3.2 LPG Consumption

[cyberstretch]

Im just waiting for my car to empty its tank of LPG and then i can do some figures & averages,but im starting to get a big grin on my face because of the amount of LPG i have used against what i thought a 3.2 would use.

I have just had my first long distance trip in the car since buying it a couple of weeks ago and have clocked up 330 motorway miles in 3 days and im almost sure that the XC is not a million miles away from what my S60 D5 did on exactly the same trip regarding the amount of money spent on fuel !

The XC was obviously driven a lot more sensibly than a saloon car on the motorways which can only help but think i will be extremely happy with the purchase of that engine as the move from an Diesel to petrol lpg seemed like it was going to come back and bite me on the a$#e !!

Still not sure on the filling up process but am getting used to it slowly...

[capt jack]

LPG consumption should be only slightly worse than petrol, so if your mighty beast will do 30mpg on petrol, driven in the same way, it'll do 27 to 28mpg on LPG. Which at current prices is something rather better than 50mpg, cost equivalent. Which in turn beats most diseasal cars. Plus it's a nicer drive than an oil-burner.

Filling up with LPG is fun. It takes a bit longer than conventional liquid fuels, you have to park with the filler cap on the same side as the fuel pump as LPG hoses aren't very long, and you have to get used to being squirted with smelly vapours, usually right in the crotch, as you release the filler at the end of the process. But filling up for £30 or so soon gets you past worrying about all these minor issues.

You'll also often find that the only LPG dispenser on the forecourt is blocked by the only other car on the forecourt. More than this, the driver of said other car won't have actually bought any LPG, but will have parked there whilst disappearing to look for the loo and buy a cup of Costa Coffee - taking as much time as possible over stewing his beans or whatever it is Costa freaks do!

A very good buy is the LPGA guide book, which lists every single LPG filling station in the UK. You'll soon learn to avoid BP as stupidly expensive, that Esso do not sell LPG, that Jet garages and lots of Morrisons and Asdas do, and that Shell seem to have a pricing policy based on a series of numbers drawn at random on a daily basis. I believe it's also available as a Tom Tom download, or some such cyber-delight.

The other joy is the conversation that you'll inevitably be drawn into at some point over the size of your donut tank as you wait for some long-haired friend of Jesus to fill up the VW camper that he had converted back in 1977 for £250, when LPG was 12p a litre!

Happy motoring

Cheers

Jack

[Clifford Pope]

Good description there, Capt Jack.

There are two kinds of filler nozzle here. The kind with a lever like a wine cork remover is easy, the other kind is a fiddly unreliable pain in the neck. The silly little locking lever inside the trigger is hard to make catch, and in my experience seems to want to spring undone spontaneously.

The plastic shield is a mixed blessing. When it is present, it directs the blast unpredictably, often into your face. When the shield is missing you get a shot up your sleeve, the smell of which seeps out as you pay at the desk.

The spring-loaded bit of cord is likewise of dubious advantage. You have to pull the hose out and then stand on it, like snake wrestling. But if it is missing someone else will have left the hose lying all over the forecourt or tangled round the guard rails.

Your mpg figures are spot on. My 240 does about 32 mpg on petrol, and a steady 27-28 on LPG. And that's with a basic open-loop mixer, nothing sophisticated.

[capt jack]

Spot on! LPG is a bit quirky, but you can't argue with the money saved!

Cheers

Jack

[atnas666]

Originally Posted by capt jack

Spot on! LPG is a bit quirky, but you can't argue with the money saved!

Cheers

Jack

totally with u on that

[astronomer]

Originally Posted by capt jack

Spot on! LPG is a bit quirky, but you can't argue with the money saved!

Cheers

Jack

my insurance went from 400 upto 850 when i told them it was lpg
how much % did yours increas by

[Bhowani 2]

I know the post was directed at Captain Jack, but if it helps my 2.4 V50 was converted 2 years ago by Autogas 2000 at Thirsk.

My Insurance, via Chris Knott, said "Thank you for letting us know - carry on"

Something is amiss if this particular Ins Co want to punish this gasman!

Bhowani 2

[classicswede]

There is no reason for any price increase. 99% of them do not even regard LPG as a modification.

Shop around and let someone else have your money.

[capt jack]

Shop around for insurance.

When I got mine done at first the then insurers refused to cover the car. So I changed to the RAC who gave an extra discount for LPG.

Currently I'm with Admiral who according to their computer-generated paperwork think that LPG stands for Low Pressure Gas!

I've come to the conclusion that most insurance companies are fairly clueless about LPG conversions.

There are dozens of insurance companies out there, and if you don't get what you want from one then try another!

Cheers

Jack

[LPG-T5]

Originally Posted by astronomer

my insurance went from 400 upto 850 when i told them it was lpg
how much % did yours increas by

On My T5 if increased the insurance value from 4k to 6k and told them about the LPG and my premiums remain exactly the same (i.e. a decrease in premium). Who on earth are you with that levied a 100% loading for LPG?