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Saveman
15-Aug-06, 11:00
Anyone know anything about this? Do any local garages perform the conversion? How much does it cost? Is it worth it? Are the rumours of getting a grant for converting true?

Any thoughts appreciated.

MadPict
15-Aug-06, 11:40
You used to get a grant but it had some pretty strict proviso's (age of car and make [had to be approved]). Just found the answer to this point...

Question
Are grants available for LPG vehicles?

Answer
No. Grants for LPG vehicles ended in March 2005. It is unlikely that they will be reintroduced in the foreseeable future :(

I have had a couple of friends who had their cars converted (a Hyundai and a Espace) - the cost was about £1800 3 years ago (if I recall). While one had no trouble the other (Espace) had no end of problems (even an engine fire)....

It really depends on your annual mileage - do you do enough to get your money back?

My car if converted (doing 10k a year) -



Cost of Conversion £1,650.00 + VAT
Net Cost of Conversion £1,938.75 inc VAT
Petrol Spend PA £1,303.92 per year
LPG Spend PA £701.56 per year
Saving PA £602.36 per year
Return on Investment 31%
CO2 Saving 0.61 Tonnes

So I would only get my money back after 3 years. Doubt if I'd keep the car that long...

Get a rough idea of your costs here - http://www.greenfuel.org.uk/

Naefearjustbeer
15-Aug-06, 11:42
My brother put his down to a garage in the muir of ord/dingwall area to get done. I will ask him for the name of it for you. I dont think he got a grant for it. However he did say the price was good compared to a lot of other places that are further afield. I am sure it is costing him £1800 to get a V8 converted. Ie 8 injectors rather than 4 for most cars. I also think you can get a single point injection autogas conversion, cheaper but not so good.

saxovtr
15-Aug-06, 11:46
inject with nitrous oxide you get sum nice power gains:lol:

Lolabelle
15-Aug-06, 13:01
We had one done years ago (in australia) and it wouldn't run smoothly on both. If it was good on LPG it was rough as when on petrol. But I have heard that it is a lot better now. Dave, (husband) is even talking about getting our trucks converted. That costs about $15000 au. So the savings must be substantial to warrant that kind of money.

mik
06-Oct-06, 19:04
Check out www.viridismotoringservices.com (http://www.viridismotoringservices.com) and ask harold he knows all about LPG conversions and the site offers other services and product that will interest the motorist

Thanks
Harold

Naefearjustbeer
07-Oct-06, 09:20
Just spoke to my brother about the place at Muir of Ord and he definantley would not recomend them.

jimag
07-Oct-06, 10:20
Like Madpict I did a similar calc a few years back when the grant was available. I included an increase in my insurance premium for a modified car and the short fall in resale value, which I could not really quantify. It did look attractive but I had no confidence in the government holding the excise duty on LPG for the duration of my pay back period. So yet another brilliant idea bit the dust.

Happy motoring orgers!