Duster ‘rust’ argument takes a closer inspection
THE argument over rust stains in the popular Renault Duster series of Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) moved deep into the vehicle’s bodyworks yesterday.
Dispatch was present when early signs of corrosion were found on some metal edges inside the door of Beacon Bay businessman Andrew Wood’s prized twoyear-old R280 000 car.
Whether this was rust or not was the argument between Wood and Renault SA’s “incidentolog and technical adviser Richard Meier.
Dispatch was asked by Wood to meet him and his car at Motorbake in East London’s CBD.
Meier, from Gauteng, showed the Dispatch where earlier rust stains were cleaned from the edges for door rubbers.
Three weeks ago Renault SA vice-president of quality and service, Wim van Schie, said Woods’ car and others in the batch were suffering from “staining” caused by faulty door rubbers.
A metal clip was causing friction on metal edges.
He said Dusters being checked were those which rolled off a plant in India between October 2012 and July 2014.
When the Dispatch arrived at Motorbake yesterday, the vehicle’s doors and rubbers were off and looked spotless.
Wood worked his cellphone deep into the sharp innards of one of the doors and snapped a photograph which showed a line of orange stain along a few centimetres of metal edge.
Meier argued that while there were a few spots of surface corrosion, they would be removed with the wipe of a finger, and Renault’s special and treatment process.
Later he sent the Dispatch a picture showing the inside of the same door which looked as clean as the door rubber edges.
Last month Renault spokeswoman Viviene Ward said a Renault SA technical team was to be sent to East London to start a “rollout campaign” piloted in the province, starting at the coast.
More than 160 Dusters have been sold in East London and 250 were being sold nationally every week, according to Van Schie. —