Help please, expensive vacuum pump

[nigelginny]

bad news today, we have been suffering a slight oil leak, our garage have sussed out its the vacuum pump, unit price 440 quid , fitting may take it up to a thousand due to special tools being required, seems steep to us what do you think? i think this could be the last year we have our beloved beast

[missfixit70]

Are you sure they know what they're doing? probably worth seeing if you can get one from a breaker if it really is that, doesn't look £1000 worth of labour to me - http://www.lushprojects.com/bongopartsm ... 1of02.html
Not a lot to go wrong inside it either, is it just leaking around the gasket? - http://www.lushprojects.com/bongopartsm ... 2of02.html

[missfixit70]

Just looked in the manual, removal consists of 3 steps
1 - remove vacuum hose
2 - Undo the 2 securing bolts
3 - Remove the unit.

To refit - reverse that procedure

I can't see where any special tools are required or how that could take more than an hour of any respectable garages time, I think you need a second opinion & maybe a new garage?

[nigelginny]

Doesn't look like much, i wonder how easy it would be to fit myself? im a engineer so have some experience, just the cost of the unit, i cant see why it would cost so much?

[missfixit70]

I'd question how they've diagnosed it too? if it's just a leaking gasket, why do you need a new unit? Is the vacuum pump not creating a vacuum any more? definitely worth looking at it yourself, if it's just a slight leak, is it that much of an issue anyway & are the 100% sure that's where it's coming from?

[nigelginny]

I havent looked myself, i think i will this weekend, like you say "why change the whole unit if its just the gasket" just got to locate the unit, and the leak, we have used this garage so many times, never had a problem, maybe id be better off fixing things myself.

[missfixit70]

Let us know how you get on, if you have a go at taking it off yourself, photo's are obligatory

[gmaczbongo]

Is it the fact that the word Bongo means give me loadsamoney.
Or is it the fact that garages are just generally ripping people off.
When a bill is rounded up to £1000 as a quote-beware.
Special tools is a good one.
Always mention to every garage that you have a brother or sister or uncle or auntie or mother or father that is a car mechanic.
It may save you ££££££s.

[You've Been Bongod]

vacuum pump is easy to change as i did 1 myself
all you have to remember is to put the pipes back on in correct places (use a notepad to write which one goes where ) if on wrong end bongo goes into limp mode

if you are after one give this man a call he is very reasonably priced and always has 3 or 4 bongo's being broken

bongo_spares_ltd 07940225020 tell him carl recomended you to him