LPG kits - Which one?

[Tubbs]

You can try as hard as you want, i said £1050 with UKLPGA registration.

[alienb4ndit]

Sorry. Must have confused you with someone else.

slightly out of my price range though!

[sijones]

Sorry. Must have confused you with someone else.

slightly out of my price range though!

Just beware that the people who will fit it for £900, will be fitting a cheap system that may or may not be up to the job, they may tell you it will all be fine but cheat and blend petrol in at higher revs or just switch it back to petrol when you flaw it, we have seen this plenty of times.

We have also seen done in a day jobs that have been very rushed and not up to standard.

Tubbs does a good job for a good price, with a decent system installed.

D.I.Y. fitting is fun and satisfying at the end, but make no mistake it's hard work, rolling round on your back with a big heavy tank on you trying to lift in place and measure where the holes need drilling etc, or if it's wheel well drilling a big hole in the wheel well where the multivalve will go and hoping it's right, is a task!

Also you might find that there is some tools you'll need and so if it's a one off install it might not be worth it and more economical to get one done for you.

[Tubbs]

Thanks si ! And good advice. The thing is, if you want to install a system and then take it in for inspection you would probarbly be touching close to a grand all in. Im not a UKLPGA approved installer so have the cars inspected elsewhere, but obviously it costs. Mind you i quite like it like that. Keeps your standards up. Thats how it should be in my eyes. If everyone did that we wouldn't have any problems with install quality from UKLPGA installers. I don't think you should be able to inspect your own work.

[Morat]

FWIW, I first came on here looking to find "the best kit" and pretty rapidly decided that what I actually wanted was the best installer who was local to me so I could camp on his doorstep if it went wrong. I decided against the "fit it in a day" cheapo shops because a swift google turned up quite a few complaints. The last thing I wanted was an ongoing project that would see me under the car every weekend and my wife calling from nursery with a dead car.
I do 200 miles a week in a 3 litre BMW and I'm happy as a clam.

[mat_fenwick]

Sorry. Must have confused you with someone else.

slightly out of my price range though!

Make sure you're comparing like for like - components, warranty, after sales service etc. When you consider the cost of a decent specified system, and the time taken to install it well, you have to think about where the costs have been cut!

I'm a DIYer myself, so have no connection with the installers on here but the ones that have given advice in this thread have a good reputation.

[classicswede]

Yes, thats right
Out of interest, what would be the cost of a conversion on a volvo v70 2.4 170bhp? It's my neighbours car. We were talking about my car and lpg when he said he was considering lpg hmself but he's not sure whether it would be beneficial to him as he only uses 1 tankful per month

The V70 does make for a good conversion. There is no need for any valve care on pre 2003/4 cars. He will need to be doing a reasonable milage to make it worth while doing.

[Tubbs]

Dai being 'classicswede' I presume you know your volvos better than me. I have always presumed being a ford engine they need a valve saver. Just always fitted them. They are on the cautionary notice list as being needed. Got an 05 one coming in shortly. Already quoted a flashlube system.

[Gilbertd]

You are going to have to face the facts and make your choice. You could have the cheapo kit advertised on eBay fitted and then become one of the, 'don't bother with LPG, it's more trouble than it's worth' brigade because it'll never work properly as it's under specced for your car.

You could pay slightly more with the same, or a similar cut price, installer and get a kit that is up to the job that may or may not work properly depending on how well it has been fitted. Then you will need to pay a UKLPG registered installer to check and certify it (as your insurance company will very likely want it to be). that'll cost you in the region of £100-120 unless it needs remedial work to bring it up to scratch in which case he'll want paying for his labour to do that. You may have very little in the way of warranty and you can't go to the original equipment suppliers when the kit has been bought (at cut price) in Poland or Lithuania and bought into the country in the boot of somebodies car.

You could buy a decent quality kit from a reputable supplier who will give you support and advice (and certify it once installed) but that is going to cost you around £600-700 for a complete kit including the tank (you can check the prices on the Tinley Tech website) and your time in installing it. You'll learn a lot more in doing it but it isn't as simple as some initially think. You can't buy a kit for a specific car that will include all the brackets that you will need for mounting the various components, you'll need to work out where the best place to fit the bits is and then make the brackets as you need them. You'll need to partially strip the engine to remove the inlet manifold to drill and tap it for the nozzles and you'll need a reasonable understanding of electrics to work out where and how to wire it into the cars existing wiring loom. Oh, and you'll need to be able to solder too as all joints must be soldered. Finally, you'll probably need to buy a few extra tools that you're unlikely to ever have a need for again.

Knowing that Tubbs fits the Emer system from Tinley Tech, he's either getting a very good trade discount or undervaluing his time to only charge what he does (even if he does work out of a barn so his overheads are lower than some other installers), particularly as he then has to pay a UKLPG inspector to check and certify his work.

Me, given the choice, I'd go the DIY route but only because I've been taking cars (and anything else mechanical!) to bits since I was a kid, have a decent workshop in my garage, can weld, work with and understand electronics, have most, if not all, the tools I would need and I have a masochistic streak. But that's just me.......

[classicswede]

Dai being 'classicswede' I presume you know your volvos better than me. I have always presumed being a ford engine they need a valve saver. Just always fitted them. They are on the cautionary notice list as being needed. Got an 05 one coming in shortly. Already quoted a flashlube system.

It is a Volvo engine, Ford used it in the ST along with the Volvo floorpan to improve the Ford product with very low development costs. However Ford did make changes for the worse to the Volvo engine resulting in the later post 2004 engines needing valve car (the C70 is ok untill around 2006/7 as the engine was later to change) and also they introduced the intelegent fuel pump that needs a return line fitting. If you want any tips fitting the return line PM me. If you have the sensor at the end of teh fuel rail then the return line will need fitting.

[alienb4ndit]

Gilbertd - thanks for the insight.
The actual fitting of the kit, making brackets etc etc isn't an issue. I have a toolbox full of tools as I'm a VW technician.
This may be my best option as I need to do it as cheap as possible but using a quality kit, not the cheap rubbish.

If it costs me to get it certified and any faults rectified then so be it but at least I'll have the satisfaction and more knowledge.

[Gilbertd]

If you buy the kit from Tinley Tech they will inspect it and certify it after you have it done and that won't cost you any extra (other than the fuel for the trip to their place). They'll even check over and fine tune for you. If you follow their instructions, then it shouldn't need anything doing to get it up to standard.

[alienb4ndit]

I didn't realise that!

That may be the way forward for me then!