LPG...again
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Discussion

Upatdawn

Original Poster:

2,202 posts

172 months

Sunday 28th January 2018
quotequote all
With diesel pushing £1.30/ltr and doomed by way of demonisation (we are all doomed) im looking at a petrol car for my 30,000 miles a year and with LPG being half the price of petrol (though it uses more per mile) and with all the attached issues of reliabilty and valve oiling im still tempted..

only the big gas guzzlers seem to have it looking on Ebay


how much is a conversion, is a grant still available?

Bungleaio

6,560 posts

226 months

Sunday 28th January 2018
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Depending on the system and how many cylinders you have it's around £1000. I had my impreza converted in 2010/12 and it cost a little more than that. No grant available then but I don't know if the government have introduced since then.

Worked well but I think I would be looking hybrid electric now for high miles.

stevieturbo

17,972 posts

271 months

Sunday 28th January 2018
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I cant see any reason why a hybrid electric would be of any benefit at all for a high miler.

The only place the hybrid would....should...might...shine in terms of reducing fuel use would be in slow moving stop/go traffic.

If you're clocking up miles, it will almost always be running on normal fuel.

As for LPG, given it is cheaper and cleaner you'd think it should have gotten more government support and general support from other government type bodies. It just never has really.
But why push something cleaner when you tax the st out of everything else and make more money from it ? they want us to give them our money !

E-bmw

12,401 posts

176 months

Monday 29th January 2018
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I previously owned a 530i Sport which I had converted.

Conversion cost £1300 and afterwards I achieved a £ for £ equivalent to 54 mpg with no loss of performance, iy paid for itself in around 10 months & aside of having to think a little more before going on a long journey it was the best thing I could have done.

Afterwards I took the paperwork in to DVLA & received a discount on my tax, which was IIRC a disappointing £10/year.

HustleRussell

26,140 posts

184 months

Monday 29th January 2018
quotequote all
LPG systems aren't all created equal
It will take you longer to refuel and you'll probably have to travel further to do it
Your MPG on LPG will be lower and also LPG tanks can only be filled to IIRC 80%(?) of their actual capacity so unless you fit a mahoosive tank your range will be less than it is now. Of course you will still have petrol in the tank so you have to factor in some petrol use for startup / where LPG isn't immediately available
More forward planning is required for refuelling on LPG as filling stations are further between
Not allowed on the chunnel and some ferries?

E-bmw

12,401 posts

176 months

Monday 29th January 2018
quotequote all
HustleRussell said:
LPG systems aren't all created equal
It will take you longer to refuel and you'll probably have to travel further to do it
Your MPG on LPG will be lower and also LPG tanks can only be filled to IIRC 80%
Not allowed on the chunnel and some ferries?
1. Not necessarily (I know I am being pedantic) as they are at the same place if your closest garage does both.

2. 100% correct, my 80 l tank could only get around 70/72 litres in it.

3. I don't think ANY allow it, I always aimed to be at ferry terminal empty, never could figure out why as there are always caravans with 20/50/75 litres of gas on board on the ferry.

HustleRussell

26,140 posts

184 months

Monday 29th January 2018
quotequote all
E-bmw said:
HustleRussell said:
It will take you longer to refuel and you'll probably have to travel further to do it
1. Not necessarily (I know I am being pedantic) as they are at the same place if your closest garage does both.
I think you've answered your own query. My preferred filling station is less than a mile from home. The nearest with LPG is twice as far and not on a road I use regularly Not enough to put me off. However when I was considering an LPG conversion I observed that the LPG pump was often out of action- and the next most convenient was 6+ miles away. That and the channel crossing problem, and a couple of other factors conspired to keep me away from LPG.

wuckfitracing

991 posts

167 months

Monday 29th January 2018
quotequote all
I had my car converted 2 weeks ago. Cost was £1200. My partners car is also LPG. This is the 3rd car I have ran on LPG. I have ran LPG cars for about 8 years now. My Honda Accord is now doing the equiv of 62 MPG. Ive also timed my fill ups and theres not much in it time wise, its 3 minutes slower. Range wise Im getting 380 miles to a fill. I also still keep half a tank of petrol. Yes there are disadvantages, however I dont have any turbo issues, DPF issues, EGR valve issues.

Upatdawn

Original Poster:

2,202 posts

172 months

Tuesday 6th February 2018
quotequote all
I have 2 LPG garages within 2 miles (opposite each other on a dual carriageway) so thats 1 issues sorted


but where do i find a family saloon less than 5 years old........in white............with LPG...

E-bmw

12,401 posts

176 months

Tuesday 6th February 2018
quotequote all
That is the easy bit.

1. Buy ther car you want.

2. Get it converted.

3. Enjoy the benefit & smug feeling inside.

stevieturbo

17,972 posts

271 months

Tuesday 6th February 2018
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Upatdawn said:
I have 2 LPG garages within 2 miles (opposite each other on a dual carriageway) so thats 1 issues sorted


but where do i find a family saloon less than 5 years old........in white............with LPG...
you search...and search.

to be fair, ebay is as handy a place to look as any, and gumtree.
Although at sub 5 years old, owners may well prefer to pay Autotrader etc too to advertise.

markiii

4,216 posts

218 months

Tuesday 6th February 2018
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I simply kept searching lpg on ebay until something that took my fancy came along

there a a couple of lpg station finder apps that are worth keeping on the phone

Jammez

703 posts

231 months

Tuesday 6th February 2018
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140,000 on LPG here no problems at all with the system although you do hear some horror stories so do your research on installers. If you're in the Midlands I recommend Hilton Autogas.

I'm in Scotland now and places to fill up do seem to be disappearing so the choice is shrinking & the price is climbing.

Do some research on the car you choose too as some engines respond better to conversions than others - my Range Rover with BMW 4.4 V8 has been faultless yet FIL has a supercharged one with the 4.2 Jag engine which has been a bit more hassle.

I'm hearing that direct injection stuff isn't ideal either as the higher temps damage the petrol injectors.



Upatdawn

Original Poster:

2,202 posts

172 months

Friday 9th February 2018
quotequote all
Valve oiling is essential i read?

stevieturbo

17,972 posts

271 months

Friday 9th February 2018
quotequote all
Probably depends on the engine and how many miles you intend on LPG vs petrol.

But it does seem that valve lubrication can be an issue which is why there are systems that are supposed to do that

Upatdawn

Original Poster:

2,202 posts

172 months

Friday 9th February 2018
quotequote all
hardly any lpg cars for sale that arent 4x4 or V8......

stevieturbo

17,972 posts

271 months

Friday 9th February 2018
quotequote all
Upatdawn said:
hardly any lpg cars for sale that arent 4x4 or V8......
Well if you're going to do it...may as well own something cool at the same time.


Upatdawn

Original Poster:

2,202 posts

172 months

Monday 12th February 2018
quotequote all
stevieturbo said:
Well if you're going to do it...may as well own something cool at the same time.
more a case of..........."i want the badass V8 but i cant afford to run it?"