I remember thinking about a Duster when I bought my Panda, and it is a real alternative to the 4x4, but it turns out Dacia had too many letters shared with Lancia... According to the Dacia forums, many people are having big (some of the pictures are unbelievable) rust issues on their year old Dusters.

Glad I steered well clear!

www.rustyduster.co.uk

Oattam said:

I remember thinking about a Duster when I bought my Panda, and it is a real alternative to the 4x4, but it turns out Dacia had too many letters shared with Lancia... According to the Dacia forums, many people are having big (some of the pictures are unbelievable) rust issues on their year old Dusters.

Glad I steered well clear!

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Links

Added...

Links I found with a quick Google include this (220+ page!) thread on the Dacia Forum, the rustyduster.co.uk website and their associated Flickr album.

This owner seems have come upon a handy way of protesting an unhelpful dealer too!

duster 093 by Andy7266, on Flickr

duster 089 by Andy7266, on Flickr

Oattam said:

Added...

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My word, not looking good!

One of the members on here, dr Chris changed his panda cross for a duster. I seem to remember he came back on fiat forum a little while ago and mentioned his new car was rusty. I think he was glad he rolled it on the motorway and totalled it!

I had a deposit on one before they were launched. Then I had a short test drive in the wet and cancelled. Later the Dacia forum was full of rust issues. Some buyers even had cars replaced within weeks.

If France they are painting rust proofing underneath.

I'd have one in a dry climate, but not northern Europe.

There has also been rust reported in India, where they build them.

Dacia are meant to have moved production of UK Dusters from India to Romania now, as the problem appeared to be routed back to the Indian plant.

I dunno how they've kept it out of the limelight for so long. Auto Express appeared shocked in a recent edition when they uncovered a scratch which had begun to rust on their long-term Duster. I nearly choked on my cup of tea - it's been common knowledge for months I thought.

But then I remembered, Auto Express have done nothing but sing Dacia's praises since their arrival on UK shores. I bet Fiat wouldn't have got off anywhere near as lightly.

Still don't really understand their popularity tbh. I'd rather get a year old Kia or Hyundai than something that's been built down to a price even more than most cars out there today. Nasty little rustbuckets.

I'd seen these Dacia Dustbins floating around Europe for a few years before they came to the UK.

Back then they did catch my eye a little and I thought they didn't look too bad when parked next to similar offerings available here, and to be honest they looked like the sort of thing you wouldn't mind throwing around a little off the beaten track, you know not to Chelsea, more like the Yeti. (expect for the Yeti's price!)

But in the back of my mind was the knowledge Dacia's of old were old French Merde, stuff like the Renault 8 and 12 and they didn't really warm these old designs up, they just slapped a new badge on them!

They also had a go at a Dacia Dustbin before, a nasty thing that looked like one of those cheapo kits to make an old mini look like a moke (if you weren't gifted with sight!).
They made the Lada Niva look chic and stylish!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/yugo_lada/7427619972/

So the question I asked myself before I even considered looking at one in the flesh was had Renault pumped in the sort of cash and expertise that VW had when reviving Seat and Skoda?

It didn't look like it and I also pondered that it's not always true older designs are cheaper to produce either, modern manufacturing techniques are usually cost lead, they'd need to rehash the old stuff a lot lot cheaper than they did back in the day.

I also wondered about how they could sell them so cheaply, especially here when the price of a new car includes so much taxation, so it was more than likely they're be built super cheaply and more than likely under cut the standards we're all used to these days, which is probably back up by Renault's recent dip in revenue yet still made a larger profit then previous years.

Which I guess sort of leads on to why the RHD models here are suffering.

There's something going on at the factory to reduce the production costs for our market compared to some other markets due to super fine profit margins and I half expect markets similar to ours will follow the rust problems suffered here.

This has started to lead them up the same path Lancia traveled all those years back.
What little reputation they did have is disolving as fast as their metal work and the cost of repairs, replacements and goodwill gestures will (hopefully) see them pull out of the UK altogether.

I can't see anyone shedding a tear over that!

I wonder how hard hitting that is for both Dacia and Renault?

They are built in countries with very cheap labour, and across all models common components are used. They share the same windscreens, front doors, seat frames, switches and instruments, engines, gearboxes, you name it. All this keeps costs down. There are very few chassis differences also. All the components have been amortised by Renault, which means there are few investment costs to pay for, and finally, there is nothing superfluous on them.

All this keeps the prices low, but they are supposedly mechanically robust, it's just the poor rustproofing that's hurting, but, as you say, the press will say nothing about it.

I'd love to know what the pacts of silence are between makers and media, I'll bet it's an important business in its own right.

On the whole I care what my cars look like but I'm not obsessed - I still don't really like the looks of my 4x4 TA but it's bearable. However, I think the Duster looks truly grotesque and it would have to be an outstanding car - which it isn't - for me to even consider buying one.

Goudrons said:

This has started to lead them up the same path Lancia traveled all those years back.
What little reputation they did have is disolving as fast as their metal work and the cost of repairs, replacements and goodwill gestures will (hopefully) see them pull out of the UK altogether.

I can't see anyone shedding a tear over that!

I wonder how hard hitting that is for both Dacia and Renault?

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You may well be right. A quick look at the honest john website shows a list of negative points as long as a rusty seam!

I do think it would be a shame if they pulled the Sandero though as it's back to basics runabout that shows you shouldn't have to spend a fortune for acceptable new motoring. Whether their reputation will survive will depend on how they deal with the duster issues. It ain't looking good...

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/dacia/duster-2012/?section=good

The crucial thing here is not paint, but zinc. The Panda is (like most Fiats and many other makes have been for some years) fully galvanised before being painted. This means that even if you scratch the paint off, the steel underneath remains rust free. Also of course it is protecting the bits you can't see -- the inside of box sections for example. Even if Dacia offer to make the paint good, what's going on inside the body shell I wonder? Glad I stuck with Fiat when replacing my 2005 4x4 with a new 2013 one.

I the interest of balance, rust in the engine bay of my one year and 8500 mile old 4x4. This is the engine mount under the coolant expansion tank. Not to worried (yet)

Demic said:

View attachment 145846

I the interest of balance, rust in the engine bay of my one year and 8500 mile old 4x4. This is the engine mount under the coolant expansion tank. Not to worried (yet)

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Yes, but that is a big chunk of cast steel with surface rust. That will take years to become an issue... The rust on the Dacias is happening on thin steel panels and will quickly be a problem

Like I said, doesn't worry me

WOW! I hadn't heard of the rust issues Dacias are suffering. I was seriously considering a Dacia Sandero Stepway before I chose the Panda. Very close call there, glad I made the right choice!!! Dacias are cheap but look like great value for a brand new car, but a pointless waste of money if after a year or two your 'new' car is rusting and falling apart. Just like cars used to do in the 1970's...

NewtoPandas said:

WOW! I hadn't heard of the rust issues Dacias are suffering. I was seriously considering a Dacia Sandero Stepway before I chose the Panda. Very close call there, glad I made the right choice!!! Dacias are cheap but look like great value for a brand new car, but a pointless waste of money if after a year or two your 'new' car is rusting and falling apart. Just like cars used to do in the 1970's...

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Its just the early Dusters that were affected as far as I'm aware, no other models.

I guess they'd have to be cheap to sell any.

Consider the fact a vast majority of new cars are sold via PCP deals.
A Dacia would have a GFV of feck all after it's driven off the forecourt, so they obviously couldn't sell many this way!

If you want cheap, I put my colleague in the know for the Privilage and she's just bought a new 500 on a £90 a month deal!
£2000 Fiat contribution.
£1200 trade in.
£4400 GFV.
So only £3240 over 36 months!

She was even happier when I explained the new car has free tax for the first year and she'll get the outstanding tax back on her trade in, that's her first payment!

Don't confuse cheap with buying cheaply!