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Servicing the Bongo, what shall I ask my garage to include?
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:19 pm
by Barley 1981
Hi ,I am having the Bongo serviced for the first time next month and wondered what to ask my garage to include in the service. I had the oil/filter changed in September and have only done 3 thousand miles since then.
What should my list include? and what kind of money would I expect to pay? If is a 2.5td auto 1995
Thanks
Re: Servicing the Bongo, what shall I ask my garage to include?
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:38 pm
by mikeonb4c
Barley 1981 wrote:Hi ,I am having the Bongo serviced for the first time next month and wondered what to ask my garage to include in the service. I had the oil/filter changed in September and have only done 3 thousand miles since then.
What should my list include? and what kind of money would I expect to pay? If is a 2.5td auto 1995
Thanks
Have a seach on here as this one's been asked and asnwered not long ago. Scanner and Mikexgough are two owners who come to mind and who live not far from you - maybe they can advise o na good local garage.
I've found servicing my own 2.5TD has not been a big hassle. Oil, filters, check brakes for wear and take it in if you dont want to DIY them. Coolant change every 2 yrs or so (let a GOOD BONGO garage do that for you if you don't fancy DIY). Thats about it I think.

Re: Servicing the Bongo, what shall I ask my garage to include?
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 10:14 pm
by M 80NGD
mikeonb4c wrote:Barley 1981 wrote:Hi ,I am having the Bongo serviced for the first time next month and wondered what to ask my garage to include in the service. I had the oil/filter changed in September and have only done 3 thousand miles since then.
What should my list include? and what kind of money would I expect to pay? If is a 2.5td auto 1995
Thanks
Have a seach on here as this one's been asked and asnwered not long ago. Scanner and Mikexgough are two owners who come to mind and who live not far from you - maybe they can advise o na good local garage.
I've found servicing my own 2.5TD has not been a big hassle. Oil, filters, check brakes for wear and take it in if you dont want to DIY them. Coolant change every 2 yrs or so (let a GOOD BONGO garage do that for you if you don't fancy DIY). Thats about it I think.

Yeah,Mikes about spot on!.........I had similar done on Friday,oil change,a bloomin great check over (with a fine tooth
comb!) Took about 2 hours and charged me well under £100!! Not far from Lincoln either,and well worth the trip. P.M
me for details

Re: Servicing the Bongo, what shall I ask my garage to include?
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 11:14 pm
by mad as cheese bongo man
If its an Auto and you're not sure when the gearbox oil was changed, i would get them to change it. It needs to be done aprox every 20K. (its a mega bill if it goes wrong, as i've just found out)
cheers
Re: Servicing the Bongo, what shall I ask my garage to include?
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 11:44 pm
by mikeonb4c
mad as cheese bongo man wrote:If its an Auto and you're not sure when the gearbox oil was changed, i would get them to change it. It needs to be done aprox every 20K. (its a mega bill if it goes wrong, as i've just found out)
cheers
True
Maybe I should have stressed - DIY includes noting what should be done at what intervals and either doing it yourself or getting it done. Autobox fluid is a funny one as I've had more than one experienced mechanic (Mike at Wheelquick included) say that if it looks fine and is working fine then no need to fret. But I think I will be changing mine and cleaning the filter soon, for peace of mind, and it is what the book says you should do every 24k miles

Re: Servicing the Bongo, what shall I ask my garage to include?
Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 12:02 am
by The Great Pretender
mikeonb4c wrote:mad as cheese bongo man wrote:If its an Auto and you're not sure when the gearbox oil was changed, i would get them to change it. It needs to be done aprox every 20K. (its a mega bill if it goes wrong, as i've just found out)
cheers
True
Maybe I should have stressed - DIY includes noting what should be done at what intervals and either doing it yourself or getting it done. Autobox fluid is a funny one as I've had more than one experienced mechanic (Mike at Wheelquick included) say that if it looks fine and is working fine then no need to fret. But I think I will be changing mine and cleaning the filter soon, for peace of mind, and it is what the book says you should do every 24k miles

And if your doing your own servicing get a pela pump, makes easy work of oil changes and invaluable for draining the auto box. 
Re: Servicing the Bongo, what shall I ask my garage to include?
Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 12:33 am
by Ron Miel
Barley 1981 wrote:Hi ,I am having the Bongo serviced for the first time next month and wondered what to ask my garage to include in the service. I had the oil/filter changed in September and have only done 3 thousand miles since then.
What should my list include? and what kind of money would I expect to pay? If is a 2.5td auto 1995
Thanks
As you can see from the replies already, it's a bit ad hoc - as it probably is for most motors, once they stop getting early years main dealer servicing, and particularly for part DIY serviced ones.
Only essential main service item intervals are shown in the Bongo handbook - things like those already mentioned, filters and fluids change intervals for example. Of course, there are many other things on any motor, which it pays to either check or get checked on a fairly regular basis, so if you're mixing DIY with Bongo-friendly garage servicing of main items, you really need to work out what they are. A good starting point is perhaps to read the 50 points standard service check list used by independent garages in the Good Garage Scheme
(http://www.goodgaragescheme.co.uk/index.html - click on "Car Services" and scroll down) - their so called "Industry Standard Checklist". Then decide how much of that you want your club listed Bongo-friendly garage to quote for.
I asked two listed Bongo-friendly garages to tell me what their service schedule would be for our V6, and both effectively said, same as we do for a diesel (whatever that was - it wasn't written down), plus we'll re-check the handbook for V6 items - but don't worry, we know what we're doing. I'm sure they do but I couldn't be sure it was what I wanted doing. I then found a Good Garage Scheme garage, also "Bongo-friendly" listed, not too far away, so last year I used them instead. They were not expensive, and the result was good. If you've got one near you who are also Bongo-friendly, then an added advantage of doing it that way is that they will provide you with a full service record, with which you can present your Bongo's UK service history, if when you come to sell it.
Unfortunately for me, I've recently learned that the Bongo specialist at the GG Scheme member I used last year, has now left them, so I might be starting again. I'll start a separate thread asking if anybody knows of GG Scheme members among the club's Bongo-friendly listed garages.
Re: Servicing the Bongo, what shall I ask my garage to include?
Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 10:48 am
by Ron Miel
Ron Miel wrote:Barley 1981 wrote:Hi ,I am having the Bongo serviced for the first time next month and wondered what to ask my garage to include in the service. I had the oil/filter changed in September and have only done 3 thousand miles since then.
What should my list include? and what kind of money would I expect to pay? If is a 2.5td auto 1995
Thanks
>
>
.......A good starting point is perhaps to read the 50 points standard service check list used by independent garages in the Good Garage Scheme
(http://www.goodgaragescheme.co.uk/index.html - click on "Car Services" and scroll down) - their so called "Industry Standard Checklist". Then decide how much of that you want your club listed Bongo-friendly garage to quote for.
>
>
>
.....I then found a Good Garage Scheme garage, also "Bongo-friendly" listed, not too far away, so last year I used them instead.....
>
......I'll start a separate thread asking if anybody knows of GG Scheme members among the club's Bongo-friendly listed garages.
Here's the separate thread:
http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... =1&t=37977
Re: Servicing the Bongo, what shall I ask my garage to include?
Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 2:20 pm
by You've Been Bongod
a full service includes
timing belt, tensioners, oil, filter, air filter, fuel filter, change of antifreeze, check brakes, tyres, lights, horn and so on you should be looking at no more than £250 all in
Re: Servicing the Bongo, what shall I ask my garage to include?
Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 2:36 pm
by Ron Miel
You've Been Bongod wrote:a full service includes
timing belt, tensioners, oil, filter, air filter, fuel filter, change of antifreeze, check brakes, tyres, lights, horn and so on you should be looking at no more than £250 all in
You need a replacement timing belt only at 100,000 km/62,000 miles, or ten years, so presumably you mean check them - although that shoudln't be necessary if within that life span. Coolant (not "antifreeze") at 2 or 3 years, depending on which antifreeze you have in the coolant mix, and whether it's at the specified ratio of antifreeze to water. Main reason to replace coolant, even at 2 or 3 years and as long as it's not been leaking/diluted, is chemical exhaustion of its anti-corrosion properties, not loss of anti-freeze (and anti-boil) capability.
Re: Servicing the Bongo, what shall I ask my garage to include?
Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 11:02 pm
by dandywarhol
The Great Pretender wrote:mikeonb4c wrote:mad as cheese bongo man wrote:If its an Auto and you're not sure when the gearbox oil was changed, i would get them to change it. It needs to be done aprox every 20K. (its a mega bill if it goes wrong, as i've just found out)
cheers
True
Maybe I should have stressed - DIY includes noting what should be done at what intervals and either doing it yourself or getting it done. Autobox fluid is a funny one as I've had more than one experienced mechanic (Mike at Wheelquick included) say that if it looks fine and is working fine then no need to fret. But I think I will be changing mine and cleaning the filter soon, for peace of mind, and it is what the book says you should do every 24k miles

And if your doing your own servicing get a pela pump, makes easy work of oil changes and invaluable for draining the auto box. 
If its the firat time its been done - or no evidence then I'd recommend the pan id dropped and the filter claeaned - then use the Pela at the next 24,000 service