Conversion website

[Baffler]

Just doing a search and found this for anyone interested. The results are a little shocking...

http://www.gasconversion.biz/savingcalculator.html

[kevin derby uk]

no there not if you want a shock convert to C N G

[Baffler]

I'm sorry, I'm a little in the dark. Could you elaborate on CNG?

[capt jack]

CNG = compressed natural gas. Only problem is virtually no-one actually sells it.

LPG on the other hand is sold at roughly one in eight of all petrol stations. Some silly bu@@er once worked out that nowhere in the UK is more than 15 minutes drive from an LPG pump.

Had my V70 converted nearly 4 years and over 110,000 miles ago.

I reckon the money I've saved since has paid for the conversion - and the price that I paid for the car.

It takes about 20,000 milesto re-coup the cost of the conversion, after that you're laughing all the way to the petrol station!

Jack

[Baffler]

Thanks Jack,

The more info I read the more I want the conversion. Must get the calculator out again.

Cheers...

[capt jack]

Hi Baffler

As you're in Ireland check it out carefully. The one thing that makes LPG worth it in the UK is the Govt's on-going policy to keep fuel duty lower than petrol and diesel. It's part of their commitment to the Kyoto agreement, and as there are relatively few LPG cars here; it doesn't cost them much and it earns them brownie points - or greenie points I guess!

It would be worth checking with your Dept of Transport or whoever is the taxing authority to see what the longer-term policy is in Ireland.

Also, check the fuel prices and availability. In the UK LPG is around 50% of the cost of petrol, and about 45% of the cost of diesel.

My V70 does 28mpg on petrol, 25 mpg on gas. Converting to LPG has been a great success. Bear in mind that 2nd-hand car dealers don't like converted cars, and you might find the trade-in value is reduced.

LPG works best in a big-engined car, where the slight loss of performance doesn't matter, and with a big boot, where the space taken up by the extra tank isn't an issue. It makes sense to keep the car a long time too. But then if it's a Volvo, why would you want to change it?

Cheers

Jack

[Musicmaker]

I converted my Range Rover Vogue SE to LPG a few years ago. The saving in fuel costs was well worth the effort. I had my tanks under the chassis, which meant that I did not lose any boot space.

[Baffler]

This is just it. I don't wish to change but lets face it the cost of fuel isn't going to improve. I'm at a loss as to what to do. My car is probably only worth the price of a good conversion anyway so if I was to convert I suppose I'd need to keep the car for a long time. Unless I was doing lunar milage, which I'm not, I think the disadvantages out weigh the advantages of converting my peticular model. I suppose the other option is to buy, for example, a 2.5 petrol V70 and convert it to LPG. As you say at least that way there would be more space for tanks/equipment etc and a bigger engine would run better on LPG.

Oh what to do???

Thanks again for the advice...

[capt jack]

Why not buy a car that's already converted......?

On petrol at 30mpg over 50,000 miles you'll need 1700 gallons or 7700 litres. On gas you'd need a bit more - say 1850 gallons, 8500 litres. In UK terms, if gas costs 55p a litre, and petrol £1.10, your total spend is £4700 gas, or £8500 on petrol. Potential saving is therefore £3800 or €5500 if Irish prices are similar over the 50k miles.

All other running costs will not change, so all you need to do is factor all the usual car-change considerations.

There are quite a few LPG Volvos on Autotrader UK, ranging in price from £3,000 upwards - is it a sensible proposition for you to buy in the UK?

Cheers

Jack

[Baffler]

Originally Posted by capt jack

Why not buy a car that's already converted......?

That's something that never even entered my head. Will look into it.....the Autotrader that is

Originally Posted by capt jack

There are quite a few LPG Volvos on Autotrader UK, ranging in price from £3,000 upwards - is it a sensible proposition for you to buy in the UK?

I brought in my V40 from the UK last year. Have a look here https://www.ros.ie/VRTEnquiryServlet/showCarCalculator to see the VRT (vehicle registration tax) charges that are applicable to importing into Ireland.