Bongo Fury

Greetings Bongonauts

Anyone else out there in Central London wondering how to avoid the new £12 a day charge to drive their Bongo in the ULEZ extension that comes into force this time next year.

I read on TFL’s website they recommended converting to LPG with a firm called Ecotec. I duly had a conversion done and was assured by the mechanic my vehicle would then become exempt. Except that wasn’t true. It isn’t exempt. TFL just say ‘previous emissions standards apply’ which makes no sense but in correspondence with them they’re now saying cos it’s an older vehicle, from 2002, I need to prove it’s NO2 levels are within the new Euro 4 standards. And to get it tested I need to take it to a highly sophisticated lab called Millbrook where it costs £1000s to get the test.

Anyone out there in the same boat can offer any advice. We love our Bongo but can’t afford to pay £12 every time we drive it!

I thought the charge applies even when parked ? So daily, use it or not
Fortunately my Son who lives in the zone @Kew is just about to move out!

ALL Bongos have to pay the ULEZ charge as they are not on the TfL database.

Thanks

That makes sense. Now how can we get TFL to put Bongos on their database?

Contact TFL?

St Jude will be your chap.

We are in the same position. I called TfL and it’s only when you drive it, so if it’s parked you don’t have to pay. No answers here, I’m sorry. I think our options are to hope something happens to resolve it, park it at a relative’s house outside the zone or just suck it up and pay the £12 when we use it to go somewhere. When the ULEZ started there were posts about exhaust filters. I can’t find out any more about that.

Right I was under the impression that once you entered the zone your were charged until you left it again, but yes "The charges only need to be paid if you drive your vehicle within the zone. Parked vehicles are not subject to any charges." So I guess they were persuaded that being able to track all the vehicles within the zone at any time was worth the effort Hello BB

Joshwaheed wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 8:00 pmThat makes sense. Now how can we get TFL to put Bongos on their database?

That's not possible I'm afraid. TfL, along with other local authorities who will be introducing similar measures, rely on the engine type associated with the vehicle registration. And as the engine type on the Bongo does not appear on the list of official Euro tested engines it is deemed as non-compliant.

Oh dear. Thanks Ian.

TFL are prepared to accept exemption if I pay for the NO2 test at Millbrook running on LPG. Which does cost a lot and I don’t want to pay if it’s going to fail.

Interestingly on the MOT test recently the garage ran an emissions test when running LPG even though they didn’t need to. But not for NO2. I wonder if one can tell what the NO2 levels might be like from the results of other emissions? Does anyone know?

In case you do: Fast Idle CO 0.085, HC 142, lambada 1.029
Natural Idle: CO 0.138.

So the carbon emissions are way below the max allowable limit but how do they translate to nitrogen levels?

Joshwaheed wrote: ↑Tue Sep 22, 2020 9:05 am In case you do: Fast Idle CO 0.085, HC 142, lambada 1.029
Natural Idle: CO 0.138.

So the carbon emissions are way below the max allowable limit but how do they translate to nitrogen levels?

Yes, I've got an old emissions test from 2015 on ours with those figures (higher as not LPG I guess). But no NOx test.

The figures on my test don't seem to correspond to how they're presented on Euro 4.

I'm in the same boat. I have a Mazda Bongo within the projected ULEZ zone. I didn't realise I could keep it parked and only pay the daily charge? Also, this is an old post. Has anyone any further information since September?. Thanks all.

Hi Catherine

I don't think anything has changed in the last few months.

Thanks Bob.

Hello again.
ULEZ tell me that if I ask Mazda UK for the euro4 cert for a Mazda UK car that has a similar engine to that of the Bongo I have, and have that posted to me. ULEZ will accept that as proof and give me ULEZ exemption.
Can anyone tell me what UK Mazda has a similar engine to the Bongo 2L? - the ULEZ advisor was clear, it just had to be similar, not the exact model.
Thanks all.

Maybe look at a same aged mazda 626