Dacia Duster 2022 Problems: Black Smoke, Engine Issues, and Potential Cold Start Injector Failures

Hey, sounds like a bummer! Coincidentally, I had a remarkably similar issue with my 2020 Dacia Logan a while back. I'm not a car guru by any means, but I've tinkered around with my car quite a bit - so let's call it some experience! Turned out it was indeed a defective injector for me. Took it to my local workshop, and the mechanic confirmed my suspicion after diagnosing it. The whole repair, including labor cost, set me back about 515€ - a pretty costly problem to have! But it immediately resolved all the symptoms: the unusual engine shutdowns, poor fuel economy, the whole shebang. But here's the thing: every car is unique, even within the same model and make. So to give you better advice, could you provide some more details about your car, like the specific model variant, engine type, and mileage? Any recent part replacements? That would really help in pinpointing the issue. Cheers!

Hey there! Thanks for the reply and sharing your experience. It's pretty weird how similar our issues are. To answer your question, I didn't have any part replacements recently. Just got it serviced about 3 weeks ago. My Duster is a Gasoline variant with a mileage of 38971 KM. No aftermarket mods, completely stock. I really hope it's just the injector acting up and nothing major. Any other advice or specific symptoms you experienced with your Logan would be highly appreciated!

Hello again! No worries we're in this together. You're not alone! Honestly, your situation does mirror what happened with my Logan a lot. Alongside the black smoke and check engine light, my car also struggled quite a lot during cold starts and the engine felt unsteady while I was driving. I thought I was getting less mileage than usual but brushed it off thinking it was probably because of my heavy-footed driving. When it started shutting off abruptly, that's when alarm bells started ringing. Do you also notice a strong smell of gasoline, almost like it's "running rich"? That was another sign in my case. And bout the injector, I was advised to replace it as a faulty one can lead to more serious engine damage in the long run – and trust me, you want to avoid that money pit. However, like I mentioned before, it could be different with your Duster. Take it to a professional just to make sure. Hopefully, yours is just a case of a disobedient injector too! Good luck and keep us posted with the updates. Hoping your beast gets back on road ASAP! Cheers!

Hi again, my! Your detailed input is gold to me right now, honestly appreciate it. Yep, you’re spot on - I have noticed a strong gasoline smell lately, especially when the engine shuts off unusually. Seems like we might be on to something here. Your point about a faulty injector causing more serious damage definitely hit home – last thing I want right now is bigger issues. I'm scheduling a garage visit as soon as possible to get this properly diagnosed and hopefully nailed down. Fingers crossed it's the same culprit causing havoc. Again, thanks so much for your advice, it’s been massively helpful. Promise to update you all with what comes out of the garage visit. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery for my Duster. All the best to you and your Logan, cheers!