Bongo Newbie - can't wait to get out there!

[Gurthod]

Hi all,

Bought my first Bongo today and can't wait to collect it and get out on the road. We have our first trip planned for August Bank Holiday weekend. We live in Yeovil and are venturing to Charmouth on the Jurassic coast (about 30 miles!). Any hints and tips would be great appreciated! We've got 2 kids and the van came with a large awning so we should have plenty of room to spread out.

Looking forward to getting involved in what looks like a great community.

[Bob]

Welcome aboard, and congrats on the addition to the family.

I'd look to fit a low coolant alarm if you don't have one, and read up on looking after the cooling system. Everything else is pretty standard.

Love Charmouth, we had holidays there for many happy years.

[mikeonb4c]

Welcome and enjoy. We used to holiday lots in west dorset also though in pre Bongo days so missed out on that one hey ho!

[Gurthod]

Thanks! My Bongo is being stored at a garage (7 Plus Motors in Plympton) until we pick it up in mid-August. I'm going to ask them to do an underseal on it so will ask them to fit a coolant alarm as well. How much should I expect to pay for these 2 jobs? Also, my Bongo has only done 43k miles so the cam belt hasn't been changed. I guess I've got a few miles to clock before I need to think about doing that!?

[Bob]

One of Haydn's low coolant alarms is about £100 from memory, underseal (as with most things) you get what you pay for.

Some spray a bit around for fifty quid, a top job can be a good few hundred.

Cam belt should be replaced at 60,000 miles or 5 years, whichever is FIRST. Don't skimp on this as a busted belt will fubar your engine. It isn't that dear in the big scheme and get the tensioner and spring done while at it.

[Gurthod]

Great stuff. I'll ring the guy tomorrow for a quote. Thanks for your help.