LPG Ownership

Justsomebloke · 27-11-2013, 15:38

So a fair while back I got an LPG Focus & want to spread the word about payiing 70p a litre for your fuel.
I got my focus a 5 Dr 1.8 LX for around 900 quid with just 57000 miles up it mainly to reduce the cost of the trips to my daughter & grandchildren (

)

As far as driving the car you pretty much forget it's on LPG, It'll sit at 80/90/110 same as on petrol, Pulling away from stop you do feel a difference between petrol & LPG but not a bad difference you just feel the car is a bit more perky for the first 2000 revs when on petrol, On LPG once you get to 2k revs it pulls really well & maybe a bit better than when on petrol.
Filling up with LPG is easy enough & don't worry about the lack of LPG garages as there are loads about. There is one in my little town & a fair few on the Motorways/main routes. Also don't worry to much as the car switches over automatically to petrol if & when needed. It is also advised to run half a tank of petrol through the car once a month to keep the injectors in good order.
What I can say is once you get used to filling up & have your LPG garages plotted about it is Awesome to only be paying 70p a litre for your fuel. Stuck in a jam r taking the long route to avoid jams or even just going out for a pleasure drive all feels loads better when it's costing you next to nowt.
One thing I would say though if you are considering going LPG is to get an original factory fitted one Don't get an after market one.
For me in my situation I can't think of a better way to run a car, Instead of my south runs costing me 45 quid they are now costing me around 25-30 quid & I can thrash the car as much as I want without worrying about my MPG, It really is much more fun when you can use your car as you want to.
I know a lot of you guys can afford to run the low MPG cars on petrol anyway but on LPG you could do a lot more without it costing any more.
The Focus is just a 5dr Focus but I have to agree with every single other review that rates them highly.

Well that's about me. Any questions then fire away, that's if anybody is around to read it.

Dymetrie · 27-11-2013, 18:38

Sounds fantastic, JSB, I can't believe it's so cheap!

Are there any catches with road tax and/or insurance?

Certainly given me some food for thought

Justsomebloke · 27-11-2013, 18:53

Insurance & tax is the same as it being a 1.8 petrol s no probs there. I can only speak for a factory fitted set up though.

Pheebs · 27-11-2013, 22:22

We're looking at an overland vehicle (a 4x4 of sorts) but I am struggling with accepting the ridiculously painful mpg on all makes. They're properly horrific.

LPG is therefore a consideration although we've heard they can cause issues. It's reassuring to hear you have had it installed and all is well! Can I ask if the conversion itself was quite pricey? And could you easily change back if you had to!?

Justsomebloke · 27-11-2013, 22:35

No Pheebs I didn't get my focus converted it was an LPG Focus from new, I bought it 2nd hand with 57k miles up it for 900 quid. Problems tend to happen to the after market kits rather than the factory fitted ones.
Having the power of a V8 off roader with the running costs of a derv sounds perfect to me but make sure it has a large LPG tank say an 75-80 litre one & don't go for a tank that is mounted underneath the 4x4 if you intend to do any serious off road.

Pheebs · 28-11-2013, 12:05

Ahh my bad! The only reservations I have about LPG for us is when we do travel the availability of LPG! Not sure how much of the stuff is kicking around Mongolia and they likes! Hence wondering if we can swap it back!

Justsomebloke · 28-11-2013, 18:03

No need to swap it back as it will run on petrol or LPG but I would investigate the areas/countrys you are going & the availability of LPG out there. No prob at all in this country but I don't know about anywhere else.

FakeSnake · 28-11-2013, 21:56

My old Jeep (2002) Grand Cherokee was a 4.7ltr V8
I had that converted, this is back when LPG was about 42p/litre!
took me about 15 months to recover the cost of the conversion.
Spare wheel well tank, so the only issue was no spare, but a can of tyre filler in the boot was 'insurance' enough for me!

I would run another LPG 4x4 without a hesitation.

My current Grand Cherokee is a 3.0 diesel, If there was a 5.7ltr Hemi local to me I would have purchased it!

27-11-2013, 15:38	#1
Justsomebloke The Night Worker Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 5,228	LPG Ownership So a fair while back I got an LPG Focus & want to spread the word about payiing 70p a litre for your fuel. I got my focus a 5 Dr 1.8 LX for around 900 quid with just 57000 miles up it mainly to reduce the cost of the trips to my daughter & grandchildren () As far as driving the car you pretty much forget it's on LPG, It'll sit at 80/90/110 same as on petrol, Pulling away from stop you do feel a difference between petrol & LPG but not a bad difference you just feel the car is a bit more perky for the first 2000 revs when on petrol, On LPG once you get to 2k revs it pulls really well & maybe a bit better than when on petrol. Filling up with LPG is easy enough & don't worry about the lack of LPG garages as there are loads about. There is one in my little town & a fair few on the Motorways/main routes. Also don't worry to much as the car switches over automatically to petrol if & when needed. It is also advised to run half a tank of petrol through the car once a month to keep the injectors in good order. What I can say is once you get used to filling up & have your LPG garages plotted about it is Awesome to only be paying 70p a litre for your fuel. Stuck in a jam r taking the long route to avoid jams or even just going out for a pleasure drive all feels loads better when it's costing you next to nowt. One thing I would say though if you are considering going LPG is to get an original factory fitted one Don't get an after market one. For me in my situation I can't think of a better way to run a car, Instead of my south runs costing me 45 quid they are now costing me around 25-30 quid & I can thrash the car as much as I want without worrying about my MPG, It really is much more fun when you can use your car as you want to. I know a lot of you guys can afford to run the low MPG cars on petrol anyway but on LPG you could do a lot more without it costing any more. The Focus is just a 5dr Focus but I have to agree with every single other review that rates them highly. Well that's about me. Any questions then fire away, that's if anybody is around to read it. __________________

27-11-2013, 18:38	#2
Dymetrie A large glass of Merlot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Letchworth with a Lightsaber Posts: 5,819	Sounds fantastic, JSB, I can't believe it's so cheap! Are there any catches with road tax and/or insurance? Certainly given me some food for thought __________________ Khef, Ka and Ka-Tet....

27-11-2013, 18:53	#3
Justsomebloke The Night Worker Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 5,228	Insurance & tax is the same as it being a 1.8 petrol s no probs there. I can only speak for a factory fitted set up though. __________________

27-11-2013, 22:22	#4
Pheebs Deep Throat Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6,512	We're looking at an overland vehicle (a 4x4 of sorts) but I am struggling with accepting the ridiculously painful mpg on all makes. They're properly horrific. LPG is therefore a consideration although we've heard they can cause issues. It's reassuring to hear you have had it installed and all is well! Can I ask if the conversion itself was quite pricey? And could you easily change back if you had to!? __________________ http://www.spiffingdesigns.co.uk

27-11-2013, 22:35	#5
Justsomebloke The Night Worker Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 5,228	No Pheebs I didn't get my focus converted it was an LPG Focus from new, I bought it 2nd hand with 57k miles up it for 900 quid. Problems tend to happen to the after market kits rather than the factory fitted ones. Having the power of a V8 off roader with the running costs of a derv sounds perfect to me but make sure it has a large LPG tank say an 75-80 litre one & don't go for a tank that is mounted underneath the 4x4 if you intend to do any serious off road. __________________

28-11-2013, 12:05	#6
Pheebs Deep Throat Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6,512	Ahh my bad! The only reservations I have about LPG for us is when we do travel the availability of LPG! Not sure how much of the stuff is kicking around Mongolia and they likes! Hence wondering if we can swap it back! __________________ http://www.spiffingdesigns.co.uk

28-11-2013, 18:03	#7
Justsomebloke The Night Worker Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 5,228	No need to swap it back as it will run on petrol or LPG but I would investigate the areas/countrys you are going & the availability of LPG out there. No prob at all in this country but I don't know about anywhere else. __________________

28-11-2013, 21:56	#8
FakeSnake Absinthe Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Devonshire Posts: 1,143	My old Jeep (2002) Grand Cherokee was a 4.7ltr V8 I had that converted, this is back when LPG was about 42p/litre! took me about 15 months to recover the cost of the conversion. Spare wheel well tank, so the only issue was no spare, but a can of tyre filler in the boot was 'insurance' enough for me! I would run another LPG 4x4 without a hesitation. My current Grand Cherokee is a 3.0 diesel, If there was a 5.7ltr Hemi local to me I would have purchased it!