£1000 oil leak repair worth it on old V6 Bongo?

[sunnylondra]

We have a very old but beloved V6 Bongo, bought in 1988, which we primarily use for camping holidays. I live in London, so will be subject to the ULEZ from October 2021. At the end of a recent 120 mile trip I noticed the oil warning light flashing, and later noticed that there was a large puddle of oil under the middle of the car. My local car mechanic tells me the Bongo has a very large oil leak (luckily the engine wasn't damaged) and repair will cost at least £800 just for parts. I don't know what to do, and would be enormously grateful for any advice! Thank you so much!

[Bob]

The logical question has to be 'Will the repaired Bongo sell for more than the cost of repair?'

Your heart may say 'Get it done' in any event, but then there's the ULEZ to take into account - would you be selling it anyway?

What year is it, and does it have a conversion?

Hope that helps a little, and welcome aboard.

[Katka]

The other question is whether £800, parts only, is reasonable. The mechanical guru's on the forum may be able to guide you if you can describe where the leak is or what the mechanic reports has failed.

[sunnylondra]

Thank you so much for the replies - I really appreciate it! I'll ask the mechanic for more details, and try to force myself to make a decision. She's got a leisure battery and hook up but no fixed kitchen equipment/bed. But we love her so much, that I was thinking of parking her outside the ULEZ zone and continuing to use her for camping trips (we've got 5 little dogs, which makes her especially useful

[Bob]

Don't forget your insurers will want to know where Bongy is normally parked overnight.

If you can use a friend's drive, in a low risk area, you may be fine, but if you plan to just park at the roadside the premium will rocket, if you can even get cover.

Edit: We keep the caravan in a secure storage site, about £400 per year, so that may be something to consider.

[g8dhe]

Might be worth checking which sort of oil ? The most common oil leak is from the ATF oil pipes running from the gearbox to the cooler at the front, in which case £800 sounds rather expensive! If its engine oil then its a different matter as I would assume its a head gasket or similar on the engine itself?

[rita]

Might be worth checking which sort of oil ? The most common oil leak is from the ATF oil pipes running from the gearbox to the cooler at the front, in which case £800 sounds rather expensive! If its engine oil then its a different matter as I would assume its a head gasket or similar on the engine itself?

Hi Geoff, the engine oil warning light came on .

[mikeonb4c]

V6 Bongo bought in 1988. What model of Bongo is that

[Ian]

There's 2 things to consider here. Firstly, the oil leak. Unless you are unlucky (like I was) the oil leak is likely to be the rocker gaskets, the cam seals, or the crank shaft seals. All are repairable and the parts are relatively cheap. It's the labour charges that can be expensive. But £800.......? BTW when I had a V6 it was a problem with the oil breather. That was too epensive to fix, so I sold it on.

Regarding ULEZ, if it's your secondary vehicle and you are only using it for camping trips, just bite the bullet and pay the charge. £12.50 each way doesn't sound too much for a weekend away......

[Rickster]

The advice already given is a good place to start.
If the engine structure itself is damaged, another engine may be the answer, the van ain't a total write off at the moment.
As for the quote, it doesn't surprise me in the least, the van owner lives in London and everything commands a London price!
The parts for these vans is relatively cheap compared to a VW T5!

[Katka]

Depending where in London you are, it might make sense to get it to a Bongo experienced garage for repairs. At least you won't be paying for the mechanics' time whilst he learns how bongos work.
There's one in Croydon. DRAServices.co.uk, if you are that side of town it might be worth calling them for a chat.