Anyone converted an E39 530 sport to LPG??
Discussion
Im contemplating relocating and having to do lots of city commuter miles plus lots of motorway miles, I dont want to get rid of the 530 as its such a great car but dont want to spend all my salary running it either. Has anyone had theirs converted to LPG, what did it cost and is it worth it? The cars a 2000 model with 80k on the clock so has plenty of life left!
Thanks
Jez
Thanks
Jez
I'd be interested to see replies on this. I came close to getting LPG fitted to my 03 330 sport, but was put off when an LPG fitter said it'll make the car run like crap, need constant adjustment, and he makes more money removing systems than fitting them.
I think the real reason I opted against is because I like the car standard without holes drilled here and there, but I'm still tempted, while paying £65 a week on petrol.
I think the real reason I opted against is because I like the car standard without holes drilled here and there, but I'm still tempted, while paying £65 a week on petrol.
Edited by tom g on Wednesday 15th October 13:10
The systems now are virtually the same as petrol, certainly better for your car than petrol.
Have a look on thealpinaregister.com as someone has just done his B3 3.3 with great results.
Think I am going to do our E320 etsate, someone is offering fully fitted system for £1399, I do 25k miles a year in that so it will pay for itself in around 7 months.
Have a look on thealpinaregister.com as someone has just done his B3 3.3 with great results.
Think I am going to do our E320 etsate, someone is offering fully fitted system for £1399, I do 25k miles a year in that so it will pay for itself in around 7 months.
Edited by gizlaroc on Wednesday 15th October 13:18
gizlaroc said:
paoloh said:
If you have a 530 Sport, you enjoy driving. If you are worried about MPG, buy a cheap diesel and keep the BMW as God intended.
Nice balanced, sweet sounding 530i doing 350 miles for £35 or a heavy rough sounding 530d doing 400 miles for £70?? Hmmm, tricky one!! Keep 530 sport as it is, enjoy at weekends. LPG will devalue the car ( trust me ) have a go at PXing somewhere, they will laugh at you.
Buy a VX Diesel ( example ) for say £1000 ( less than LPG conversion ) and crucify that on your daily hack.
gizlaroc said:
WOW that is a seriously good install and not far from me, if only I had known about that a year ago. I for one am very tempted. paoloh said:
gizlaroc said:
paoloh said:
If you have a 530 Sport, you enjoy driving. If you are worried about MPG, buy a cheap diesel and keep the BMW as God intended.
Nice balanced, sweet sounding 530i doing 350 miles for £35 or a heavy rough sounding 530d doing 400 miles for £70?? Hmmm, tricky one!! Keep 530 sport as it is, enjoy at weekends. LPG will devalue the car ( trust me ) have a go at PXing somewhere, they will laugh at you.
Buy a VX Diesel ( example ) for say £1000 ( less than LPG conversion ) and crucify that on your daily hack.
Having seen the sympathetic install referenced above, which allows petrol fun at cheaper-than-diesel running costs, plus super-long range, then why not?
tom g said:
paoloh said:
gizlaroc said:
paoloh said:
If you have a 530 Sport, you enjoy driving. If you are worried about MPG, buy a cheap diesel and keep the BMW as God intended.
Nice balanced, sweet sounding 530i doing 350 miles for £35 or a heavy rough sounding 530d doing 400 miles for £70?? Hmmm, tricky one!! Keep 530 sport as it is, enjoy at weekends. LPG will devalue the car ( trust me ) have a go at PXing somewhere, they will laugh at you.
Buy a VX Diesel ( example ) for say £1000 ( less than LPG conversion ) and crucify that on your daily hack.
Having seen the sympathetic install referenced above, which allows petrol fun at cheaper-than-diesel running costs, plus super-long range, then why not?
king hate people who ask for advice and then say, no you are wrong!!You will screw the value of your car over massively but what do I know? I only buy and sell cars FFS.
paoloh said:
tom g said:
paoloh said:
gizlaroc said:
paoloh said:
If you have a 530 Sport, you enjoy driving. If you are worried about MPG, buy a cheap diesel and keep the BMW as God intended.
Nice balanced, sweet sounding 530i doing 350 miles for £35 or a heavy rough sounding 530d doing 400 miles for £70?? Hmmm, tricky one!! Keep 530 sport as it is, enjoy at weekends. LPG will devalue the car ( trust me ) have a go at PXing somewhere, they will laugh at you.
Buy a VX Diesel ( example ) for say £1000 ( less than LPG conversion ) and crucify that on your daily hack.
Having seen the sympathetic install referenced above, which allows petrol fun at cheaper-than-diesel running costs, plus super-long range, then why not?
king hate people who ask for advice and then say, no you are wrong!!You will screw the value of your car over massively but what do I know? I only buy and sell cars FFS.
"Has anyone had theirs converted to LPG, what did it cost and is it worth it?"
Not
"Do you think I should spend my time driving a crap diesel"?
But if what you say is true, then maybe its best to sell up and buy one pre-converted for a profit.
Edit: Unsurprisingly, it seems not to be the case; all the 3series on autotrader with LPG have around a 1k premium - understandable.
Edited by tom g on Wednesday 15th October 15:11
gizlaroc said:
The systems now are virtually the same as petrol, certainly better for your car than petrol.
Have a look on thealpinaregister.com as someone has just done his B3 3.3 with great results.
Think I am going to do our E320 etsate, someone is offering fully fitted system for £1399, I do 25k miles a year in that so it will pay for itself in around 7 months.
Can I ask where you got that quote from?Have a look on thealpinaregister.com as someone has just done his B3 3.3 with great results.
Think I am going to do our E320 etsate, someone is offering fully fitted system for £1399, I do 25k miles a year in that so it will pay for itself in around 7 months.
Edited by gizlaroc on Wednesday 15th October 13:18
You can get sub 100k milers for under £5k now Top pup said:
Every LPG car I've had any experience with has burnt the valves out eventually...
You can use install flashlube systems to prevent this, this is recommended on most French cars. However, BMW's are great candidates as since the 70's they have used hardened valves - hence why even the early models ran fine on the change over to unleaded petrol. My brother runs his E30 on LPG and has had the head off lots of times (experimenting with cams) and there is no sign of increased wear.I am running LPG on my 328 and am very happy with it. Whilst it may decrease the cars value to some, others will be willing to pay more!
My only complaints are to do with how closed the dealer networks are, as well as the limited tank range you get from a toroidal tank fitted in the spare wheel well. At least LPG is available at many motorway service stations.
I'd much rather run a large engined LPG BMW rather than a diesel.
Edited by 1ians on Wednesday 15th October 20:32
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