Bongo Fury

missfixit70 wrote:edited by admin to remove URL quotes - not necessary when pasting links

moggyNZ wrote:widdowson
With the repairs we have had so far, with the excpetion of the tailgate (got rear ended) most parts have not been compatible with the bongo, so it would have to be a Freda to make it worth the while. In NZ we have only seen one other on the road. So the new parts that have had to be ordered in the past were from Japan.

moggyNZ wrote:The story behind the roof, is that it was taken to get the struts regassed. The chap took them off, but, obviously had not grasped the fact that it was an electric roof and grabbed hold of it and yanked it down (obviously with a lot of force). Bending it where the locking mechanism is and cracking badly both sides of the roof. (chap is also denying having done it, despite hubbie being there at the time)
It probably is repairable by a specialist, but a replacement would be preferable.

scanner wrote:Just "Mazda Bongo" covers a range of vehicles but "Mazda Bongo Friendee" and "Ford Freda" should be identical SFAIK the only major difference is the badges.

So it's no use just asking for Bongo parts, they have to be Bongo "Friendee" parts to be what you need, I don't think there is any need to insist on Ford Freda unless you want badges.

moggyNZ wrote: We had thought that the Bongo Friendee was the same apart from the badges, which is why we bought it. However when the head gasket went and the engine got stripped down none of the parts were compatible. The guy doing the work is a friend of ours (and a professional mechanic) and was trying to keep the cost down by sourcing parts locally, but all the parts he tried to get from the Mazda place (which also has a secondhand parts section) were not what we needed. In particular the head gasket is definitely different.

The Ford Freda is a rebadged 8-seater Mazda Bongo Friendee MPV, introduced to the Japanese home market in 1995. It is styled, literally, like a box, purely for space efficiency and for conservative Japanese tastes.

While initially a Japanese domestic market vehicle, it is becoming increasingly popular in overseas markets for Japanese imports, particularly Great Britain, Ireland, Russia, and New Zealand.

Most examples of this vehicle are automatics (there are a few manual versions), and are available in 2WD (SGL3) and 4WD (SGL5) versions. 2.5 turbo diesels are common in Japan, although V6 petrol engines are starting to appear. Later (post 99) models are a different shape and have different engines. Air conditioning (often with climate control), and Electronic Blinds are fitted as standard.

moggyNZ wrote:Ours is a 1997 V6 automatic, which may be why the engine parts are different, as I am guessing that the Bongo Friendee doesn't have that engine as a common option for those imported into NZ??? If it is only the engine which is different, it would make other parts easier to source.
It was a grey import from Japan.