New Vehicle Purchase gone wrong

I purchased a 2018 Renault Duster Expression on the 3rd February 2018 from Bidvest McCarthy Renault Woodmead (with just 37km on the clock) and noticed the following issues: 1. The Renault Diamond Badge on the grill had the silver paint peeling from it 2. The Renault Diamond Badge on the boot looks as if it has splatters of silver spray paint on it (This I only noticed after receiving the vehicle back on Saturday 24 Feb 18 from the workshop to repair points 1,3, 4, 5, 6 ) 3. The vehicle felt very sluggish when pulling away. Almost as if the Fuel Injectors were clogged 4. When the aircon is on and pulling away, a high pitched sound is heard 5. After using the aircon for about 30min, I found A LOT of water on the floor behind the driver’s seat 6. The idle of the vehicle is not regular, i.e. below 1000 rpm all the time. It jumps around, even when the vehicle’s engine is warm

Now, after alerting the dealership about these items on my list and my vehicle being in for two days, I then received the following feedback:

1. The Grill is to be replaced as a Warranty Claim 2. The vehicle injectors were checked and everything was found in order. 3. The high-pitched sound when the aircon is on, is actually the compressor which needs to be replaced as it is broken 4. I used the Aircon after collecting the vehicle, for about 30min and discovered to my surprise, more water behind the driver’s seat. According to the service department, all the outlet pipes for the aircon were checked and were NOT blocked. This is a real mystery to me where this water comes from, as I did not drive in the rain, nor through any puddles. The floor was dry when I left the dealership, but by the time that I arrived home, it looked like a bucket of water had been dumped. 5. The idle of the vehicle still jumps around, but according to your Service Department, this is normal. Well, strange thing that. I have a 2006 Honda Civic with 155 000 km on the clock and it does not jump around like the Duster. Even when cold. It stays a constant 900rpm 6. The thing that really infuriates me, is that after receiving the Duster from the dealership on Saturday, I noticed that I now have numerous scratches across the bonnet of my so called NEW Duster Expression. No mention made about this from the work shop 7. I was promised car mats for the Duster. I finally received these on Saturday from the salesman (Stephen Sunderland). I am pretty sure that these are not the correct mats as they look very generic and are made from soft material. Not really rugged as I have seen on other dusters. Surely when I’ve paid over R200,000 for a new vehicle, I should be getting the right things?

The Million Dollar question is: If this is a new vehicle, why does it have so many issues? I can definitely tell you that I am NOT impressed with the feedback from Bidvest McCarthy Renault Woodmead (or lack there-of). I had to constantly phone them to find out about the progress of my vehicle while it was in for the issues for the two days.

Sales service was brilliant! After sales, on the other hand, is sadly lacking. The mind set in this country from our Sales Service Industry is very baffling. You push for the sale. You get the sale. After this point everything goes South. Surely the benefits of after sales service should be clear. If I’m happy with the WHOLE customer experience, the chances are that I will refer friends and colleagues to your dealership. I would most probably also consider buying another vehicle from the very same dealership in the future. It’s about building a relationship. NOT a One Night Stand!!

I am now left wondering whether my vehicle is not an accident damaged vehicle. Why are there so many issues? Renault has managed to take what should have been an exciting experience of buying a new vehicle and totally make it suck!