New owner in NZ...anyone else?

For all owners and afficionados of Mazda Bongo Friendees and Ford Fredas based outside of UK or Ireland.

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scanner
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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by scanner » Thu Jan 08, 2015 10:16 am

mikeonb4c wrote:If you're as lucky as most of us have been, you're about to enjoy lots of motoring and camping in the best true mpv on the planet. If you put just a little effort in and give the Bongo your best attention it will repay you handsomely. 9 years of faultless ownership in my case, albeit with bills along the way, as must be expected. These are relatively simple cars, by modern standards, but they're not young. They may have been under maintained by an owner, and thoroughly assessing your new purchase and investing in the necessary tlc is a nettle that must be grasped. The good Bongo that results should hold its value. So, love the machine and not just what it can offer and it will end up giving you more. To paraphrase JFK:

"Ask not what your Bongo can do for you, but what you can do for your Bongo."

:lol: :lol: :lol:
In my experience that can be summed up as "If it ain't broke - leave well alone".

I bought a set of (former member) Flippa's silicone hoses 6 years ago - they are still in the box under
the middle seat and will be fitted if & when I have a problem with the cooling system that requires a full drain down - until then I see no sense in disturbing a complex system "just for the sake of it".

So many catastrophes on here seem to start with "I thought it would be a good idea to.............." and usually involve paying an "expert" who "don't need telling how to do my job" to cost you even more money later.
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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by BuddyBongo » Thu Jan 08, 2015 7:54 pm

Yep, I get you Scanner. Happy to follow good advice from the 'Supremes' on here....


And thanks again Mike.... and I am definitely prepared to put the time and effort (and $) in.... like I said before, this is the first vehicle I've ever really 'fallen for' and wanted to keep. I've always coveted a 'proper little campervan' and thought I’d have to wait for retirement and up with a vdub but it would seem not. I am obviously concerned, mainly how I go about "thoroughly assessing" him as I’m not sure how many Bongo Friendly garages there are over here. And considering I paid the equivalent of 2800 quid I’m not sure how well he’s been looked after. I shall start looking/calling/emailing around today...
But first, a coolant alarm methinks?!?
"Tents aren't soundproof" - '95 2.4DT AFT - "Buddy"
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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by mikeonb4c » Thu Jan 08, 2015 11:06 pm

scanner wrote:
mikeonb4c wrote:If you're as lucky as most of us have been, you're about to enjoy lots of motoring and camping in the best true mpv on the planet. If you put just a little effort in and give the Bongo your best attention it will repay you handsomely. 9 years of faultless ownership in my case, albeit with bills along the way, as must be expected. These are relatively simple cars, by modern standards, but they're not young. They may have been under maintained by an owner, and thoroughly assessing your new purchase and investing in the necessary tlc is a nettle that must be grasped. The good Bongo that results should hold its value. So, love the machine and not just what it can offer and it will end up giving you more. To paraphrase JFK:

"Ask not what your Bongo can do for you, but what you can do for your Bongo."

:lol: :lol: :lol:
In my experience that can be summed up as "If it ain't broke - leave well alone".

I bought a set of (former member) Flippa's silicone hoses 6 years ago - they are still in the box under
the middle seat and will be fitted if & when I have a problem with the cooling system that requires a full drain down - until then I see no sense in disturbing a complex system "just for the sake of it".

So many catastrophes on here seem to start with "I thought it would be a good idea to.............." and usually involve paying an "expert" who "don't need telling how to do my job" to cost you even more money later.
That's true up to a point, and my expert Bongo mechanic always keeps me in check with that. But if you're not sure when the cambelt, or the various fluids, or the disc pads then check and replace if it doubt. Also, metal coolant pipes should be checked for corrosion and changed if they look dodgy as, depending on climate, they may very well be about to go on an old Bongo. Mine went on the front drive of my house, but it could have happened in the middle of nowhere.
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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by Bongoplod » Thu Jan 08, 2015 11:55 pm

BuddyBongo wrote:Yep, I get you Scanner. Happy to follow good advice from the 'Supremes' on here....


And thanks again Mike.... and I am definitely prepared to put the time and effort (and $) in.... like I said before, this is the first vehicle I've ever really 'fallen for' and wanted to keep. I've always coveted a 'proper little campervan' and thought I’d have to wait for retirement and up with a vdub but it would seem not. I am obviously concerned, mainly how I go about "thoroughly assessing" him as I’m not sure how many Bongo Friendly garages there are over here. And considering I paid the equivalent of 2800 quid I’m not sure how well he’s been looked after. I shall start looking/calling/emailing around today...
But first, a coolant alarm methinks?!?
Wehey............Bargain !!!!
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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by Diplomat » Fri Jan 09, 2015 12:09 am

Well, it won't be the end of the world if it doesn't quite work out as New Zealand has no shortage of lovely Japanese vans from other stables, some probably more practical than Bongos. Certainly no particular need to go looking for a VW!

I didn't see that many Bongos during my visits to that lovely country. I only saw one in the South Island, near Nelson. More in the North, including in Ace Cars rental depot at Auckland airport. In fact I saw several of the previous model, The Bongo Wagon. The latter probably a more resilient design and easier to repair.


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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by BuddyBongo » Fri Jan 09, 2015 12:19 am

mikeonb4c wrote:
scanner wrote:
mikeonb4c wrote:If you're as lucky as most of us have been, you're about to enjoy lots of motoring and camping in the best true mpv on the planet. If you put just a little effort in and give the Bongo your best attention it will repay you handsomely. 9 years of faultless ownership in my case, albeit with bills along the way, as must be expected. These are relatively simple cars, by modern standards, but they're not young. They may have been under maintained by an owner, and thoroughly assessing your new purchase and investing in the necessary tlc is a nettle that must be grasped. The good Bongo that results should hold its value. So, love the machine and not just what it can offer and it will end up giving you more. To paraphrase JFK:

"Ask not what your Bongo can do for you, but what you can do for your Bongo."

:lol: :lol: :lol:
In my experience that can be summed up as "If it ain't broke - leave well alone".

I bought a set of (former member) Flippa's silicone hoses 6 years ago - they are still in the box under
the middle seat and will be fitted if & when I have a problem with the cooling system that requires a full drain down - until then I see no sense in disturbing a complex system "just for the sake of it".

So many catastrophes on here seem to start with "I thought it would be a good idea to.............." and usually involve paying an "expert" who "don't need telling how to do my job" to cost you even more money later.
That's true up to a point, and my expert Bongo mechanic always keeps me in check with that. But if you're not sure when the cambelt, or the various fluids, or the disc pads then check and replace if it doubt. Also, metal coolant pipes should be checked for corrosion and changed if they look dodgy as, depending on climate, they may very well be about to go on an old Bongo. Mine went on the front drive of my house, but it could have happened in the middle of nowhere.

Yeh I had a look at the pipes (after I bought it) – they’re defo brown/rusty coloured, but look, feel and sound (after tapping hard) solid, is it worth painting with rust remover and then hammeriting them or something?
The van had previously overheated and the previous owner has since had a whole new head (still looks shiny) and gasket etc. so I did think that the cambelt must have been replaced when they did this work? Or could they have just put the old one back on? Might this also have meant they would have changed other parts too? If so, what might also be new? I guess I should follow up with the garage and check exactly what they did right? As you can probs tell I’m no mechanic so all help advice appreciated.
Ta
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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by BuddyBongo » Fri Jan 09, 2015 12:22 am

Diplomat wrote:Well, it won't be the end of the world if it doesn't quite work out as New Zealand has no shortage of lovely Japanese vans from other stables, some probably more practical than Bongos. Certainly no particular need to go looking for a VW!

I didn't see that many Bongos during my visits to that lovely country. I only saw one in the South Island, near Nelson. More in the North, including in Ace Cars rental depot at Auckland airport. In fact I saw several of the previous model, The Bongo Wagon. The latter probably a more resilient design and easier to repair.


Frank

But I've had lots of other 'so called' lovely Japanese vans and from most of the other stables.... I want to keep my Friendee! :)

Since buying Buddy I've been checking TradeMe (our local equivalent) to Ebay and there's a couple of bongos fredas on there at the moment.... I just hope there's enough around to be an organ doner to my good Buddy
"Tents aren't soundproof" - '95 2.4DT AFT - "Buddy"
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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by helen&tony » Fri Jan 09, 2015 5:31 am

Hi
Regarding the choice of other vans, I tend to agree with you..the Bongo's a neat choice, and for what you paid you can lash out some money and still have a good buy. The cooling system is the only real let-down on the Bongo, especially the plastic components of the heater matrices and radiator. They can fail at the drop of a hat. If you do start replacing things, that's where I would start. The rear arches are a bit "iffy", and some suspension components fail regularly, but otherwise they're pretty robust as vehicles go!....spend the money, and you'll have a "keeper"
Cheers
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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by Bob » Fri Jan 09, 2015 9:20 am

Weather the cam belt was replaced woild depend on what the owner told them to do, the bill will reveal all and the garage should have a record. [-o<
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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by MishMich » Thu Jan 15, 2015 1:55 pm

Hi, we live in Hamilton, North Island. Bought Bongo in UK about 6 years ago, and brought it with us when we moved over 4 years ago. The main problem has been the electrical work done with the leisure battery system fitted when we bought it.

Finding parts can be an issue. We are currently looking at replacing the top hose (last service they detected some leakage, and tightened things up, but knowing it can be quite a serious issue I am getting them to source a replacement). We need a new clock spring, as that had to be bodge-fixed just as we were leaving the UK, and talking to a Mazda parts guy today in Hamilton, it sounds like that could be why the air bag light flashes on and off intermittently. So, the service centre we use is happy to look into that too. The thing I am currently working on is finding a replacement spare wheel that is the same as the existing four, as we just had a nightmare experience with a flat tyre on a trip down to the South Island. Everywhere was shut, and nobody on the West Coast seemed to have the 215/65-15 tyre we needed to fix it. Definitely replace that space saver if you intend going into the wop-wops. If I get anywhere with a replacement, and they have another, I'll let you know. Been round all the breakers in Hamilton with no luck so far. One came very close, but the offset was a bit out.

I haven't fiddled with cars since my first one - a Morris Minor - when I was young. I don't feel that inclined to do start again at my age, so I get a local Mazda service place to do what is needed. Not cheap, but I figure that they have the best chance of having access to contacts here in NZ or in Japan if there's anything they need. One of the problems here is that there are so few, chances of getting your hands on anything at a breaker's are negligible, unless it is something that is standard on another vehicle as well - so engine stuff is OK, because that stuff is the same as the older Mazda and Ford Range Utes, and probably other bits and pieces for all I know.

Ours is a diesel 2.5, with pop-top. Have noticed more Bongo's around since we arrived, but rarely see one like ours. We got one of the later ones, 2004 model. Not as nice and shiny as when we shipped it, couple of scrapes. Vehicles have a rougher life here than the UK. Sorry I cannot help with any techie stuff, but if you need a word, give me a shout. I heard of somebody over at Katikati as well, BTW, but never got round to meet up. Maybe somebody who can be arsed should organise a Bongo meet-up. I'm not much of a socialiser in that kind of way, but of somebody organised something in or around the Waikato, I'd probably make the effort to be sociable.
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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by Ian » Thu Jan 15, 2015 2:04 pm

MishMich wrote:Finding parts can be an issue. We are currently looking at replacing the top hose (last service they detected some leakage, and tightened things up, but knowing it can be quite a serious issue I am getting them to source a replacement). We need a new clock spring, as that had to be bodge-fixed just as we were leaving the UK, and talking to a Mazda parts guy today in Hamilton, it sounds like that could be why the air bag light flashes on and off intermittently. So, the service centre we use is happy to look into that too. The thing I am currently working on is finding a replacement spare wheel that is the same as the existing four, as we just had a nightmare experience with a flat tyre on a trip down to the South Island.
If you need hoses we can ship to NZ. We can also get hold of the clock spring but would need your chassis number. For tyres, the Ford Probe (mid nineties version) has exactly the same 15 inch steel wheels.
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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by scanner » Thu Jan 15, 2015 3:31 pm

MishMich wrote: I heard of somebody over at Katikati as well, BTW, but never got round to meet up.
That is "stevedon" but he hasn't been on here for a couple of years now. I left him a message ages ago to see if he was still around for when we were over in 2013 but never got a reply.

Our first exchangers from 2009 actually bought a car from him in 2010 and noticed his Bongo on the drive. They mentioned that they had borrowed a Bongo in Europe the previous year and he staggered them by saying "Ohh you must be the ones with the bach on Lake Rotoiti?"

"How the **** do you know that?" They asked - so he explained how he knew of me from BF, but hadn't managed to meet up when we were over there. I had told him we would be based at the bach in Rotoiti and he was going to try and get down to visit but it didn't work out.

They were then the only 2 people I knew in the whole country.
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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by pixelplay » Sat Jun 06, 2015 12:14 pm

Yep I am a New owner in Wellington. Just bought my second ever Bongo and this ones a 2.5TD and I am loving it so far.
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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by Bongoplod » Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:40 pm

Blimey,at the rate you`re all multiplying over there,there`ll soon be more bongos in NZ than here in Wigan :lol:

Welcome all

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Re: New owner in NZ...anyone else?

Post by BuddyBongo » Sun Jun 07, 2015 6:50 am

hey @pixelplay... welcome.. this forum is a bit of a lifesaver ey? just finished getting hands dirty this weekend installing remote central locking.... wouldnt have a clue how to do it if I hadnt joined this forum!

have you got an AFT too?
"Tents aren't soundproof" - '95 2.4DT AFT - "Buddy"
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