Radio expansion and leisure battery

[bogbrush48]

Hi from another newbie in Devon.
I just imported my 2001 3.4 V6 petrol Granvia after owning a Bongo for a short while. Big improvement !
Can anyone advise on best way to get the radio to do more than just Radio 2, and how do I best fit a large leisure battery. I am aiming to make a mobile dayvan/office out of it.
Also, any updated comments on LPG conversions?
On my Volvo 850R I converted to LPG last year, I was getting a nett saving of 5 pence per mile, excluding installation, so it is going to take 46,000 miles to recoup the £2,300 installation cost.

Best regards, Bogbrush48

[jimbo]

Hi and welcome
For the radio you need to fit a Radio Band Expander and that will enable you to get UK stations. My Wellhouse camper is fitted with one and my radio works pretty well. I haven't a clue how it works or how to fit one but there are websites that would help and I'm sure that many people on this site have the know how.
My 2.7 Granvia gives the equivalent of almost 40mpg on LPG against about 25mpg when running on petrol. Whether it is worth the initial conversion cost will depend on mileage and what you pay for petrol.
Enjoy your Granvia!

[bogbrush48]

Thank you Jimbo !
The figures you give are very impressive, I only got a 20% gain from LPG.
I do about 20,000 miles a year, so worth considering.
Seems to be very little room under the bonnet though.
Cheers.

[Rick]

Hi. I've been a forum member since Nov '09 when I purchased my Granvia, but this is my first post.
Like Jimbo, I have a 2.7 camper from Wellhouse.
I don't know what my petrol mpg is as I haven't yet run a full tank on petrol, but on LPG I'm averaging 19mpg.
With LPG approx half the price of petrol, this works out as the equivalent of 38mpg.
As to room under the bonnet, the conversion is fine. LPG tank replaces the spare wheel, so the spare either takes valuable storage space or I run with a can of tyre foam and no spare.
Jimbo, how's your LPG usage on local runs? If not too careful, mine is very low, but makes up for it on long runs.
Cheers
Rick

[jimbo]

Hi Rick and welcome
Like you there is quite a difference in LPG mpg between long and short runs. I don't know what the figures are exactly. I live in the Outer Hebrides and if I come off island and travel down to Chester to visit relatives I have actually got nearly 42mpg equivalent. That is with a gentle right foot and almost all A roads and motorway cruising at around 60mph. I know I don't get near that just pottering around but like you I average about 38/39mpg. I have had my camper for 18months now and I'm really happy with it. Apart from normal servicing the only thing I have had to do was replace the battery last month. My Granvia is 1995 and so if it was the original battery it didn't owe me anything!

[toyogran]

Hi, have a look here http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/instructions/fmbandexpander.pdf for some info on what you need to get the radio working.
I have tried 2 different ones with mixed results. They do give you the entire fm band in the UK (the frequency dispaly will be wrong) but I find they do 'wander' a bit on the station in the UK and aren't very good at all in Europe. Worth a try though before you buy a new radio.
I use a 110 Ah leisure battery and charge it with a split relay that I got off Ebay for £5. It works fine and keeps the battery charged when driving. Just google 'fitting leisure battery' there are loads of sites with diagrams/instructions.
Good luck!

[MrDillon]

I'm not sure it's worth bothering with expanders - half of them don't work properly if at all, and you can buy a pretty good (JVC, Kenwood etc) RDS radio/CD for about £60-£70 which will have Traffic info built in and probably a socket for an MP3 player too. It will hook straight up to the stock speakers and with about 4x50W output will sound pretty good. It also takes up only half the aperture, so you can fit another little storage cubby in the hole too.

The previous owner of my Granvia did this, and I am very pleased that he did - I changed the front speakers for some little Alpine ones and the sound is now excellent.

I'm also wanting to fit a leisure battery at some point - where did you end up siting the second battery?

Cheers
MrD

[bogbrush48]

Thank you everyone for the advice.
I will post how I get on.
Because we (two) want to use laptops in the "dayvan", I am thinking it could be easier just to use a 19v adaptor (£15 on e-bay) and a Halfords portable 12v emergency battery pack for daily use.
I put a radio expander in but am not impressed with stations or quality, marginal improvement. Didn't want to spoil the "burr walnut" fascia with a modern radio, but hey ho ? ..................
Enjoying the Granvia luxury, even though it is 21 to 23 mpg on long runs (petrol V6).
For a work table,
I am going to put the table leg into the centre heater vent in the back floor, supported as well by a folding leg to one side (all obtained on e-bay)
It's good to talk !
bogbrush