Bongo Fury

Hi
We have a 1996 2.5 diesel Bongo which has been fantastic for the last 4 years since we bought it.
In February we had an overheating problem. We had the option of getting a replacement engine, a refurbished engine or getting our engine repaired. After many discussions we decided to get our local garage to repair our engine (some people advised us that you don't know what you are getting if you buy a 2nd hand engine). The garage carried out a block test, removed, stripped and had the cylinder head refaced, put on a new head gasket, radiator, thermostat and cambelt. All in all around £1900 of work.
The first time we used the van within 2 minutes the temperature gauge shot up to high. We pulled over and found the water reservoir was empty. We talked to the garage and filled the water tank up and the temp gauge went back to normal. After 15 mins we did a short drive and it seemed fine. The garage said that sometime you can get an air lock in the system. Since then we have monitored the temperature and water levels regularly and not had any problems until last week when the temp gauge shot up to high again.
The garage tell us that the cylinder head has cracked and we're again looking at around £2500 to get a new engine. We're trying to see if this should be covered under a guarantee but the garage is saying, without stripping the engine to find the cause of the problem, that the work they did is not at fault. Does anyone have any comments or recommendations as to what we should do? If we aren't covered under a guarantee should we get a reconditioned engine fitted or could we have a deeper problem?

Thanks
Jules

Unfortunately this is all too common when the head is reused, it usually works out to be false economy, the heads are prone to cracking.
If you get an airlock - there's a problem, or it hasn't been bled properly.
Have you modified the gauge to read useful temperatures? As standard it gets up to normal 11 oclock type position & sits there until over 100 degrees before moving just as you are overheating. Have you got a low coolant alarm of any description, or any other temp/coolant monitoring? It could have ben running hot for that whole period & you wouldn't have known it TBH.
Are your garage familiar with bongos? have they worked on any/many before? Did they find what caused the head/gasket to go
I'm not sure where you'd stand legally, Trading Standards may be worth a call.
The prices you're quoting seem expensive to me, you should be able to get a good job done replacing the head for half that.
If you put your location in your profile by clicking on "user control panel" top right of the screen, you should get some local recommendations.

Jules Wilkinson wrote:Hi
We have a 1996 2.5 diesel Bongo which has been fantastic for the last 4 years since we bought it.
In February we had an overheating problem. We had the option of getting a replacement engine, a refurbished engine or getting our engine repaired. After many discussions we decided to get our local garage to repair our engine (some people advised us that you don't know what you are getting if you buy a 2nd hand engine). The garage carried out a block test, removed, stripped and had the cylinder head refaced, put on a new head gasket, radiator, thermostat and cambelt. All in all around £1900 of work.
The first time we used the van within 2 minutes the temperature gauge shot up to high. We pulled over and found the water reservoir was empty. We talked to the garage and filled the water tank up and the temp gauge went back to normal. After 15 mins we did a short drive and it seemed fine. The garage said that sometime you can get an air lock in the system. Since then we have monitored the temperature and water levels regularly and not had any problems until last week when the temp gauge shot up to high again.
The garage tell us that the cylinder head has cracked and we're again looking at around £2500 to get a new engine. We're trying to see if this should be covered under a guarantee but the garage is saying, without stripping the engine to find the cause of the problem, that the work they did is not at fault. Does anyone have any comments or recommendations as to what we should do? If we aren't covered under a guarantee should we get a reconditioned engine fitted or could we have a deeper problem?

Thanks
Jules

Welcome Jules, and sorry it is under these circumstances. What a shame you weren't on here before all the trouble started.

Firstly, was the overheating a result of coolant loss and/or did you not have a low coolant alarm fitted. Secondly, it is generally agreed on here that refitting heads without crack testing (or even with crack testing) after an overheating/blown gasket incident is very often fruitless. Your garage should arguably have known that. Thirdly, £1900 is a big bill for the job: we've often heard of folk getting the work done for well under half that price.

I doubt you will have much luck forcing the garage to redo the work (fitting a new head, parts cost paid by you, labour cost of ensuring block is flatted to ensure a good mate), but if they have any professional self-respect and/or scruples, they should be offering to redo the work and at min. labour charge. And it is simply not good enough to dismis the high temp gauge incident immediately after completion of the work, as just an air bubble. That air bubble could easily wreck the head (gasket) all over again.

Out of interest, is the garage experienced with Bongos?

Good luck & keep us posted.

Mike

PS - Kirsty has just posted ahead of me, and we seem to be saying exactly the same stuff.

Always good to have someone agree with you

Should have been bled after running low on coolant, the level had probably dropped because the garage hadn't fully bled it. The damage was possibly done then.

Also I had everything you mentioned plus a new head and a water pump done for just over £1600 so the garage has made enough profit to be able to strip and refit the head. I would get a new head this time and take advice on where it comes from as there are some bad copies about.

Thanks for all the replies

The garage is a little local guy but he has got 2 other bongo's he looks after, one is a friend's which is why we used him.

I'll let you know how we get on.

J

Jules Wilkinson wrote:Thanks for all the replies

The garage is a little local guy but he has got 2 other bongo's he looks after, one is a friend's which is why we used him.

I'll let you know how we get on.

J

£1900 is a big fee for a little guy not to appear to have done a very thorough job. My brother lives in Winchester. My mother did too, until she died in 2006, when my Bongo made its first trip, straight from buying it in Suffolk, to transport furniture from her old house. Winchester is an affluent area - maybe that's why the little guy is able to charge as he does. Not far up the A34(at Newbury) are Discount Trucks who are, by all accounts, both excellent and reasonable with their charges, and they really do know Bongos inside out. Next time, I'd use them. Meanwhile, perhaps the little guy, if spoken with nicely, might stop to think if he owes you the proper job you don't appear to have had from him.....yet.