MINI earns itself a reprieve, and a LPG conversion

[The Dogfather]

Well today was the day that a deal was due to be done to replace the MINI. We took the MINI into Aberdeen to have it priced up against a Subaru WRX estate, which I have to say is an awesome motor.

At risk of sounding a little mad (even more than usual) I swear the car knew, the rattles that have been getting on my tits of late seemed to be quieter and the engine seemed to be smoother. The roads were fairly quiet so the journey in was a bit of a blast and I found myself having a cracking time.

Anyway to cut a long story short we've decided to stick with the MINI and it's now booked in to have a LPG Conversion the week after next. So it looks like I might be around NMS for a wee bit longer :I

[3GGG]

Good news - let us know how the LPG conversion goes and what it looks like - do you have any boot left? Also interested in how many miles you have to do before you pay for the cost of the conversion.

Oh, does it affect TLC or Insurance?

[lightbody]

LPG Mini vs WRX Subaru? I'm confused! Chalk & Cheese!!

My friend has a WRX Turbo Estate thing - 260+ bhp... he took me out for a crash in it - great fun...

its a superb car, very reliable, very fast, but its not a MINI!

[The Dogfather]

We've decided to get another LPG car, given that fuel economy isn't really an issue with an LPG car I thought I should look at other sports cars.... VX220, MCS, TT, S3, WRX, SLK and Clio V6

The WRX was the most affordable serious performance car that Jackie liked, however the drive to Town and Country made me realise that ultimate performance isn't everything. There's not many places you can push a WRX to the limit without losing either you license or risk your life, whilst you can have serious fun in the MINI without risking either :D

In the end it didn't seem to be worth spending the extra money :)

With that in mind we've decided

[3GGG]

I'm interested to know how many MPG you get with LPG, the savings per mile over petrol, installation costs, insurance, warranty, TLC implications, can you switch between petrol and LPG if necessary? , performance differences, location of gas tank etc.

In fact everything...

Thanks.

PS What about road tax, does it make a difference on LPG v petrol?

[The Dogfather]

The info so far, you usually get about 10-20% less mpg so a Cooper like mine should get 27 - 30mpg on LPG which is roughly 2.3 - 2.4 times cheaper. Costs works out to be similar to getting 62 - 72 mpg on diesel.

The conversion costs £1650 plus £90 for a 12 month warranty which covers anything that BMW will try to wrangle out of as a result of the conversion. TLC should be OK, but seeing that you can't trust our local dealer to service the car correctly perhaps thats not a great plus. You have to tell your insurance but they shouldn't charge you anymore, mine doesn't!

A 55 litre tank which holds 45 litres which will take up the bottom 30cm of your boot, this isn't an issue for us as we never use the rear seats and have the Omega to fall back on.

Performance suffers a tiny amount the Omega 2.6 MV6 will do 0 - 60 in 9.2 on petrol it takes 9.5 on gas. The engine should have less wear as its a cleaner fuel and it actually runs smoother and quieter. The car starts on petrol first and switches itself over when the engine warms to 30C, the car automatically switches back if you run out of LPG. You don't notice the change over.

There's lots of garages selling the gas but if you got the space (we haven't) you can have a tank in your garden for £200 per year. The fuel only costs 34p/l when bought in bulk.

Theres a lot of old wives tales going about saying its less safe etc but most of its crap, the tanks are steel (petrol ones are plastic) and are deformable in an accident, they are self sealing and the system has numerous cut off valves. Most experts reckon an LPG car would be safer than a petrol car.

So far I'm v.happy with the Omega conversion and we've done 10k in 4 months.

[3GGG]

Ta very much indeed for the detailed answer, much appreciated, will have to do the sums and see if my mileage warrants the conversion, but most interesting indeed.

Does the chancellor give you anything off the road fund for LPG?

[The Dogfather]

Yeah a fiver! :eek:

[3GGG]

quote:Originally posted by bad dog mini

Yeah a fiver! :eek:


Oh Brilliant ! - every year too :p

[3GGG]

Unfortunately the payback period with my annual mileage would be about 3 years and I'd save about £500 a year after that at today's prices for LPG/petrol. But might think about it if I ever get a new car or my mileage increases substantially. I see the government have stopped the grants for LPG conversions...

[john]

Why not buy a Mini Diesel????????????

[3GGG]

quote:Originally posted by john

Why not buy a Mini Diesel????????????

I hate Diesels - horrible polluting oil burners.:evil:

[The Dogfather]

MINI Diesel sounds crap compared to a cooper with air filter. Performance isn't too great, and from the comments Heather made fuel economy isn't much to write home about either.

[bpirie1000]

Well you'll be surprised.. Mini Diesel With a Chip and Exhaust and A Few Other tweaks you'll never know the difference... I know it would be my choice..

Sure john can vouch for this after Thrashing. sorry Carfully Driving A Chipped Diesel from Knockhill...

mmmm Spanner, meet works... hee hee

[The Dogfather]

It'll cost me about £1500 to change and the cost of a chip etc. similar to the cost of a conversion. Performance even of a chipped MINI isn't as good and the LPG MINI will still be cheaper to run.

Plus it'll be unique!:clown:

[john]

What is going on in your head???

You were originally changing cars NOT worried about carrying the dog,
NOT worried about fuel consumption and now you trying to make the mini economical???????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????

[Scottie]

quote:Originally posted by john

What is going on in your head???

You were originally changing cars NOT worried about carrying the dog,
NOT worried about fuel consumption and now you trying to make the mini economical???????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????


glad you said that. cause that was what I was thinking:p;)

one minute a VX220 then a WRX Estate:( Now a LPG Mini:question:

Fiona. Confused.dum

[MartinSullivan]

Ive got to agree with John and Fiona - your original brief was a "more powerful car. As the replacement is only to be used as a second car practicality is not an issue although I would expect to use the car for about 10000 miles each year so reliability is important. These can be summer miles though."

and

"
Dog transport is covered by the Omega but if I can get him in the new car then it's a bonus
"

I dont see how the current plan meets any of your original criteria - but good luck and glad you will still be around

[The Dogfather]

Clear as mud, I know! I knew there'd be a few comments :I

The ultimate aim was to get a second car which was cheaper to run than the MINI but just as much fun, the current situation is that MINI hardly gets used as it costs a lot more to run than the Omega. So I set out to find a replacement hence the list of 'silly' cars which could be converted to LPG that would be as cheap or cheaper to run as the Omega.....

Practicallity wasn't an issue because we had the Omega to fall back on, however it would have been nice to be able to use the new car for more than just trips to work. The Scooby would have ticked all of the boxes, fun - yes, cheap to run - yes after the conversion, with the added bonus of being able to carry the dog and some luggage. Oh, another factor Jackie liked it.....

Having driven the MINI into Aberdeen to sort out its replacment, the WRX, the MINI seemed to be on its best behaviour and I had a lot of fun. As a result I had second thoughts, I found it really difficult to justify the extra £2500 (plus insurance) to get a Scooby.

I know that the decision is a change from the brief I posted on the site, but as I realised on the drive into Aberdeen I still wanted a MINI and after all power isn't everything.

Only problem will be there'll be no way to carry both the dog and luggage after the conversion :( unless someone can find a towbar for an MCS.........

I was also (slightly) worried about what might happen if the conversion caused a problem with the turbo engine (not that it should) and how much the repair bills would be given its complexity.

[MartinSullivan]

http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/Jeep-2-mini/sedan0002_1.jpg

[The Dogfather]

MS - I've got an MCS exhaust and rear bumper :D, I'll keep an eye on redpoint's thread though!

[MartinSullivan]

or if you want to keep your S exhaust

http://user.mc.net/~jdewey/MINI/Trailer_hitch/70_hitch_on_car_1.jpg

[MartinSullivan]

quote:Originally posted by bad dog mini

MS - I've got an MCS exhaust and rear bumper :D, I'll keep an eye on redpoint's thread though!


I know you have mate ;) thats why I was posting the pic of the S System ;) although I would be tempted to take the S exhaust off and buy a decent aftermarket system as the tow hitch for the Cooper looks a better bet.

Also it turns out that MiniFini that produced the S one have now gone bust - their remaining stock is now in dealerships in the states so you might struggle to get hold of one.

[The Dogfather]

Might be putting the filler point in the fake vents next to the reversing lights so I can fill up from either side, a different arrangement to the recessed filler so no need to drill a hole in the side of the car

http://www.sbautogas.co.uk/recent_conversions/pictures/Jag%20X-Type%203000cc/filler.gif