Cracked AFT roof! Disaster!

[fredasurf]

On a recent camping trip a freak wind caused the AFT roof to crack on the side just next to the sticker. The crack went right through rendering the roof useless, flapping in the wind and no longer water tight! We're having real difficulties trying to have it mended as no-one can decide what the roof is made from or how to fix it. So far a regular garage, a boatyard, a car bodyshop and a TVR garage have declared they can't fix it as it's not fibreglass. The insurance company have now taken the van to a garage (non-bongo specialist!) and we're in the process of trying to find a replacement roof, which we think we've located but then we have the problem of trusting them to replace it... prob quite a complicated process?
My dearly beloved is having nightmares worrying about his beautiful freda lying broken and unloved in a smelly workshop while greasy men huff and puff and tut over her, shaking their heads woefully! In the meantime he's driving round in a Fiat Punto (no good for your surf cred) and crying himself to sleep.
Please help!

[westonwarrior]

Not realy sure What help you are after?

If the insurance company are paying for a replacement and its being done professionaly all should be well
There are many places breaking bongos Wheelquick, Bongo Bits, Bell Hill etc so a new roof should be easy to obtain
I cant see the job of replacing the roof to be too complicated
You could try seeing if you can move it to a Bongo Friendly Garage or wait and see if the Garage sorts it which they should.

The fact that the insurance Compny is covering this means it will have guarentees with it and you have consumer rights.

If he has trouble sleeping play him Barry Manilow cds that should help or "wear him out" at bed time

[dvisor]

If he has trouble sleeping play him Barry Manilow cds that should help or "wear him out" at bed time

C'mon now! He's already low - you don't want to drive him suicidal!

[francophile1947]

C'mon now! He's already low - you don't want to drive him suicidal!

You need Leonard Cohen for that

[fredasurf]

Cheers for the advice.
Just wondered if anyone else has had a similar problem? We're insured with Lifesure with whom I understand many Bongo owners are, however they don't seem to be able to offer us much advice or guidance on the matter. We've had to source our own roof.
Is a roof replacement a feasible operation? Or is there another, less-invasive procedure that could be done? Are there any nuggets of advice we should give the garage before they start pulling her to bits?

[dvisor]

Don't know if this is of any help, but it has instructions on how to remove the roof if you go down towards the bottom of the page. Looks easy enough.

http://allansvehicleservices.co.uk/32132.html

[dvisor]

Don't know if this is of any help, but it has instructions on how to remove the roof if you go down towards the bottom of the page. Looks easy enough.

http://allansvehicleservices.co.uk/32132.html

Sorry - just checked again, but its not the complete removal of the roof - only the fabric and struts etc.

[francophile1947]

I think a replacement is your best bet, especially as the insurance are paying.
It must have been one heck of a wind I've slept in the roof of mine when the van rocked so much (from the wind, before some of you jump in ) that sea-sickness was a real threat, but never any damage.

[waycar8]

Cheers for the advice.
Just wondered if anyone else has had a similar problem? We're insured with Lifesure with whom I understand many Bongo owners are, however they don't seem to be able to offer us much advice or guidance on the matter. We've had to source our own roof.
Is a roof replacement a feasible operation? Or is there another, less-invasive procedure that could be done? Are there any nuggets of advice we should give the garage before they start pulling her to bits?

yes Dreamwarrior had the exact same problem as you with a cracked roof, to go through the insurance was something like £2.5k which was about £800 for the new tent lining and the rest was the roof and shipping from Japland, He bought my old roof off my scrapper.

your best bet is get a second hand one and pay the garage to fit it, as the insurance company will just probably right it off due to the costs or replacing it with a new roof and tent, if they do right it off buy it back off them and replace the roof yourself with the settlement, loads of bongos are being broken on ebay email them for a price


Hope this helps, Wayne

[Doone]

I know someone who had a large crack in the front of their bongo roof, it looked really bad, beyond repair. It was repaired by an ordinary bodyshop. They did a really good job, you can't tell that it had ever been damaged.

[Bob]

Worth looking at the breakers already mentioned, and Allans, Plymouth. A re-cycled AFT has to be a good bet.

[dreamwarrioruk]

yep we had same probs as you and your roof,mike will be able to tell you more when he comes home yhis afternoon,been away in my bongo to kiting do,

[Dabs]

yep we had same probs as you and your roof,mike will be able to tell you more when he comes home yhis afternoon,been away in my bongo to kiting do,

Yes horrible memories Jo and Mike,hope you get sorted out Fredasurf!!

Dabs

[dreamwarrioruk]

ill help you with what i know. our motor dropped out causing the roof to only come down on one side. we went to lifesure who sent us to our local repair shop, they assessed the damage which was to be a new roof section which is only the actual aft section and does not include the canvas or the motors or assemblys. the cost was £1000 plus shipping from japan plus the labour for fitting. we got the go ahead but i checked the loading on the insurance and it was gonna make it quite high for a few years with the loss of no claims discount etc. i fabricated a repair using a simple fibreglass kit from halfords, buffed all the inside and layered it with fibreglass, havnt done the outside of the roof as this is beyond my skills but i have made it watertight and it survived the 60mph winds at buxton in december. as waycar8 said i bought his roof of his scrapped bongo and maybe i will get round to fitting it some year (once its colour coded). my friends bongo has had a repair done on his roof as well but they layered the external side and there is a bulge where the rapair was done. unless you know about it its very hard to spot tho.
there was the option of getting such as bellhill to fit one which at the time was £700. you could find a secondhand one and fit it yourself or a garage.its not that hard just a lot of bolts and screws to undue but the roof is quite heavy. it took 3 of us just to carry it nevermind lifting it and holding it in position to fasten it on.
hope this helps you with the problem.

[PixieAndTheMoon]

Just a thought... polyurethane foam?..the stuff double glazed windows are held in with. If you squirt some of this onto a sheet of glass then stir it round to destroy the foam, you are left with a yellow "goo". This is an amazing glue, will stick almost anything, and has the advantage that it will still expand a little to fill cracks. Try squirting a little of the foam on to the inside of the roof, if it sticks then it should repair the crack.
Chris