Your advice needed, please!

[jsalcar]

Hi, I am new here as I just bought a Bongo before Xmas and have a few "silly" questions, your advice and comments are very welcome and very much appreciated.

1. Would it be possible to install a roof box on a Auto Roof? I am planing to go to France in the summer, we are 6 people and wonder if a roof box would be needed to carry luggage etc... would this have a drastic effect on fuel consumption? Did anyone try this before? I know there are tow-bar mounted boxes but they are quite expensive, buying the rack and then the box about 600 quid!

2. Our Bongo has a few stone chips here and there and some rusty points are starting to show on the arches, the tailgate and other parts of her body... should I respray the full body, should I wait, as it is not that bad yet? Someone mentioned vinyl wrap to me and wonder if anyone could please advice me on both respraying and/or vinyl wrap.

I am so glad I found this forum, it is great!

Thank you very much in advance.

Jsalcar

[MountainGoat]

1) Yes it is possible, if you look through the archives you will find many photos showing how others have gone about it, some even carry canoes on the roofs of their aft's. BUT empty out all the heavy bits in your roofbox before attempting to raise the roof or you will put too much strain on the roof motors even if you have the engine running while raising the roof, which is the usual practice.

2) Depends on just how bad ithe rust is and whether your Bongo has been undersealed or not (they don't underseal them in Japan). Just giving your Bongo a respray without curing the problem will not last long as the rust will soon re-appear. Most people who intend to keep their Bongos for some time have their rusty arches cut out and replacement new arches welded on. Plenty of info on this in the archives.

Check out the next weekend meet in Glencoe after Easter, about 10 Bongos came last year. You will get plenty of first habnd advice if you come.

Tony

[M 80NGO]

Hi, I am new here as I just bought a Bongo before Xmas and have a few "silly" questions, your advice and comments are very welcome and very much appreciated.

1. Would it be possible to install a roof box on a Auto Roof? I am planing to go to France in the summer, we are 6 people and wonder if a roof box would be needed to carry luggage etc... would this have a drastic effect on fuel consumption? Did anyone try this before? I know there are tow-bar mounted boxes but they are quite expensive, buying the rack and then the box about 600 quid!

2. Our Bongo has a few stone chips here and there and some rusty points are starting to show on the arches, the tailgate and other parts of her body... should I respray the full body, should I wait, as it is not that bad yet? Someone mentioned vinyl wrap to me and wonder if anyone could please advice me on both respraying and/or vinyl wrap.

I am so glad I found this forum, it is great!

Thank you very much in advance.

Jsalcar

Hi and welcome to the fantastic world of Bongo's, Of course you can fit a roof box with the right bits, the expensive bit is the rear ladder to get to the roof box £80 to £150, we have a lockable 5 x 3 trailer £150 and towbar £200 supplied n fitted we find that this is the better option as the Bongo is already punching a fair size whole in in the air for the trailer to pass through undetected and no ladder is required, all our camping gear stays in the trailer in the garage so at a moments notice we can hitch it up and be on our way no bolting up, a trailer is also handy for tip runs and carboot sales.

Stone chips can be touched up but the arches will need replacing ( rear i assume ) tailgates are available through e-bay so just keep an eye out for one in your colour, unless your Bongo's body is straight true and rust free don't even think about vynal wrapping as it will look awfull whe the rust bubbles up underneath.

Yep this site is great

[jsalcar]

Thank you Tony! Very useful advice.
Jorge

[M 80NGO]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LARGE-EXCELLE ... 2a193ad960

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Trailer-5 ... 2319879660

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SMALL-CAMPING ... 3cc1d0766c

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Trailer-I ... 20c232e1cf

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mazda-Bongo-T ... 3f1292a844

[M 80NGO]

This would look wicked painted the same colour as you bongo

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/austin-morris ... 2a198a1bba

[jsalcar]

Thank you all very much for your help and advice. We are going to sleep in a house in France as we are part of a House Exchange scheme. We are just concern about where to put all the luggage as with 6 of us there is no much room left, and taking two little ones means taking paraphernalia that you normally don´t take on a trip like this. I do have a roof box which I used on a Zafira before we bought the Bongo, so I just would like to know what you all recommend (trailer, roof box, rear box...?) This year we are planing to cross the Euro tunnel but next year most likely we will use the Ferry to Santander ( I am Spanish and we visit Spain every year)
I do have a trailer but the inconvenient I can see is that in Spain for example you will be limited to a 80km/h speed, the length, parking....hummmmm! What a dilemma!!! The idea of a soft roof box is good but packing and umpacking so many times puts me off a bit. Is that soft box completely water proof?
The Portillo (Westfallia) or the Thulle back boxes look good, but they are quite expensive, buying the rack first and then the box almost 1k...wow!!! - With ones of these rear boxes I think the problem would be sorted as in the Ferry we could just put the box in the car and the length wouldn´t be an issue then. What you all think???
M 8ONGO that certainly would look great, it looks like a "bullet! lol - Tony I might see you after Easter, who knows, I live in Inverness!!!

Well, no more for now, again, thank you all for your time and help and what is more, thank you for such a great welcome to the forum.

[MountainGoat]

This is my Thule Back Box, but you need a tow bar fitted and a cycle carrier to fit it on. Quite a few Bongo owners in your neck of the woods, especially around Nairn, some of them have been to Europe quite a few times in their Bongos. You could do no better than to pop over for a chat and pick their brains.

Tony

[jsalcar]

Thank you Tony,
How do you find it to open the tailgate, does the box or rack move back?
Thanks again,
Jorge

[MountainGoat]

This Particular model does, it is the Thule 902 but they don't make them any more. These days most people carry their back boxes on Thule Easy base 948 or 949 but I don't think that these tilt down to open the tailgate like mine does.

Tony

[brorabongo]

Hi Jorge,

Welcome to the forum. Can not help you much with your choice but when we go off on our hols,(We stay on this side of the channel) we use a roof box and a small trailer. It means we can give the kids bit more leg room.

Inverness is where we can quite often be seen, and possibly more so when ASDA opens. So look out for a Green lowroof reg PUD.......and thats if I can get her through her MOT. Brake warning light came on the other day, everything felt ok untill today when the brakes where...er.....s**t, checked the brake fluid reservoir ....It was empty. looks like more work needed. still love her though!

All the best, and see you around.

[dandywarhol]

2nd hand Thule roof bars/box and ebay ladder was £45

[M 80NGO]

Lill jack Gives the Bongo and colour coded trailer the thumbs up and preferes the ease of access to the lofty roofbox option as the roofbox would block his veiw of the stars from the AFT skylight


This particular trailer has the optional pop up blonde helper incorperated, it is quite an expensive option but i feel is worth it

[jsalcar]

Hi Jorge,

Welcome to the forum. Can not help you much with your choice but when we go off on our hols,(We stay on this side of the channel) we use a roof box and a small trailer. It means we can give the kids bit more leg room.

Inverness is where we can quite often be seen, and possibly more so when ASDA opens. So look out for a Green lowroof reg PUD.......and thats if I can get her through her MOT. Brake warning light came on the other day, everything felt ok untill today when the brakes where...er.....s**t, checked the brake fluid reservoir ....It was empty. looks like more work needed. still love her though!

All the best, and see you around.

Hi Brorabongo

Defenitelñy see you around, I am in Evanton, Dingwall not far from "Brora"
Jorge

[jsalcar]

Lill jack Gives the Bongo and colour coded trailer the thumbs up and preferes the ease of access to the lofty roofbox option as the roofbox would block his veiw of the stars from the AFT skylight


This particular trailer has the optional pop up blonde helper incorperated, it is quite an expensive option but i feel is worth it

Thank you very much for all your help.

Jorge