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3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 2:26 pm
by Becks-bongo
We set off on our 3rd trip away for one night... Nice place only £15 with EHU and pool etc.
The plan being to try out new fiamma zip awning... Which worked great and we loved the extra space it gave us and how warm it is. So very happy with that
However on this trip we had some issues.....That we need help with please.....
Problem 1..... Drviers window will not open...any ideas?
Problem 2..... We started to set up camp, when putting the roof up found we now had a hole in both the netting and the canves approx 2 inch...This was because i put the poles for the fiamma zip in the roof and did not cover the sharp ends safely... me-

husband-

. Fixed this by the magic of duct tape. (fine overnight)
What would be the best permanent way to fix this??
Problem 3.... The best way to sleep a 19th month old baby??... My little girl had not slept all day and would not settle anyware without "kicking off" BIG TIME! we tried roof/downstairs seats/downstairs floor/push chair/and car seat...after a long long time she passed out face down in the gravel in the awning and we were able to move her to the bed!
I have read on here about other people making beds for little ones with the front seats or using hammoks???...Advice&pics would be great.
Problem 4... All packed up ready to go...Start the engine and the gear box sticks...me-

husband-

We try re-starting/hand brake off etc etc...No luck.
So we take it apart and end up disconnecting the cable that makes it safe to start....... So you can now start the car and move the gear stick but you can start it in any gear and it will move... Which scares me a bit if i forget to start it in park.
How could this have happend? and how can we fix it?
Bit stressed out with the bongo& its issues today and not to mention lack of sleep!! almost started smoking again...

we stopped so we could afford to buy the bongo in the first place!
Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 3:21 pm
by jaylee
Hi, regarding problem number 1; does the passenger window work OK...?
Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 5:10 pm
by daveblueozzie
problem 1 ,have you inadvertently set it to lock, on the switch to open the windows .
problem 4 . did you put your foot on the brake before you tried the gear stick.(press the brake to release the gear)
Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 5:32 pm
by Becks-bongo
Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 5:36 pm
by Becks-bongo
Passenger window works ok & we tried the foot on brake thing...
Travel cot can take up lots of room so trying to avoid that but if it comes to it then.... we are thinking of travel cot next to conversion on the floor. 3 year old across the upright middle seats and me and husband in the roof....
Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 5:44 pm
by Becks-bongo
am now thinking that thankfully the problems are not so BIG!
Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 5:56 pm
by jaylee
That's good news..
I'm sure the canvas can be repaired with something that will give it a funky design.
I thought i saw a post on this subject...?
I'm sorry i can't help with the canvas, as i don't have an AFT!
[quote="Becks-bongo"]Passenger window works ok [quote]
Sounds like the window switch could be shot in the plastic mechanism on the drivers switch..?
The switch moves but not the electronic component that tells the motor to move accordingly.
Quite common.
Good luck!
Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 6:01 pm
by Becks-bongo
Thanks.........am busy doing searches re-fixing the roof but i just cant get the hang of it!

Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:10 pm
by mikeonb4c
Stay calm Becks - none of this sounds serious and insurmountable (though the roof tear would have p*ssed me off - in my case I reversed into a hidden rock and crunched me bumper badly on our 1st outing - totally spoiled my day). And Gerry is a top bloke - he'll get you sorted.

Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:22 pm
by Matt&JoyBongling
mikeonb4c wrote:Stay calm Becks - none of this sounds serious and insurmountable (though the roof tear would have p*ssed me off - in my case I reversed into a hidden rock and crunched me bumper badly on our 1st outing - totally spoiled my day). And Gerry is a top bloke - he'll get you sorted.

Not quite as bad as my wife who reversed the bongo into our house and ended up with an imprint of the outside tap indented into the rear door or me who reversed into our neighbour's wall and knocked it down
Any way, there is a little spare vinyl hanging from the rear of most bongo roofs which you can see when the roof is raised (between the vinyl and the hard shell. You might find that a strip can be used to patch holes.
Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:00 pm
by mikeonb4c
Matt&JoyBongling wrote:
Not quite as bad as my wife who reversed the bongo into our house and ended up with an imprint of the outside tap indented into the rear door or me who reversed into our neighbour's wall and knocked it down
...and then I went and reversed into a lamp post I'd just pulled in in front off, whilst trying to make space for 2 x OAPs to pass (I'd had to put 2 wheels on the kerb on a main road while picking up someone's child). That put a dent in the tailgate. And I've picked up some other minor dings from persons unknown (grrrr). But hey, the old girl gives sterling service even if I won't win a bling competition, and we all gather scars as we drive down the rocky road of life

Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 7:21 pm
by dvisor
Becks-bongo wrote:Problem 1&4----Just rang Gerry at discount trucks..... van booked in to be sorted tomorrow, both easy jobs so wont take long.
Did you get 1&4 sorted today?
Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 8:59 pm
by Becks-bongo
Yep all sorted!

cant fault discount trucks they fitted us in today and both problems sorted out in under half an hour.
They changed the window switch and the cable for the gear stick......So BIG thanks to discount trucks made me realise again, the advantage of buying from a dealer...Had it been a private sale two small/ish problems could have become a right pain to sort out!
Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:38 am
by muddypaws
Glad you got all your problems sorted!
I had a kid 'scoot' past the front of my Bongo the other day and flicked the back of his scooter up on the way past and took a big lump of paint off my bumper!!!

I was not impressed at all...However he was with his parents and they just glared at me on the way past and it was in the sort of area where if I had said anything, they would have come back and done something worse probably, or come back to my mums house and put a brick thru the window or something. So I had to bite my tongue!!! Something I'm NOT particularly good at but I managed it amonst a lot of huffing and swearing under my breath!

Re: 3rd trip away BIG PROBLEMS help with gear stick&other issues
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:40 am
by apole
Hi there,
Glad you got your probs sorted, I have to agree Fred at Discount is very good with bongos which is reassuring.
Regarding the roof, if you wanted to go the whole hogg, you can still get new ones from Japan, worth bearing in mind should yours get badly damaged or if it just gets too old and tatty.
Andy