Bongo Fury

mikeonb4c wrote: You seem unusually down on Bongos just now kelv. Maybe time to sell? The world seems to want them so you should get a reasonable price provided its in good nick.

Yes quite agree Mike.....
It has to be asked why did he buy one in the first place if they are so poor and clearly incapable of meeting his high standards.

It must be really galling to buy a 15 year old 2 tonne MPV/Camper and find it doesn't brake and steer "quite as well" as a 3 year old Peugeot.

I drive a wide range of vehicles from a 12 year old estate car through an 8 year old supermini and a 5 year old BMW 4x4 to a brand new 23ft m/home and the Bongo is not noticeably worse than any of them - different, yes, (all vehicles are) but with decent tyres and ABS I have no concerns with the Bongo.
Just 'cos CC is fitted doesn't mean you have to use it all the time and some of us have the good sense to only use it in appropriate conditions.

I happily use CC on regular trips down (yes) the A.14 - M.11 - M.25 to Essex and the A.14 (yes again) - A.45 - M.1 - A.34 to Oxford and I have a quite happily used it for 90% of such journeys without any problems or running into the back of anything, when the conditions are right.

Perhaps "a very large gap" just means "keeping the right distance".

Perhaps the driving conditions around Lichfield are so much worse than the roads I use regularly, but I doubt it.

Just a personal view, no right view, no wrong view.

Here's my experience with the Bongo brakes...

Recently i found myself late one night coming back from a band practice on a dual carriage way out side Bath.
With about 1500 metres to stop at a roundabout & with no other traffic in sight, i was cut up by a bloke in a Rover 400 type vehicle giving me about 5 metres in front.
I was doing 50 & could clearly see the guy who was now in front flip the bird!

With that, he slammed the brakes on going into an emergency stop with about 500 left to the RB we were near stationary & he fired off, hit the RB & turned right!

Now granted i was distracted by the finger he had generously given.. But i matched his stopping distance..

..& i dare say the claim would also have been for "personal injury" on his part for the "passengers" he was carrying to the charity event i had caused fictional people to miss due to my "careless" driving!!

I have used CC on the Bongo for nearly two years now and it is ideal IMHO. Yep, it does not stop as quick as other cars I have used, but I just drive within the vehicle limits. I see no correlation between longer stopping distances and CC.

I would suggest that using CC if anything keeps me further away from other vehicles, as I settle down at around 60 mph whilst other vehicles tend to flow past me. I would also suggest that I have more situational awareness as I frequently scan mirrors and anticipate other drivers judging for just the right time to move out to pass without having to accelerate or slow for traffic ahead. A more relaxing drive makes for better judgment, less fatigue and less likelihood of snap decisions.

Just my opinion though.

BongoMTBer wrote: Just my opinion though.

No it isn't, it's mine as well

PS
Well except for the 60mph bit...

And I thought all roads were the same huh.
Especially those around Lichfield.

kelv wrote:
And I thought all roads were the same huh.
Especially those around Lichfield.

What happened to boring?

Just a personal view, no right view, no wrong view - just (rapidly) changing ones.

Some interesting comments regarding the suitability of the Bongo for cruise control. If the same logic was applied to the lack of a digital clock as a factory fit option in a Bongo, then it must be that Mazda deemed that we should never know what the correct time is .

All automotive braking systems are designed to be effective with respect to the weight & power of the vehicle. Unless you significantly increase either of these two factors, then the standard braking system that has been properly maintained is perfectly adequate.

Cruise control when used correctly makes driving less tiring & probably safer as a result. Sure, you could set it to 70 mph in a 30 limit & therefore it would be dangerous, but your right foot is just as capable of allowing you to drive with excessive speed for the road conditions.

The Bongo is actually perfectly suited to installation of the Waeco MS-50 & in fact you end up with half the kit left over as all the pre-requisites such as the vacuum feed & speedo signal are already provided by Mazda.

I've been in touch with over 40 Bongo owners regarding the installation notes I've produced & without exception, everyone who has installed a unit has commented on what a worthwhile modification it is. Just because Mazda didn't offer it as an option, does not mean you have to fore-go the convenience & extra enjoyment in brings to driving a Bongo.

I've had CC fitted for a year, as Scanner said, one of the most useful mods I've done IMO, means you're not speedo watching rather than watching the road, you just dial in at a safe speed & maintain normal safe distances, never had a problem stopping in time (without ABS too, guess Mazda didn't deem it necessary at the time, like the CC?), even when people have done stupid things in front, but then I was driving 7 tonne trucks from the day I passed my test, so I guess I have a better awareness than some.
It's all about driving to your & the vehicles capabilities, I have driven newer & smaller vehicles than the bongo whose handling & braking capabilities were worse.
I've done about 3,500 miles on the continent in the last couple of months, big smiles for the CC If anyone's thinking of fitting it - get on with it - just my opinion of course

You don't need to jump into the VSS wire, just connect to the screw in the center of area behind speedo marked S+ (if my memory is working today) I'm sure it is there for the optional Mazda factory cruise control Just about every USA car I've driven had cruise control, talk about poor brakes

lev8 wrote:You don't need to jump into the VSS wire, just connect to the screw in the center of area behind speedo marked S+ (if my memory is working today) I'm sure it is there for the optional Mazda factory cruise control Just about every USA car I've driven had cruise control, talk about poor brakes

Pretty sure that's what I did for the Waeco, you can see where the track comes down the board from the where the wire connects in.

How many times per year do you fans of cruise control actually get to use the benefits of cruise control on the UK roads ?
I have cruise control fitted to a vehicle that I drive for 30,000+ miles a year.
Unfortunately I can count the number of miles on one hand where cruise control has been able to be used properly without interuption in the way accurately described ........... "dial in an appropriate speed etc ". Yes, that can be relaxing, agree with the concept.
However:
I normally find that as soon as I have switched the cruise control on, I have had to switch it off again pretty sharpish due to rapidly fluctuating traffic speed, which makes cruise control on the vehicle, sadly pointless. This can either be upwards or downwards in velocity, producing either a car in your rear or a shove on the brakes which of course turns cruise off.

Maybe I am driving on the wrong roads, or at the wrong times of day

I can see that on the Autoroute in France it might be a bit more useable.
But UK..............................

Can we try & keep this one on track, lets not get involved in a pointless argument that has no right or wrong, opinions of the suitability have been stated, but the original questions were regarding the specifics of fitting.
If anyone wants to continue the debate on the merits of CC or not, please start another topic & leave this for helping those that are fitting CC

missfixit70 wrote:Can we try & keep this one on track, lets not get involved in a pointless argument that has no right or wrong, opinions of the suitability have been stated, but the original questions were regarding the specifics of fitting.
If anyone wants to continue the debate on the merits of CC or not, please start another topic & leave this for helping those that are fitting CC

Will do, no probs.
Best of luck with the wiring Qs.

missfixit70 wrote:Kelv has started a new topic - Cruise Control is it worth fitting ? here - http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... =1&t=33300

jaylee wrote:Here's my experience with the Bongo brakes...

Recently i found myself late one night coming back from a band practice on a dual carriage way out side Bath.
...
With that, he slammed the brakes on going into an emergency stop with about 500 left to the RB we were near stationary & he fired off, hit the RB & turned right!

Apparently there are more and more selfish idiots out there causing deliberate accidents to their cars replaced under insurance... other peoples insurance. Sucks doesnt it.

phedders wrote:

jaylee wrote:Here's my experience with the Bongo brakes...

Recently i found myself late one night coming back from a band practice on a dual carriage way out side Bath.
...
With that, he slammed the brakes on going into an emergency stop with about 500 left to the RB we were near stationary & he fired off, hit the RB & turned right!

Apparently there are more and more selfish idiots out there causing deliberate accidents to their cars replaced under insurance... other peoples insurance. Sucks doesnt it.

Yep! you can owe it to a certain degree to "American blame culture"....
Give it three years & that parking ding you owned up to in a Sainsburys car park when scraping an unoccupied car will come back to bit you in the bum when a bill drops through yer door for a half dozen broken invertebrate!