LPG Installer within 40 miles Newport S.Wales

[Tubbs]

I certainly wasn't slagging off mint. Edward Davies is a bloody good engineer. I just can't fathom why they have gone down the done in a day route is all. It's putting time pressures on a job that don't need to be there. At the end of the day you are retro fitting an entirely different fuel system to a car. With liquid LPG at 10 bar pressure running from the front to rear of the vehicle. It takes time and care. If you want gas central heating running into your house from a tank in the garden you wouldn't expect the fitter to be there for 6 hrs and it all to be completed. And your not potentially throwing that down the road at 100 mph.
Gas systems are, by design safe. But you don't want things to get overlooked because things where busy and you where rushing to get the job completed on time.

[Gilbertd]

I just can't fathom why they have gone down the done in a day route is all.

I suspect that it's down to Profess and, I think, another installer in the locality that started up as done in a day places, he's had to cut corners to compete. I would think if someone started up near you and was offering a conversion done in a day at rock bottom prices, you'd find them taking trade from you. Most people convert to save money and don't consider that an extra couple of hundred on the installation will be recouped in a few tankfuls of fuel, they'll just think that you are taking longer to justify a higher price. Only those that have done their homework and a bit of research will realise how much work is involved and, if they are even remotely practical, will realise that to do the job properly will take longer than a day.

[tigerblade]

I've just had my Porsche Cayenne Turbo converted at Profess and he's done several for me in the past all with good results, surely he'd be worth a try as he's local and i'm pretty sure has a coutesy car. I also own a Range Rover that was converted by Mint and that also drives / performs perfectly well so i suppose it's all down to personal taste / preference.
My Cayenne is performing perfectly and i'm really pleased with the install. My workshop is based in Blackwood so if you want a look at both companies conversions you can see them side by side and make up your own mind, no charge and you can even have a cuppa if you want one )
Dave.

Thank you for the very kind offer of checking your installations and the even kinder offer of a cuppa!! however I have been to Mint today and had a good long discussion with the installer who also showed me around the workshop, he was also keen I looked at the vehicles in the shop with the work they had carried out which appeared to me to be very tidy installations, I felt confident enough to give them my custom and booked it in next week, Romano system to be installed with electronic flashlube, courtesy car for the duration of time they are working on my vehicle, two years free servicing and all for a what I believe to be a very good price

I certainly wasn't slagging off mint. Edward Davies is a bloody good engineer. I just can't fathom why they have gone down the done in a day route is all. It's putting time pressures on a job that don't need to be there. At the end of the day you are retro fitting an entirely different fuel system to a car. With liquid LPG at 10 bar pressure running from the front to rear of the vehicle. It takes time and care. If you want gas central heating running into your house from a tank in the garden you wouldn't expect the fitter to be there for 6 hrs and it all to be completed. And your not potentially throwing that down the road at 100 mph.
Gas systems are, by design safe. But you don't want things to get overlooked because things where busy and you where rushing to get the job completed on time.

Tubbs, I didn't for one minute suggest YOU were slagging anyone off, you have given me very good advise despite you not getting my custom and for which you have earned my respect, I was referring to the general opinion I was getting trawling through the search results of Mint

Anyway as promised I will keep you all updated of my experience and my opinion of the work to be carried out by Mint so anyone else thinking of using them can have an honest view from an unbiased paying customer

[dave j]

I've just had my Porsche Cayenne Turbo converted at Profess and he's done several for me in the past all with good results, surely he'd be worth a try as he's local and i'm pretty sure has a coutesy car. I also own a Range Rover that was converted by Mint and that also drives / performs perfectly well so i suppose it's all down to personal taste / preference.
My Cayenne is performing perfectly and i'm really pleased with the install. My workshop is based in Blackwood so if you want a look at both companies conversions you can see them side by side and make up your own mind, no charge and you can even have a cuppa if you want one )
Dave.

Thank you for the very kind offer of checking your installations and the even kinder offer of a cuppa!! however I have been to Mint today and had a good long discussion with the installer who also showed me around the workshop, he was also keen I looked at the vehicles in the shop with the work they had carried out which appeared to me to be very tidy installations, I felt confident enough to give them my custom and booked it in next week, Romano system to be installed with electronic flashlube, courtesy car for the duration of time they are working on my vehicle, two years free servicing and all for a what I believe to be a very good price

Anyway as promised I will keep you all updated of my experience and my opinion of the work to be carried out by Mint so anyone else thinking of using them can have an honest view from an unbiased paying customer

No probs at all! As i said i've got 2 LPG'd 4x4's both converted by local companies and both are great, if anyone else wants to have a look they are very welcome.
With regards to people bad mouthing different LPG companies, i've been involved in the motor trade for around 15 years and it seems to be rife with b*llocks about the competition. My first gas converted car back in 2001 (when gas was 25p ltr!!) was converted by a company based in Cardiff. I went to several local companies and each and everyone stated only they were competant and everyone else was useless I know every business would like to think that they are the best in the area but the LPG game seems to be a completely hostile industry. Surely it would be beneficial to all fitters to have a couple of partner type agreements over the country whereas they could look after each other?
This is all just my personal experience / view based on 13 years of on / off LPG ownership.
dave.

[mikeyv]

I've just had my Porsche Cayenne Turbo converted at Profess and he's done several for me in the past all with good results, surely he'd be worth a try as he's local and i'm pretty sure has a coutesy car. I also own a Range Rover that was converted by Mint and that also drives / performs perfectly well so i suppose it's all down to personal taste / preference.
My Cayenne is performing perfectly and i'm really pleased with the install. My workshop is based in Blackwood so if you want a look at both companies conversions you can see them side by side and make up your own mind, no charge and you can even have a cuppa if you want one )
Dave.

Thank you for the very kind offer of checking your installations and the even kinder offer of a cuppa!! however I have been to Mint today and had a good long discussion with the installer who also showed me around the workshop, he was also keen I looked at the vehicles in the shop with the work they had carried out which appeared to me to be very tidy installations, I felt confident enough to give them my custom and booked it in next week, Romano system to be installed with electronic flashlube, courtesy car for the duration of time they are working on my vehicle, two years free servicing and all for a what I believe to be a very good price

I certainly wasn't slagging off mint. Edward Davies is a bloody good engineer. I just can't fathom why they have gone down the done in a day route is all. It's putting time pressures on a job that don't need to be there. At the end of the day you are retro fitting an entirely different fuel system to a car. With liquid LPG at 10 bar pressure running from the front to rear of the vehicle. It takes time and care. If you want gas central heating running into your house from a tank in the garden you wouldn't expect the fitter to be there for 6 hrs and it all to be completed. And your not potentially throwing that down the road at 100 mph.
Gas systems are, by design safe. But you don't want things to get overlooked because things where busy and you where rushing to get the job completed on time.

Tubbs, I didn't for one minute suggest YOU were slagging anyone off, you have given me very good advise despite you not getting my custom and for which you have earned my respect, I was referring to the general opinion I was getting trawling through the search results of Mint

Anyway as promised I will keep you all updated of my experience and my opinion of the work to be carried out by Mint so anyone else thinking of using them can have an honest view from an unbiased paying customer

So, any update?

I had my Lexus LS400 done by Mint a year or so back, as, like you, I live near them.

My experience was not unlike the other thread you refer to.

Took a while and a fair few return visits to get it right, but at no time did Mint try to dodge their obligation, and the car has run perfectly since.

Based on my experience and a few others on the Lexus owners forum, I'd take a lot of convincing that it isn't best to stay fairly local if possible, just in case.

[tigerblade]

Hi Guys, As promised I can now give you my opinion of Mint LPG based on my experience with this company, I had the Romano system installed with the electronic flashlube for a very reasonable £1295, this price included the first check-up and another two years free servicing, the conversion was done in a day 8.00am drop off 5.30pm pick up, a courtesy car was available to me for the day at a cost of whatever gas I used, on collecting my car at the end of the day I was shown around everything they had done and I mean everything, the car was even put on the ramps so I could see all the work done right back to the tank, the install was a lot neater than I was expecting so I'm very happy on that score, I have now done 1200 miles and the car performs faultlessly with no noticeable difference running on gas, the only small hiccup was with the flashlube system in that the low level warning light did not illuminate when the bottle had emptied, obviously not Mint LPG's fault and they replaced the led on my first checkup, so, based on MY experience's with this company I would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone.

[Speedy999]

Glad you're happy with it.

Any chance you can show us some pics of the install ?

[dave j]

I had to take my Cayenne Turbo down to Edward and his fitter at Mint after being converted at Profess to have it registered on the LPG register as my customers insurance company insisted on this being done. Speaking as a car dealer / enthusiast not a mechanic i have had conversions by both Profess and Mint and i can honestly say i've had no major issues with either.
This could either be down to my good luck or the fact that the cars i've had converted were in excellent running order and properly serviced beforehand. Any car that has issues or has been poorly maintained will only be a lot worse when running on LPG. Both these companies operate in South Wales which is not the most affluent area in the UK so i can only presume that a reasonable percentage of the cars converted may not be entirely suitable for continued reliabilty?
I have now sold both my LPG converted 4x4's so am looking for my next cars to convert, which company will i use out of the two? I'll keep you all posted...................
Dave.

[linsdav8284]

[quote Only those that have done their homework and a bit of research will realise how much work is involved and, if they are even remotely practical, will realise that to do the job properly will take longer than a day.

if that is the case GilbertD , essentially you are saying that none of the jobs done by the likes of Profess and Mint are being done properly. If that was the case then surely this forum would be full of bad blurb every week about the done in a day jobs . Alternatively you seem to be suggesting that those that have been happy with their " done in a day" job don't know what they are talking about. Surely this cannot be the reality in either case ?

[Gilbertd]

I've answered this before but can't find the thread. Unless someone is doing an identical install on a number of identical cars day in day out, then each one is going to be different. So each one is going to involve a bit of a learning curve. Where is the best place to mount the reducer, the injectors, run the pipework, etc? Some customers might want their filler in a different place. Do they try to convince him to have it in the easiest place where they would normally put it or do they spend more time doing it as the customer wants? What I would say is that an install will be adequate. It will probably be safe and meet CoP11 but will it be as good as it could be? I suspect not. The reducer will probably be fitted in the most convenient place, as will the injectors and spuds, not necessarily in the best place. Will they spend the time fabricating brackets to secure things or will they just use a bit of slotted steel strip? And finally, will they have the time to set everything up perfectly?

It's like the difference between taking your car in for a service at a main dealers and a backstreet independent. The backstreet guy will change the oil and filters and anything else that he thinks needs doing. The main dealer will do everything on the manufacturers schedule so as well as the obvious things, he'll lubricate the door locks and hinges, he'll put Vaseline on the battery terminals and so on. It's the different between an adequate job and a perfect job.

[dave j]

I've answered this before but can't find the thread. Unless someone is doing an identical install on a number of identical cars day in day out, then each one is going to be different. So each one is going to involve a bit of a learning curve. Where is the best place to mount the reducer, the injectors, run the pipework, etc? Some customers might want their filler in a different place. Do they try to convince him to have it in the easiest place where they would normally put it or do they spend more time doing it as the customer wants? What I would say is that an install will be adequate. It will probably be safe and meet CoP11 but will it be as good as it could be? I suspect not. The reducer will probably be fitted in the most convenient place, as will the injectors and spuds, not necessarily in the best place. Will they spend the time fabricating brackets to secure things or will they just use a bit of slotted steel strip? And finally, will they have the time to set everything up perfectly?

It's like the difference between taking your car in for a service at a main dealers and a backstreet independent. The backstreet guy will change the oil and filters and anything else that he thinks needs doing. The main dealer will do everything on the manufacturers schedule so as well as the obvious things, he'll lubricate the door locks and hinges, he'll put Vaseline on the battery terminals and so on. It's the different between an adequate job and a perfect job.

Main dealer servicing?????? Really???????????? I recently had the pleasure of servicing a BMW X5 diesel with a full (genuine) BMW service history that'd run around 120k miles. The air filter on these cars is a rascal to change so most private individuals have no way of checking it'd been changed. This filter was unbeliveably filthy and i doubt had ever been changed so i'd have to argue that one
With regards to the 'done in a day' LPG conversions, surely with 2 or even 3 fitters all working together this can easily be done to a decent standard. If it's just a 1 man band fitting, answering the phone and making himself a few cups of tea it'd be a totally different possibility. I've never had any of my cars finished in a day but then i suppose i've never needed to

[mikejjj]

Just a heads up regards Mint and the Romano kit, firstly the kit is excellent IMO, had mine for over 6 years and it's still going strong. On a recent visit to Mint for a few service items i was informed they only supply the kits now and don't actually do the conversions themselves, apparently they let out the workshops for other people to do the installs......
Jeez think i'm losing it lol, should have read the last two pages Duh, at least it's sorted...