Hibernating Bongo

redz79 · Post by **redz79** » Sun Oct 25, 2015 5:57 pm

Hi All
it will soon be time to take our Bongo of the road for the winter ,it will be stored outside as it won't fit in the garage, any tips on storage would be helpful, my thoughts are.

a good coat of wax polish
leisure battery off and indoors
starter battery on trickle charger ( optimate )
hand brake left off
quarter tank of petrol , the good stuff.
maybe a cover of some sort
leave a window slightly open for ventilation
plenty of wd40

its a V6 AFT on lpg . rgds Ian

Post by **francophile1947** » Sun Oct 25, 2015 5:59 pm

If it won't be moved for several months, it would be worth putting it on axle stands to avoid damaging the tyres.

redz79 · Post by **redz79** » Sun Oct 25, 2015 6:13 pm

Hi
the plan is to put it on new wheels and tyres in the spring , our drive has a steep slope so axle stands are out, would it be worth starting it say once a fortnight , this may cause condensation to form in the exhaust maybe damage the cat if not up to temp.
rgds Ian

Northern Bongolow · Post by **Northern Bongolow** » Sun Oct 25, 2015 10:01 pm

i would fill up the fuel tank to avoid condensation in the tank, modern fuel hates water. as the winter fuel (with winter additives to help stop freezing) is now on sale.

look up uk in this link.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_di ... ed_Kingdom

Post by **Simon Jones** » Sun Oct 25, 2015 10:12 pm

You don't want to be putting that nasty smelly oily diesel stuff in a V6

. I would agree though about keeping the tank full to minimise condensation. Same goes for the LPG I reckon.

Northern Bongolow · Post by **Northern Bongolow** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 12:00 am

yeh good point well made mate,

Post by **Bob** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 12:42 am

Only a personal view, but I don't think the money saved by SORNing a vehicle is worth it.

I'd drive it every week, at least 20 minutes to warm everything up, cars just don't like being parked up for long periods.

BigPanzer · Post by **BigPanzer** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:43 am

Hi,

I would suggest leaving the eyebrow vent in the AFT open as well as the hatch. You could also put a tray of kitty litter up there. All this should prevent mildew.
Also might be a good idea to make sure the AFT mechanism is well greased and if you raise and lower it a couple of times on a fine dry day (?) it should still be working fine in the spring.
Don't SORN it, take it out every couple of weeks for long enough to get everything fully warm and run the aircon.

Peter

sotal · Post by **sotal** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 10:40 am

Bob wrote:Only a personal view, but I don't think the money saved by SORNing a vehicle is worth it.

I'd drive it every week, at least 20 minutes to warm everything up, cars just don't like being parked up for long periods.

I agree with this - just drive it once a week or so on a nice dry day. You can save a bit of money by sorning in but you'd really want to keep insurance going in case of theft or fire, so really you might save £40 or so in road tax, but then you're paying extra for top quality fuel to go in, you're going to pay for the electricity to run the maintenance charger, you are going to potentially pay for a cover for the Bongo and you're going to risk potential damage by leaving it standing. (I presume it needs new tyres and wheels so haven't put them in the costs).

Just doesn't seem worth it to me.

Ours will be used all winter.

redz79 · Post by **redz79** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 6:28 pm

thanks for the replies. new wheels and tyres is just a bling thing , so that was going to happen anyway, full tank of petrol the high octane stuff with stabiliser in it, petrol goes off now, I have trouble starting the bikes on 6 month old petrol. full tank of lpg , cat litter in the aft,window open slightly , need a cover , looked at plenty of covers at the NEC show all about 130 quid or a custom made one for 500 quid , sorn or not to sorn, I figure to leave the tax on and give it a run out when the salt is off the roads, November to march should see it mis the worst of the winter.
rgds Ian

sotal · Post by **sotal** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 6:46 pm

If you're not sorning it and you're taking it out for a run on dry days - then I wouldn't do anything out of the ordinary.

A nice wash and wax will help - but that goes for any car.

Keep the fuel level low if you think it's going to take a while to use it up - only top up a bit each time then it won't have chance to go off.

I'm not a fan of covers - they have to be very good to work. I've seen caravan with rub marks where cheaper covers have rubbed in the wind. Then if they're not breathable causing problems with damp too.

dobby · Post by **dobby** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 6:58 pm

Bongos are best driven and regularly as well, I used to store mine but it's not worth it. Rust, coolant leaks etc can all happen whilst its forgotten. We didn't use the AFT last year and the motors seized. I cycle commute via the train station so I make a habit of using the bongo at least twice a week

janie · Post by **janie** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 8:10 pm

I just keep using mine all year. It's perfect for a weekend picnic or an unexpected couple of days camping....which is what will be happening this week...or if you're like me just go to work in it....cheers me up no end x

cmm303 · Post by **cmm303** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 10:26 am

sotal wrote:If you're not sorning it and you're taking it out for a run on dry days - then I wouldn't do anything out of the ordinary.

A nice wash and wax will help - but that goes for any car.

Keep the fuel level low if you think it's going to take a while to use it up - only top up a bit each time then it won't have chance to go off.

I'm not a fan of covers - they have to be very good to work. I've seen caravan with rub marks where cheaper covers have rubbed in the wind. Then if they're not breathable causing problems with damp too.

Maybe keeping fuel low is specific to petrol, but for diesel there is a case for keeping the tank full to reduce the amount of condensation build up and thus less water to be absorbed into the fuel. (Partially full diesel tanks are bad news on boats that aren't used over winter where damp is inevitable)

Personally I think a Bongo is for life, not just Summer. I try to take mine out at least once a month for a reasonable 20+ mile trip even if its just to go shopping. Aircon on, do the roof, etc.

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 2:38 pm

I've used my Bongo as my only, everyday car for 9 years now. It has definitely been the best decision I could have made. Keeps it dry, exercised and I always fold the mirrors and put blinds down when parking so that the electrics don't succumb to damp and disuse. I should put the roof up more than I do, though I try to put it up regularly to keep the motors exercised.

With Bongos, use it or lose it applies to at least some extent, though I've heard the diesel is generally brilliant at starting instantly even after a long time standing.

Cat litter in roof is something I've thought of trying. For now I've just got 2 silica gel filled bags I got off Amazon for around £15 the pair, and I take them out at intervals and give them a couple of days over a hot radiator to re-dry the silica gel.

Not heard of petrol going off in the tank - that sounds really weird to me

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