LPG- What to look for?

[Deleted member 37751]

Being a disciple of diesel, I haven't had much to do with LPG.
What with me looking for a 4x4, I have come across a few petrols with the LPG conversion and wanted to know what to look out for and what questions I should be asking

 

[ringway]

In the early years, some of the LPG conversions were makeshift. I remember looking at the idea for my 3.0ltr Omega.

I'm sure these days that most outfits will get the conversion spot on.

One thing to consider is that although LPG is cheaper per litre, it does burn at a faster rate (approx twice the rate of unleaded fuel IIRC?).

Also, I think that there may well be the introduction of tax looming for LPG.

 

[tpwuk]

I used to own a L322 Range Rover 4.4 V8 which had been converted to LPG. It was a Multipoint Zavoli system which was very good. Make sure the system fitted is of the multipoint variety. Prins and Zavoli are good makes. An LPG certificate is essential as it will mean you can get a reduction on your Road Tax and Congestion Fee's in London.

Most systems have a "doughnut" LPG tank in the spare wheels well, so bear this in mind as you probably won't be able to carry a spare wheel around.

The LPG filler on my Rangie was located under the rear bumper on the tow bar mounts. This was much neater and in my opinion much better than cutting holes in the bodywork.

My overall experience of LPG was a good one and would recommend it.

 

[Bellow]

This question was asked recently on another forum.

Here >> LPG - any experience - smartmaniacs

Don't know if it will be of use, but at least it will serve as a reminder that there are squabbles on other fora too!!!

 

[Rayny]

Not the biggest of your concerns, but check for insurance quotes.
Some underwriters will not cover LPG conversions and you may have to change your insurer.

 

[tpwuk]

^I received a 20% discount from More Than for my car insurance when I told them about the LPG conversion!

 

[ss201]

I've run my W201 2.6 on LPG for the last three years and 60k miles. Cost £1k for a professional install - single point can only be fitted on cars with the KE-Jetronic injection. Has saved me thousands in fuel costs - paid for the car, in fact.



Re fuel increases: see below.



Budget 2009 - Greater support for Autogas - 23rd April 2009
Latest News
The Chancellor has extended the time horizon for support for LPG/Autogas on duty from 3 years to 5. It is hoped that this extra period of certainty will bolster the LPG conversion industry in the same way that it has in Germany. Germany is now converting cars at the rate of over 100,000 per year and is on course for their target of 1 million LPG vehicles by 2015.
This announcement essentially reassures prospective buyers of LPG cars or conversions that the fuel will remain half the price of petrol or diesel until at least March 2014 and significantly strengthens the argument for switching to this environmentally friendly clean burning fuel. From September 2009 duty on petrol and diesel will be 56.19p per litre whilst duty on LPG will be 13.84p per litre.

 

[74merc]

Have you checked the availability of LPG in your local area? Bear in mind that unless you have a huge tank, your range is going to be lower, and you will be filling up more frequently.

 

[ss201]

Have you checked the availability of LPG in your local area? Bear in mind that unless you have a huge tank, your range is going to be lower, and you will be filling up more frequently.

That's a fair point. I have two local garages that supply LPG + I purchased a booklet listing all LPG outlets in the UK. In two years of running up and down the country, I only once failed to find an LPG outlet within reasonable distance of my location. On this occasion I simply put in sufficient petrol to get me to the next one - a small price to pay really for the massive savings overall. It did irk somewhat having to pay twice the normal price per gallon though!

Re tank size, yes, it can be a bit of a pain on occasions, having to fill up more frequently, but with a bit of advance planning it has rarely caused me any significant problems. With a 60 litre spare wheel well mounted doughnut tank, with a usable capacity of 48 litres, this is usually good for around 250 miles on a tankful. On a long run, I get the equivalent of 55-60 mpg, around town 45-50. Very acceptable for a 21 year old six cylinder engine car with nearly 200k miles on.

Prior to the install, I calculated that it would take around 15k miles to recoup the initial installation outlay. As I was covering 25k miles per year on business, I considered it a good investment. I no longer do the high miles, but still get the savings. No contest, really!

 

[grober]

I recall LPG fuelled cars are not permitted in the channel tunnel if you are a "cross channel commuter" like quite a few folks nowadays.

 

[kps70]

I run my s500 1993 on LPG. I ran it down to Bulgaria this year and saved a whopping £600 for the whole trip, half the cost of the (multipoint) conversion! It won;t be long now before it has paid for itself.

 

[Cardiff_Exile]

I've had a few LPG'd cars (Jags) over the years and recently had my W208 CLK 320 converted.

Personally I would recommend buying a non converted car and getting the job done yourself. You then have a warrantee etc as they can be a nightmare when the go wrong and the original installation was not yours (so many systems / options etc)

i used http://www.professautogas.co.uk/ and was happy with the job. It took one day and cost me £1000 total.

At the other end of the scale I recommend http://www.go-lpg.co.uk/ but the cost will be double as the kits they use are 'better'.

The kit that profess use is not popular in the UK however they offer a 3 year warrantee - you pays your money you takes your chance.

Neil

 

[adam1977]

Being a disciple of diesel, I haven't had much to do with LPG.
What with me looking for a 4x4, I have come across a few petrols with the LPG conversion and wanted to know what to look out for and what questions I should be asking

Try: LPG Discussion Forum • Index page there might be members on there in your area that can recommend an installer

 

[zaphod_b]

Make sure you get the lead and the sofware so you can set whatever system is fitted up. Should you ever need to have any changes done this will make life much easier, as said before there are many systems and if you local LPG mechanic does not have both of these then you will be stuck searching for one that has, unless you happen to have it. Most of the leads are available on a certain auction site, the spoftware can normally be found on a free download