Well i have decided against the t25, it was a thought that fuel might sway me from the bays to the bland but after month's of deliberation within the family and chat on forums i have decided to make Rhubarb more usable re fuel costs rather than sell her ( which i would find very difficult to do anyway) we now think lpg may help with running costs? There is also the option of installing a diesel engine but that just wouldn't feel right to a dyed in the wool aircooled person like i am and Lou is incidentally! The scooby conversion is another possibility too but no it's too darn expensive and still not my thing! So it is a lpg conversion and i have questions that need answers before i go ahead and make a purchase. 1 - are lpg kits vehicle specific? 2 - would a secondhand one off ebay or similar be worth having a punt at if i knew what i was buying? 3 - Are they easy to fit- have you done one, if so do you have any advice? 4 - Have you had one and taken it out for any reason? 5 - do you have one and like it? 6 - Are there any pitfalls? 7 - Does anyone have one or parts of for sale? I know i have asked a few of these questions before but as i am now pretty committed to doing it i could do with some proper input here. If you only hold a view on lpg and have never used it i welcome your views but try to be constructive with your reply as it will have a impact on my thoughts re the conversion and it will cost me some serious spondulas if don't get the decision right - ie if someone says " i wouldn't. My mate had it and it blew his head" or something equally negative without full knowledge and i decide against on that basis only to find out later he had fitted it wrong or it was gossip as a apposed to fact, it would be wrong and poor advice. Cheers in advance
I had the idea of doing this when returning to type 2 ownership as last time I had a van I found the 20mpg a bit much. It is still on my possible list but way down at the moment for three main reasons: 1. Cost of conversion. 10 yeas ago when I first considered it it would have been worth it as by now I'd have paid it off out of the savings in fuel costs. Now though LPG has gone up and is only about 40% cheaper than petrol so will take longer to realise any actual savings 2. Loss of space for the LPG tank. As I understand it (tech peeps may say I'm wrong) you need to keep your petrol tank as the LPG is used in conjunction with petrol therefore your new gas tank has to go somewhere (usually under back seat) 3 lack of availability STILL of LPG at service stations. I don't know of many near me that sell it and none if the ones I go to regularly do All in all from my perspective I decided (for now) to keep the engine tuned so that I get the best mpg I can. (Currently 26mpg) and use the van wisely. I changed my driving style somewhat to achieve the savings and accept that it is never going to be as economic as a modern car. I use my diesel Leon for everyday with the van being for pleasure trips My advise (if you can call it that - and I am by no means a wise sage) is weigh up the cost of conversion and work out how long it will take you to realise any savings by the cost offset of the fuel. Pete
WHS how long would it take to pay back and can you live with the loss of space needed for a decent size tank Dont forget they also make the engine run hotter and increases wear
Cheers Pete, i have had similar thoughts but still keep coming back to the saving, i have had a bulk storage tank on one of my property's and did once ask about using it to fill from- the answer from the supplier boss was - he knew people who did it and he could probably source a filler but it had to be on the qt - i never pursued it!
Not long at this price Matty, it needs a tank added but less than £500 if you can fit yourself. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/eGas-LPG-...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item589eb188e5
That is a good price but by the time you have added the tank and certificate that the insurance company will need you could get Gasure to do it http://www.gasure.co.uk/salesac.htm Its worth asking your insurance company if it will make any difference Dont want to sound negative but i think its only worth it if you do a lot of miles in a thirsty vehicle
Not Neg mate just reasoning as i asked for I have checked cost of cert locally and it's from £45 up - insurance are fine with it and i will defo do more miles if i have the cheaper fuel option
Yeah not surprised as it is requires a licence doesn't it? One other possibility (and I am only thinking out loud with this) but if converted would that constitute a major modification thus affecting MOT and insurance? Plus in the unlikely (yet possible) event of a fire in the vehicle - all of that gas under pressure will be way more explosive than the petrol you have on board and your campingaz cylinder. I know I'm throwing up more questions really but you are wanting to consider all angles.... The plus side would inevitably have to be the likely cost in fuel savings over time as we've said....
Obviously i wonder about those things too but plenty of people have the conversion and seem happy with it
how many miles do you do versus cost of the job? it's gonna take ages to pay back and not worth the outlay, do what i've done - buy a very economical car and combine the 2 vehicle costs, my car 60mpg my van 18mpg = 39mpg each, you don't have the time or the money to do loads of holidays, if you was retired or out every week then do it, once a month? no point.
i have done about 1000 miles in her so far this year and i have only been out locally - so if i am averaging 20mpg then that is 50 gallon at £7 a gallon that is £350 half of that is £175 which is what lpg will have cost me roughly and i am hardly using her atm - i could soon make up a £500 outlay if i was using it as i have my other vins Just to clarify - i am actually getting 25+ mpg from mine and i was using the above figure as an example based on what Rick and a few others have told me they are getting!
I seem to be defending it a little here - i am sort of certain it makes a difference and helps but need facts from people with lpg or who have had them - to recap So it is a lpg conversion and i have questions that need answers before i go ahead and make a purchase. 1 - are lpg kits vehicle specific? 2 - would a secondhand one off ebay or similar be worth having a punt at if i knew what i was buying? 3 - Are they easy to fit- have you done one, if so do you have any advice? 4 - Have you had one and taken it out for any reason? 5 - do you have one and like it? 6 - Are there any pitfalls? 7 - Does anyone have one or parts of for sale?
So in relation to facts, what is the typical mpg of a van running LPG? All very well it being cheaper than petrol but if you use twice as much there's no saving. This info comes from the AA website: LPG costs a little more than half the price of petrol or diesel, but fuel economy will be about 20-25% lower. Overall running an LPG car costs approximately a third less than a petrol only car – but only once you've recovered the cost of the conversion. Conversion of an existing petrol car so it can run on petrol or LPG costs between £1500 and £2500, so you'll need to travel around 14,000 miles a year to make the conversion worthwhile. LPG burns very cleanly and is an ideal fuel for town use, but remember you can't take an LPG powered car through Eurotunnel, even if the tank has been emptied or disconnected. There are also restrictions in some underground car parks here and in Europe.
