Complaint Review: TECHNOCARB EQUIPMENT Ltd

I wish to dispute the sum of $357.45 (Three Hundred fifty Seven Dollars & Forty Five Cent) made by TECHNOCARB EQUIPMENT Ltd. on May 15th 2003. After several months the system that was purchased still is not operational. The following is a brief history of the events leading to this conclusion.

For over a year I was in the market for a Propane/Gasoline Duel fuel system for my 1992 Chevy Blazer. This truck has a 5.7L TBI engine. I looked into many companies in the US, Europe and Asia. I spoke too many of these companies to find out how there system worked and what the Pros and Cons were for each system.

I had a phone conversation with Mr. John Carter of Technocarb in April of this year. Mr. Carter showed much enthusiasm for there system. We spoke for over 45 minutes. I was so totally sold on this system I was considering becoming an authorized installer for there company.

On April 25th of this year John Marks decided to sell the Technocarb Propane/Gasoline Duel fuel system from his 2001 Chevy Pickup. Mr. Marks and I have been friends for over 20 years. During one of our phone conversations he mentioned that he was selling the previously stated system, since he decided to sell his truck. Mr. Marks' phone number can be furnished upon your request if corroboration is required.

My excitement was overwhelming and called Mr. Carter the first chance I got. I told Mr. Carter that I have a chance to buy a system however the system was for a different application. He informed me that the systems are basically the same except for some mirror modifications to the control box and a different Air/Fuel mixer. He also advised me to upgrade the control box by adding a T.A.P Board. All of these modifications would sum to about US$350. Mr. Carter also informed me that I would need to buy a tank and suggested Manchester Tank.

At this point I told Mr. Marks that I would purchase his system. He ended the auction for the system on Ebay and sold it to me.

After obtaining the system from Mr. Marks I sent the control box to Technocarb for refurbishment and upgrading. On or about May 15th 2003 I received the new mixer and the upgraded control box. The total cost including shipping was US$357.45.

I decided to install a rebuilt engine and transmission to ensure that I'm starting with a clean slate. The engine and transmission operate flawlessly.

After the engine and transmission were complete I contacted Manchester Tank. They referred me to Propane Equipment Corporation of Tinton Falls, NJ. They had the correct tank in stock and sold it to me for the sum of US$150.00 on September 19th 2003.

I installed the system and to my surprise it did not function. I went thru the setup procedure from the manual so many times it almost destroyed my battery. I naturally called Mr. Carter for technical advice. He forwarded my call to Mr. Marvin Mckechnie. Mr. Mckechnie told me that I needed to purchase a 210 Digital Scan Tool in order to program the system properly. I ordered the Scan Tool from Northwest Alternative Fuels of Graham, WA for the sum of US$229 (Shipping included). The tool arrived on or about October 14th 2003.

I was now armed with the scan tool and tried again to run the setup procedure. The system still would not function properly. I call Technocarb again. This time I spoke to Mr. Victor Fe. We spent more than 45 minuets conversing about this problem. He recommended a new Oxygen Sensor. I bought one from a near by auto parts store for US$96.82.

The system still did not work. I again spoke to Mr. Carter. It was his belief that the system ground was not adequate. I reassured him that the ground was sufficient. He insisted that I install a new ground and make sure that it connects directly to the battery ground. I bought a spool of 12 gauge wire and ran a double ground as instructed with no improvement. The wire cost approximately US$12.00 at the near by Home Depot.

Of cause I called Technocarb and spoke to Mr. Fe again. He was under the impression that the stock Oxygen Sensor for my vehicle was not optimal for this application. He told be to try to install an Oxygen Sensor that has an internal heater. He believed that the Oxygen Sensor was cooling with time and sending an incorrect reading to the control box. I told him that this was hard to believe since the exhaust temperature in the manifold nears 1000 Fahrenheit. Never the less I took his advice and bought an additional 4 wire Oxygen Sensor (Heated). This item cost US$112.53. And STILL the SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK!

Mr. Carter told me that a professional installer needs to trouble shoot the system. He recommended Propane Equipment in Tinton Falls, NJ. I agreed to take the vehicle but asked Mr. Carter to send a new control box to Propane Equipment to aid in the trouble shooting process. He agreed.

I called Ray at Propane Equipment and got the earliest appointment which fell on November 7th 2003. Ray and his lead mechanic John work for over 5 hours and could not find the problem. They checked the installation and concluded it was sound. They did a wire by wire buzz out check and verified it was wired to the vehicle properly. They checked and concluded that the regulator is functioning properly. They also verified that the mixer was installed properly. Both Ray and John were lost for words and could not find a problem.

Now I want to make something very clear. The vehicle ran perfect on gasoline before this system was installed. It also ran perfect on gasoline after the system was installed. It would not run when switched to propane.

The last check was to install the new control box that Technocarb sent. After installing the new control box the vehicle would not run at all. IT WOULD NOT RUN ON GASOLINE OR PROPANE. Now this is a band new control box and it would not run at all. John and Ray suggested that I replace the interface connector to the control box. The diagnostic time cost US$119.25. Reminder the system still does not work.

After returning home I extracted every pin from the interface connecter and carefully installed it in the control box individually. I did this in order to ensure contact between all the pins in the interface to the control box. The system still did not work. This verified that the problem is not cased by a defective interface connector.

I call Technocarb again. Spoke to Mr. Carter again and informed him of the conclusions. The system has been investigated by your professional installer and still does not work. He hung up on me. Now that's one way to handle it, I thought to myself. I called back Technocarb and spoke to Brad Shelby. I informed Mr. Shelby of the issue and told him that its time Technocarb refunds my money. He told me that it was too late for that and that I was on my own. I reminded him that I've incorporated every modification that Technocarb recommend at my cost. I also brought the vehicle to a Technocarb authorized installer for trouble shooting at my cost. They also installed the new controller that evidently made the problem worse. I believe I've been more than patient deal with a system and support team that is substandard. I asked him to call Ray at Propane Equipment to corroborate my claim. Brad said that he would contact me after speaking to Ray. He still has not called back.

In summery:
I purchased a system upgrade from Technocarb for the sum of US$357.45
Per Technocarbs recommendations I also purchased other items to get the system working. I was never informed that I would have to buy additional items.
Tank: US$150.00
Scan Tool: US$229.00
Oxygen Sensor: US$96.82
Grounding Wire: US$12.00
Heated Oxygen Sensor: US$112.53
Diagnostic Time: US$119.25
Total: US$1077.05 for a system that DOES NOT FUNCTION!
With all that said, I'm sure its no wonder why legally Technocarb must grant a refund for US$357.45

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. You help resolving this issue is greatly appreciated.

John
Englishtown, New Jersey
U.S.A.