Servicing intervals

[Von Croy]

What are the recommended servicing intervals? When should the timing belt be changed? I didn't get a service book when I bought the car!

thanks

[Lennart Sorth]

well, it sure would help if you told us what car you bought
and how old it is :-)

[Von Croy]

An Espace!  

but seriously… 1998 3.0 V6 RXE, has currently done 58K miles

[Will Falconer]

Renault can supply you with a replacement service book which tells you what needs doing when.

At 72k miles it needs a timing belt and new plugs, which means taking the front off and lowering the engine and many hours of work.

Mine is getting perilously close to needing the 72k service.  

[Anders Dinsen]

Unless it's one of the 12 valve V6 PRV engines with timing chains and no belt. I think they switched around 1998... Tell us the VIN and we can tell you which engine you have. It's the number under the wind screen. Or open the hood and see if it looks like the picture at this location - if it does, then it's a 24v with timing belt:

http://tmp.dinsen.net/je0g/motor01.jpg

[Von Croy]

The VIN number is

VF8JE0D0216347674

[Anders Dinsen]

The VIN number is

VF8JE0D0216347674

JE0D is the important code here which tells us that your car has the Z7X engine: 12 valve 90 degrees V6 with about 165 bhp I think. This engine dates back to the 70's and has been used in famous cars like Delorean and Alpine.

It has timing chains that do not require maintenance, so there is no timing belt replacements to worry about.

I would recommend you to have the auto gearbox checked and its oil replaced. They are known to last only 150 tkm. This is unlike the ZF gearbox of the engine that Will refers to below, which is generally very robust.