Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:34 pm
Assuming the only product used here is approx a gallon of waxoil then we are talking labour rates in the same region as porsche / mercedes main dealers - I am obviously in the wrong game.
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:38 pm
£125 for an excellent job on mine - including taking off the rear lights to inject it up the insides.
waxoyl
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 11:03 am
Hi
I hope you don't mind my "take" on this subject, as it has been more than adequately covered.
we do our own vehicles, and I would say that £125.00 -£250.00 would be correct, as per Madmile and Dandywarhol.
Personally, I would say buy a compressor and do it yourselves. Sure, it's a messy job, but it's no more so than "messing out " a stable!! First decide what you will need a compressor for, and if it's only for an occasional job, buy one of those small compressors from Netto, or similar, for less than £100.00. We use ours (a bigger compressor, though) for all sorts of things, including taking the house doors off, and spraying them....piece of cake. Buy a painters dust sheet, and put it on the drive, suitably weighted down with bricks, and carefully drive the Bongo on. Wear some old clothes, and a disposable work suit with hood, and a spray mask.
We (Tony) get under the vehicle, and clean the whole underside by hand with a wire brush to remove the loose stuff. If there is any surface rust , treat it , and prime with a good rust primer. We do a bit each day, so that it doesn't become a real chore. Next, cover the bits you have painted with Waxoyl underseal, especially in the areas of hard use like the wheelarches. When this has dried for a while, spray the whole area with waxoyl, covering everywhere, taking care to prevent spraying on brakes etc. as recommended. Get a wax injector gun suitable for the compressor, and blast it into any cavities, using the bung holes. Spray inside the underbonnet bracing pieces, in fact anywhere where there is a double skin. "Do" inside the doors, and back door, inside the chassis, and, lastly, an area many firms don't seem to cover, and that is take the rear interior trims off, and pour some waxoyl over the area where the outer skin meets the wheelarch, as we didn't do this, and we've discovered pinholing in the wheelarch lip.....our job next summer.
If I've missed anywhere, please point it out. Take a week or so in summer, and if you spread the job out, it won't be tedious, and you will have done a super job for little money, and have a "free" compressor into the bargain, as the whole deal will cost less than having it done, and you'll familiarise yourself with the way the Bongo works, and you'll remember everything you've done if you write it in your handbook. Keep your eye on the underside, and re-treat every couple of years in the areas most prone to attack, as waxoyling is not a "fit and forget" job
Helen
I hope you don't mind my "take" on this subject, as it has been more than adequately covered.
we do our own vehicles, and I would say that £125.00 -£250.00 would be correct, as per Madmile and Dandywarhol.
Personally, I would say buy a compressor and do it yourselves. Sure, it's a messy job, but it's no more so than "messing out " a stable!! First decide what you will need a compressor for, and if it's only for an occasional job, buy one of those small compressors from Netto, or similar, for less than £100.00. We use ours (a bigger compressor, though) for all sorts of things, including taking the house doors off, and spraying them....piece of cake. Buy a painters dust sheet, and put it on the drive, suitably weighted down with bricks, and carefully drive the Bongo on. Wear some old clothes, and a disposable work suit with hood, and a spray mask.
We (Tony) get under the vehicle, and clean the whole underside by hand with a wire brush to remove the loose stuff. If there is any surface rust , treat it , and prime with a good rust primer. We do a bit each day, so that it doesn't become a real chore. Next, cover the bits you have painted with Waxoyl underseal, especially in the areas of hard use like the wheelarches. When this has dried for a while, spray the whole area with waxoyl, covering everywhere, taking care to prevent spraying on brakes etc. as recommended. Get a wax injector gun suitable for the compressor, and blast it into any cavities, using the bung holes. Spray inside the underbonnet bracing pieces, in fact anywhere where there is a double skin. "Do" inside the doors, and back door, inside the chassis, and, lastly, an area many firms don't seem to cover, and that is take the rear interior trims off, and pour some waxoyl over the area where the outer skin meets the wheelarch, as we didn't do this, and we've discovered pinholing in the wheelarch lip.....our job next summer.
If I've missed anywhere, please point it out. Take a week or so in summer, and if you spread the job out, it won't be tedious, and you will have done a super job for little money, and have a "free" compressor into the bargain, as the whole deal will cost less than having it done, and you'll familiarise yourself with the way the Bongo works, and you'll remember everything you've done if you write it in your handbook. Keep your eye on the underside, and re-treat every couple of years in the areas most prone to attack, as waxoyling is not a "fit and forget" job
Helen
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:19 pm
Excellent advice Helen and great for those with time, climate, fitness, facilities to do it (you lucky Bulgarians!).
Reading you account confirms to me why you might need to suspect how thoroughly a cheaper job has been done. Doing it properly takes time and care, and this is what you are (should be) paying for with the £400 jobs. This is probably why they take time to show you the work they are doing. One other important feature of the £400 jobs is that they ARE a fit and forget approach (well more or less - they recommend having it checked after 5yrs or so).
If you are lucky enough to find someone who will do a quality job for £120 (or even £250) then that's great, but I'm not convinced that all the cheap jobs are good ones.
But if I had time, fitness etc. I'd really recommend your approach. Probably no-one will do it better than you do it yourself and it must be v satisfying. It must be possible to get the black hardwax (which I think is sprayed over the waxoyl in abrasion prone zones). I did the same trick as you buying a compressor (£52 for an almost new £250 compressor) as an alternative to getting a garage do my bumper repair, and what a useful piece of kit it is
Reading you account confirms to me why you might need to suspect how thoroughly a cheaper job has been done. Doing it properly takes time and care, and this is what you are (should be) paying for with the £400 jobs. This is probably why they take time to show you the work they are doing. One other important feature of the £400 jobs is that they ARE a fit and forget approach (well more or less - they recommend having it checked after 5yrs or so).
If you are lucky enough to find someone who will do a quality job for £120 (or even £250) then that's great, but I'm not convinced that all the cheap jobs are good ones.
But if I had time, fitness etc. I'd really recommend your approach. Probably no-one will do it better than you do it yourself and it must be v satisfying. It must be possible to get the black hardwax (which I think is sprayed over the waxoyl in abrasion prone zones). I did the same trick as you buying a compressor (£52 for an almost new £250 compressor) as an alternative to getting a garage do my bumper repair, and what a useful piece of kit it is
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 2:08 pm
That about sums it up Helen - the double skined areas are essential - that's why my guy removed the rear lights - to blast it behind the panels.
Also best to fully extend the seatbelts before doing it - otherwise they get blasted too!
Also best to fully extend the seatbelts before doing it - otherwise they get blasted too!
wax
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 10:16 am
Had ours done when we first got it in Oct 06, done by a professional bongo mechanic. Stirling job, even left up on ramps to show us what had been done and what had been removed etc.............(i put a lengthy post ages ago on this).
All this for 100 quid, you really dont need to pay over the odds for this job
Shop around and spend wisely
All this for 100 quid, you really dont need to pay over the odds for this job
Shop around and spend wisely