LPG systems

Hi Guys
I'm new to the site so a hello from me to start. I've been Reading through the forums to try and get as much info as possible and today put a deposit down on a 2004 4.4 Vogue. Going back on wed with my mechanic ( aka Dad) to go over the car with a fine tooth comb, so fingers crossed all will be good.

Once I've taken ownership of the car I plan to get it gassed. Could any kind sole point me in the right direction of what i need to be asking the LPG installers and which system is the best to go for? An also any recomendations for installers in the northwest would be great!

Look forward to adding to the site

thanks in advance

Rob

Hi Rob

I have just done the exact same thing as you, just purchased a 2003 Range Rover Vogue V8 Petrol last week (with the help of my dad too) so im asuming the things i have checked on mine will be the same for you. Heres a list off the top of my head what must be checked when you and your dad go back.

- Full service history
- Has the front diff been replaced? This was a factory recall so should have been done. (The dealer took me to a local garage where they had a pit so i could go under the car and check all the chasis and the diff replacement. If they have nothing to hide they should let you do the same. Just ask them.)
- Check for cooliant leaks, the Range Rover L322 can leak like a sive!
- Check all fluid levels over and over again!! (I checked the levels on mine before i went for a test drive then checked them on return from the test drive, then came back the next day to check they were still the same and had not leaked overnight)
- If the car has power fold mirrors when you press the button on the drivers door to fold the mirrors they should fold all the way in and unfold all the way out. If the mirror jumps or clicks you may need a mirror replacement.
- Put the auto box in reverse and if equiped the passanger side mirror should dip to show you the kerb and should go back to normal when taken out of reverse (this only works when the passanger mirror is selected on the drivers side door switch)
- Check that the air con goes all the way up and all the way down it should be ice cold if it is working correctly.
- Check all heated seats they have two temperature modes make sure they both work. (if its a vogue like mine it has rear heated seats to these have the same two temp modes)
- All the electic windows should go all the way up and all the way down with no sticking or stopping (except the rears which stop about 10cm before the bottom of the window)
- All the steering wheel controls whould work (take the car on a motorway to test the cruise control it should speed up and slow down by the + and - buttons on the wheel)
- The heated steering wheel can be a bit of an issue when i checked mine i pressed the button to switch it on and the red light would not stay on, it had to be repaired.
- The electric memory seats need to be able to move on all axises and be able to rememeber your position.
- Memory steering wheel, it should go up and down and in and out with out sticking it should also remember your saved postion when you put your key in and should slide away when you take the key out) these steering wheel have been known to have problems with the up down and in out motors
- The low range gear box should work when selecting it (car has to be in N to make the change)
- Hill decent (put the car in N select low range and switch on hill desent, car should now creep down the hill on its own without you having to touch the brake or accelerator)
- Check all functions of the sat nav/radio/tv/cd etc... (sat nav/tv only on vogue not HSE)
- Check wipers and headlight washers etc... (rear washer can take a few seconds to pump the wiper fluid to the rear window)
- Check for water damage in passanger cabin especially around the door seals, also check for water damage in the boot and ESPECIALLY in the computer compartment (left hand side) this is known place to leak, just where you dont want it to leak where the computers and audio stuff is.
- Check air suspenstion car should rise and lower to all levels and be able to hold that height without falling (i went back the next day to check the car had held its height without falling overnight) failing can some times mean a leak in the air system.
- When you are under the car check the condition of the air suspension air bags, it can be a costly repair if you have any issues with these.
- The air compressor is in the spare wheel well you cant really see much but these are a common faulty issue, according to my cars service record it had to have a new one after only 4 years! So making sure the air suspension system is working corretly is a must!
- When you go over 60mph (i think thats the speed) the car should 'squat' in to high speed mode, basically this means the car lowers the air suspension to make handling better at high speeds. But remember what goes down must go back up again. When you slow down after a few minutes the car should rise to the standard ride height again.
- The message centre on the instrument cluster can have an issues with lost pixels (mine did but i have found a company that can fix this for around £220 with in 3 hours.
- Check the tailgate, the buttons are electric and should open first time everytime.
- Check for leaks and signs of rust around the bottom of the tailgate area.
- Read the full owners manual and get a copy of the RAVE workshop manuals, it really helped me when i went back the next day to test all the electrics (make sure you take these with you when you are inspecting the car they are an excellent reference as alot of the systems and options on the Range Rover are not clear how they work or operate or even where they are located! especially in the engine bay!)

This is all i can think of from the top of my head, if i remember any more info i will add it to my list. Basically what you need to do is check absoulty everything on the car no matter how small it is, me and my dad spent two solid days at the dealers and went out on two long test drives to make sure everything was sound before i purchased. Ask the dealer to take you too a workshop so you can inspect the underside of the car. These cars especially the petol have very complicated exhaust systems and can be very expensive to fix being able to go under the car allows you to check for any problems which you cant see from above ground level. Because everything on the Range Rover is electric it can be very hard and more importantly very expensive to fix any problems.

With regards to the LPG conversion im doing the same thing and i live in the north west too, one thing i would say after ive done loads of research is make sure you use an LPGA approved installer as most insurance companies wont insure you if you dont use an LPGA approved installer. I think im going to use a company called worsley autogas, after speaking to loads of companies these seem to be the best and the guy sounds really helpful, and he knows range rovers as he has owned an L322 and now owns a SPORT he even offered my a go in his LPGed SPORT to see what it feels like to drive an LPGed car. When i pick my car up on saturday im gonna call them and arrange an install, there quite reasonably priced too.

Good luck!! they are brilliant cars but have to be looked after really well if you want them to last they can be very high maintenance but deffinality worth it! 100%

Good Luck!

Matt

Cheers for that Matt. Will print that list out and give it a good going over. I know most of the stuff on the list is ok. How much have you been quoted for the conversion? Just looking round now and there seems to be a few types on the market, Prinz, BMC and Tartarini. Which have you gone for and why? A few of the websites have come across as is this Tartarini etagas system is the best thing ever. Have never heard of it. Are you getting a flash lub system fitted or is that over kill?

delisle said:

Hi Guys
I'm new to the site so a hello from me to start. I've been Reading through the forums to try and get as much info as possible and today put a deposit down on a 2004 4.4 Vogue. Going back on wed with my mechanic ( aka Dad) to go over the car with a fine tooth comb, so fingers crossed all will be good.

Once I've taken ownership of the car I plan to get it gassed. Could any kind sole point me in the right direction of what i need to be asking the LPG installers and which system is the best to go for? An also any recomendations for installers in the northwest would be great!

Look forward to adding to the site

thanks in advance

Rob

Click to expand...

prins are said to be the best of all systems ,but its not cheap £2000 plus for a quality install
dont buy a cheap system you will only regret it later

delisle said:

Cheers for that Matt. Will print that list out and give it a good going over. I know most of the stuff on the list is ok. How much have you been quoted for the conversion? Just looking round now and there seems to be a few types on the market, Prinz, BMC and Tartarini. Which have you gone for and why? A few of the websites have come across as is this Tartarini etagas system is the best thing ever. Have never heard of it. Are you getting a flash lub system fitted or is that over kill?

Click to expand...

Sorry for the long list LOL but I know whats its like trying to check everything on the Range Rover i spent two days going over it. With regards to the LPG conversion, Carl at Worsley Autogas gave me a quote of £1800 ex VAT for a BRC system with a spare wheel tank. Because the Range Rovers have air suspension the compressor that is located in the spare wheel well has to be removed from its shell and relocated in the wheel well, this makes room for the LPG tank. Carl said he has a range rover himself and fits the BRC systems to them, not sure about the other brands. He has said the system comes with a 12 month warranty but if you get the system serviced with him every year he will extend this to 3 years warranty. Hope this makes sense, have you had any other quotes from different companies? No sure what flash lube is, i have read on the internet its only really for japanese cars etc... do you know what it does for the range rovers??

How did you go on with your range rover???

Matt

Hi Rob, I bought a 2004 4.4 V8 myself a month ago, best thing i've ever done !! Absolutely love it, had it all checked out and all clean. The front Diff recall work had not been done but a quick call to my local Land Rover dealer and it was all booked in and sorted last week, even all this time later so if it hasnt been done you can still get it done for free. Mine was already LPG converted and i run on gas all the time, havent noticed any difference at all and with gas at 68p a litre where i am its worth it with running costs high enough as it is !

Enjoy the car, hope it checks out and you get it

redfreddie said:

Hi Rob, I bought a 2004 4.4 V8 myself a month ago, best thing i've ever done !! Absolutely love it, had it all checked out and all clean. The front Diff recall work had not been done but a quick call to my local Land Rover dealer and it was all booked in and sorted last week, even all this time later so if it hasnt been done you can still get it done for free. Mine was already LPG converted and i run on gas all the time, havent noticed any difference at all and with gas at 68p a litre where i am its worth it with running costs high enough as it is !

Enjoy the car, hope it checks out and you get it

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Hi mate, what LPG system have you got fitted in your range rover? ive got a 2003 one and want to get it converted.
Cheers

Matt

Hi Matt,

I've just had a look, ive got a Stako 95litre Torodial, ECU regulator make is BRC. The tank is in the spare wheel compartment. Definately worth getting it converted, 66.8p a litre so much cheaper to run

redfreddie said:

Hi Matt,

I've just had a look, ive got a Stako 95litre Torodial, ECU regulator make is BRC. The tank is in the spare wheel compartment. Definately worth getting it converted, 66.8p a litre so much cheaper to run

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Hi

Me and Rob (aka deleslie) are hopefully getting both of ours converted in a few weeks together so will let you know how we go on

Cheers

Matt

Hey Matt and Rob,

Did you get the LPG conversion done yet ? Let us know how it goes and what differences you notice afterwards, esp at the pumps ! I got lazy the other week and couldnt be bothered to find an LPG service station so I ran on petrol for a bit, wont be doing that again in a hurry :doh:

On £50 of petrol i got about 160ish miles, on £47 of LPG i am getting about 220 miles . . . . needless to say i'm not lazy anymore

Cheers,
Redfreddie

Hi Rob ive got a 2004 Vogue and i'm on a STAG premium mulit point system, that was instaled locally by a company.. They do an excellent job 3years warranty (lab+parts) and if you have it serviced there once a year (£40) it's a life time warranty on the labour, they can turn the jeep around in 1 day all for £1300 !!! bargain people travel from all over the country to use them .. Profess auto gas.. hope this helps

sadly profess auto gas are not UKLPG approved so your insurance will be invalid.
A decent lpg conversion takes at least 3-5 days to properly install.
Find and LPGA Approved LPG Autogas installer.

m58mw said:

sadly profess auto gas are not UKLPG approved so your insurance will be invalid.
A decent lpg conversion takes at least 3-5 days to properly install.
Find and LPGA Approved LPG Autogas installer.

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Bollocks one post wonder

Oh well how to make friends and influence people!
Today is the first time I have been on here and this is a subject I know something about as I am an approved installer with 12 years experiance.
Yes its my first post but I figured it would be better to post some advice on something I know rather than just ask for help.
So, If anyone has questions about LPG problems I will answer them genuinly and without bias.
Hopefully one of you guys can tell me why my car wont lock with the remote.

m58mw said:

Oh well how to make friends and influence people!
Today is the first time I have been on here and this is a subject I know something about as I am an approved installer with 12 years experiance.
Yes its my first post but I figured it would be better to post some advice on something I know rather than just ask for help.
So, If anyone has questions about LPG problems I will answer them genuinly and without bias.
Hopefully one of you guys can tell me why my car wont lock with the remote.

Click to expand...

who do you work for??

for myself D&N Autogas

m58mw said:

sadly profess auto gas are not UKLPG approved so your insurance will be invalid.
A decent lpg conversion takes at least 3-5 days to properly install.
Find and LPGA Approved LPG Autogas installer.

Click to expand...

m58mw said:

for myself D&N Autogas

Click to expand...

Congratulations on being reported

Do you drive a range rover, if you do I think I have seen it

m58mw said:

Oh well how to make friends and influence people!
Today is the first time I have been on here and this is a subject I know something about as I am an approved installer with 12 years experiance.
Yes its my first post but I figured it would be better to post some advice on something I know rather than just ask for help.
So, If anyone has questions about LPG problems I will answer them genuinly and without bias.
Hopefully one of you guys can tell me why my car wont lock with the remote.

Click to expand...

:welcome2:to landyzone.:welcome2:

what vehicle you got mate?

slap the thread in the relevent section and await the tirade. I hope you stuck yer rhino hide coat on before you entered.

4.6 p38 suprisingly on lpg
Reported for what?