Vivaro

vivaro gearbox — Opel Vivaro A and B suffer from gearbox problems.

Car manufacturers use the same drivetrain across different vehicles. Not all gearboxes can withstand the load when placed in vans and SUVs. I experienced this recently.

Stock noise from the gearbox!

A sound reminiscent of the centrifuge at home or when the hard drive on your PC is dying. There is often a bit of noise from French gearboxes, but not like this! As you know, the Opel Vivaro is based on the Renault Trafic. Same car as the Nissan NV300 and Fiat Talento, although the Vivaro is manufactured in Luton, not France.

Well-known problem

It is about the manual 6-speed gearbox for the Opel Vivaro A and B (PK6/PF6). I found the website of a British company that repairs gearboxes on behalf of dealers. They say that both Vivaro A and Vivaro B can have problems with bearing noise in sixth gear, as well as eventually problems with getting into third and fourth gear. According to the website, the same gearbox is used in both series of Vivaro, although some changes have been made for the Vivaro B. Despite this, they are now receiving damage to gearboxes in cars with very low mileage, - from as little as 22 miles. It may seem that Renault has only made a half-hearted attempt to fix a known fault.

The website I refer to recommends owners change the transmission oil at every service. Their pictures can send a chill down the spine of even the most seasoned car owner.

Gearbox faults – Renault Trafic/Master, Vauxhall Vivaro/Movano, Nissan Primastar

Not dimensioned for the van's total weight

The Vivaro I recently drove was barely two years old with just over 42 km on the odometer and had a stock noise in sixth gear. How is it possible for components in the gearbox to wear out so early? The torque of the 000 CDTI engine is "only" 1,6 Nm, so the gearbox should be able to handle it. I am therefore guessing that the gearbox breaks down because it is not sized for the van's weight - own weight with driver 1758 kg - total weight 2920 kg.

Volvo's first SUV suffered the same fate

Volvo already had the XC70, based on the V70. The drivetrain was made for a tall SUV - one thought. The problem was that the gearbox was not sized for the heavier XC90. I know an owner of an XC90 with a manual gearbox. He had to change the gearbox 3 times before he traded in the car. Fortunately, everything went under warranty. Many have had similar experiences with the XC90. Here, not only were the gearboxes undersized, but also other components in the steering and undercarriage. If you are looking for a used XC90 mk1, you should buy one that is as new as possible.

Unknown extent

Gearbox problems in the Vivaro and its sister models are well known, especially in the first production series – the one with the 1,9 liter turbodiesel engine. That the problems also appear in the current model is worrying, but undersized gearboxes need not be equally critical for everyone. For example, if you drive a Vivaro with a light interior, for example as a service car, the gearbox can hold up well compared to a car that is used to transport heavy objects and tow trailers. The engine in the Vivaro B, 1,6 liter biturbo CDTI, is nothing to complain about. It is very responsive for being a diesel. Here you get both the tenacity and economy of the diesel engine, as well as the responsiveness of a petrol engine.

Vivaro C is here soon

The collaboration between Opel and Renault ends. The new Opel Vivaro C is here immediately. It is announced to go on sale in Germany in February 2019. Like its predecessor, it will be manufactured in Luton and sold as Opel and Vauxhall. Apart from the grille, it is 100% based on the Peugeot Expert and Citroën Jumpy, as well as the Toyota ProAce that I drove last week. In 2020, the Vivaro will be available with an electric motor. In time, the current 2-litre BlueHDI engine will probably also be scaled down. Then we can only hope that PSA/Opel provides gearboxes that can withstand the load.

Pictures of the new Opel/Vauxhal Vivaro C

The new Opel Vivaro C is based on the PSA group's Peugeot Expert and Citroën Jumpy.

The 9-seater Vivaro Life, here in Vauxhall livery.

See

Sometimes you need to go to IKEA - quite impulsively.

Sometimes you are overly impulsive and buy things you cannot take home without borrowing a trailer or van. At IKEA, there is no problem. You can borrow a trailer for the rest of the evening - or an Opel Vivaro. Hertz Car pool have placed Opel Vivaro's at all the IKEAs around the country.

The Opel Vivaro was launched in 2001 alongside the Renault Trafic, Nissan Primastar and Fiat Talento and was upgraded in 2014 with a new front, new engines and new interior. The container-like appearance testifies that it is the functional that counts, - not style. I imagine these are vans people dispose of through work because they need a car like that, - not something you buy with your own money.

When we locked ourselves in a Vivaro from Hertz Bilpool on Skøyen in Oslo, it was to pick up furniture at IKEA for my son and his girlfriend. I am impressed. Not just about how easy it is to pick up a car at Hertz Bilpool, - or how efficient it has become to shop at IKEA, - but how well the engine ran.

As a new generation of diesel engines.

1,6 liter turbodiesel with 120 HP and maximum torque of 300 Nm at 1750 rpm. A fantastic bottom line right from idle. No turbo lag. I was also impressed by the sound from the engine. At 80 km/h in sixth gear, the engine runs at 1400 revs with a faint, low-frequency hum. The Vivaro I rented was from 2016. How could such a good engine have escaped my attention? And, by the way, - who made it?

Collaboration with Renault

It might be wrong to give the credit for this engine to a single car manufacturer, all the while it is a joint venture between four manufacturers. Nevertheless, there are many things that point towards Renault. The key, for example, belongs to Renault. The instruments too, with a digital speedometer in the middle.

There is a lot of Renault in the Opel Vivaro and the other sister models. The engine's internal designation R9M-450 belongs to Renault. I think this engine must be ideal for passenger cars as well. However, the exact configurations that are supplied in the Vivaro and its sister models are not installed in any other models. Then I think of the 120 HP and 140 HP variants, as well as the brand new 125 HP and 145 HP, - both with biturbo diesel based on engine code R9M. The closest I can find in the search is the 1,6 biturbo diesel with 160 HP which can be ordered in the Opel Astra, Renault Talisman and Espace. I am sure that those who choose this drivetrain will be pleasantly surprised.

Opel has previously collaborated with Fiat regarding the development of diesel engines. Today, Opel's new diesel engines originate from Renault. It will surprise me if in the future Opel is not forced to switch to the diesel program of its new owners, PSA Peugeot-Citroën.

- But hardly the Opel Vivaro.

Opel produces its own Vivaro's at the old Bedford factory in Luton. When Opel/Vauxhall started talks with Renault, probably sometime in the 90s, it was with a view to rebuilding the production of their own vans, a new generation Bedford. The name was unfortunately cut. They chose instead to use the usual brand names Opel and Vauxhall. Sin. It would have been really cool to see the Bedford name brought back into use.

While the plant in Luton produces Vivaros, the other models – Renault Trafic, Nissan NV300 (formerly Primastar) and Fiat Talento are produced at the Renault plant, Sandouville, France. Vivaros with a high roof are also produced there.

So the next time you've done a lot of shopping at IKEA, but still have a couple of hundred bucks left, I recommend:

– take a Vivaro!

HONEST ABOUT CARS

Undersized gearbox