A rusty old dog or a cute little puppy?

[chrisvb]

Is it me, or is yer inter-cooler air scoop missing?? part 13-56Y http://www.lushprojects.com/bongopartsm ... mgno=.html

Yep! Missing!

[PixieAndTheMoon]

Scary stuff, I must get our girl have the once over when she is in. Getting on like me!

Jo

[cabte]

Thats a worrying set of images!
It would be very hard to get rid of all the orange stuff and keep it under control.
Also a lot of money.
Waxoyl over the rust wont slow it down as it will just blister through.
What the body work like?
Hope the rust has not spread there. also keep an eye on it spreading if it hasn't .
If its from a dealer with no warranty WHY! most give a min of three months.
Also if the conversion looks new this could of been a side kick to get interest in the bongo due to the rust situation.
The bongo could have been a part ex for another vehicle so in a way it would of been dead money so they need to get some back.
Also why no receipt im thinking they have seen you coming and its a way of NO GOING BACK.
I would be seriousely fuming if they did this to me.
Looking at the black spray it looks like it been used to hid the rust from public view as most people just get on there knees to see under and this would look clean.
Have you tried going back to speak to them? its worth a try and ask them to get it sorted or you will take it further its worth a try
Such a shame to see a bongo like this and i feel so angry that decent people out there are you say RIPPED OFF.
sorry if this offend you but i feel you have been treated unfairly.
very hard situation your in,

[Barrington]

Agree with cabte on this, it looks bad to my eyes espesially the welding,
if it was me i would either want a large chunk of money back or return it, sorry just my opinion mate, it will only get worse

[haydn callow]

Yep.....not what you want to hear but I agree....Rusty old dog.....how would it stand up in a crash ??

[Barrington]

EXELENT POINT,,,,,

Yep.....not want to hear but I agree....Rusty old dog.....how would it stand up in a crash ??

[helen&tony]

Hi
I have just shown Tony the pictures, and we are both sad for you.
You say you want an honest opinion, but I don't want to hurt your feelings. I agree with Cabte on what he says.
Your choices are:
1/. flog it , and use this as experience when buying another
2/. completely strip it and repair it.
I bought a type 2 many years ago...the dealer thought he was "Suckering" me, but I knew what to expect before the first sight....namely, unless you are buying a photo restoration with certified workmanship, you are going to have to weld the bottom 8 inches all round...COMPLETE chassis and body. Your Bongo has more severe rust than most, but it is not as bad by a huge margin compared with what I took on with the Type 2. Yes, it's repairable, but the cost will tick up like the seconds on a cheap watch. If you undertake the work , you may well end up with a stunner....but, bear in mind, unless it's done to fine restoration standards, it will always be a welded up Bongo, and worth just what that describes....but....if you keep it for a long time, you may very likely get your money's worth out of it. Doing the work all yourself in spare time could possibly take a year , working every bit of spare time (within reason, and accounting for when you can't work on it), bearing in mind I would guess that you will have to pull the conversion out to do the welding properly.
If you want advice, PM me, or PM Kloonsy...a member here, who does restoration work...ask his advice.
Simply covering it up will not work, and for my money, that welded patching needs replacing
Anything is repairable...it's cost.
I am sorry if I have hurt your feelings in any way, but most people have been in a similar situation in their motoring history, so don't beat yourself up over it...just make your choice
Cheers, and all the very best!
Helen

[cabte]

Yep.....not want to hear but I agree....Rusty old dog.....how would it stand up in a crash ??

Very good point haydn safety is a first.

[dunslair]

How long do you have on the MOT? How many miles has the engine got on it? Looks to me like you have a decision to make, either spend more cash on it, or make sure the running gear and coolant system is up to scratch..... and basically run it into the ground getting as much use out of it as you can. Maybe invest in good breakdown cover as a back up. If you are mechanically minded.... the former, if not.... the latter. Which ever way round get to know the van as much as you can, and try and pre empt the problems from now on in.

[haydn callow]

Bought a lovely VW beetle many years ago......untill I pulled the carpets up.....it was a patchwork of small welded plates.....kept it 3 weeks and traded it in.....the garage didn't even go outside to look at it....

[chrisvb]

Thanks everyone for the overwhelming response (overwhelming in more sense than one)! I've started this new thread in the "Bongo chat" forum to take this matter further...

Many thanks. I feel very supported at a time when I could otherwise have felt very isolated.

Chris

[Barrington]

All the best chris,