The Vauxhall Insignia was unveiled in 2008 with a choice of four petrol engines – the most popular of which was the 1.8-litre – and a range of 2.0-litre CDTi diesel engines. With the introduction of extended mileage oil drain intervals, it’s important that vehicle technicians top-up these vehicles with the correct specification oil.
Only fully-synthetic formulations that have the relevant dexos2™ specification (which replaced the former GM-LL-A/B-025 specification) should be used in the Insignia. This will facilitate the OEM requirements for extended mileage intervals and any other lubricant could ultimately reduce the efficiency, performance and longevity of the engine.
Castrol recommends fully-synthetic Castrol Magnatec 5W-30 C3 engine oil (although EDGE 5W-40 or Magnatec 5W-40 C3 are equally suitable), which provides the best overall compromise between lower viscosity for efficiency and a higher level of protection across a variety of engine temperatures. Each of the above engine oil formulations is fully dexos2™ approved for all engines in the Vauxhall Insignia range.
From 2011, all diesel engines and some petrol engines in the Insignia line-up gained stop-start technology. Workshops should look out for increased wear which may result from oil draining to the sump each time the engine is stopped, leaving key components vulnerable whilst the engine warms up. The recommended Magnatec formulation is engineered to work best with stop-start engine technology; its intelligent molecules ‘stick’ to those parts of the engine that are most vulnerable when it starts up.
The maximum oil change interval for the current Insignia is 20,000 miles – more than most motorists drive in a year, or even two. Workshops could consider offering customers a one-litre bottle of approved Castrol Magnatec 5W-30 C3 oil in case the motorist needs to top-up their car’s engine oil between infrequent visits to the workshop. This can also help customer satisfaction and retention, as the workshop can demonstrate that they have their customers’ best interests at heart.
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