Advice needed!!

[Scott75]

Hi there, this is the first time I have posted on here as I am desperately in need of some advice and guidance when it comes to my Bongo.

To give you the full picture, I decided to buy a Bongo last October in the hope that I could start taking the kids away every weekend this summer – and each subsequent summer until they are too old for that sort of thing.

I felt it might be a good idea to buy it after the summer when other families might have reached that point, rather than wait for spring when everyone else might be looking for a similar vehicle.

Anyway, I’m no expert on these matters, but I spent a few weeks on ebay, auto trader, etc weighing up my best options and doing a bit of research like looking at old MOT documents, before going on a few test drives with sellers. My basic criteria was that it needed a conversion (sink, fridge and hob), a pop-top and a lengthy MOT.

I eventually plumped for one through a private seller in Nottingham (I’m near Derby) and paid £6,500 for a N reg Bongo that fit the bill. It passed its last MOT in April 2023 first time.

Everything seemed fine and we had a few days out as a family (but no overnight stays until it warmed up) and I used it sparingly over winter so probably only added another 1500 miles. 2150 miles were added between the vehicle’s last MOT and my recent one.

Which brings me to the main issue. At the end of last month I put the Bongo in for its MOT (it had been 11 months since the last one) to make sure it was ready for the summer travels. I thought there might be a few issues but nothing prepared me for the reality.

Despite passing its previous MOT first time, I was now told that the corrosion was so bad that it was too dangerous to drive. And the corrosion problems were numerous and severe.

In 11 months and around 2,000 miles, the vehicle had gone from “Integral body structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced all around” to “Do not drive until repaired – Offside Front Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded to the extent that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.”

The guy at the garage said that the corrosion problems are so bad I would be better off selling it for spares and repairs, which is obviously heart-breaking news – mainly for the kids, who have never even had the chance to go away in it once, but also from a financial perspective, considering the hit I would have to take just 6 months after purchase.

I just wanted to gauge people’s thoughts on what I should do and what sort of action to take. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Scott

[g8dhe]

This is becoming a common problem, with the vehicles getting older and older, if they have been undersealed corrosion is not always visible until its so bad it fails badly There may also be a question about certain garages that carry out MOT's with "good" results, no personal experience but here in the South there have been several documented cases in the local press
Another factor is that left not being used for many months isn't always the best solution, as is the emphasis of many people on the mileage done, bearing in mind that the odometer readings will invariably be a mixture oh Km's and Miles and quite often has little relevance to the state of the vehicle.
Not sure on the best way forward, but maybe seeking the opinion of any local Bongo aware garages or smaller garages where you talk easily to the actual technicians "old school" types rather than those relying on diagnostic machines!

[Flanners]

Get a few quotes to rectify the corrosion.....then make a decision it may not be game over. £6.5K is a lot of money to put into a vehicle for such a limited time/use to then scrap/break. Given the age of your Bongo as you said there were always going to be rust issues.

[Scott75]

Thanks guys, I spent all my savings on purchasing the vehicle, so, even if the necessary welding could be done pretty cheap, I still wouldn't have the money to cover that really. I've come to accept that my best option would be to offload for spares/repairs or find someone else who would like to take this project on and recoup some of my losses. Is there a certain section of this site or a certain forum heading to use when attempting to engage with potential purchasers?

[Bob]

Really sad news for you.

There is a 'For Sale' section on here.