Sell up for a diesel or convert to Lpg?

[Fluffyhead69]

So I find myself in a bit of a pickle....

My pride and joy at the moment is an E38 740iL i have owned for just about a year. 2 months ago the auto box packed in so I took the decision to take it off the road and make a few upgrades. It's being converted to a 6 speed manual and having an e39 m5 lsd fitted along with better inlet manifold, exhaust, engine remap etc to give it some more kick. Should all be ready to go next month and I can't wait! Now for the tricky bit...
While the 7 has been off the road I have borrowed a mk 4 golf tdi. Now it's a terrible car compared to the 7 but jesus this thing just run on fresh air! £30 in diesel got me £250 miles. Now with the 7 getting about 20mpg average it's a big difference and got me thinking. When I got the car I was given a full lpg kit but never bothered to fit it. My question is should I fit it or look to sell up and get a similar diesel car? Maybe a merc e320 cdi, audi a8 etc. I love the 7 but having this golf has let me get out so much more than I did before without worrying about fuel costs.

[anonymous-user]

Gas it. That BMW V8 has no issues running on LPG as long as it's set up properly.

[MiggyA]

Sounds like you've just dropped a bunch of money on upgrading the 7 so surely it would be a waste to sell it now. No brainer IMO: fit the LPG since you already have the kit..

[rainmakerraw]

MiggyA said:

Sounds like you've just dropped a bunch of money on upgrading the 7 so surely it would be a waste to sell it now. No brainer IMO: fit the LPG since you already have the kit..

Lies... It'll ruin you OP. I'll give you £50 and a half-eaten packet of Harribo Tangfastics for it, so you don't have to worry about fuel consumption again. Being serious, what he said.

[Bill]

How many miles a year do you actually do?

Given the money you've spent on the 7 you'd be mad to sell up imo. But depending on mileage it may not be worth the faff of LPG. You should get better mpg with the manual box anyway.

[nottyash]

I don't think gas is worth the hassle. I've a friend with 2 of them and while it's cheap to run there are 3 main disadvantages.
1. It's modified so your insurance will increase.
2. It needs specialist servicing. Joe blogs under the arches can't sort any problems out.
3. Boot space or spare wheel?

[74merc]

It's a no-brainer, convert it!

1. It's already modified and any premium increase will be negligible.
2. An LPG service can easily be DIY'd for about £10. If the kit is setup properly there will be no additional maintenance.
3. There's plenty of boot space in an E38, so he could keep the spare wheel and get a big tank behind the cabin bulkhead.

[nottyash]

It added £100 premium to a Mitsubishi colt 1300.

Servicing is supposed to be carried out. By authorised dealers. Any problems and tour limited to the manufacturer of the kit, and there is loads.
It's really not worth the hassle. Just enjoy the car.

[anonymous-user]

I looked at lpg but found the TDI 130 engine a better option. LPG just seemed so hit and miss with application whereas the veritable reliable TDI engine .
I am doing 1500 miles a month and at 160k still runs sweetly albeit loudly.

Edited by The Spruce goose on Tuesday 23 August 14:51

[RobM77]

nottyash said:

I don't think gas is worth the hassle. I've a friend with 2 of them and while it's cheap to run there are 3 main disadvantages.
1. It's modified so your insurance will increase.
2. It needs specialist servicing. Joe blogs under the arches can't sort any problems out.
3. Boot space or spare wheel?

4. Eurotunnel won't allow you through:

https://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/site-information/lpg...

I can't stand ferries but love eurotrips, so this is a biggie for me.

5. The other thing is availability of LPG, which is obviously personal and depends how many stations you pass that sell it.

[Jim AK]

nottyash said:

I don't think gas is worth the hassle. I've a friend with 2 of them and while it's cheap to run there are 3 main disadvantages.
1. It's modified so your insurance will increase.
2. It needs specialist servicing. Joe blogs under the arches can't sort any problems out.
3. Boot space or spare wheel?

1 is rubbish. Had a V70 that I had converted & had no hike in my then Hire/Reward policy.

2 is part rubbish. It needed filters changing every 12\15000 miles, 1 hour, under £100 & the LPG guy kept telling me I could do it myself. I hate spanners!!

3 is semi valid but you can carry the spare or foam if just local.

Most important thing is to do your homework about who will fit it for you & consider a 'Flashlube' system too.

[andrewrob]

I had my E39 540 touring converted a couple of years ago, and previously had an LPG Peugeot 406 V6 for 7 years.
Wouldn't have mine any other way, running costs are about the same as my father in laws 2010 V6 diesel Jag XF
Most of the naysayers have never tried it, or know someone that had a dodgy install.
Availability is fine just check http://www.filllpg.co.uk/?page=lpg.php the only time I've ever not been able to get gas was 1am in france so I just put petrol in.

Have managed to cope without eurotunnel

ETA Zero increase in my insurance premium. Plus I save a whopping £10 in road tax per year

[RobM77]

andrewrob said:

Availability is fine just check http://www.filllpg.co.uk/?page=lpg.php the only time I've ever not been able to get gas was 1am in france so I just put petrol in.

Have managed to cope without eurotunnel

As I said above, both these things will depend on the person. Losing Eurotunnel is a complete non-starter for me; I've loved it since the day it opened and it would be a huge loss to me to not be able to use and have to go on a ferry instead (I get hugely sea sick and I absolutely hate boats, but I love euro road trips...).

Regarding availability, again it depends on the person and their location. I've checked that link and yes, there are quite a few stations around, but they're not that common - my daily commute to work for example is 36 miles each way through two counties and according to that link I only pass one station that sells LPG. That's ok for me, but you can quite easily imagine lots of connotations around the roads I drive on that would see plenty of people never passing a station at all. I know plenty of people who would have to make a special trip to get it - I just checked two friends on that map and they never go anywhere near anywhere that sells lpg.

I've no doubt it's great if the pros and cons work out, but it's certainly not as black and white as many people make out.

[andrewrob]

RobM77 said:

andrewrob said:

Availability is fine just check http://www.filllpg.co.uk/?page=lpg.php the only time I've ever not been able to get gas was 1am in france so I just put petrol in.

Have managed to cope without eurotunnel

As I said above, both these things will depend on the person. Losing Eurotunnel is a complete non-starter for me; I've loved it since the day it opened and it would be a huge loss to me to not be able to use and have to go on a ferry instead (I get hugely sea sick and I absolutely hate boats, but I love euro road trips...).

Regarding availability, again it depends on the person and their location. I've checked that link and yes, there are quite a few stations around, but they're not that common - my daily commute to work for example is 36 miles each way through two counties and according to that link I only pass one station that sells LPG. That's ok for me, but you can quite easily imagine lots of connotations around the roads I drive on that would see plenty of people never passing a station at all. I know plenty of people who would have to make a special trip to get it - I just checked two friends on that map and they never go anywhere near anywhere that sells lpg.

I've no doubt it's great if the pros and cons work out, but it's certainly not as black and white as many people make out.

I meant availability from the OPs point of view being in Cheshire there's a decent number to choose from.
I'm lucky enough not to get sea sick so loosing the tunnel doesn't bother me but can understand it being more of an issue for you with it.

Its certainly not black and white, but the same comments come out about insurance, a friend had one once etc always come out in these threads.
The key is finding a well recommended installer, making sure the mileage you do actually makes it worthwhile in terms of when you'll break even, and if the filling stations fit in with your routes.

[OldGermanHeaps]

My 740 on lpg was fantastic, couldn't fault it. The radiator hose split but thats a common fault on those without lpg.
Running costs of 45mpg.
If you want to get on eurotunnell just run the tank totally empty and pull the fuse, when they ask about the tank inform them the lpg system is faulty, decommissioned, and the tank is totally empty, they let you on.

[nottyash]

Jim AK said:

nottyash said:

I don't think gas is worth the hassle. I've a friend with 2 of them and while it's cheap to run there are 3 main disadvantages.
1. It's modified so your insurance will increase.
2. It needs specialist servicing. Joe blogs under the arches can't sort any problems out.
3. Boot space or spare wheel?

1 is rubbish. Had a V70 that I had converted & had no hike in my then Hire/Reward policy.

2 is part rubbish. It needed filters changing every 12\15000 miles, 1 hour, under £100 & the LPG guy kept telling me I could do it myself. I hate spanners!!

3 is semi valid but you can carry the spare or foam if just local.

Most important thing is to do your homework about who will fit it for you & consider a 'Flashlube' system too.

So how many of us have a hire/ reward policy? Admiral will put your insurance up 50%, which is crazy.
What are you on about, part rubbish? You have just endorsed what I said. Thats additional service costs.
Semi valid?
I have heard some total rubbish here.

[kurwa]

You can ''service'' it yourself, to service my lpg system it takes Under 10minutes, and the only tool I need is a screwdriver , there are 2 filters, one costs like £1 and the other was like £2.5 . so £3.5 cost , 10minutes of your precious time and that's all the ''service'' it needs..

Are you ''advanced'' enough to change air filter in your car? If so you can change the lpg filters as well..

Keep your car, those are great cars, and there are actually 2advantages for an lpg system.
1- way cheaper fuel costs
2-You don't need to have a Diesel car (ticking timebomb)

[DegsyE39]

Fluffyhead69 said:

So I find myself in a bit of a pickle....

My pride and joy at the moment is an E38 740iL i have owned for just about a year. 2 months ago the auto box packed in so I took the decision to take it off the road and make a few upgrades. It's being converted to a 6 speed manual and having an e39 m5 lsd fitted along with better inlet manifold, exhaust, engine remap etc to give it some more kick. Should all be ready to go next month and I can't wait! Now for the tricky bit...
While the 7 has been off the road I have borrowed a mk 4 golf tdi. Now it's a terrible car compared to the 7 but jesus this thing just run on fresh air! £30 in diesel got me £250 miles. Now with the 7 getting about 20mpg average it's a big difference and got me thinking. When I got the car I was given a full lpg kit but never bothered to fit it. My question is should I fit it or look to sell up and get a similar diesel car? Maybe a merc e320 cdi, audi a8 etc. I love the 7 but having this golf has let me get out so much more than I did before without worrying about fuel costs.

Why gas it? Lets face it price of scraps on its arse at the minute.. Just buy a cheap diesel hack for the price of the conversion!

Ive had an e38 and im running an e39 with the baby 3.5 v8.. So i know these feckers like a drink i dont use my e39 much 2000 a year if that, I always keep a couple of old cars handy for running about! Id do that!

And please oh please give us some pics of the e38 when its done. I miss mine terribly and im beyond jealous your almost at a transporter spec e38 if you think about it I sold mine for pennys due to a leaking fuel tank and rust.. Best looking car beemer made hands down!

Regards D.

Edited by DegsyE39 on Wednesday 24th August 02:11

[Jim AK]

nottyash said:

So how many of us have a hire/ reward policy? Admiral will put your insurance up 50%, which is crazy.
What are you on about, part rubbish? You have just endorsed what I said. Thats additional service costs.
Semi valid?
I have heard some total rubbish here.

A Hire/Reward policy is usually viewed by insurers as a licence to print & is not available through all providers & I made 100% sure I was not going to have an increase in costs. If Admiral choose to up a policy 50%, something I don't see as at all reasonable, then you move to another provider surely. I still have an LPG shed & pay no extra on that with esure.

Your second point is part rubbish because it is only filters every 12 to 15k & if you diy, as my installer kept suggesting, the cost/time sacrifice is minimal, you imply otherwise.

I'm assuming you are one of the posters here that is solely relying on anecdotal evidence ie rubbish!

Come back when you have run LPG for over 150k & have some first hand experience.

[anonymous-user]

Personally I would Gas it but then i'm biased,

We converted our Ls430 earlier this year and have covered around 12k without any issues,

Our insurance didn't increase at all, and we save a whopping 7 quid a year on road tax.

We regularly travel between the UK and Poland with a return trip costing around 100GBP (Not bad for a 4.3 litre barge) No loss of performance that I have noticed, LPG system needs servicing by an LPG installer/Specialist once a year,

From the outside there is absolutely no way whatsoever of telling that its running on LPG, fuel filler is hidden behind the petrol flap where you screw in the different endings for different countries. (UK/Dutch filler is a st design compared to the Italian/Polish filler)

I use the ferry as i don't like the idea of going in a huge tunnel under the sea + I like the ferry however if your LPG tank is drained and theres no evidence that the car is on LPG I can't see them checking when using the tunnel....

The only problem I have is that the range is pretty rubbish giving only 250 miles to a tank compared with 450 miles on a tank of petrol. The biggest tank we could fit in the spare wheel well was 62 litres with a filling capacity of 56/58 depending on ambient temps. (Petrol tank is 80 odd litres)

We had ours converted in Poland where LPG is very popular as people here are very tight! This however has the added benefit that they know what they are doing when it comes to gas. Install is very tidy and there really isn't much evidence that its there.

The V8 sounds amazing too compared to our previous diesels it replaced

Cost was around 8/900 GBP depending on forex rates at the time.