Bongo Fury

Hi all.
I'm in north Cornwall and have just bought a Montague. It's got a few issues so I'll most likely be found skulking around the Technical forum.. It will be a fortnight or so til I get to start work on it as I have a lot going on right now but I'm looking forward to delving into it.

Welcome aboard!
Most of us are out and about at the National Bash this week a few hundred Bongo's grazing in a field

Warm welcome.

Hi All,

Just bought a Bongo and I'm going through the electrics and gas before starting on the battle against rust on the underbody.

Loving the Bongo, what an awesome camper.

The forum helps massively answering all the newbie questions and also giving me some ideas about what I can do to the van in the future.

All the best

Ric.

Welcome aboard!
Hopefully see you in a field sometime

Yep, welcome aboard.

Well I got a week off work so was finally able to look at my new Bongo. I knew it had issues but it was cheap, lacking in any major structural rust and coolant issues so I didn't mind too much.

So far I've found;
Central locking not working
AFT not going fully up
One window blind moves by hand but not by motor
Waeco cruise control inoperative
Blower motors f and r not working at all
Some bits of the conversion need work, broken latches, wear and tear etc.
A/C not working

But it's sound underneath save for a tiny hole in each cill. The rear arches are rough but solid. The area around the EHU socket is quite bad and may need replacing. It must've been poorly rust treated, if at all, when the conversion was done, poor work for a big company.
Otherwise all I've found so far are easy and/or cheap fixes so I'm happy.
The coolant system will be flushed and thoroughly checked over regardless. It's one of my priorities on any car let alone on one with the Bongo's rep for overheating. A self bleeder, level and temp alarm will be fitted also.

Thank you for the warm welcome.

That list is not too bad for a 1995.

No harm operating the blinds by hand.

Hi All..
Just bought our first BingoBongo.. wasnt even looking for one.. just needed an 8 seater car for a long weekend.. thought it was cheaper to buy one the sell it than hire one.. but already fallen in love.. we removed all the interior and deep cleaned it.. repaired wiring issues .. removed the blinds and put them through the washing machine.. been a busy time..

Sounds good! They are interesting vehicles for sure, they can be used in so many different ways!

Well done, and welcome aboard.

Hi I'm Debbie, completely new to the scene, never owned a campervan before, though always longed for one. Got my bongo about 6 weeks ago and it's my dream come true, I love it Steep learning curve all round, but this forum has been invaluable! Thank you!
I'm in Kinghorn in Fife. I've seen a few bongos on my travels, but I don't usually realise until they're passing me, waving and I've been too late for them to see me waving back It seems a warm, friendly scene, looking forward to meeting folks

Welcome aboard!
Yes it can take a while to identify vehicles, although from the rear the Bongo is pretty unique with the rear mirror position! Not much help when your approaching from the front

Hi everyone!
I am on the verge of dipping my toe into the dreamy waters of Bongo-ing! My lease is up on my electric car (NEVER AGAIN- well, until they sort the charging network out) and with two little people and a love of camping I’m thinking of getting a bongo to replace my car and become our weekend camping van. My ex and I had a couple of bongos briefly so I’m aware about coolant issues (mainly the diesels, right?) making sure they’re under sealed and the virtues of converting to LPG.
I’ve found a 2004 v6 2.5l which looks promising and am waiting for a local importer (topsham) to look through his inventory as I want as new as possible but pop top. Is there anything else I need to be aware of? My commuting for work is town driving so mpg should be ok for that but I do 170 mile motorway round trip once a month which I imagine will hurt a bit!
If anyone knows of good LPG conversion companies and for that matter bongo garages around Exeter I’d be so grateful for your advice!
Thanks
Bee