some advice on bongo weatherproofing.

[stewby]

i hope i have done this right. sorry, first post.


i am going to a festival in june and it is my first time taking the bongo (it's actually my parent's bongo but they are letting me use it for going away weekends and stuff).

given the weather the past few years, i am really concerned about getting mud and water damage on the seats and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for seat covers which can be used on the rear seats (that could possibly stay in place whilst it is down as a bed as well. so something that is waterproof, hard-wearing but not as solid as taurpaulin.

it's a beautiful vehicle and i would hate to damage it.
thank you for your time.

[winchman]

Welcom
I feel you have two options.
Buy a spare set of seats dont laugh its only 8 bolts and it would put your mind at rest.
The carpets are very durable I removed mine and jet washed them!
This place made some for me many years ago we used them on the back seat as the kids made a right mess.
http://www.carseatcovers.co.uk/car-seat ... eat-covers

Aldi also do some good ones if they fit?
Loads on Enbay just have a good look at the quality

[Muzorewa]

I wouldn't worry about mud particularly, it'll dry and brush off, at worst use wet-wipes for a DIY valet. As long as there's no oil or staining food in the mud you should be able to clean it up before you give it back

[stewby]

thank you very much for your replies.


i never thought about getting them made. sounds like a good plan though. will have to look into it.


i would have just left it but the material the seats are covered in feels almost suede like in nature and i am worried that i will damage them if i try to wash them.


thanks again for the replies.

[Jim the Box]

If your parents have an awning you can change out of your dirty clothes and muddy boots prior to entering the van, that's what we do, the other thing is to levy your mates say £7 each for an internal valet for when you get home (refundable if there is little or no mess). I'm sure your parents must have old curtains or throws you can place over the seats when you are on site.
Take a small camping stove and a basin, if you are cooking and cook outside, less to clean up inside the van, no cooking smells, not everyone gets up at the same time so if you have an outside facility for cooking washing it's less of a problem.
Some of the festivals have dedicated sites for campervans, but can be pretty strict, and state a campervan must have inbuilt cooking, washing, and sleeping facilities to be allowed in the campervan area.

Happy camping!

[New Forest Terrier]

Look on ebay for front seat covers. Those described as for surf vans or for a VW single seat fit. I got a pair of Hawaiian design front seat covers last summer from a seller called kahuna-tree £36 a set, but any of the Animal or similar makes will fit. These can go into the washing machine on return. A washable throw or two to cover the back seats provides good protection. Floors can just be hovered once the mud dries.

Lidl and Aldi do cheap sets of stretch covers, two sets will cover a Bongo, second set for second back seat. They do not look as good but do an equally good job.

If you are considering a real mud bath, waterproof seat covers can be found again on ebay. Just measure the seats and find covers that fit. For rear seats you can remove the headrests while in the mud zone and then a lot of cheap covers will work.

If all fails a visit to a hand car wash will return all to clean.

[stewby]

hi there. (sorry i didn't reply sooner. have been working so was just working and sleeping and not doing much else).


thank you very much for your replies.

the awning has a broken pole (just one bit of it) and the company don't seem to sell spares, so i was a bit concerned about taking the awning. however, i can see your point so i might have to reconsider... and just buy my parents a new one if i break it.


i will keep an eye out for waterproof covers when i am in lidls and once my boyfriend comes back we will check out ebay as well. (it's his account, not mine).

thanks again for the replies. i am very grateful.

[Driver+Passengers]

Good Luck! Before and after photos, please...

[stewby]

before pictures are easy...

















this is our bongo. so far neil and i have only had him up to loch ness and down as far as edinburgh but my parents have been all over scotland (including wild camping in skye), england, wales and we went over to holland one year as well. so quite a well-travelled wee bongo.

one of pictures might make you giggle. i took the bongo to a multi-storey car park down in edinburgh. figured that i am only 5ft 2ins and the bongo isn't much taller than me, so took it into the car park with a height of 2.1m... you could almost guess how freaked out my dad was when i text him to explain why i wanted to know how tall the bongo was.


hopefully the interior pictures will show the type of fabric i mean. it just feels like water would damage it.

anyways... after photos won't be until june. (as that's when the festival is). hope you like our bongo.

[MountainGoat]

It looks very like the Elite Conversion that I used to have apart from having no grill. Just be careful in the multi storey car parks, 2.1m on the level is sometimes less on a slope. People have been known to scrape the roofs of their Bongos on the ramps between different levels of the multi storey car parks.

Tony

[stewby]

it is an elite conversion. (i just asked my dad) it is an elite campervan conversion. my dad thinks it was from a place called calder motors.


i feel like such a newbie on here as everyone else knows so much about their bongo and i don't really know much about ours. i am going to have to learn so much more about our wee bongo.


yeah, we aren't going near multi-storey car parks again. i honestly thought the bongo's height was less than 2.1m, but i have very much learned my lesson.

[MountainGoat]

You make me feel miserable. I don't have a Bongo any more after having sold it two weeks ago to friends of another local Bongo owner after six years of ownership, My other half wants a small motorhome.

Elite conversions are based in Worksop in Nottinghamshire, this is their website. http://www.elitecamperconversions.co.uk/html/bongo.html

Tony

[stewby]

ah, we got ours from a place in southern scotland. it was unconverted and we paid to get it converted though so they must have sent it down to worksop. it is beautifully done though. you wouldn't know it wasn't built as a campervan.


would she not cope with another bongo at all?? i think they are so much nicer than a motorhome. they come in different colours rather than just off-white and i imagine that they drive a lot easier in terms of reversing and parking and stuff. without sounding stupid, i also love the fact that over bongo drivers wave at you. i find that lovely.


what was your bongo like?? was it by elite camper conversions as well?? hope you can convince her to go for another bongo.

[MountainGoat]

Not all of the other Bongo drivers wave to you. Some are just miserable gits who have never heard of the Bongo Forum. Mention a low coolant alarm to them and they do not have a clue. The club and the forums are for people who want to look after their Bongos and get the best out of them, not drive them down to the ground.

Tony

[stewby]

i must just have been lucky... i have only seen a small amount mind you and they have all waved.


it's shame that people would not want to look after them properly. i can't wait to get out and about again in our one. it's so much fun and the sense of freedom is amazing. much better than staying in a hotel (i think).


i do need to do a lot more learning though. cause i am not very experienced in bongo ownership. but i am very willing to learn which i think is good, i think.