Hi everyone,

I am pretty sure it has been debated before, but any opinions on putting my Magna on GAS? Pros vs Cons?

Does the gov actually rebate something back to you? Is it worth it?
Does the car reliability get affected at all?
Any good value for money mechanic I could take it too around Northern Beaches NSW?

Please let me know. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks much,
Mike D

There's plenty of threads on LPG here if you search. :)

Basically, how much do you want to spend? This determines whether you get a mixer system or an injected one. Mixer system will decrease power - on both fuels whereas the injection will be similar power. Injection will be more fuel efficient too.

How many KM's do you do per annum? If less than 20,000 it's possibly not worth it depending on how long you plan on keeping the car. Obviously the more K's you do, the more you save. The recent spike in LPG prices have made it a bit more difficult to recoup the initial outlay, especially of you're not doing many KM's.

All Advance engines were LPG compatible so no issues there either. If possible get the converter & ECU fitted on the LHS otherwise it'll be in the way for future timing belt changes - they'll cost more as a result.

May not be worth it if you don't do enough K's.

You claim the rebate after installation and they (the government) reimburse you directly, usually by direct debit. The installer should be able to supply the paperwork you need to complete for the refund.

I have a mixer system that's been on for 70,000K's and no reliability problems at all. As Alscall says, this type of system means less power and an increase in fuel consumption compared to vapour injection or liquid injection. I do above average K's and the loss of power doesn't bother me. The system I've got (Impco) is the system that is fitted to the factory dual fuel and dedicated gas Magnas, so no problem with components being in the way to affect timing belt changes.

I am sold on gas, so don't believe everything I say. No idea of installation costs now, but 12 years ago, I had gas put onto my Pajero and my wife's Magna. The Magna cost $1650 to gas, the Pajero $2600. At the time, it took 20000 km to recoup the cost of each conversion and since then, every 20000 km has saved me the same amount of money. You have to do the sums yourself, but with gas at today's prices (wherever you are and typically where you fill up), you can still save money.

Typically most of our running is on the open road at 100 - 119 km/h. The Magna does 11 L/100 km, so to do 1000 km, it will use 110 L of gas. Cost in Canberra is around 80 cents/L, so cost is $88 to do 1000 km. On petrol it would be about 9 L/100 km, so it would use 90L of petrol. At today's prices (about $1.50 /L), this will cost $135, so LPG will save you $47 per 1000 km. 10000 km = $470 saving, 100000 km = $4700 savings. We have done over 200000 km, so we have saved heaps even on today's prices. Most of the time we have run with a much higher differential price (LPG used to be around 40 cents, and I can even remember filling at 17.9 cents- sob!) between LPG and petrol, so our savings are even greater.

You must have good ignition system - plugs, leads. Also, LPG vehicles cost more to get a pink slip in NSW. The biggest downer is the gas tank. It sort of fills the luggage area, but depending on your needs, this may not be a problem. It is no worry for us.

I cannot detect any difference in performance between gas and petrol.I am sure that at 5000 R/min and full throttle, you may have a dropoff, but I rarely get anywhere near that.

Having 2 fuels, you tend not to worry about where to fill up next. If you run out of gas, you simply switch over to petrol and continue tyour trip until you get to a cheap place to fill u[ again. With the Pajero, we have driven around the block (around OZ) twice, towing our 16 ft caravan, and have used 2 tankfuls of petrol on each trip. LPG is available at most places. Sure - you have to pay for it - $1.80 per litre across the Nullabor, but petrol was even dearer then (from memory, about $2.50 per litre. Anyway, you need the stuff, they have it so cough up and don't bitch. LPG is available - you just have to chase it at times. Having petrol and LPG gives you a very good range if you need it. We can get 600 km from LPG and about 750 from petrol if needed, so it is a good range.

LPG is supposed to make the engine last longer - there is no liquid petrol washing the oil from the cylinder walls when the engine is cold. LPG certainly rots out the exhaust quicker if you do short trips (and the exhaust system doesn't warm up). But hey, my Pajero still has the original exhaust system on it (Shhh!) and it has 240000 km on it in 12 years. The Magna gets short runs during the week and then a long run once a week when it all dries out. The pajero gets fired up and does long runs most of the time - very few short runs.

Whilst we don't intend to do this, we could give either vehicle away now and theoretically neither would owe us any money - the savings we have made easily outweigh the residual value of the vehicles.

Do the sums yourself. We did, and couldn't be happier, even with the latest prices.