Bongo Fury

Hi to everybody.
First of all I would like to thank everyone for so much useful information on this forum.
I am new here but hopping will enjoy one of the Bongo as the rest of you guys.

I am wondering if enybody could advise on that one.
I am thinking of buying mazda bongo with pop up roof and removing it. Instead fitting in skylite or sunroof. I would like to have the option of putting the pop up roof when needed. Is it technicaly possible?

The reason for that are restricion barriers to many carparks, especially on the beaches. I am surfing so need acces to the beach.

Thanks
Astrix

Welcome to the forum
You want to buy a bongo with a lifting roof, but you want be able to remove it so you can get in car parks? I think you're probably asking too much of the bongo's versatility
Why not just buy a Tintop with a sunroof? you could always get one of these on top



The standard AFT is incredibly heavy & will not lend itself to being taken on & off, then you're going to have issues sealing the roof properly (it'll look like a regurgitated dogs dinner IMO).
If you go for one of the tintops that's been converted to a lifting or fixed hi roof I suppose it may be possible, but I think you'll end up with all sorts of issues, such as leaks, cracked/damaged roof, bu66ered back etc.
I like to think outside the box, but personally I think this one is a bit too off the wall even for me
Have a think about what you want to use it for & find the best compromise.

astrix wrote:Hi to everybody.
First of all I would like to thank everyone for so much useful information on this forum.
I am new here but hopping will enjoy one of the Bongo as the rest of you guys.

I am wondering if enybody could advise on that one.
I am thinking of buying mazda bongo with pop up roof and removing it. Instead fitting in skylite or sunroof. I would like to have the option of putting the pop up roof when needed. Is it technicaly possible?

The reason for that are restricion barriers to many carparks, especially on the beaches. I am surfing so need acces to the beach.

Thanks
Astrix

Welcome Astrix. Pop-up roof Bongo is just over 2.1m I think so yes it will not go in many multi-storey car parks (though its never really handicapped me, oddly). There has been a recent discussion on fitting an opening skylight to a pop up roof Bongo but it doesn't sound easy to do I fear. Have a search and you should find the thread (Yorkshirelass posted the thread/question).

mikeonb4c wrote: There has been a recent discussion on fitting an opening skylight to a pop up roof Bongo but it doesn't sound easy to do I fear. Have a search and you should find the thread (Yorkshirelass posted the thread/question).

That was about fitting a skylight to an aft not instead of They are wanting to reduce the height not add to it.

missfixit70 wrote:

mikeonb4c wrote: There has been a recent discussion on fitting an opening skylight to a pop up roof Bongo but it doesn't sound easy to do I fear. Have a search and you should find the thread (Yorkshirelass posted the thread/question).

That was about fitting a skylight to an aft not instead of They are wanting to reduce the height not add to it.

Well I thought that at first, but then on careful re-reading (most unlike me ha ha!) I saw he said:

I would like to have the option of putting the pop up roof when needed.

..so thought on balance he might want ot be aware of the earlier discussion as he may mean he wants to put roof up occasionally.

If he does NOT want to do that, then buying an AFT is utterly pointless and needlessly more expensive. Better to target for a tintop and then ask the question as they are better in all other respects

It would cost you much less to buy a tintop and a pop up tent. plenty of tintops arriving in UK...not so many AFTs.

dunslair wrote:It would cost you much less to buy a tintop and a pop up tent. plenty of tintops arriving in UK...not so many AFTs.

I agree. And they are lighter and better handling. Some come with opening sunroofs, though I have an alarm bell in my head saying tose seem to be often lacking on later models of the sort now coming in.

I'd reread again if I was you Mike I was going to let it go as it's your birthday, but old habits die hard

astrix wrote:I am thinking of buying mazda bongo with pop up roof and removing it. Instead fitting in skylite or sunroof. I would like to have the option of putting the pop up roof when needed. Is it technicaly possible?

missfixit70 wrote:I'd reread again if I was you Mike I was going to let it go as it's your birthday, but old habits die hard

astrix wrote:I am thinking of buying mazda bongo with pop up roof and removing it. Instead fitting in skylite or sunroof. I would like to have the option of putting the pop up roof when needed. Is it technicaly possible?

Yup, I did read that bit (my remark about re-reading carefully was precisely because I found the post). But after I read the other bit I decided it was worth covering both bases. No doubt astrix will clarify in the fullness

thanks guys for the replies.

I need to reduce the height of the van. I am very small guy so is my girlfriend and we will be fine without the pop up roof. Driving at the moment ford galaxy a bit converted myself, no problem with the height. The problem is tax. I am based in ROI and tax on tin roof will be very heigh. Thats the reason I am selling my galaxy (tax 900 euro for d year ).
If it's possible to have the roof taken down I would maybe need it back on the van every a couple of years. I didnt mean to do it all the time. It's just to have the option to put it back.
The height is very important for me as all the places I usualy go have 2m restriction barier.
So the Idea is to have van lower than 2m and registered as a camper.

cheers
Astrix

astrix wrote:thanks guys for the replies.

I need to reduce the height of the van. I am very small guy so is my girlfriend and we will be fine without the pop up roof. Driving at the moment ford galaxy a bit converted myself, no problem with the height. The problem is tax. I am based in ROI and tax on tin roof will be very heigh. Thats the reason I am selling my galaxy (tax 900 euro for d year ).
If it's possible to have the roof taken down I would maybe need it back on the van every a couple of years. I didnt mean to do it all the time. It's just to have the option to put it back.
The height is very important for me as all the places I usualy go have 2m restriction barier.
So the Idea is to have van lower than 2m and registered as a camper.

cheers
Astrix

I don't know if the tintops that have been fitted with a manual roof come in at under 2m - maybe an owner on here can advise. I've noticed how VW T5s seem to manage a very slim raising roof and maybe tintops do too (I seem to recall seeing a pic of a very slim one once). Don't ROI want the thing to be converted inside to in order to qualify as a campervan?

I don't think the idea of a removable AFT pop-roof is practical myself.

What's the main factor in getting the tax down? Roof height, interior 'camperisation' or both?

I guess you could get a tintop, and convert it inside. Stick a fixed hi-top on the outside of roof for MOTs/ inspection etc, and remove it when not needed. It would be a bit like strapping a wee boat to the roof, and would probably be a right PITA to store and not damage the rest of the time.

What do your other surfing buddies do?

to register as a camper in ROI u need to have sink and two hob coocker, height inside in the lowest part of the roof I think 1.8m. I thought of camper already registered in ROI as it's a bit of a hussle to import one, U never know with the vehicle registration office if they will accept it as camper or not. When I went there to get some information they wanted to see the vehicle first and didn't want to give much information.
Other option is to buy tintop, do a bit of changes and register as a comercial (crew cab with 5 seats). I have construction company and using the van for work. comercial tax would be around 300 euro and then insurance on top of that.
Camper is a bit cheaper option in terms of tax and insurance.

Someone else on here has had a problem registering an AFT as a camper in ROI because the slope of the roof means that it isn't 1.8m everywhere.

He tried and was rejected I think.

One of the guys at work is from Co Galway & has a VW LT camper. He was explaining the rules for camper registration in ROI to me & mentioned that he didn't think that my Bongo would be able to be registered as a camper there because the minimum height rule applies only to a permanent roof - i.e a lifting roof doesn't qualify!! Seems a bit odd though, so maybe he's got mixed up The again it also seems odd that in ROI (according to him anyway) cars need an MOT every 2 years, vans every 1 year, & campers don't need an MOT at all