Oil capacities

I recently bought a 2011 Vauxhall Meriva B 1.7 CDTI auto with 48,000 miles and can’t find much info on it. Can you tell me the engine oil capacity and when to change the timing belt/chain? Should I change the transmission fluid? And how much oil does the gearbox hold?

Trevor Sloman

The engine oil capacity is 3.2 litres and the grade should be 5W-30 fully-synthetic.

The timing belt renewal interval is 100,000 miles or 120 months.

I would recommend changing the transmission fluid, but this is not a straightforward job. The vehicle needs to be raised on stands and run while elevated, so its security is an important safety point. The transmission fluid is drained and levelled from the plug in the base of the transmission sump. To drain the transmission, first the level plug should be removed followed by the level tube which it fits into. The oil should be allowed to drain for around 10 minutes, before replacing the level tube. The gearbox fluid can now be replenished via the filler plug at the top of the gearbox – once it begins to run out, the drain/filler plug should be replaced. The gearbox filler plug can be seen at the back of the gearbox in the area below the coolant expansion tank. The engine should now be started and left running while each gear is selected in turn for around two seconds. Place the gear selector in Park and then repeat the selection of each gear. With the fluid up to operating temperature, remove the level plug and fill until the fluid runs out. Now replace the plug and add a further 0.4 litres of fluid, before switching off the engine. The gearbox capacity should be around three litres, but this depends on how fully the system is drained.