Bongo Fury

Hi,

Am considering whether to purchase a Bongo tomorrow. I'm already a Mazda fan and the Bongo seems an amazing versatile car/van/minibus/camper.

I am however getting nervous regarding parts availability. I've read the pinned thread and if I do purchase will definitely be downloading the compatible parts list for use by my trusted mechanic.

However, are there any parts that are especially difficult to find? I'd hate to part with several thousand, spend time converting it only to find out that when something goes wrong it cannot be replaced. The Bongo would be used as a daily drive needing to be available most of the time, so we could not rely on waiting on a suitable part coming up from a Bongo breaker.

Thanks in advance. I've spent the last few days poring over these forums (when I should have been working) and must say there is a great community here.

Parts availability is generally quite good, but you certainly can't go to your local spares place and expect them to have much. Common parts are readily available through the club shop, ebay or mail order.

You can always look in the breaking bongos thread, My brother in law works at a ford dealer and states he can get most things for me when required.

daz

Yip i second that i work in a ford/mazda dealer, biggest in the country and we have specific computer for import's .I just give them the Vin number and thats it ,they can even tell me if the stuff is available.

cheers stevie

tallbongo wrote: I've read the pinned thread and if I do purchase will definitely be downloading the compatible parts list for use by my trusted mechanic.

Lots of previously "trusted mechanics" have been mentioned on here as not able/willing/bright enough to take advice on how to handle the little foibles of the Art of Bongo maintenance - please make sure yours isn't one of the "don't try to tell me how to do my job" ones.

That sort can cost you a lot of money and a lot of lost trust.

Thanks for all the replies. If only they were available non-imported! We do trust our mechanic. He works on plenty of non-standard cars (classics mainly), but admittedly he's unlikely to have had Bongo experience.

Are there any experienced Bongo mechanics around the M8 in Scotland?

edit: our alternative is to buy a tiny runaround and a van and do up the van ourselves. I've seen too many ropey vans converted to campers (and bought one) to risk buying an old converted van again.

steviebongo wrote:Yip i second that i work in a ford/mazda dealer, biggest in the country and we have specific computer for import's .I just give them the Vin number and thats it ,they can even tell me if the stuff is available.

cheers stevie

Stevie,

Just noticed your location. Can you recommend a Bongo mechanic in the Glasgow area?

Cheers.

Getting hold of spares was one major quandary I had when first dipping my toes into the Bongo World.

Trust me, its one of the smallest problems you're likely to encounter. Most service parts are available from a variety of sources on a next day delivery basis (including the Club Shop) & anything out of the ordinary seems to pop up from someones shed whenever needed. This bunch really do go that extra mile to help folks out.

Have faith.

All will be well.

tallbongo wrote:

steviebongo wrote:Yip i second that i work in a ford/mazda dealer, biggest in the country and we have specific computer for import's .I just give them the Vin number and thats it ,they can even tell me if the stuff is available.

cheers stevie

Stevie,

Just noticed your location. Can you recommend a Bongo mechanic in the Glasgow area?

Cheers.

We have worked on some although the labour cost's are quite high, my brother-in law Mot's bongo's for a garage called Mcgarry and hogg in anniesland industrial estate & i no other member's have used them best of luck


cheers stevie

As people have already said, parts shouldn't be a problem to source at all.

With regards to your 'trusted mechanic', if you trust them then you know best.
When I got my bongo (private sale) the first thing I did was had my 'trusted mechanic' give it a full service, including changing the timing belt. They hadn't worked on a Bongo before, but I had complete faith in their work as they have worked on my other cars for years without a problem.
A year on, MOT was due, so booked in for a pre MOT service, and going through the previous years invoice I noticed there was a cost down for coolant. Now alarm bells immediately rang, as having read a years worth of posts regarding coolant issued, bleeding, etc, (not realising when I first had the bongo how much of a talking point/issue the coolant process is) I thought "Do they know how to change the coolant on a Bongo"? Now granted I had been driving round for a year having had them change the coolant, so when I dropped it off I questioned the mechanic about it. This is where the trust part comes in.
He told me that there wasn't anything really complicated about changing the coolant, and the Mazda Bongo isn't unique in having a complex coolant system. Now I must point out that the mechanic is the least arrogant person I know - he's just laid back and knows his cars, including Jap imports.

My point is, if you know your mechanic, and they know their stuff, then trust them to do what they do best.

Andrew

hembramacho wrote: if you know your mechanic, and they know their stuff, then trust them to do what they do best.

& even if not, printing off whatever factsheet from the Members Area & passing it on to said spannermonkey will do no harm.

I've found a couple of "Set in their ways" mechanics that begrudge being told their job but seem quietly pleased to get a little informed assistance.

mister munkey wrote:

hembramacho wrote: if you know your mechanic, and they know their stuff, then trust them to do what they do best.

& even if not, printing off whatever factsheet from the Members Area & passing it on to said spannermonkey will do no harm.

I've found a couple of "Set in their ways" mechanics that begrudge being told their job but seem quietly pleased to get a little informed assistance.

Yes, don't they? Got my V6 workshop manual set back this week with a few telltale fingerprints on them - was glad to see it, too

hembramacho wrote:As people have already said, parts shouldn't be a problem to source at all.

With regards to your 'trusted mechanic', if you trust them then you know best.
When I got my bongo (private sale) the first thing I did was had my 'trusted mechanic' give it a full service, including changing the timing belt. They hadn't worked on a Bongo before, but I had complete faith in their work as they have worked on my other cars for years without a problem.
A year on, MOT was due, so booked in for a pre MOT service, and going through the previous years invoice I noticed there was a cost down for coolant. Now alarm bells immediately rang, as having read a years worth of posts regarding coolant issued, bleeding, etc, (not realising when I first had the bongo how much of a talking point/issue the coolant process is) I thought "Do they know how to change the coolant on a Bongo"? Now granted I had been driving round for a year having had them change the coolant, so when I dropped it off I questioned the mechanic about it. This is where the trust part comes in.
He told me that there wasn't anything really complicated about changing the coolant, and the Mazda Bongo isn't unique in having a complex coolant system. Now I must point out that the mechanic is the least arrogant person I know - he's just laid back and knows his cars, including Jap imports.

My point is, if you know your mechanic, and they know their stuff, then trust them to do what they do best.

Andrew

The trouble is for every one like that there are nine who won't find out and won't be told.

.......and there are plenty of posts on here from owners with expensive problems caused by such "experts" who don't need to be told how to do something.

hembramacho wrote:He told me that there wasn't anything really complicated about changing the coolant, and the Mazda Bongo isn't unique in having a complex coolant system. Now I must point out that the mechanic is the least arrogant person I know - he's just laid back and knows his cars, including Jap imports.

My point is, if you know your mechanic, and they know their stuff, then trust them to do what they do best.

Andrew

So how did he refill the coolant, did he use a vacuum fill, bleed it using the bleed pipe? or did he just get lucky?
It isn't complicated, as anyone can see from the bleed video (other methods are available ) it's just a matter of ensuring no air is left in the system.

missfixit70 wrote: it's just a matter of ensuring no air is left in the system.