Clip4
Touchdown! Greaser!
What prices are you folks seeing to install a JPI 930?
Prices JPI 930
- Thread starter Clip4
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We are on the lower end of that range, depending on the condition of your panel. We install JPI's, Dynon's, and Garmin's.
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Side question: Which is your recommended between these three?
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2025
- Messages
- 67
- Location
- South Bay, California
- Display Name
- The Plane Salon - Paint, Interiors and Avionics
- Home Airfield
- KCPM
Sorry for the long reply I’m advance. I am super biased towards ANY engine monitoring. The right answer is ANY multi sensor / EGT/CHT/Fuel Flow/Temps and Pressures integrated engine monitor for me. I have George Braly/John Deakin and Walter sitting on my shoulder whispering in my ear. Also, don’t put it off.
25 years ago, a mechanic only had tightened my spark plugs and left my MP attachment loose prior to a long trip and not discovered until after the checkout flight / flying from LA to Chicago in a Mooney. Had to land after a couple of hours and it wasn’t pretty.
Another time, we had an impending cylinder valve issue in a 337.
A flight a few years back had a massive baffle problem that was cooking the cylinders on a 150. Had to land it after a few minutes.
Lastly, I am a crash survivor as a passenger in a Comanche - and an engine monitor identifies fuel flow issues and other items obviously picked up immediately on an aircraft that’s about to refuse to fly that can bring you to an uncomfortable medical place for months as it did me. To say that an engine monitor is an essential piece of kit for me is an understatement - and don’t get me started on how few helicopters have engine monitors.
Preference/ Usability / religious debate question and answer. Many like JPI’s functions when you nerd out. Others like everything looking the “Garmin same.” Some like how data is presented versus others hating it. Others like to plan it out over time based on finances. But wait - what about cutting the panel? $$$
As a vendor, it’s easy to take a deal off the street - as a long term pilot, the conscience kicks in- what’s best for a customer ? But again, don’t put it off…
To me, it’s a question of good money after bad.
For instance, why spend 7k on hardware plus services costs on G5s when what you really want is a glass panel? Someone like the esthetics of dual G5s next to a GI275 EIS and then they think it’s a constant reminder they should have gone 275’s. Or why spend $7-9k on a JPI when a full blown Dynon starts at $11k and engine monitoring is only $2800-$3300 more with them versus $9k, and you get full blown adahrs, HSI, and a backup attitude AI with a backup battery in the system? Will you be installing an autopilot in the future? Does the glass panel manufacturer support an integrated autopilot for your aircraft? What about logging features? How about redundancy? Many JPIs installed alongside G3x’s versus full integration on a single data bus. What they REALLY wanted was a G500…so on and so on.
Some manufacturers program the unit, and at times they have a looooong wait. (EI/JPI after Sun & Fun/Oshkosh) versus the installer programming the unit (Garmin). Others require you to source parts not included in the kit, and as an installer, that’s not easy- the customer doesn’t always appreciate the uplift from the quoted price on the unit. Will the unit replace your primaries, or is it just advisory? Some shops only install Garmin. We install it all.
Your mileage varies, and that’s where we do our best to read your mind and put on our consultative hat and help. This also doesn’t cover the amount of cleanup a shop has to do based on other sins committed previously by other shops putting band aids on broken factory gauges and leaving carnage along the way.
Hope that was a little helpful - perhaps the wiser Aviation Consumer lads can help on this one as well. I’ll take a little 25 year old yellow bar JPI any day over nothing at all.
25 years ago, a mechanic only had tightened my spark plugs and left my MP attachment loose prior to a long trip and not discovered until after the checkout flight / flying from LA to Chicago in a Mooney. Had to land after a couple of hours and it wasn’t pretty.
Another time, we had an impending cylinder valve issue in a 337.
A flight a few years back had a massive baffle problem that was cooking the cylinders on a 150. Had to land it after a few minutes.
Lastly, I am a crash survivor as a passenger in a Comanche - and an engine monitor identifies fuel flow issues and other items obviously picked up immediately on an aircraft that’s about to refuse to fly that can bring you to an uncomfortable medical place for months as it did me. To say that an engine monitor is an essential piece of kit for me is an understatement - and don’t get me started on how few helicopters have engine monitors.
Preference/ Usability / religious debate question and answer. Many like JPI’s functions when you nerd out. Others like everything looking the “Garmin same.” Some like how data is presented versus others hating it. Others like to plan it out over time based on finances. But wait - what about cutting the panel? $$$
As a vendor, it’s easy to take a deal off the street - as a long term pilot, the conscience kicks in- what’s best for a customer ? But again, don’t put it off…
To me, it’s a question of good money after bad.
For instance, why spend 7k on hardware plus services costs on G5s when what you really want is a glass panel? Someone like the esthetics of dual G5s next to a GI275 EIS and then they think it’s a constant reminder they should have gone 275’s. Or why spend $7-9k on a JPI when a full blown Dynon starts at $11k and engine monitoring is only $2800-$3300 more with them versus $9k, and you get full blown adahrs, HSI, and a backup attitude AI with a backup battery in the system? Will you be installing an autopilot in the future? Does the glass panel manufacturer support an integrated autopilot for your aircraft? What about logging features? How about redundancy? Many JPIs installed alongside G3x’s versus full integration on a single data bus. What they REALLY wanted was a G500…so on and so on.
Some manufacturers program the unit, and at times they have a looooong wait. (EI/JPI after Sun & Fun/Oshkosh) versus the installer programming the unit (Garmin). Others require you to source parts not included in the kit, and as an installer, that’s not easy- the customer doesn’t always appreciate the uplift from the quoted price on the unit. Will the unit replace your primaries, or is it just advisory? Some shops only install Garmin. We install it all.
Your mileage varies, and that’s where we do our best to read your mind and put on our consultative hat and help. This also doesn’t cover the amount of cleanup a shop has to do based on other sins committed previously by other shops putting band aids on broken factory gauges and leaving carnage along the way.
Hope that was a little helpful - perhaps the wiser Aviation Consumer lads can help on this one as well. I’ll take a little 25 year old yellow bar JPI any day over nothing at all.
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2019
- Messages
- 8,855
- Location
- Atlanta / Marietta
- Display Name
- Vintage Snazzy (so my adult children say)
- Home Airfield
- KPUJ
Let me ask a more specific question.
Which one in your opinion is the most intuitive to use?
Which one in your opinion is the most reliable?
Which one in your opinion is the most intuitive to use?
Which one in your opinion is the most reliable?
Clip4
Touchdown! Greaser!
The JPI900 is in use at my flight school with a fleet of about 30 aircraft averaging >1000 hours a year each. Reliability is very good and I have never experienced even a failure of an EGT probe. I would not expect the average owner flying <100 a year to ever have a failure of the display.
As far as intuitive, you are going to have to read the manual and learn the inputs. I don’t find it to be intuitive, but, I think all aviation software today isn’t intuitive especially considering the price.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2019
- Messages
- 8,855
- Location
- Atlanta / Marietta
- Display Name
- Vintage Snazzy (so my adult children say)
- Home Airfield
- KPUJ
Nice PIREP - thanks.