Is An Lpg Conversion Worth Considering?

[new2rx400h]

Hi, i have recently got the notion for an rx 400h based on the fact that for a large jeep it seems to offer great performance along with decent mpg ( if driven accordingly) so best of both worlds. However im ideally looking an se-l but there seems precious few about.

So the other day i got a spin in mates nissan murano which has had lpg conversion and he raves about how good its been so even though it only gets low 20mpg, the cost of lpg is half that of petrol, so all of a sudden it looks like a good option.

So now im broadening my search to include rx300/350's as there seems to be more about amd like for like seem to be roughly about 1500-2000 cheaper than equivalent 400h - which is about the cost of lpg conversion.

Just wondering if anyone has had such a conversion done and could shed any light on whether it was a good job or not, or am i better being patient and waiting for the right 400h instead? Any advice much appreciated...

[Duncan Roberts]

Hi, i have recently got the notion for an rx 400h based on the fact that for a large jeep it seems to offer great performance along with decent mpg ( if driven accordingly) so best of both worlds. However im ideally looking an se-l but there seems precious few about.

So the other day i got a spin in mates nissan murano which has had lpg conversion and he raves about how good its been so even though it only gets low 20mpg, the cost of lpg is half that of petrol, so all of a sudden it looks like a good option.

So now im broadening my search to include rx300/350's as there seems to be more about amd like for like seem to be roughly about 1500-2000 cheaper than equivalent 400h - which is about the cost of lpg conversion.

Just wondering if anyone has had such a conversion done and could shed any light on whether it was a good job or not, or am i better being patient and waiting for the right 400h instead? Any advice much appreciated...

There have a been a number of threads on this general subject - would be worth using 'search' as there are voices for and voices against not all of which are likely to be repeated in a new thread on the subject.

[new2rx400h]

Believe it or not i actually did do a search for 'lpg' before starting this new post but it came back blank - honest! Anyway after your pointer that there was previous info on the topic i resorted to skimming backand yes found some useful stuff that basically answers my same question, or like you say gives opinions from both camps so up to me to decide yes or no. Cheers...

[Kbeardy]

Well, as a new member who was faced with much the same dilemma, if it helps any, I can offer a perspective after recently buying a converted RX300 (albeit an older imported Harrier). My experience so far - based on being an LPG newbie and having a pretty rare 2.2 model - is that you need to factor in more than just aspects of fuel saving.

I've no doubt there are far more knowledgeable members (and qualified technicians) than I, but I hope that my view is fair and reasonably objective.

So, having been camped out on the LOC site for about a month and on pretty much every LPG-related forum, installer site and those in officialdom, together with lots of phone conversations and pints being bought for people, you can tell I take my research seriously :)

Much of your choice will depend on whether you want to get your hands dirty or would prefer to be a chequebook motorist (as they used to say before Chip & Pin) or somewhere in between.

Assuming you want to buy an RX that has already been converted (which means someone else has already stumped up the install costs) run the number plate through the UKLPG site to see if it is registered. That will tell you if the system was installed/certified in the UK. Mine wasn't as it was done in Poland. An overseas install may be fine (with a cert from the specific country's jobsworth's) - usually done for a fraction of the UK cost - or it may be dodgy.

The next step - apart from knowing where the local/usual route planning autogas pumps are - is to locate a local approved installer who undertakes servicing. Most if not all systems should be serviced annually. Bear in mind that there at least a dozen different system manufacturers. A bit of headache for me was finding out that the nearest approved guys don't have the software plug for my system. This means that you may have to go further afield every time something needs checking and possibly at greater costs. Servicing seems to be about the £150 - £300 mark, depending on how many cylinders/cc you have and type of system (single point, multi-point, sequential, etc.) and how long it has been since last serviced.

Another important factor is that your insurance premiums will likely jump by some margin, compared with a non-LPG vehicle. Most want evidence of your car being on the UK register, but not all do.

Okay, in terms of actual day-to-day running costs, bear in mind that the car should start on petrol and be warmed up before switching to LPG (a separate gauge/switchgear somewhere on your dash). So, you need to keep at least a 1/4 tank of petrol in the tank as standby (and maybe a carry can in the boot if you're a nervous type). And you may need a valve lubricant - £2-£10 depending on branding, but may be needed to stop your valves burning out due to the cleaner fuel not containing the sort of lubricants that come with petrol/diesel.

Bear in mind that there is also the cost of plugs and plug leads - they take quite a bit more hammering in higher temperatures than in non-LPG cars. Make sure the plug gap is set right (or, remind your garage to use the same type of plugs as the ones that came with your car, assuming it was running right in the first place).

If you're a nervous type, this next bit won't fill with you confidence. I can confirm the assertions found hither and yon that there is absolutely no point relying on your petrol gauge/LPG gauge. After an LPG install, they become controlled by unknown forces, behaving as if you've just entered the Bermuda Triangle. Some say that one or the other or both reset after driving 150 miles. Some say otherwise. Some say relax, forget it, they are now redundant bits of kit. Either deliberately fill both tanks and run them dry (not a good idea, really) to find out how accurate they are, or, learn to fly by your tripmeter(s). On the plus side, it harks back to yesteryear, before driver aids, when it was down to skill, terror and the driver gods moods...ah the open road...so much more fun. Oh...and you better renew your roadside assistance membership....another hidden cost :) You'll find a bunch of folk on here querying actual real world mpg figures. If you're opting for the 3.0 V6, most seem to get about 18mpg in mixed driving. I do better than that - a theoretical 25-28mpg with mine (2.2). It's only still on the first tankloads, so yet to be confirmed. I am hugely entertained by the hilarious 'cruise information readout which challenges my maths: average 4.4km/l. At first I nearly had a heart attack when seeing those figures but by all accounts, forget the computer, as it is still under the impression that you're using petrol in one tank. My tripmeters prove that hopelessly (fortunately) wrong - but again, depends on your driving style, route planning, payload and, as some clever wag said....what colour underwear...you get the drift...

You might also find this link useful: http://www.go-lpg.co.uk/hints.html

Overall, the following analogy might help your decision. If you run a business, you know that there is a big difference between gross profit and net profit. When people talk about the fuel savings of switching to LPG, it correlates with gross profit. Much of the stuff I mention are the overheads, not always fixed costs....but after that, you can consider a true net profit as well worth the effort.

I'm glad that I bought an LPG converted vehicle. Even more delighted that it is the RX300. Sort of. Well, yeah, it IS :)

I await your decision with interest: perhaps we'll see you around here telling us all about it! Good luck!

PS don't worry about quoting this post in any reply: a long one and hope I haven't upset the natives...

[alan-partridge]

My 2003 RX300 was converted at 64,000 thousand and is now on 91,000. Tank takes £35 to fill at current price and does 260 miles on that tank when on motorway run, around 230 around town. Yes, the EML comes on but recent exhaust gas tests show that it is ultra clean on both petrol and log. That light is so sensitive I wouldn't be surprised if it came on if a headlight failed !!

[Alex85]

Hi

I have converted my rx300 53 reg about 3 months ago. ( approved UK LPG converter )

The tank is 70 litre but fills no more than 60 litres currently at 79 pence = £47.4

On full tank around the town London I won't get more than 180 miles.

I don't quiet understand what is Alan talking about.

[mcleish]

I have still yet to be convinced of any LPG conversion !!! If you just do the plain simple maths of how much it will cost for the install and then any further LPG annual servicing (on top of your existing usual servicing costs) and then possible higher car insurance... how many times could you fill your car up using all that money before you are back in the black and out of the red !!!!! Possibly could be worth it if you are going to hold on to the car until you die and you certainly dont get your money back come time to resell, if anything, LPG puts some people off. Sorry, just not for me !!!!

[Lexmanic]

Word of warning the "LPGUK Register" is a con. Its been set up by amongst others Churchill Insurance & is NOT an 'official' site recognised by Government.

You can if you wish take your certificate, as proof of installation & the V5, to the local VOSA office & have it registered as dual fuel Petrol/ LPG.........Job Done

Incidentally I do have an LPG 98 LS400 LPG installed in 2002 AND not on LPGUK

[Lexmanic]

Also the cost saving is great. We very recently traveled from Norfolk Coast to West Dorset for about £45-50

[Becgram65]

I have converted several 4 x 4s to LPG, namely a 2001 Range Rover Vogue 4.6, a 3.2 "Vauxhall" Frontera Limited and, most recently, a grey import Harrier (RX300), which I kept for 3 years after conversion. It cost £1200 and was done by a team of Poles in Wales, and, once I got my local LPG expert (Dave Croft in Chesterfield) to sort it out properly, it worked a treat, which is more than I can say for the RR. It made the fuel guage a bit tempremental (in other words, rubbish) but as it was completely automatic in the switchover, it didn't really matter. It was clean, green and improved the mpg in terms of cost, but not in actual fuel use. Doing an average annual milegae of around 10k p.a., I reckoned it had paid for itself in less than 2 years. Having said that, when I traded the Harrier in on a 2004 RX300, I got about £600 more back because of the conversion, which effectively makes the payback time shorter still. I'm still considering whether to convert the RX...... I didn't consider that the servicing costs were worth discussing, as, once Dave had sorted the system properly, it never needed anything else doing to it over the nearly 3 years of use, apart from having to tap the tank occasionally to free off a sticky sender unit......

[RayKhan]

I converted my GS and yes the fuel gauge (petrol) is an issue, but it has paid for itself in that I have recently been doing 150 mile a day motorway round trips and at a mileage rate of 48p a mile as payback.

New kits auto switch between petrol and gas and I find the LED gauge fro my gas, although not accurate for each of the quarters the overal amount of miles is fairly constant.

[alan-partridge]

440 mile round trip yesterday averaging 22mpg ( thats gallon of lpg ) in my RX330. Now don't forget, that as I paid 69.9 for my gas, then I got nearly two gallons of lpg for the price of one gall of unleaded making it approx 40 mpg ! and that was at a steady 70mph on the M6,M1, M11

[alan-partridge]

Word of warning the "LPGUK Register" is a con. Its been set up by amongst others Churchill Insurance & is NOT an 'official' site recognised by Government.

You can if you wish take your certificate, as proof of installation & the V5, to the local VOSA office & have it registered as dual fuel Petrol/ LPG.........Job Done

Incidentally I do have an LPG 98 LS400 LPG installed in 2002 AND not on LPGUK

Friends of mine are LPG installers and are sick of this con. They enquired about joining the scheme to put conversion customers minds at rest but quickly discovered it's all about handing wads of money over to this self styled group of so called experts and lining their pockets. The very same group has been running around like headless chickens telling any insurance company that will listen how dangerous LPG conversions are if not carried out by their members or people who don't follow the practises that they have decided are the only correct ones. Strange though, the country is not in an epidemic of deaths and injuries from badly fitted LPG systems on vehicles. When did you last hear of a car blowing up ? There are more car fires from faulty petrol systems and car electrics than LPG kits. Still . when there's an earner in something, the facts go right out the window.

[Lexmanic]

Quite, the bloody pirates :arrrggg-matey: