Rust - what do you make of this?

[Sharkojoints]

Hello everyone - I've had a good browse through the threads and thought a clueless buying question seemed a reasonable way to lose my Bongo Fury virginity...

I had a look at this N reg AFT Bongo this evening. 67k on the clock, rear kitchen by Imperial. All seemed quite smart, but for the telltale bits of orange on the back arches. I haven't looked at many so far - how does this compare:









The arches have obviously had some paint and filler in the past, but to a good standard.

Sills and seams underneath had evidence of light surface rust just starting: nothing serious as far as my prodding could tell. No underseal or waxoyl as far as I could see. The Bongo is up at £5800 - worth another look, or is the above the tip of a big rusty iceberg? Thanks for your help - I'd know all this if I'd seen a few more...

[dandemann8]

The rust dosn't look to bad and with the right attention can be sorted but I think at £5800 it's overpriced but that's only my opinion

[mikexgough]

The rust dosn't look to bad and with the right attention can be sorted but I think at £5800 it's overpriced but that's only my opinion

yep me too with the rust that could be under the paint and filler...... £580 is more like it.... Walk away..... well I would..

[missfixit70]

Welcome to the forum This recent similar thread may help as a comparison - http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... ch#p424686

[Sharkojoints]

Welcome to the forum This recent simiLad may help as a comparison - http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... ch#p424686

Thanks!

Mmmm, I had seen that thread - looks like the same extent of the problem.

Just been for a wander round the block and looked at 2 parked up Bongos. Neither has rust like in my pics, and also their arches look more 'even shaped' than those on the Bongo I looked at. You can see especially in pics 3 and 4 how 'lumpy' the flange is - I wonder how much surgery it's really had!?

[mister munkey]

If opinions are allowed, that ain't no well looked after set of arches. Its had a quick fix - on a budget - to get rid.

Although not a major headache or expense to sort (£160 + labour/paint) it raises questions as to other likely shortcuts.

Ask probing questions, if you smell a twitch of nerves, just walk away.


Theres plenty good'uns out there still.

[dave_aber]

Got to agree. The rust itself looks very minor - on a dark colour it would hardly show up at all - but the lumpiness of the arch has to be an alarm bell ringer. MM's hit the nail on the head - is one quick fix an indication that there are others lurking?

At a budget price, it would be worth the gamble, and keep the saving for any future bills - but it seems too dear for that.

[dobby]

Those arches have gone!

They looked better than the ones on mine which needed a lot of cutting out and welding done. The tell tale 'wobble' on the spot welded arch lip is a give-away.
As per Mr M - allow at least £160 + per side. Others have paid a lot more.

[Sharkojoints]

Thanks folks - that's very helpful.

I'm looking at another one later today, so stand by for the next daft question!

[Tripewriter]

Where there are signs of rust have a look underneath about halfway down the body there is a seam in the sills if this rusty then it will have to be dealt with fairly soon.

[vanvliet]

Walk away .There are loads of Bongos out there

[mister munkey]

Even so, rusty rear arches are pretty much the norm these days. Its not fair to dismiss what could otherwise be a reasonably well looked after example for something that has been the victim of the elements after 10+ years.

Every potential purchase needs to be assesed individually. There seems to be a bit of a panic on here sometimes about issues that some may consider to be minor details. Rusty arches are fixable - albeit at a cost. If you keep a Bongo long enough it will need to be done at some point.

Question being, do you buy one thats been recently repaired to an unknown standard & run the risk of having to get it done again properly in a year or two, or build a discount into the initial outlay & get it done youself at the start to a finish that you're confident will be a good job.

Another one that gets shouted is the discoloured header tank, possibly a sign of previous overheating but not nessacarily so. Most I have seen are stained.

The amount of plus/minus points when looking at an unfamiliar van can be quite confounding. The secret is to quiz the seller. Ask the right questions & try to assess the honesty of the answers. Tricky from a dealer as they may have little idea of previous abuse but most of the more succesful ones will do a thorough service, change cambelt, rad, waterpump & give it a Waxoyl to prevent future warranty claims. Obviously this comes at a premium but you pays your money & takes your choice . . . .

[mikeonb4c]

Even so, rusty rear arches are pretty much the norm these days. Its not fair to dismiss what could otherwise be a reasonably well looked after example for something that has been the victim of the elements after 10+ years.

Every potential purchase needs to be assesed individually. There seems to be a bit of a panic on here sometimes about issues that some may consider to be minor details. Rusty arches are fixable - albeit at a cost. If you keep a Bongo long enough it will need to be done at some point.

Question being, do you buy one thats been recently repaired to an unknown standard & run the risk of having to get it done again properly in a year or two, or build a discount into the initial outlay & get it done youself at the start to a finish that you're confident will be a good job.

Another one that gets shouted is the discoloured header tank, possibly a sign of previous overheating but not nessacarily so. Most I have seen are stained.

The amount of plus/minus points when looking at an unfamiliar van can be quite confounding. The secret is to quiz the seller. Ask the right questions & try to assess the honesty of the answers. Tricky from a dealer as they may have little idea of previous abuse but most of the more succesful ones will do a thorough service, change cambelt, rad, waterpump & give it a Waxoyl to prevent future warranty claims. Obviously this comes at a premium but you pays your money & takes your choice . . . .

I agree with MM (as usual). You could though suggest to him (the dealer) that the arches are gone and will need cutting out and replacing at a likely cost of £500 and would he like to respond with a reduced sale price? Then do the decent thing and have the job done properly

[vanvliet]

Mine is a 1995 with no signs of rust on the archesThe key is that I had it waxoyed when it came into the country . When rust starts it is very expensive to erradicate. If you were buying a bargain basement job then fair enough but for that sort of money you are just taking on trouble at the outset

[helen&tony]

Hi
If you really want to check a car over, pop along to your local paint factor, and buy a paint thickness gauge...they can determine how much is on there, and whether there is a whole bag of filler!
Cheers
Helen