A few notes about the Nissan Primastar/Vauxhall Vivaro/Renault Trafic:
Engine Oil
For this particularly series of vans, each manufacturer lists differing specifications for engine oil which should be covered by one of a number of Comma products. Do not assume that the vans will all use the same engine oil.
With varying service intervals both in terms of time and mileage, oil top up between services can be critical. Supplying the customer with a top up pack and reminding them that they should be checking the engine oil regularly might also be prudent here particularly if you have noticed that the oil needed topping up when it was brought in. A quick check before you change might be a good way of reinforcing the importance of top up to the customer. Certainly with longer service intervals, extra time between services makes checking your oil more critical than ever before.
Brake Fluid
Nissan/Renault/Vauxhall use one or two specifications for brake fluid for this series of vans.
Most people don’t think of brake fluid as a service item however, unlike many other manufacturers (who specify a change interval of 24 months), Nissan/Renault/Vauxhall specify a change interval of 48 months for this trio. Brake fluid degrades over time by absorbing water from the atmosphere (even when it is apparently sealed inside the system) which lowers its boiling point. Boiling point is a critical factor in brake fluid performance because of the amount of heat generated during braking. If the boiling point of the fluid is too low then continuous or hard braking may cause the brake fluid to vapourise which in turn can result in a loss of hydraulic pressure within the system. The message here is that brake fluid is a safety critical item so check and change when specified – don’t assume that it will just be OK.
Power Steering Fluid
This trio use one or two specifications for power steering fluid so it is important to identify which product is suitable for the vehicle you are servicing.
Coolant
Xstream G30 is the recommended product for most of this van range.
Transmission
For this particular series of vans, the OEMs use a range of transmissions that includes manual, conventional automatic and semi-automatic with various specifications. As well as the different fluid requirements, change intervals and capacities will vary depending on the type of transmission so we would advise you to consult the handbook to ensure that you get the right product for the vehicle you are servicing.
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