tomleatel Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I have been looking into converting my BMW tourer to LPG and am slightly concerned about the reports I hear. At present on my current mileage I have worked out that based on the actual conversion costing. About £1100 I will make my money back in about 18 months. My question is; Is LPG as good as it sounds? And will it reck my engine after 30 - 40000 miles like I read elswhere? Cheers Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyr8 Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 the problem with lpg is there are no lubricants in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostWomble Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I have petrol 3ltr Shogun Sport I had converted to LPG earlier in the year. It cost me about £2000 and should take about 18/24 months to recoup the outlay. On petrol I could on average get 250 mles per tank and on LPG about 200 miles. To fill up on petrol is about £60 and on LPG £25 I used to cost £50 to get to work but now it's £20. There is a slight loss in performance but I don't really notice it much. Make sure they add a lube kit, even if they say you don't need one (to save install costs). Without the extra lube (or lubricants in the fuel) it will wreck the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomleatel Posted August 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 What is the lub for. The valves? Soryy may sound silly but u have to ask Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I have petrol 3ltr Shogun Sport I had converted to LPG earlier in the year. It cost me about £2000 and should take about 18/24 months to recoup the outlay. On petrol I could on average get 250 mles per tank and on LPG about 200 miles. To fill up on petrol is about £60 and on LPG £25 I used to cost £50 to get to work but now it's £20. There is a slight loss in performance but I don't really notice it much. Make sure they add a lube kit, even if they say you don't need one (to save install costs). Without the extra lube (or lubricants in the fuel) it will wreck the engine. by my crude reckoning you'll require about 17,500 miles before you break even on those costings, so after that you start saving assuming you don't either write off the vehicle or sell it etc. To the OP I'd not bother on an oldish vehicle, I've a fleet of vans with a few running on LPG and the only time its worth it is if you're in and out of the London congestion charge zone each day. The up front costs are high and you do need to do a lot of miles to see a return, add to that engine / gas issues and extra servicing for the gas kit etc and the benefits start getting less. You do get a marked loss of performance and I've got Astra 1.7 vans doing 25mpg on gas which isn't great. Webber is the man to send off a pm to as he installs the kits and they may have improved but theres a reason gas hasn't taken off and that no manufacturer sells gas conversions from the factory any more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostWomble Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 The lube is for the upper engine parts that would normally be lubricated by the oils in the fuel but are absent in gas. I do 8k miles per year just to get to work and probably another 4k+ for leisure so I will get the benefit by sometime next year. LPG is not for everyone but it works for me. Do your sums and talk to serveral fitters to see what sounds best to you before you make any decisions or part with cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McF Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 Tom Webber is the man you need to talk to he,s in the buisness of LPG conversions and his son is one of the best in the country and wont fit **** conversion kits like some, its usually those that have had the **** ones fitted that have the problems. Heres a link to their website, have a read. http://www.northwestgases.com/auto_gas_conv.html Webber is on holiday untill next Monday but if you send him a PM he will be sure to get intouch with you. Mcf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 Sorry totally off, but is it possible to remove an lpg conversion?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 you can just leave it in place and not use it if thats an option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J@mes Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 Not really, just buy a diesel. Lad at work had (before it caught fire) a Range Rover Classic 3.9 with LPG and he did about 12MPG in it at 52p/ litre. My dirty derv disco does 30MPG for £1.01/ Litre so unless you really need to have a petrol vehicle or the performance of a V8 then its not really worth it when the outlay to have a decent installation is around £2K! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostWomble Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 Sorry totally off, but is it possible to remove an lpg conversion?? You can just start using petrol again but if it was fitted properly the engine would have been retuned to run on gas so this would need attention. If I run out of gas I get about 10 miles before the emission warning light comes on. It will run OK like this but would fail an MOT with ease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 Its just that we have on old gased up rangerover in my shed and in the future I want to tray back it and use it off road and trailier it about, basicly I want to make an off roader. sorry for deviating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boromir Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 This has got me interested in converting my car now,Ill pm Webber for a price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Shaw Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I bought my wife an LPG astra 1.6 new in 03, so far no major problems, it does about 33 mpg on gas and now has over 100,000 on the clock.Its always used oil (I guess to lube the top end) but hardly noticed any performance diferance.it does now revert to petrol if driven at 70 for long spell's (over 30 miles)and needs to be turned of before it will resume on gas. I have noticed there a few less gas stations over the last few years,but overall we are very happy with it and would recomend LPG. Mick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomleatel Posted August 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I just dont know what to do for the best. My BMW has 79000 on the clock. For the extra money i can get a diesel BMW with 130000 miles, but that to me is a big jump from what i have now. Plus my car is in fantastic condition, and all the similar cars i have seen so far have loads of dents and scuffs.... LPG is a very attractive option. Servicing does not seem to expensive, and the guy i think i would go to do it offers 3 years parts warranty, and 2 years labour, which i think is quite good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chandelierman Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I bought a 4.4 range rover last year,as soon as i bought it i put £50 worth of petrol in it and the fuel computer said 200 mile range .....RESULT THOUGHT I 10 miles down the road with my foot on the floor the 200 turned into 150 so i booked it straight in for a LPG conversion with Tasso autogas in Fulham,during the time before i had it converted i went out and actually saw 7MPG on the fuel computer.....to cut an even longer story short....... when you convert to LPG the car actually does less to the gallon but the LPG is less than half the price of petrol,make sure you get the biggest tank possible as you will lose upto 25% due to expansion,i have a 90ltr tank fitted and i don't think i ever got more than 70ltrs in it,i never got more than 135 miles on a full tank of LPG,in the end it was too much aggro filling it up every week so i sold it.........filling up with LPG is so slow,it take ages to fill right up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomleatel Posted August 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I heard it can take upto 15 minutes to fill one of the bigger tanks. I was thinking if a 72 litre tank into where the spare wheel sits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyoftheboy Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I heard it can take upto 15 minutes to fill one of the bigger tanks. I was thinking if a 72 litre tank into where the spare wheel sits Terry I had an LPG L200 back in 2000-2002..... have to say, loved the price of fuel, hated the pain in the **** to try & find an LPG station.... the real fiddle it was to fill up & attach hose/take longer to fill/etc... got to say, I wouldn't.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chandelierman Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I heard it can take upto 15 minutes to fill one of the bigger tanks. I was thinking if a 72 litre tank into where the spare wheel sits With my 90ltr tank it took about 3 1/2 minutes to fill to the top ( 3 1/2 mins it don't seem long but 4 0r 5 cars would fill up in the same time - you can't overfill on LPG so its just hold the trigger untill it stops ) with a 72ltr tank you would be lucky to get 55ltrs in it....it will be a chore filling that size tank,no doubt something you will get pis sed off with very quickly.personally i'd say a 90ltr tank is the minimum you should fit,anything smaller would be a waste of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 I just dont know what to do for the best. My BMW has 79000 on the clock. For the extra money i can get a diesel BMW with 130000 miles, but that to me is a big jump from what i have now. Plus my car is in fantastic condition, and all the similar cars i have seen so far have loads of dents and scuffs.... LPG is a very attractive option. Servicing does not seem to expensive, and the guy i think i would go to do it offers 3 years parts warranty, and 2 years labour, which i think is quite good... don't do it on a car of that age it simply isn't worthwhile, I'd predict you would have to drive it till 100K to even break even only then do you start saving money. So to save another 2K you would have to keep it to 120K miles with the initial outlay up front its really not worthwhile. Talk to a few more people who have had gas converted cars and most end up selling them on as they aren't the same to drive and it is such a faff looking for gas stations. Then you run out and run on petrol which increases the payback period even more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr W Posted August 11, 2009 Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 My experience of LPG has only been good. I had a 3.9 v8 Range Rover Classic with an old single point system fitted in 2003 with 2 x 36l torpedo tanks down the sides. It would do around 18 mpg on a run up the motorway keeping at around 65-70mph. I could fit around 70l in my tanks (how much you can get in depends on temp outside). Yes there is a loss of power but in a big wagon it's not that noticable. I've now changed to diese P38 and to be honest it's under powered and I miss a v8, I'll propbably sell this one and buy another but with a decent multi point system already fitted. Not sure I'd fit one myself but there isn't much of a premium on one with lpg already fitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomleatel Posted August 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 Thanks everyone for the feedback. I think on this occasion i am going steer clear of LPG, and invest the money into another tourer but Diesel. I was looking at an LPG forum, and everyone seems to be moaning about it, and in particular a local garge to me that i had ear marked to do the conversion. So back to the drawing board and looking through autotrader and flea bay for another car. If anyone has a BMW 320d Tourer for sale then let me know lol Thanks again everyone for the feedback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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