3.5 Vellfire LPG conversion

[Lpgc]

Just done this one, I didn't take many pics but I've posted a few I took below. 

The owner is a member of a few Alphard / Vellfire forums but didn't fancy his chances with the usual recommendations after reading about the odd LPG problem from the usual Alphard/Vellfire recommended installers. He was advised to come to me by the owner of an Elgrand who told him I'd converted over 450 Elgrands and only ever had 2 small LPG problems... I'm in Yorkshire, one problem was in Truro Cornwall, the other problem was in Bristol, on separate occasions I drove to Truro and to Bristol to fix them on the customers doorsteps. I don't get many problems, which is why I can offer this kind of service.

Forget 'teething problems' and '1000 mile free checks' that are really just a get out of jail free card for installers who don't get things right in the first place, I get things right in the first place and fuel injection systems don't go out of tune all by themselves, appropriate and reliable parts don't often fail if fitted properly either. Should be able to have an LPG conversion and not have any troubles for 100000 miles, the owner should be able to change their own filter every year very easily.

Forget 'online servicing / tuning', there is no way someone at the other end of the internet can physically change any part of the install, they need to fit appropriate components and fit them properly then calibrate the resultant install properly, do all this correctly and it should not need any adjustments. Firms that offer systems that can be tuned over the internet are obfuscating the real situation, there are no LPG systems that specifically offer tuning over the internet, firms that offer this simply take advantage of Windows built in remote desktop software (using that you can use any software on anyone else's computer and we can all do that with any software) but some firms try to sell 'remote tuning' as a bonus...  In reality such firms have so many customers with systems they fitted that have problems that they have taken to 'tuning over the internet' to try to limit the number of customers they have returning to them with problems. They cannot really tune a vehicle remotely anyway, to tune a vehicle's LPG system the installer has to be sat in the car while it is being driven and preferably driving the vehicle themselves because it is difficult to try to explain to another driver that they need to hold the car at a certain engine load to try to keep petrol injector pulse duration at a given value, most drivers interpret this as meaning a certain road speed but it is not road speed they need to hold steady. If the installer isn't in the car and someone else is driving it they won't anticipate a lot of things... you can tell a driver to boot it but if the road conditions don't allow for booting it at that moment the driver (rightfully) won't boot it. Remote tuning at best allows a dodgy installer to guess where they went wrong and guess what changes to make, even if the results seem OK the calibration will be a mile away from correct compared to a proper job of calibration. I can easily spend half a day just properly calibrating a vehicle's LPG system but combined with well chosen correctly installed components the results speak for themselves. The results are why I have the confidence to tell customers I'll drive to them if they have any problems. 

The LPG tank is fitted in the spare wheel location so it doesn't take up any interior space and is rated at 92 litres gross capacity. Usually LPG tanks only fill to 80% of gross capacity (net capacity is usually 80% of gross / rated capacity) but this one has net capacity of 90% of the 92 litre rated tank. This means that at 15degC it could be expected to have net capacity of just over 83 litres but in this cold weather it has net capacity of 88 litres... LPG expands and contracts with changing temperature and LPG is actually (behind the scenes) sold by weight not by volume, so in cold weather when LPG is more dense than in warm weather it will take more gas. Due to the big tank this Vellfire will have 100 miles more range on LPG than some Vellfires converted elsewhere. 

The filling point is hidden behind the petrol filler door, this was the customer's choice, other options included all the usual (in the bodywork, in the wing, at the rear, fitted to a towbar, etc). The hidden filling point uses 16mm external threads and is very much stronger than the usual 10mm internal thread hidden filler, it also allows filling with LPG a bit quicker than the 10mm type. 

A nice neat install that is technically correct, all appropriate and well suited to the vehicle components fitted and calibrated very well indeed. I don't fit the same LPG parts on every vehicle I convert... that would be like quite liking Holley carburettors and telling customers it would be a good idea to fit a Holley carb on their Chevy 5.7 V8 or their Mini.. Horses for courses and LPG components should be well suited to the vehicle. A lube system fitted (as should be fitted on anything Japanese). 

[+Steve]

Quote

8 hours ago, Lpgc said:

The owner is a member of a few Alphard / Vellfire forums but didn't fancy his chances with the usual recommendations after reading about the odd LPG problem from the usual Alphard/Vellfire recommended installers.

 

Hmmm i find this comment misleading people to just using your services. 

[Yugguy1970]

Still an interesting post though, I like these technical ones.

[Lpgc]

On 1/5/2022 at 9:17 AM, Steve said:

Hmmm i find this comment misleading people to just using your services. 

I understand it may seem like that but I've told the truth and I know the owner is a member of a (not sure which) Alphard/Vellfire related forum so he might be a member of this one and if so may confirm what I've said. It's not as though I'm short of work anyway, strictly speaking I'm fully booked until May and my customers regularly come from further North than Aberdeen and as far South as Cornwall. 

As said I was recommended to the owner by an Elgrand owner who knows I have converted well over 450 Elgrands to LPG and there have only ever been 2 problems both of which I sorted by driving myself hundreds of miles to the customers homes and fixing on their doorsteps. None of this recalibration fine/tuning after 1000 miles or every year necessary... you don't buy a new petrol car and have to take it back to a dealer after 1000 miles or every year because the manufacturer didn't manage to map the petrol system properly and you shouldn't need to go back to an LPG installer for such changes to be made either.. if they set it up properly in the first place. And if they didn't set it up properly in the first place, so let's say there's a drive-ability problem or the engine warning light comes on... Does that inspire confidence that they set it up exactly correct on later occasions or should there still be doubt that the setup still isn't ideal but on later attempts managed to set it up good enough not to show any symptoms? I think the owner was also swayed a bit by the idea of having a much bigger capacity LPG tank than the tank any of the competition would have fitted. This one took 88 litres of LPG at the pump, if that is 20 litres (4.5 gallons) more than others LPG tanks that may mean 100 miles better range, less chance of running out of LPG and fewer visits to the forecourt so the potential to save more money. 

[Lpgc]

On 1/5/2022 at 9:37 AM, Yugguy1970 said:

Still an interesting post though, I like these technical ones.

Thanks

[Mr s price]

Hi I’m thinking of getting a alphard  what is the cost of a conversion and where are you based could you give me a call on 07876790799

cheers Steve  

[Alf-yeoblade]

On 1/17/2022 at 8:31 PM, Mr s price said:

Hi I’m thinking of getting a alphard  what is the cost of a conversion and where are you based could you give me a call on 07876790799

cheers Steve  

http://www.lpgc.co.uk/

[MalTee]

Interesting read.

I have just imported a V6 3.5 Vellfire.

I had one of our Toyota Previas converted by a Company in Rochdale. Its been no end of trouble and the guy who did it, very unprofessional to deal with, acute, abrupt and in my Opinion a crook.

I am very interested to find someone who can Convert the Vellfire, do the job correctly and be professional to deal with. I will watch with interest.

[Lpgc]

I've LPG converted many Alphards and Vellfires since my last post above. 

Just finished conversion of another V6 Alphard, owner just about to arrive to collect it. Same big capacity tank etc.  

[+Steve]

1 hour ago, Lpgc said:

I've LPG converted many Alphards and Vellfires since my last post above. 

Just finished conversion of another V6 Alphard, owner just about to arrive to collect it. Same big capacity tank etc.  

what is the price for V6 vellfire with large tank??