Bob wrote:Hi Dave, and welcome.
Using a Bongo Friendly garage as opposed to DIY will depend solely on your skill as a mechanic. If you are capable you will save a lot of cash by fixing anything yourself.
If you are going to use a garage then I would definitely recommend one known as Bongo Friendly as none of us knows what we don't know. If Bloggs & Co don't know a Bongo needs bleeding after coolant work they won't do it, and you won't find out until the head fails, BF garage will also likely have parts in stock, or at least know where to get them, saving you VOR time.
Cooling system aside the Bongo is fairly basic technology.
Re tailgate: It isn't designed to support the weight of 4 pals, bad luck.
Agree re using a "Bongo friendly" but, even so, it's wise to check that they do use the full Mazda-prescribed air bleed process after a coolant refill (any refill when the coolant level beforehand was below the bottom of the coolant expansion tank).
As at least two of us found out to our cost last year, there's still a temptation for the "cleverer" ones among them, who know the ex tank is a de-gassing design, to save (themselves) time and money by filling up as as far as they can, topping up again after a bit of revving, and then leaving the motor to self-bleed - and the poor "bleeding" owner to then monitor the ex tank level and keep on topping up coolant, while it does continue self bleeding (in my V6 case,for three months!).
The risk with that method (which in fairness has been known to work without apparent damage) is that if the motor is driven hard and hot, without a proper bleed tube process first, and there is still trapped air either totally blocking coolant circulation or in a cylinder head hot spot, then bang goes the head - the 2.5TD being particularly prone.
So, ask the question - before and after the work, Better still, see it done - ask them if they mind you watching the experts do it
ive now purchased a television 
