As with an awful lot of trades the LPG conversion industry suffers from techno-babble and sales terminology. We feel that this practice is obstructive and confuses prospective Autogas users.

Unlike buying white goods, such as washing machines, there is great difficulty comparing LPG installers. Two things ought to be kept in ones mind;

1st, there are a variety of systems - with greatly varying component standards. If one hasn't previously owned an Autogas vehicle it is easy to accept that "its working on gas" and saving something. It is only once you can directly compare two systems on an identical engine that the differences become apparant. Thiats what the "Powershift Register" set out to achieve. Each vehicle submitted was emission and fuel consumption tested to the same level as a new car. If equipment suppliers haven't got vehicles registered on this scheme it categorically proves their products were unable to meet the criteria of quality equipment, emission & economy improvements.

2nd, that individual workmanship varies, in some garages from diabolical through to reasonable. There are a lot of garages that employ their staff on a "piece work basis", we have heard that some are exploiting transient workers, to the extent of paying around £30 a conversion. Obviously with these types of operations the need for speed is paramount, and standards are compromised. Output is incredibly high and vehicles are turned around really quickly. At the least, ensure the company you use in UKLPG registered at www.drivelpg.co.uk Our conversion standard is akin to car manufacturers fitment.

 
"Conversion in a day"
You can't rush quality. Yes a conversion can be installed in a day, but not by us. We endeavour to provide the neatest and most secure installation possible for your vehicle. This ensures that you will not have any problems in the future with such things as loose wires, unmounted injectors, unsecured tanks - all genuine things we have seen when people have brought their faulty systems in for repair. We also keep the vehicle an extra day to do an extra test drive from cold. This is essential to check that the LPG is switching over correctly.


"Free post installation check"
As part of the UKLPG compliance, see www.drivelpg.co.uk, all installations need to return between 1-3k miles for this essential inspection.


"Vapouriser or regulator"
integral part of lpg system. Prices vary from £30 to £240, this changes the liquid gas into vapour - so if you car is powerful (over 190hp) it needs to be up to the job or the engine can be under fuelled(go lean) and over heat causing exhaust valve wear and failure of the cylinder head. We offer a standard, a high output, twin and high output twin arrangements.  One size doesn't fit all.


"gas injectors"
Electric taps that delivery very small amounts of fuel to each cylinder. They open and close in within 3 milli seconds and continue to do so for millions of actuations. Quality engineer achieve this, other fail some within only 20000 miles. Cheap sets of 4 injectors can cost £30 where as each BRC injector costs £70.


"Advanced Engine control module(ECM)"
To be frank the gas computer (ECM) doesn't need to be very special in computing terms. Resilience and component quality cannot be ascertained without indepth knowledge. ECM & associated wiring can be purchase for £115 whereas others cost over £200


"Donut tank or cylinder tank"
The donut replaces the spare wheel (either inside the vehicle or externally) and a cylinder uses up some loadspace.


"where do I put my spare wheel if I use a donut tank"
A favoured option with our female drivers is to fit a tyre treatment that fixes punctures instantly, so there is no need to care one. The treatment costs under £100 for all four tyres.


"Life-Time warranty"
We are also aware that some people are offering either a five year warranty or even a lifetime warranty on LPG systems. We have been in the business 14 years and fitted almost every type of LPG system on the market and have never found a manufacturer willing to offer that kind of warranty.
All UKLPG equipment supply companies offer 24 months, we offer a RAC warranty.


"Unlimited Mileage"
Most importers offer 60 000 miles, but all Private hire vehicles are excluded.


"Direct importer"
Watch out for the phrase "Direct importer" as this normally means there is no parts warranty from a UKLPG approved wholesaler. We use BRCGB that supply a excellent system and provide market leading back-up to both the enduser and installer, see www.brcgb.co.uk


"Largest certified tank"
One size tank fits all - Many companies stress they buy in bulk to keep costs down that they in turn pass on, this actually means they only hold a limited number of tank sizes. There are a huge number of tanks available, we buy to suit your vehicle, ensuring you get the best tank available for your particular car.


"80 litre gas tank"
Be aware that you will not be able to fill the tank completely. So an 80 litre tank will only hold 64 useable litres. Ask the install if they are quoting the water capacity(WC) of the tank? As this can only be filled to 80%. At Arun we always quote useable litres, so that you know what you will be getting. For large 4x4s the largest tanks are 108, 102 and 95 litres WC, which provide 86.4, 81.6 and 76 useable litres. A common size for cars is 60 litres WC, providing 48 useable.


"Top quality sequential injection system"
Un-named product - Good installers will always tell you the name of the product they are proposing to fit to your vehicle. Beware of companies who simply say "best sequential system" without actually telling you what they are going to fit. You don't want to find yourself in two years time needing a service and finding no-one who knows the system to complete the work. We belive the car manufactures know quality better than us manufacturers, thats why we have taken their lead and suggest BRC, as arguably and probably, the best quality on the market. 


"Choice of injectors"
We will only fit BRC injectors to a BRC system, see www.brcgb.co.uk. Beware of companies who offer a huge array of different injector types. It is not a complete system if cheaper injectors are used from a different system. This may save you money in the short term but could lead to running problems in the future and it could be difficult to find replacement parts if you have a problem.


"Prices from...."
Not all models of vehicle are the same, engines have significant power outputs. And some times there is little space to fit the equipment, so install times can vary. The only way to be sure is for us to view your vehicle proir to us finalising the booking, please come to either of our sites so we can also talk the LPG conversion through with you.


"Special Offer"
We see several companies, regularly advertising Specail Offers. Does this mean the normally price is that normal or inflated to be comparable with more established converters.


"LPGA certificate of conformity"
This was superceeded in Aug 2010 by the Online registration database. Certificates are no longer valid with insurance companies. We charge a small administration charge to add our converted vehicles to this database, you can opt out. See online database at www.drivelpg.co.uk


"Registered with DVLA"
Only the owner can do this. There is  good reason to amend your V5 registration document and that is get a discount off your road tax, which takes place when renewing at the Post Office.


"All in...."
Once you have compared the quotation offers from the companies you approach give us a call. We are happy to try to match any genuine like for like quotation. Or doesn't the company install enough conversions to break the £70 000 a year VAT threshold.


"Professional, institutional and striving"
Not sure what this means, you can be certain that none of our team hasn't been institutionalised.


"amongst the first ones to have brought the LPG Autogas .... to the UK market"
The dates of installers being registered with UKLPG (formally LPGA) can be seen on www.drivelpg.co.uk. There are only fifteen of us registered before 2002.


"long standing installer"
Reputation is far more important than price, if you want to repeatedly get a Return on Investment (ROI). Over the years we have seen a number of companies change their names, for one reason or other. 


"standard of the craftmanship"
the standard is just that standard and is reflected in the price and the product installed.



"UK's largest LPG conversion facility"
Because of the individual nature and variety of vehicles, it's not easy to carry out large numbers of LPG installations without having problems. Only when we get fleets in can we implement significant manufacturing efficiencies.


"call us on 07707 ******"
I learnt years ago to avoid doing two things at once, you cant make sales and be wiring somebodies "pride and joy". Neither will be done thoroughly, one might even be compromised...To field an enquiry you need a writting pad, so a desk makes sense and so does a proper telephone.


"Network...."
The equipment suppliers have networks, some like BRC have 70 installers other like Prins less than 10. We operate two installation centres on in New Malden Surrey and the other in Littlehampton West Sussex we will be delighted to see you at either.