Guys,

I have a Skoda Octavia 2003 Silverline (1.6). Just moved from Belfast to Omagh (no jokes please) but will be commuting daily to Belfast.

I have been tinkering with the idea of getting the car converted to run on gas. Basically this will double the mileage I am getting out of the car now (does about 40mpg)

as gas is half the cost of petrol.

If anyone else has been through this process can they let me know how it went, who would they recommend, things to look out for etc etc

I have a couple of quotes (£1150 and one for £1700) from different companies but I'm gonig to go with whoever people recommend the most - not who is the cheapest.

Cheers,

Steve.

karlbar2k runs on LPG (different engine to yours - 1.8T) - seems a fan.

A modern multipoint injection system should work well on your engine. You will notice a bit of a power drop, but shouldn't be too bad, as I assume you'll be driving in a more 'economical' fashion anyway

I've had LPG vehicles for about 6+ years.

The two best bits of advise I can offer are:

Check out where the filling stations are - will it be easy to refuel ?

Some parts of the UK are really well served for LPG equipped petrol stations, other areas are a barren wasteland of LPG-less petrol stations.

How close/easy will it be for servicing ?

Same principle as above really. Real PITA if you've got to travel miles.

Search on google maps for LPG stations in your area.

make sure you go and speak to your closest fitters as a face to face with them is often the best way to get an idea what they are like. also talk to other people in your area and ask them who they used to convert and what they think of the service etc.

I had a Volvo XC70 Petrol which had an after market LPG conversion fitted. My father in law had it done. The conversion ran for over 100K until I got rid of the car.

I was told to run 1 tank of petrol to 3 tanks of LPG as LPG dries the engine and the petrol re-lubricates it

True of false I don't know but I stuck to this and had trouble free motoring but the price of gas was creeping up quite quickly

This conversion was done when gas was cheap so today you'll have to do mega miles to re-coupe the cost

Could always do the conversion yourself and then get it checked..

Could always do the conversion yourself and then get it checked..

When I insured the XC70 and told them it ran on LPG I had to produce a guarantee/statement from the company that fitted the conversion that it was fitted by a registered LPG fitting company other wise the insurance company would not insure the car.

This is to stop people buying kits off E-bay and doing a home jobby

Edited 16 November, 201015 yr by Tiger Tanaka

LPG may not be rocket science to fit, put leaking gas is extremely dangerous.

A mates LPG camper van caught fire - due to a fracture in a fuel line - engine bay of the vehicle was cooked within seconds, ignited by the spark of the starter motor

Luckily he got the fire out (with fire-foam - kept in the vehicle) before having to call the fire service - who would have been required to cordon off a fairly large area (due to regulations about fires involving pressurised gas cyclinders) ...

as Tiger Tanaka's mentioned, you've got to make sure the installation is safety checked and ticketed.

Guys,

I have a Skoda Octavia 2003 Silverline (1.6). Just moved from Belfast to Omagh (no jokes please) but will be commuting daily to Belfast.

I have been tinkering with the idea of getting the car converted to run on gas. Basically this will double the mileage I am getting out of the car now (does about 40mpg)

as gas is half the cost of petrol.

If anyone else has been through this process can they let me know how it went, who would they recommend, things to look out for etc etc

I have a couple of quotes (£1150 and one for £1700) from different companies but I'm gonig to go with whoever people recommend the most - not who is the cheapest.

Cheers,

Steve.

i have done an LPG conversion to my 1.6 OCTAVIA till now i have done 20000km and everything is fine the kilometers per liter are a litle bit higher with LPG but the engine runs fine (no power loss)

LPG ECU

LPG INGECTORS

LPG ECU

LPG RESERVOIR

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LPG REFUEL PORT

Edited 16 November, 201015 yr by georged30

I know alot of people who have fitted their own lpg kit, had it checked out and its been ok and had a certificate.

A fractured fuel line could happen to a kit fitted by a "professional" as well.

Do professional companies remove the inlet manifold to fit the injectors into?

when you take into account all the costs is LPG really worth it?

On a 10-20 grand car with low mileage maybe but on a mk1 octavia? How many miles will you have to do to start getting your money back IF LPG stays the same price it is now? Do you see yourself doing that many miles to justify the outlay? If you want LPG that much why not look for a car with it already fitted and flog the one youve got as it does nothing for the value anyway you would probably get a better LPG car for the value of yours and the conversion.

when you take into account all the costs is LPG really worth it?

On a 10-20 grand car with low mileage maybe but on a mk1 octavia? How many miles will you have to do to start getting your money back IF LPG stays the same price it is now? Do you see yourself doing that many miles to justify the outlay? If you want LPG that much why not look for a car with it already fitted and flog the one youve got as it does nothing for the value anyway you would probably get a better LPG car for the value of yours and the conversion.

the simple answer is yes! I bought a 1.8T 4x4 that averages 30MPG I travel at least 15K a year so at an average cost per litre of £1.15 that is £5.22 a gallon, so 500 gallons is £2610. a general rule of thumb is that running on LPG is half the cost of running on petrol so in the first year I save £1305, that is the cost of the system. If I run the car for a further 5 years (the 1.8T is a good engine and more than capable of 250K if looked after) I save a further £6525. You can factor in things like the fact that a diesel version of a car will generally cost between £1000-£1500 more than the petrol(especially if its a turbo:D) If you do the cost comparison against diesel as that is what you would be running instead if you wanted economy then the figres are better still.

My car had 70k on the clock when converted and it is now coming round to 110K and I intend to keep it to at least 150K (maybe longer if I can get the right mods:D) Yes the cost of LPG has crept up, it was 28p a litre when I had my first conversion, but so has the cost of petrol/diesel, it is still half the cost of petrol and looks likely to remain that way for a good while yet. I would recommend having a car converted over buying one already done as you have a better history and a 1 or 2 year warranty on the system

also in response to the issue of running a tank of petrol to 3 tanks of gas, there are additives that can be added to the tank(I have what looks like a bar of lead in mine:D) that help avoid the lubrication issues. I did look into having the flashlube kit fitted but my installer went with a block of stuff in the tank. As the car starts on petrol and runs for the first mile or so it is getting the lube it needs from that and it is good for 100K at least.

I have been lucky with my LPG experience as I spent a lot of time researching the pros and cons before going for it, I have had vehicles that are well suited to it(not all cars like LPG, the VAG 1.8T is a brilliant engine for LPG and any fitter you talk to will recommend it) I do appreciate that there are people that have not been so lucky, but like I said in my original reply it is vitally important that you are happy with the fitter and the service they offer. Once the system is fitted though you do worry less about the cost of fuel and enjoy the car more :D

Cheers for all the replies guys. FYI, I will be doing 25K+ a year commuting to work.

So the economics seem to justify it. There is 53K on the clock on the car so I would intend to keep

it for another 3 years. So it will pay for itself within one year and save me thousands in fuel over the years after that.

Interesting comment about running 1 tank of petrol to 3 tanks of gas though.....I wonder is that true?

Interesting comment about running 1 tank of petrol to 3 tanks of gas though.....I wonder is that true?

I often wondered as well, one person tells you one thing, someone else tells you another.

I can see the logic behind it though

Right. I have two quotes.

1) £1200 fitting the Italian OMVL system

2) £1700 fitting the PRINS system

Now a quick bit of reserach seems to indicate that PRINS is the market leader but is it worth £500 quid more than the OMVL system.

Both quotes come from reputable fitters so no issues there.

I'll put it out to the jury - whats your opinion folks. Bear in mind the car wis going to do 75K+ over the next three years.

I have Egas system and a block in the tank that helps to lubricate the valves. It really is a fit and forget system I paid £1500. if you get a flashlube kit you have to keep filling that as well whereas the block in the tank is 100k plus miles. about the only thing to note when you convert a 1.8T is the spark plugs are important as it is more prone to missfire if not right. I was advised to use Bosch super 4's and the first set were OK but the second set had me blowing coilpacks. It works really well now though with NGK BKR7E's gapped down as well due to the remap+LPG and I swapped to bolt down coilpacks. I just check the gap every 4 months

Edited 17 November, 201015 yr by karlbar2k

You really don't need much petrol through the engine to lubricate it.

15-30min every week or so is more than enough.

Its hardly difficult or stressful on the engine to change fuels.

In my T25 Transporter I climb hills on petrol, and go down them/cruise on gas.

I dont ave any problem with lack of powe and can redline the octy on gas no problem only time I get any issues is when the tank pressure is low, so have to keep the revs down (<4k )till refilled

the simple answer is yes! I bought a 1.8T 4x4 that averages 30MPG I travel at least 15K a year so at an average cost per litre of £1.15 that is £5.22 a gallon, so 500 gallons is £2610. a general rule of thumb is that running on LPG is half the cost of running on petrol so in the first year I save £1305, that is the cost of the system. If I run the car for a further 5 years (the 1.8T is a good engine and more than capable of 250K if looked after) I save a further £6525. You can factor in things like the fact that a diesel version of a car will generally cost between £1000-£1500 more than the petrol(especially if its a turbo:D) If you do the cost comparison against diesel as that is what you would be running instead if you wanted economy then the figres are better still.

My car had 70k on the clock when converted and it is now coming round to 110K and I intend to keep it to at least 150K (maybe longer if I can get the right mods:D) Yes the cost of LPG has crept up, it was 28p a litre when I had my first conversion, but so has the cost of petrol/diesel, it is still half the cost of petrol and looks likely to remain that way for a good while yet. I would recommend having a car converted over buying one already done as you have a better history and a 1 or 2 year warranty on the system

also in response to the issue of running a tank of petrol to 3 tanks of gas, there are additives that can be added to the tank(I have what looks like a bar of lead in mine:D) that help avoid the lubrication issues. I did look into having the flashlube kit fitted but my installer went with a block of stuff in the tank. As the car starts on petrol and runs for the first mile or so it is getting the lube it needs from that and it is good for 100K at least.

I have been lucky with my LPG experience as I spent a lot of time researching the pros and cons before going for it, I have had vehicles that are well suited to it(not all cars like LPG, the VAG 1.8T is a brilliant engine for LPG and any fitter you talk to will recommend it) I do appreciate that there are people that have not been so lucky, but like I said in my original reply it is vitally important that you are happy with the fitter and the service they offer. Once the system is fitted though you do worry less about the cost of fuel and enjoy the car more :D

Thats a lot better than I had it worked out to be as there is another thread which states it costs £3000 for the right kit and you get lower mpg then when you add in the possible problems it stopped looking so attractive as it would have been over 60k miles to get any return. Im definitely going to look into it though although I would probably still prefer a car with it already fitted that has all the paperwork.

I bought a car i was happy with (dont forget that the petrol version is £1000+ cheaper than the diesel so theres most of the conversion cost ) and had it converted by a fitter I was happy with (had been buying gas from him for 3 years with previous car before getting stuck with a company scrapheap) I have now got a car that is cheaper to run than a diesel (the 4x4 is a bit more thirsty than the VRS) but it will get 40+ on a run at 60mph 35+ at 70mph (true not indicated ;D) and never gives less than 25 on day to day local running. Double all those figures and you get the equivalent of 80+ on a run etc etc.

Car has been successfully fitted with a PRINS Silverline system - which is a coincidence since its gone into a Skoda Silverline.

Been driving it about a week so far - only one minor niggle that was caused by a loose wire and set off the system test electronic warning light - quickly resolved

by the fitter (who has been excellent and very helpful compared to previous experiences with other garages)

Apart from been driving beautifully. Will post pics of the job done when I get time.

Steve.

congrats and welcome to the LPG club Here's hoping you have years of trouble free and cost effective motoring. What you will notice is you will develop an aversion to running on petrol, I hate it when I run out of gas and have to use petrol(other than starting and warm up) all I keep thinking is "oh my god this is costing me double" drives me mad

congrats and welcome to the LPG club Here's hoping you have years of trouble free and cost effective motoring. What you will notice is you will develop an aversion to running on petrol, I hate it when I run out of gas and have to use petrol(other than starting and warm up) all I keep thinking is "oh my god this is costing me double" drives me mad

Already there dude. :-)

I have now got a car that is cheaper to run than a diesel (the 4x4 is a bit more thirsty than the VRS) but it will get 40+ on a run at 60mph 35+ at 70mph (true not indicated ;D) and never gives less than 25 on day to day local running.

Really?! I've just been catching up on this thread, having had an OMVL Piro LPG system fitted to my 4x4 Octavia estate about 60,000 miles ago.

I usually get about 220 miles out of a tank of 48 litres, which is just under 21mpg. On a long motorway run I might get up to 250 miles (24mpg) but in town, in the cold, it may be as little as 200 miles (19mpg).

It's still cheaper than running on petrol but your figures seem outrageously (impossibly?) good.

The bad (cold!) weather exposed the first real issue with the system. the car stalls when trying to go from petrol to gas. The criteria for the cut-over is engine temp reaching a certain point or two minutes of the car being started. Of course first thing in the morning when the temps are below -15 it takes a while for the car to reach optimal running temp so after two minutes the cutover to gas is attempted. Thats when the problem occurs.

Not overly put out by this TBH - its simply a matter of hooking the system up to the computer and either removing the time criteria or upping it to maybe three minutes - which should be plenty of time for the engine to get warmer.

Going to post some links to photos of the final job - not the greatetst in quality but I can't be arsed retaking them ;-)

Still a happy camper with the whole thing.

Photos - hopefully ye can all see the link. Like i said, the quality of the camera work isn't the best but you're getting this work for free!

http://s1118.photobucket.com/albums/k601/Stephen_McVarnock/Skoda%20Silverline%20running%20on%20LPG/