Learning basic Bongo mechanic skills?

lindalove · Post by **lindalove** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 12:27 pm

We are buying in a Bongo in the coming months but I'd like to get a bit more clued up on the Bongo workings so I can go and have a good look at engines etc when I am looking at what to buy.

Can anyone suggest how I can get up to speed on this quickly?

Will it help if I buy a Bongo handbook for example - its hard to know what parts might go wrong if you have no idea what those parts look like in the first place.

Are there any other guides - DVDs, You Tube vids etc so I can at least feel a bit more confident when I look under the lide ( no only that, might be able to fix it in future when I am stuck in the North African desert)

mikexgough · Post by **mikexgough** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 12:59 pm

you are in the right place, just ask questions, doesn't matter if they seem silly, and members will answer, go along to a few meets and have a chat and also there are some you tube video's if you want to have a look too.

welcome to the forum

spout · Post by **spout** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:10 pm

..and becoming a member (see boxes above) will give you access to data and fact sheets galore.

Welcome.

brorabongo · Post by **brorabongo** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:27 pm

Hi and welcome Linda.

Are you a paid-up member ? If so theres a wealth of info in the members area....factsheets etc. It has helped me fixed a few glitches, and saved me POUNDS!!!

The Bongo in general does not seem to be a very complicated vehicle to work on, fair enough, the engines not in the easiest of places, but I have done things to my bongo that I would never of attempted on previous owned cars. ( That does not sound right, does it.

)

One thing to try, is to make it to a meet, folk will be more than willing to show you around, point stuff out etc.

All the best.

( beaten to it

)

MountainGoat · Post by **MountainGoat** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:45 pm

For a start their are a few widely available videos and articles that you can watch or read but it is better to get to one of the meets to be shown around the Bongo by an experienced member. Wrong time of the year for camping meets at the moment but occassonally a few members do meet up in car parks etc for a few hours at weekends in some areas.

For more technical problems you could do no better than to join the club to get full access to the fact sheets and other members experience. Yoy do not say if your Bongo is going to be a V6 or a turbo diesel, you will find much more information is available on the latter.

Tony

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dRcbbH_zTF8

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=G0DenImmv ... ed&search=

http://www.bongoogle.co.uk/details.asp? ... 9&artID=39

http://www.bongoogle.co.uk/details.asp? ... 1&artID=41

http://www.bongoogle.co.uk/details.asp? ... 3&artID=43

http://www.bongoogle.co.uk/details.asp? ... 5&artID=55

http://www.bongoogle.co.uk/details.asp? ... 2&artID=52

http://www.bongoogle.co.uk/details.asp? ... 6&artID=46

http://www.bongoogle.co.uk/details.asp? ... 2&artID=42

http://www.bongoogle.co.uk/details.asp? ... 4&artID=44

http://www.bongoogle.co.uk/details.asp? ... 4&artID=54

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 8:38 pm

Thre's been a lot written on here some time back about things to inspect / check when Bongo Hunting. Many happy evenings spent searching and readin on here will - since you have an interested mind and will sponge it up - soon make you an adept Bongo Hunter. A few thoughts:

Unwise to buy the first you see. Try several so you can get a feel of how nice a good Bongo feels compared to a tired one (although something as simple and easy to fix as worn droplinks can make the ride feel clunky so bear that in mind)

Always lift the covers and have a good poke around the engine bay, and always be prepared to get underneath the vehicle (may be wet and ucomfortable depending on the weather but still worth it) and see whether it looks rusty, the exhaust knackered etc.)

Have a good checklist with you and don't be rushed. Go through all items. Remember there is always an element of compromise so have 'must be right' and 'nice if right' items.

And enjoy the hunting - it's your first Bongo adventure. Good luck

Mike

missfixit70 · Post by **missfixit70** » Fri Nov 21, 2008 9:26 pm

Spend the next week or two trawling through the old posts on the forums, & in the members section, factsheet etc especially techie, much better than any manual

bigdaddycain · Post by **bigdaddycain** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 2:23 am

missfixit70 wrote:Spend the next week or two trawling through the old posts on the forums, & in the members section, factsheet etc especially techie, much better than any manual

That's almost verbatim to what i was about to type kirsty... Even if you find it a bit of a drag, have a regular trawl through the techie section, you'll be surprised how quickly you will become knowledgeable on the bongo... (I'm still waiting to learn, but I'm daft, it'll take a while!)

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 12:22 pm

bigdaddycain wrote:
missfixit70 wrote:Spend the next week or two trawling through the old posts on the forums, & in the members section, factsheet etc especially techie, much better than any manual
That's almost verbatim to what i was about to type kirsty... Even if you find it a bit of a drag, have a regular trawl through the techie section, you'll be surprised how quickly you will become knowledgeable on the bongo

I'd go as far as to say this is a good acid test on whether you are destined to be a happy Bongo owner. If you are it won't be a drag, it will be more exciting than watching top TV as you hoover up all the knowledge you can. If it is a drag, maybe Bongo ownership will not be so good for you.

But I am 100% confident you will not find it a drag, otherwise you wouldn't have been asking the question you asked in the first place. Enjoy a cold beer, glass of wine or two etc. while you are reading though - no harm in that.

Trouble at t'Mill · Post by **Trouble at t'Mill** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 1:24 pm

Lindalove, I agree wholeheartedly with all the above advice.

I think there's a slightly different issue involved, tho', looking at your first post - you indicate you'd like to be more clued up so that it'll help you to select a good Bongo to buy?

There are certainly a few items that seem peculiar to the Bongo*, but the buying process is the same as it is for any car - if you aren't mechanically clued up, then take someone along who is. You cannot - even with he help of this superb forum - become savvy enough to fully discern a 'pup' from a 'beaut' in any fail safe way, unless you already have a reasonable understanding of what's involved.

Bottom line: if you buy from a dealer, you should have additional guarantees. Hopefully the dealer himself will provide a proper written warranty, but even if he doesn't you have considerable rights under the Sale of Goods Act for a good few months. If your car goes kaput in a bog way, the law was changed fairly recently to now put the onus on the dealer to prove it wasn't faulty at the point of sale! Of course, the age, condition, price paid, how it was described, etc will all have a bearing on how well you are covered by this law. So, record the contents of the advert, and ask as many questions about the car as you can before purchase - ideally by email so's you'll have a written copy - to have as security.

(Even then, it depends on how 'secure' the dealer is - if they subsequently go out of business, then you might not have any protection.)

Buying privately is, of course, more risky. There is no specific warranty as such, although the car MUST be as described in the ad., and everything the seller says must be truthful - again, record everything.

If you get the car serviced (as per manufacturer's guidelines) - ideally as part of the purchase deal - then you can even take out your own warranty with 'Warranty Direct' for around £30 per month. Good value, good company, but the car needs to be less than, I think, 12 years old, etc.

* Things to absolutely check on the Bongo: condition of coolant in expansion tank (and ask lots of Q's about when it was last replaced), Service record (there should be one even if DIYed), that gear changes are smooth and occur at the correct times - when warm, top gear should lock in at around 45-ish mph, with the revs dropping to below 2,000rpm provided the car is accelerated gently (it'll take longer if you hammer it.

Perhaps others can suggest a list of other easy and obvious things to check?

mister munkey · Post by **mister munkey** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 1:41 pm

One that seems to be rearing its ugly head of late, thats easy to check for is rusty rear arches or bodged repairs of such. Stick your fingers under & along the lip of the arches to feel for crud, rusty lumps or filler.

bongomaan · Post by **bongomaan** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 2:23 pm

a quick look underneath to check for steering rack leaks,condition of the exhaust condition of the drop links and check around the fuel pump for leaks,just like i didnt.....what a good idea for a fact sheet to help potential owners....

MountainGoat · Post by **MountainGoat** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 2:52 pm

When you do finally find the Bongo of your dreams check that it has been undersealed. Japan has different weather conditions and does not use salt on the road as we do over here. So recent imports are unlikely to be undersealed.
That said make sure that your spare wheel is removed before it goes in for undersealing, mine was not removed by the undersealer who sprayed over the spare wheel leaving an untreated patch which I had to get Wheelquick to treat when I took my Bongo in for service.

New Forest Terrier · Post by **New Forest Terrier** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 11:16 pm

Hi Linda

All of the advice given here is very good and getting to know Bongos is certainly the best way to go.

If you are not sure, buying from a specialist, like Wheelquick, Allans or Discount Trucks; as opposed to any old site with a few Bongo's means that you are getting the benefit of that person's skill in picking a good Bongo. You would use someone skilled for most jobs, why not for vetting a car.

If you find something you like as a private sale, a very good tip I was given is to get the seller to agree to an MoT. Use a garage you know and tell the guy who is doing it that you are thinking of buying. You will get to see underneath for rust and or oil leaks and have most systems checked. The emissions report will give you an idea of engine problems. A friendly mechanic can give you a good idea of overall condition as well.

If all is well you get 12 mths MoT plus reassurance. If not, trouble avoided. Also useful for price negotiations

Trouble at t'Mill · Post by **Trouble at t'Mill** » Sun Nov 23, 2008 11:25 am

And, of course, don't forget the AA and RAC. I think it's around £100 for a good check and test drive - they'll soon pick up on any problems.

Any faults shouldn't necessarily mean you reject the car, just negotiate the repairs into the purchase price. (If there are lots of 'faults' which suggests a 'neglected' car then, of course, best to walk away...)

Learning basic Bongo mechanic skills?

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