According to the official test, the Arkana has a combined (city and highway) consumption figure of 6.0 litres per 100km which is pretty decent for this type and size of vehicle. CarsGuide’s road test, however, showed that, like the vast majority of cars out there, the Renault will use a bit more than that in the real world. A mix of country, city and suburban work as well as a helping of highway and motorway driving netted a figure of 7.5 litres per 100km. Still pretty good, to be honest.

The other factor when considering running costs is the type of fuel required. Here, again, the Arkana scores well as it will happily run on the cheaper 91-octane fuel rather than the premium stuff.

You won’t void your warranty by having a qualified person look at the car, but since this is Renault’s problem, why would you spend your own money fixing something that should not be occurring in such a new vehicle? If you’re not getting anywhere at dealership level, I would suggest you try Renault Australia’s customer service department. If people went elsewhere every time a dealership mechanic expressed frustration, those same dealerships would be deserted.

Meantime, I’d have to question whether the original problem was incorrectly diagnosed given that new door cards have not stopped the rattle. The fact that the noise starts and stops according to the position of the window makes me wonder if the cause is not a part of the window actuator or its mechanism. If part of the window regulator is rattling against the door card, it might sound as though the door card itself is the problem when it’s actually something else.

The bottom line is this: The car is under a factory warranty designed to protect the owner against problems like this one. Legally, Renault Australia is obliged to fix it. Don’t be put off by surly dealership staff; chances are once they understand you know your rights, they probably won’t be quite so eager to dismiss you.