www.jec.org.uk

Hi all

I am currently considering buying a XK8 which has had an LPG conversion and would welcome any feedback as to whether this is a good option.

Would love to hear the pros and cons.

Thanks in advance

Ian in Leeds

On the plus side, if someone else has paid for the conversion, the car will not command a significantly different purchase price from any equivalent age XK8 and the fuel running costs will be usefully lower. On the downside, most conversions are made with the intention of completing starship mileages otherwise with the cost of the conversion being high, there will no economy benefit after conversion costs are taken into account. Check the service history to confirm the car's advertised mileage.
Conversions are tailored to each individual vehicle so there can be issues with quality, meaning you need to check carefully the standard of the installation. Simple clues are things like the runs of the fuel pipes and wiring. Are they neat and well away from hot under-bonnet items like the exhaust manifolds? A good conversion should be imperceptible in use. A car which has misfires and/or flat spots should be avoided. Boot space will be reduced by the need for an LPG tank which may or may not be an issue. LPG contains less energy than petrol. Thus, there is a small performance loss running on LPG although it may not be apparent in everyday use. Many Jaguar V8 conversions include extra top end lubrication to counteract possible additional wear. Hence, it's probably wise to check if your intended purchase has this facility. Good luck. Mike.

Thanks Mike

Your feedback is very helpful and I think I may now rethink this through.

Thanks again

Ian in Leeds

hello there, I'll be a little more direct!!, DON'T buy it, I have yet to see a safe and well installed conversion, ignore all the loss of boot space, spending time looking for gas, the smell, they are all givens. I have lost count of the number of cars I have had here, supplied parts for that have had gas fitted, they won't run correctly, pop and bang, set fire to air boxes and air cleaners, throe up all sort of spurious warning lights, wreck valve seats, especially supercharged cars, remember if it was that good Jaguar would have done it themselves. As an example the last X300 I saw had the gas filler in the rear bumper, a plastic item with no resistance to an impact, so god forbid the owner gets rear ended, the filler to tank pipe splits , gas everywhere and BOOM, I rest my case

Hi robv12

Thanks for the feedback, I will take your advice and forget it.

It's a shame as it's the exact colour combo I wanted.

Thanks again

Ian

Ian, remember the world is full of secondhand cars, another one will be along soon, try all the usual sites, our own classifieds, piston heads, ebay, auto trader etc

hello there, I'll be a little more direct!!, DON'T buy it, I have yet to see a safe and well installed conversion, ignore all the loss of boot space, spending time looking for gas, the smell, they are all givens. I have lost count of the number of cars I have had here, supplied parts for that have had gas fitted, they won't run correctly, pop and bang, set fire to air boxes and air cleaners, throe up all sort of spurious warning lights, wreck valve seats, especially supercharged cars, remember if it was that good Jaguar would have done it themselves. As an example the last X300 I saw had the gas filler in the rear bumper, a plastic item with no resistance to an impact, so god forbid the owner gets rear ended, the filler to tank pipe splits , gas everywhere and BOOM, I rest my case

Rob, a quick question, is this a Jag thing?
There are thousands of converted Range Rovers etc. running around quite happily on LPG with much reduced fuel costs......
....obviously Jaguar wouldn't do it themselves, tho dual fuel of some type will no doubt come in time.

TonyS

Tony, can't comment on Range Rovers as I haven't seen any in the metal so to speak, but as I say the Jaguars I have seen done are all of dubious to down right dangerous, we even have a local member who does LPG fitments, even he will not touch an XJR of any sort due to problems with cars he has been asked to sort out

Rob,

I agree about the xjr. The lpg conversion firms I know won't touch any supercharged car as they are just too complicated to get right. I'll also agree that there are some pretty damn rough conversions out there as well.
I did my own conversion (qualified to do so) on my present X300 as a 'trial'. It works perfectly but (as Rob says), it is not the neatest - but it is a lot neater than some professional jobs.
When the 3.2 Sport gets roadworthy it will be 'lpg'd' as well, but the installation will be a lot neater than my previous one.