Oil Purchasing and a bit of a surprise

[helen&tony]

Hi
I just popped into the nearest town to get some oil and a filter for the Bongo, and decided to have a try at Elf oil....not having used anything but Castrol and Shell oils myself, I wondered what folks thought of Elf
I bought synthetic 10-40 Turbo Diesel, and the whole lot....7 litres of oil and a filter cost 43 quid....is that good?, and what's the view on fully synthetic, as I usually use semi?
Whilst stopping off at the first motor shop, they couldn't cross-reference the usual filter I buy, so they looked up Bongo in the book. The only Bongo listed was the old Bongo Brawny, and a series of Mazda Bongos ranging from 1.3 litres upwards!!!! Now being a German filter book, that doesn't surprise me.....I went to my usual supplier of oil, and their computer lists all manner of Bongo parts....the REAL Bongo. They will change the oil and filter free if you buy from them, but I won't let them loose on the Bongo, as they use those two-post lifts with the fingers, and they must not be used on the Bongo sills, or they will crumple!!!
Cheers
Helen

[thedogsbollox]

but I won't let them loose on the Bongo, as they use those two-post lifts with the fingers, and they must not be used on the Bongo sills, or they will crumple!!!
Cheers
Helen

Hi there Helen, I was gonna get my Bongo waxoyled and the company sent me a fact sheet on how it is done and get this

"Rustmaster use only high capacity 2 post lifts which provide minimum obstruction to the underside of the vehicle. Wheels hang down on the suspension and provide easy access to arches or if not can be removed"

Is this the same as what you mentioned (no fingers mentioned here see) or am i gonna have to tell them that they can't use that?

Sorry it is a bit off topic. But i will add that i got 2 sets of Fuel/Air and Oil filters off of ebay for about £44 i think

[bigdaddycain]

That's a good deal helen If i'm gonna be super critical, i could say that the extra cost of fully synthetic oil, over a good quality semi synth, may be a bit of a waste given the bongo's short oil change intervals... But you have bought the best possible oil...must be a better bet than the cheapest?

With the fully synth's, a lot of the cost is down to the long life additives, and the complex molecular structures in the lubricant which promotes lengthy service intervals, a rather "posh" oil, for a rather "agricultural" engine!

I generally use the best quality/price middle of the road 10/40 semi synth oil, granville do a decent one, as do millers, valvoline do a nice (non p1ssy) semi synth,even the motaquip (mid quality) oil is a good choice in my opinion.

May i just suggest that your not tempted to double the life expectancy of the oil though helen... the oil is high tech, the engine unfortunately isn't...

[bigdaddycain]

I reckon a decent 4 poster ramp is always a better bet than a 2 post affair, but given a decent mechanic, there should be no reason why the adjustable height stops on the end of the arms on a two poster can't be adjusted high enough to rest on the chassis rails on the bongo, not the sills of course! (mine have been squashed in a previous life too )

[helen&tony]

Hi TDB
Yes...that's the same thing...these companies buy those 2-post lifts because theyr'e cheaper......not for the benefit of your car, but for the benefit of their pocket. The arms, or fingers, spread out and fit under the sills where many maufacturers fit jacking points. If anyone tries that on the Bongo, I wave the glovebox handbook under their nose, and an irate woman waving documentation under their nose is a fearsome thing in any language Take your Bongo where there is a proper 4 post lift....it will have facilities to raise the car off it's wheels if needed.
Better still, buy a compressor, a wax injection kit(I've got a Seeley one), and a mask, and throw-away hooded overall, and do the job yourself for around the same money. You will then have the equipment to re-apply the wax every couple of years. Tony usually takes 3-4 days in small stages to do the car a bit at a time. Waxoyling is not a "fit and forget" job, and should be touched up every so often. If you want any advice on how to do the job, PM us and I'll be glad to give step- by step details....Tony and I have done literally dozens of our cars.
Cheers
Helen

[helen&tony]

Thanks Ste.
No, I won't extend the service interval....i'm a bit naughty and have run to 6000Km this time, as I forgot, but I always change the filter at each service (well Tony does), and we will only be using the Bongo occasionally from now on, and doing some major refurbing and customising. We shall also be using the Bongo if we have to go out at night, as the headlights on the Bongo are infinitely superior to our Opel Aspidestra. Last night I had to swerve to avoid what looked like Mount Vesuvius in the road, and ended up going the wrong way....we hit one of the beloved potholes with such ferocity that i'm surprised we've still got teeth. We hit one the other day, and it banged a dent in the rim of one of the Opel Froots STEEL wheels....these craters don't take prisoners!!!. I'm going for roof-mounted spots next year......4 of them (KC Daylighters), in addition to the bullbar spots.....400 plus watts.....Night time?????where?????
Cheers
Helen

[bigdaddycain]

Quote Helen & tony: No, I won't extend the service interval....i'm a bit naughty and have run to 6000Km

Ooh, your more cautious than me then Helen... I set my oil change limit to 5000 miles Although i have been known to change it at around the 3000 mark should it be opportune to do so.

Did you see the photoshopped pic of westonwarriors bongo on pimp with roof spots? .

[mikeonb4c]

I reckon a decent 4 poster ramp is always a better bet than a 2 post affair, but given a decent mechanic, there should be no reason why the adjustable height stops on the end of the arms on a two poster can't be adjusted high enough to rest on the chassis rails on the bongo, not the sills of course! (mine have been squashed in a previous life too )

Gotta say, Chassis Clean do it over a pit that gives uncluttered access to the whole vehicle

[helen&tony]

Hi Ste.
No I haven't seen it.....I'm off for a look now.
Cheers
Helen

[bigdaddycain]

I reckon a decent 4 poster ramp is always a better bet than a 2 post affair, but given a decent mechanic, there should be no reason why the adjustable height stops on the end of the arms on a two poster can't be adjusted high enough to rest on the chassis rails on the bongo, not the sills of course! (mine have been squashed in a previous life too )

Gotta say, Chassis Clean do it over a pit that gives uncluttered access to the whole vehicle

Yep, i'd prefer a pit too...i sort of have one since my purchase of the bongo mike....A money pit!

(only jesting...she's been good to me really )

[stringman]

The 2 post lift Rustmaster uses is a monstrous great thing and he doesn't lift on the sills but the chassis so I wouldn't worry. There is a post on here with a picture of someone elses Bongo while it was on this lift. I really wouldn't worry about it. Undersealing would be impossible on a 4 poster and on a pit I would have thought you would struggle to get to the wheel arches and the inner sills.

And by the way I just bought 2 oil filters and 10 litres of 10w40 semi synthetic from Euro car parts for £31.05

[thedogsbollox]

The 2 post lift Rustmaster uses is a monstrous great thing and he doesn't lift on the sills but the chassis so I wouldn't worry. There is a post on here with a picture of someone elses Bongo while it was on this lift. I really wouldn't worry about it. Undersealing would be impossible on a 4 poster and on a pit I would have thought you would struggle to get to the wheel arches and the inner sills.

Sorry i seem to be stealing Helen&Tony's thread here. I will go and chat to the nice peeps at Rustmaster and be reassured.

[helen&tony]

Hi
On most pits and 4 post lifts there is a sliding beam which has hydraulic lifts to work on the cross-members and chassis rails.....think MOT.....they lift the wheels off the ground, and they don't use a 2-post lift. The wheels should be removed and all brakes and hoses covered when wax-coating. Do Rustmaster give any kind of guarantee?....sheer chemistry says metal plus water +rust---undeniable....without re-coating every year or two, when a new car is normally topped up in the cavities in order to give extended guarantees, and treated ,as necessary , underneath. I should like to see the guarantee offered by these rust-proofing companies, and their periodic checks.....or perhaps they have managed to defy the laws of chemistry with a splosh of wax.
Cheers
Helen