Page 1 of 1
New Freda Owner (Canada)
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 4:03 pm
by Newfrieda
Hey guys! glad to be an owner of a 1995 turbo diesel Freda.
Just last weekend I picked up the Freda at the Vancouver port and it was unleashed on the trans Canada tarmac.
Me and a friend covered 4,700km in 4 days to get it to its new home in Ottawa, Ontario.
After a week break and oil change I'll be off to my hometown of St. John's Newfoundland.
I believe this will be one of the first Fredas to travel the entire length of the Transcanada highway in such a short period of time.
Now I'm curious as to what your guys' wildest and longest road trip stories are.
Let me know!
Re: New Freda Owner (Canada)
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 7:46 pm
by Bob
Welcome aboard.
Love Canada, Mrs B lived near Hamilton for 23 years so I've visited quite a bit. Pre- Bongo days.
Make sure you research the cooling system bleed process before doing (or allowing) any work at department. Far too many mechanics won't listen when you try and tell them and you finish up with head damage.
Low Colant Alarm is a good investment in my view.
Trips - just GB for me these days.
Re: New Freda Owner (Canada)
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 11:29 pm
by mikeonb4c
Welcome, My brother on Vancouver Island envies my Bongo. Good to hear of another one in Canada even if its ended up on the other side! How did you find it to drive over that long distance?
Re: New Freda Owner (Canada)
Posted: Thu May 16, 2019 5:23 pm
by Newfrieda
Mike,
The drive was great, I had a lot of work done by a specialty shop in Vancouver.
No issues and extremely comfortable for both me and my friend. I'm an avid backpacker so I had all of the supplies and equipment ready to live in it for the journey, typically I used my Jetta in the past but setting up the tents at basecamp was always a hassle.
The Freda is unreal for this landscape, I'm surprised a market for these types of affordable vehicles has not been exploited by Mazda in North America (alternatively the Mercedes Sprinters, and similar campers are way too expensive for me in my 20's).
I've noticed a small oil leak under the passenger side seat, so I checked the oil frequently. No signs of anything major.
Bob,
I'll be investing in anything which prolongs the life of my Freda, in fact.. my friend is now looking to import one as well so any other advice on things we should look out for would be greatly appreciated. I will be storing it for the winter as well and doing an undercoat every season, not taking any chances with rust.
It appears that the previous owner of my vehicle was a member of the Japanese Automobile Federation, so maybe I lucked into importing a Freda which was extremely well maintained throughout its lifetime.
Nice chatting with you guys and I look forward to being a member of the forum!
Re: New Freda Owner (Canada)
Posted: Fri May 17, 2019 10:06 am
by mikeonb4c
Newfrieda wrote: ↑Thu May 16, 2019 5:23 pm
Mike,
The drive was great, I had a lot of work done by a specialty shop in Vancouver.
No issues and extremely comfortable for both me and my friend. I'm an avid backpacker so I had all of the supplies and equipment ready to live in it for the journey, typically I used my Jetta in the past but setting up the tents at basecamp was always a hassle.
The Freda is unreal for this landscape, I'm surprised a market for these types of affordable vehicles has not been exploited by Mazda in North America (alternatively the Mercedes Sprinters, and similar campers are way too expensive for me in my 20's).
I've noticed a small oil leak under the passenger side seat, so I checked the oil frequently. No signs of anything major.
Bob,
I'll be investing in anything which prolongs the life of my Freda, in fact.. my friend is now looking to import one as well so any other advice on things we should look out for would be greatly appreciated. I will be storing it for the winter as well and doing an undercoat every season, not taking any chances with rust.
It appears that the previous owner of my vehicle was a member of the Japanese Automobile Federation, so maybe I lucked into importing a Freda which was extremely well maintained throughout its lifetime.
Nice chatting with you guys and I look forward to being a member of the forum!
Great to hear that. Bongos (good ones esp) are getting rare at auctions so be eyes wide open about the love and money one might need. Best to fit a low coolant alarm (and ideally an engine block temp gauge) esp if diesel as they are likely to crack their head if they suffer an overheat. Corrosion must be watched out for including the metal coolant pipe to rear heater and the transmission fluid metal pipe underneath on drivers side about half way back along vehicle. But they're a great design and mine has been great to own and use for bearly 13 years.
Re: New Freda Owner (Canada)
Posted: Fri May 17, 2019 1:40 pm
by Bob
A few peeps use a Disklok for added security:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Disklok-Steeri ... B00SLB6WXE
There's almost no car crime in Japan so they only fit cheapy locks.
Re: New Freda Owner (Canada)
Posted: Sun May 19, 2019 9:46 am
by Bob
It's worth getting a full size spare wheel, too.
Bear in mind that some car wheels will fit but aren't rated for the weight of a Bongo.
Re: New Freda Owner (Canada)
Posted: Mon May 20, 2019 6:52 pm
by Ian
Good to see someone else from Canada has a Bongo/Freda! That makes two of you as far as I can tell, the other one is in Victoria BC. Remember that if you are a club member in addition to a Forum member we can obtain parts for you and supply technical fact sheets.
Welcome aboard!