LPG Frequently
Asked Questions:
SAVINGS
Will I save money?
What will it cost to convert my vehicle?
What mpg will I get on Autogas?
FILLING UP
Where can I buy Autogas?
Can I still use petrol?
What type of Fuel Filler will I have?
How do the pumps work, is it easy to fill
up with gas?
How will I know how much Autogas I have?
INSURANCE AND WARRANTY
Will a conversion increase my insurance?
Will a conversion invalidate the warranty?
SAFETY
Is Autogas safe for everyone to use?
Can Autogas damage the engine?
Can I fit an Autogas system myself?
Is it important to use an LPGA Approved
Installer?
How can I tell if an Installer is LPGA Approved?
Are there any system safety features?
CONVERSIONS
What does LPG conversion involve?
Where does the tank go?
Will I lose my boot space?
Do I need engine modifications to use Autogas?
My vehicle has a Catalytic convertor, can
I convert it?
Remind me of the benefits of conversion…
How do I get a quotation for an LPG conversion?
FUEL TRENDS
Is Autogas a "fad"?
Will the Government increase Autogas tax?
MISCELLANEOUS
Can LPG vehicles use the Channel Tunnel?
SAVINGS:
Will I save money?
Yes. As soon as you convert to LPG you will save around £1.50
per gallon when you fill up.
E.g. you have a Land Rover V8 giving 17mpg and drive 18,000 miles
per year. You would save more than £1,000 per year compared
to petrol.
See the mileage savings chart (link to relevant part of the LPG conversions
page on this site) to work out how much you could save with your vehicle.
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What will it cost to convert my vehicle?
Anywhere from £1000 to £2500 depending on the types of
car, system and tank.
Carburettor engines are cheaper to convert than modern fuel injection
vehicles (especially with catalytic convertors). Cylinder tanks installed
in the boot of the vehicle are cheaper than toroidal (‘doughnut’)
tanks.
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What mpg will I get on Autogas?
Autogas
delivers around 80% of the mileage that you would travel on the
same quantity of petrol.
E.g. if 1 litre of petrol takes you 10 miles, 1 litre of Autogas
would take you 8 miles.
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FILLING UP:
Where can I buy Autogas?
There are now around 1200 Autogas filling stations in the UK, including
BP, Shell and Jet, and more every day.
For an up to date list of LPG filling stations near you, just click
here: http://www.lpga.co.uk/refueling_stations2.htm
If you use large quantities of Autogas, your own tank and pump might
be better. The price per litre is even lower than on forecourts.
Contact Darren Morgan at BP (morgandj@bp.com)
direct if you are interested in this option.
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Can I still use petrol?
Yes. It is a dual-fuel conversion. Simply flick the dash switch
back to petrol, you can be moving or stopped. On some vehicles this
happens automatically when you run out of Autogas.
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What type of Fuel Filler will I
have?
A UK filler is supplied. Adaptors that allow you to fill up anywhere
in Europe are also available.
All Autogas installations have a one-way valve in the filler for
added safety.
The EU plan to introduce a grooved filler connection that will hopefully
be used in future as the standard type throughout Europe. Adaptors
for this will be made available when this happens.
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How do the pumps work, is it easy
to fill up with gas?
It’s a bit like filling up with petrol. The Autogas filler
(just 2 inches square) can be positioned anywhere outside of the
vehicle (up to 2.5m from the LPG tank).
Simply push the nozzle into place and lock by twisting slightly.
Lean on the push button and wait until the flow stops. The tank
automatically stops filling when it reaches 80% capacity, as it’s
designed to. (The extra space allows room for the gas to expand.)
Simply disconnect the hose by untwisting it and you’re done.
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How will I know how much Autogas
I have?
A quick glance at the indicator in the vehicle, the LED display
that is part of the gas/petrol dash switch.
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INSURANCE & WARRANTY:
Will using Autogas increase my
insurance?
No, not with the majority of insurers. Check the latest LPGA
Survey of Insurers for the latest picture for gas converted
vehicles.
Insurers will request LPGA-approved certification as evidence, this
is supplied by all approved installers.
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Will converting my new car invalidate
the warranty?
Not normally. Most manufacturers are happy with conversion, although
obviously they will not warranty the parts installed – they
have a separate warranty.
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SAFETY:
Is Autogas safe for anyone to
use?
Yes. LPG is stored as liquid in a very substantial tank, made from
thicker steel than a Land Rover chassis. Put it this way, it is
safe enough that Government Ministers and even The Queen run many
of their vehicles on Autogas.
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Can Autogas damage the engine?
No, quite the contrary. LPG burns more cleanly, leaving less residual
deposits. Also, the engine oil tends to stay effective for longer
– although this doesn’t mean you can skimp on servicing!
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Can I fit an Autogas system myself?
No, you need to be fully trained to install the systems. This is
for safety reasons more than anything. Likewise, you should only
use an installer who is LPGA approved.
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Is it really important to use
LPGA approved Installers?
Yes! So you know they are fully trained to fit the type of systems
they work with and can issue your certificates.
All equipment fitted is also approved, to ensure your vehicle runs
smoothly and safely on Autogas: used parts will never be used by
these installers.
You may find cheaper deals at non-approved garages, but you will
not be guaranteed to have a safe installation.
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How can I tell if an installer
is LPGA Approved?
You can tell an installer is approved if you see the ‘LPGA
approved’ logo on their adverts, brochures or web site. It’s
the green tick you can see on the top right of each page on this
site.
You can also check for a list of approved
installers on the LPGA website for reassurance.
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Are there any system safety features?
Yes, many:
- Tank valves are sealed from the boot or interior of
the vehicle and vent pipes fitted. In the highly unlikely event
of a leak, gas only vents outside the vehicle.
- Gas is piped underneath the vehicle to the engine compartment.
A valve shuts off gas supply when the engine is running on petrol
or is switched off/stalled.
- On carburettor engine vehicles there is also a petrol
shut-off valve to cut the supply of petrol when the engine is
running on gas.
- The vaporiser (which converts the liquid into gas) also
has a shut off valve and can also prevent any gas leaks in an
accident, or if the engine stalls.
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CONVERSIONS:
What does LPG conversion involve?
Conversion to Autogas consists simply of adding parts to the existing
vehicle. Typically, installation takes 3 days for proper fitting,
testing and calibration.
Equipment installed includes:
- Tank and mounting brackets
- Vaporiser
- Engine bay system (according to petrol engine type)
- Pipework running underneath the vehicle
- External filler and cap (usually near the petrol cap)
- Petrol/LPG switch inside vehicle (usually on the dash)
If required, the complete conversion could be removed and fitted to
another vehicle, with the original vehicle reverted to petrol only.
However this is not normal practice.
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Where does the tank go?
It depends on the vehicle and the type of tank required.
Cylinder Tanks:
Sausage-shaped, these are usually fitted behind the back seats in
the boot. Vehicles with a chassis can sometimes have tanks mounted
underneath. Pickups can also have them mounted in the bed.
Toroidal Tanks:
These doughnut-shaped tanks can be fitted in the spare wheel well
lying flat. They can also be vertically mounted in the rear of the
vehicle.
See examples of tanks here. (click for link to Gallery installations)
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Will I lose my boot space?
Some, if you cannot mount a tank underneath the vehicle. You could
have a doughnut-shaped tank in the spare wheel well, if there is one,
as you do not actually have to carry a spare tyre by law in the UK.
According to a recent survey by BMW, on average any person only suffers
a puncture once every 96,000 miles! A can of emergency puncture repair
suffices in most cases.
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Do I need engine modifications to
use Autogas?
Not normally. All petrol engines running on unleaded fuel are usually
suitable for Autogas conversions.
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My vehicle has a Catalytic Convertor,
can I convert it?
Yes. In petrol engines with catalytic converters the Autogas fuelling
is controlled automatically. An additional ECU (Electronic Control
Unit) is fitted, operating an Autogas valve to keep the fuel supply
optimal. This helps the CAT reduce exhaust emissions even further.
P. I. Fuel Systems supply and install the most ideal system for the
type and complexity of vehicle being converted.
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Remind me of the benefits of conversion…
The end result of a P I Fuel Systems conversion is a vehicle that
performs equally well on Autogas as it did on petrol.
Added advantages of Autogas are: half price fuel, lower emissions,
less engine wear, longer periods between oil changes and depending
on tank size, an extended range between fuel stops.
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How do I get a quotation for an LPG
conversion?
Click here or call P. I. Fuel Systems on:
Tel: 01730 895463
Mob: 07785 96 6388
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FUEL TRENDS:
Is Autogas a "fad"?
No. Autogas was popular briefly in the late 70's and early 80’s,
but availability was very poor. The inconvenience of finding fuel
tended to outweigh the savings from lower tax.
There are over 1300 outlets selling Autogas in the UK, and more opening
every day. Commercial vehicles have driven demand to the point where
availability is now suitably high, and this encourages daily use in
privately owned vehicles too.
Although Autogas conversions virtually stopped in the UK in the early
80's, the use and development of Autogas systems has continued in
many other countries.
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Will the Government increase Autogas
tax?
Highly unlikely. The tax on gas fuels is more likely to be lowered
even further to come in line with other European countries and any
future EU emissions requirements, whereas petrol and diesel are both
due to rise every year.
Both the Conservative and Labour Governments pledged to cut down on
vehicle emissions, and the Government car service is converting its
own fleet to alternatively-fuelled vehicles.
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MISCELLANEOUS:
Can LPG vehicles use the Channel Tunnel?
Currently, no. Cross Channel ferries are all fine, but at this time
the Channel Tunnel does not permit LPG powered vehicles. This may
change in time.
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