is the colour not being my favourite but not that bothered as this is white goods motoring.

ChocolateFrog

Original Poster:

28,654 posts

180 months

Sunday 20th March 2022
quotequote all
The Rotrex Kid said:
ChocolateFrog said:
Macron said:
Self servicing?

Are these belt or chain?

Looks great in red!
Belt I think.

I haven't paid for service or maintenance work since about 2001 when still at school I realised garage bills were expensive.

Well that's not entirely true I paid £100 circa 2005 for someone to patch up the wiring loom on a Volvo S40 because it was sitting under the radiator and had corroded, it was wet and horrible at the time and as a student I didn't have a garage or even a driveway to work on.
The 1.3 TCE is chain driven thumbup
Happy days. It'll get regular, good quality oil changes so touch wood I shouldn't have any issues.

ChocolateFrog

Original Poster:

28,654 posts

180 months

Sunday 20th March 2022
quotequote all
Norton850 said:
Renault group are expecting three price hikes in the coming months so i was told this morning so while my deal wasn't superb i did get £400 off retail, mats and a full tank thrown in.

Placed my order 2nd January so all in all just under 3 months..
I got similar discount, which is to say almost nothing. Went to the cheapest local dealer on Carwow but it was a disaster. Couldn't test drive the 1.3 engine, wouldn't sell me a red one and couldn't get past the fact I didn't want it on finance. She asked how much I could afford per week and when I said that was irrelevant she said she couldn't go onto the next page of the order without putting something down so I walked out and just went to my local dealer.

I think a new Duster is due next year and I'm betting the price will rise quite significantly.

ChocolateFrog

Original Poster:

28,654 posts

180 months

Tuesday 22nd March 2022
quotequote all
First job was to get some more underseal and cavity wax on the car while it was still spanking clean.

I've used Bilthamber's cleaning products and thought they were pretty good so I went with their stuff.



Pleasantly surprised that there's a fair bit of seam sealer and underseal from the factory, many of the holes I used already had a promising drip of wax.

Shiny, shiny.





Messy job, my hair and eyes won't be rusting any time soon.

Focused on the wheel arches, sub frames and every nut and bolt that I'm likely to have to undo at some point in the future if I do keep it long term.

Will be interesting to see how it compares in a couple of years time to an untouched one.

ChocolateFrog

Original Poster:

28,654 posts

180 months

Friday 25th March 2022
quotequote all
Undersealed and Ceramic coated.

That's the best it's ever going to look.


Its Just Adz

15,018 posts

216 months

Friday 25th March 2022
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That's a good looking motor. I how it does you well.

ChocolateFrog

Original Poster:

28,654 posts

180 months

Friday 25th March 2022
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I will do all the work.

I'll keep receipts and write in the book but ultimately I'm taking a gamble if anything serious was to go wrong that they could refuse a claim.