I've driven my Duster Access 4x4 over 7,000 miles in my 5 months of ownership. The only problem that I've needed to take it back to the dealer with was the useless windscreen wipers which were replaced in the first week under warranty.

My car was one of the first in the UK, the VIN ends in a string of zeros then 12. The two issues that predominate on the Dacia forum are water leaks and corrosion. These do not seem to be isolated to the first batch of cars.

The version I own has the 1.6L petrol engine which has plenty of power for my leisurely driving. The latest fuel economy I've achieved was 39.9mpg although it can be as low as 32mpg if mainly used for urban driving.

I chose this car in preference to a used SUV as I liked it's uniqueness and simplicity. It also meant that I wasn't buying a previous owner's problems or botched repairs. It's a car that can be left parked up, knowing it won't be stolen or damaged by those with a grudge. At the price paid for it I can also live with minor knocks and damage picked up in supermarket car parks and not lose sleep over them!

Don't quote me on this as I'm not entirely sure but the door seals seem to be a problem area for water leaks. In particular, there's a long seal that runs from the windscreen backwards above both doors on each side which can leak and is apparently unobtainable from Dacia at present if replacement is required. Other leaks seem to be due to badly sealed windscreens and inadequate sealing of front bulkhead welded joints.

Corrosion seems to affect the underbonnet area. The paint process, especially on white cars, seems to have inadequately covered the edge of the inner wings and rust stains can be seen from new. In addition, the above mentioned door seal contains a metal clip at its rearmost point which can damage the paint on the metal lip to which it attachs. There's a similar problem with the inner door seals at the base of the door. I believe these seals may be redesigned. Poor aftermarket fitting of accessories at Port of Tyne in South Shields has led to damage to paint and corrosion. This can happen if bumpers have been removed or if bolts on the front inner wings have been disturbed.

See http://www.daciaforum.co.uk/topic/706-do-you-have-a-rusty-duster/

Its worth pointing out, the only problems relate to the Indian built Duster; the Romanian built sandero and sandero stepway havent had a quality issue to date.

On the contrary, the quality of the product leaving Romania is very high.

Again, Renault have pin pointed the problem at the Indian plant unable to keep up with demand. They have recently spent alot of time training and improving quality checks at the Chennai, India plant.

This is noticable in the improved quality of the Micra, etc.

Renault have made it clear to the plant management the Duster quality must be on a par with the other models.

Dusters built in Romania and sold throughout Europe do not suffer from these initial problems.

Again, Im told the issue of the weld and windscreen bond have not re-emerged on the latest Dusters to arrive.

It would be fantastic if they could bring the Lodgy to the UK, once the zafira goes there will no longer be a cheap 7 seater on the market.

Edited by daveyK_UK on 11/09/2014 at 11:52