Converting to LPG.....

lauren_1

I want to get my 01 1.8 16v sx picasso converted to LPG, at the moment i get 27.9MPG:eek: with careful driving i can manage 32MPG but on the school run and going to work its all stop start town driving. I have just sold my faithfull and economical old banger for something bigger (secretly i want it back:sad: ) i didnt think about the rising tax cost and the seller assured me he got 40mpg no matter what he was doing.

I just want to ask a few Q's first

How much boot space will i loose?
Will the car be entitled to tax rebanding?
Will if affect my insurance?
What the usual price for a conversion?

Thanks

Idiophreak

When I looked into converting my astra it was gonna cost around £1500-2000 and they'd replace my spare wheel, so wouldn't lose boot space (unless I chose to carry a spare wheel in the boot instead...)

gypsyroseloz

We have a Freelander that has been converted to LPG, we have not lost any boot space cos tank is underneath. I am not certain but think it holds about 37 litres of gas, it costs around £20 to fill up & we do around 160 miles before filling up again! The car tax rebanding I am not sure about but am sure that it is not going to be as good a discount as the years go by. We pay £180 at the mo, 2.5 hybrid!
Insurance is a funny one, what a palarvour! Not many people recognise gas conversions as a good thing, have to really look round for insurance.
the conversion on ours was done 9 months before we bought it & we were told it cost £2000. If you want to PM me I can give you our very reputable local garage no. & they could confirm this! We had problems with other garages not having worked on cars with gas conversions (our local Land Rover 'specialist' wasnt!) so we always take it back to the place it was all fitted & no probs!
A bit of a rambled mess all that, but hoping it helps a little! x

Jorgan_2

The first thing to consider is how many miles do you do each year? If its less than 12-15k miles, the conversion probably won't be cost effective. You maybe better of looking to change to a diesel Pcasso, but you will have to do the sums carefully to make sure the change is cost effective. The equivilant diesel model with similar mileage will probably be £2-3k more expensive, thats nearly 2-3k litres of petrol. How long will it take for you to use that much petrol?

Bob63

If you do decide to do it you will need to use an LPGA approved installer otherwise it will severely restrict your ability to get insurance. Most insurers won't touch a car that hasn't been professionally converted.

raskazz

You absolutely must inform insurers of any LPG conversion. As someone mentioned, most will not touch it unless it has been professionally fitted. Some won't cover LPG full stop.

The reason being that there is always the (extremely) slim chance that the car could explode. But if it does, the force of the explosion could demolish houses.

meester

Your car tax has just gone up to £260/year. As such its resale value has dropped substantially, and you will not see much return on its sale.

LPGing it does not make sense.

lauren_1

Who says i want to sell it?

Wig

Ask a few insurers on the phone what their LPG conversion policy is. and get a few quotes (prior to conversion)
Work out how many miles you do a year
How much your local cost of petrol is
How much your local cost of LPG is
Work out the annual cost of running on petrol & LPG use a 15% less mpg for the mpg on LPG

Get some conversion quotes and work out your pay back period. Ask yourself if it is worth it.

A conversion should cost under £1000.

If you find insurers you phone repeatedly mention an LPGA certificate, you can pay an LPGA installer to certify your installation - if you have not got it converted by an LPGA registered installer. You should also ask those same insurers if they would insure you without an LPGA cert, say you have a certificate from an installer which states that the installation was done to the same standard required by the LPGA, it's called the LPGA COP 11 (code of practice), legally if an installer states this on a certificate then trading standards would require it to be true.

An important point to note is that LPGA installers are not necessarily competant, they have been known to produce really shoddy even dangerous work. Unfortunaltely the insurance industry has been blinded to the truth. The fat cats behind the LPGA have certainly been busy with their disinformation campaign.

The tax band of your car will not change, and you will not be elligible for any £15 discount on VED (edit, MSE tucker says he managed to get DVLA to change his fuel status and give a discount on alternative fuel). You will not be eligible for London congestion charge discount.

Also you will not be able to get online insurance quotes because you can't tell them about modifications in the online forms.

Alternatively, you could sell it now. and buy a Vaux Meriva factory fitted LPG car which would be of similar size or a Vaux Zafira which I think is bigger. Then you can get online quotes, and there is no need for an LPGA or any other certificate. The cost of an early 2004 Zafira will be about £5K, a late 2003 Zafira about £4,500. These are the cars which qualify for reduced VED, but at only £15 discount it is neither here nor there really, what you really want is a car that fits band 'B' an '05 5dr Corsa LPG does this. But the size might not be enough for you.

JuniperBerry_3

As others have said the vehicle tax discount for LPG is £20 at the moment reducing to £15 next year as long as car is post 2001, an easy process to do. Importantly the tax discount on the fuel that reflects LPG being a lot greener is remaining for at least a few more years. Doesn't make any difference to the co2 band "letter" of the car. My big Volvo will cost £400 from next year but I love it and won't change it.
My LPG tank fits in place of spare wheel (I carry a sealant repair kit instead as used in many new cars) and takes about 50 litres of gas. Gas costs under 50p a litre and I get exactly the same MPG as petrol. Saves a fortune and means I can have a big powerful petrol car with fuel costs that are considerably less than a slow and smelly old diesel.
For insurance Swiftcover (and a few others) charge no extra for LPG cars.

deltic_2

LPG is old news and old technology. Whilst the fuel is cheap, the technology is old and often (not always) unreliable. Component quality is also highly variable to say the least. The tax benefits are waning. The mpg is not always higher and can somtimes be less. You will be restricted by your insurance, you will have difficulty taking in a ferry or through the channel tunnel as you are carrying a gas canister etc etc.

Chances are it also won't payback over your ownership.