Last year, I purchased a pre-owned 2018 Renault Duster and have had nothing but broad smiles owning the rugged-looking crossover.
However, there has been one problem with it, and that was a squeaky driver seat which cost almost 10% of the car’s price to get fixed.
It may not sound all that serious, but this wasn’t a small creak on every other corner that could be drowned out by the radio.
Without exaggeration, I’m talking about adult-movie levels of squeaking with every single millimetre of movement – if not worse.
Luckily, the Duster still has a few months of warranty left and I took it to the Renault dealer who sold it to get the seat checked out.
The once-squeaky seat in question
How much did it cost?
After handing in the Duster, the workshop did a quick inspection of the issue and notified me that it is covered under warranty and that the necessary parts were already ordered and would be arriving in a few days.
The mechanic confirmed that the seat rail showed excessive wear and the seat was wobbling back and forth, so the entire frame must be replaced.
Sure enough, the new frame arrived later the week, I took the Duster in once more, and was informed on the same day that all is hunky-dory and it was ready for pickup again.
Imagine the surprise when I was handed an invoice that came to a total of R19,091.89 – which included the seat frame at R16,125.64 as well as labour of R476.00.
Never did I think that something so seemingly-minor will be so expensive, but, it could’ve been worse.
While signing the paperwork, I jokingly asked the service assistant if this is what I would’ve paid out of my own pocket if the car wasn’t covered by an after-sales agreement.
Completely serious, she replied: “No, this is just the warranty claim, you would’ve paid more.”
This exercise goes to show the value of having a vehicle under warranty, as we’ve come to learn that car maintenance is prohibitively expensive in modern times if you must pay for it yourself.
If your ride is still under warranty and it does have an issue that is potentially covered, I’d recommend taking the time to have it checked out sooner rather than later as it could save you a lot of hard-earned cash.
Keyword: How much it cost to fix my Renault Duster’s squeaky seat