LPG Conversions - Pros and Cons

[Roland Seber]

Do any members have any experience of LPG conversions and any advice or guidance to give. My car is a 1984 200T, Many thanks..........Roland Seber

 

[simon]

LPG Conversions

Hi Roland.
I looked into this when I was considering a Subaru Legacy. Average conversion cost is about 1500  pounds stirling. The Powershift Register will refund up to 900 pounds for any car up to 5 years old.
It is a fast growing area of expansion & there are a vast number of little firms jumping on the wagon, many with no experience but happy to use your vehicle as a trial installation! Always check how long they have been doing the job & how many conversions to their credit.
The problem was, that there were only a small number
of "Filling Stations" in the UK.That problem is now being addressed with there currently being 900 with more coming on stream almost on a daily basis.
I have spoken to & heard from a number of medium term users who are generally very happy.
Obvious detriments are the gas tanks taking up space in the car.The smaller size (donut) sits in the spare wheel bay but the larger cylindrical tank can be a problem. Also there is the contentious subject of explosion in the event of a crash-especially rear end.
I would not have expected many of your models have been converted & it does take some while to defray the installation charge & get into profit.There is always the danger that current price/taxation will increase once it becomes popular.
My final opinion was that it would be economical only to buy a car with the installation already embodied or buy a new car

regards
Ernest

 

[Neil Eglintine]

LPG Conversions

We have covered this before in this forum, but I must correct a couple of Ernest's points.
PowerShift grants are only available for cars under 1 year old. Details on www.est-powershift.co.uk

LPG tanks are very safe indeed, especially compared with a normal petrol tank. As an illustration, one of our LPG vans was parked next to another vehicle that caught fire. Our van was severely damaged in the area of the LPG tank but the tank remained intact and complete with its contents. The van was a write off. There have been a number of road accidents with LPG vehicles and there is no recorded accident in the UK where the gas installation has been identified as having exploded.

We run a fleet of about 50 LPG vehicles and while we have had some problems with them, these have now been resolved (traced to a modified petrol pump being used to pump liquid LPG). The reliability and running characteristics are excellent.

 

[simon]

LPG Conversions

Hi Neil,
         The government has changed the applicability to 5 years,this week, according to the BBC.
Fair comment regarding your experience but the risk remains,as my insurance company advised me.

regards
Ernest.

 

[Anonymous]

LPG Conversions

I converted my 190E (M102 engine) about 18 months ago.  Took me two days (working slowly with lots of tea breaks!).  I got it commissioned and certificated for £25.
You need a good workshop (I have a pit and generally very good facilities) and a bit of experience and engineering 'nous'.

The kit of parts cost about £550.  It has run perfectly from day one - LPG and petrol operation are indistinguishable from one another.
A 'professional' conversion runs to about £1000 - £1200.

Eric