Hi,

I know nothing about LPG apart from that is it cheaper than petrol/diesel, cleaner and that you need to get a good conversion.

I ask as I wondered what the pros and cons would be of converting a CRV to LPG? As I say, I know next to nothing about LPG conversions so would welcome any thoughts from those in the know.

I have read that there are loads of people offering LPG conversion and some good and some are pretty bad. I spoke with a find a 'good' LPG conversion garage.

Oh, and I have also read something about the cylinders burning out on LPG conversions so you have to add lubrication and apparently this lubrication system can be everything cheap and nasty to quite expensive and not so nasty.

The mechanic I talked to was not convinced about any of these lubricant add-ons as he felt that the engine had been designed, at great time and expense, to do a particular job and now people were basically altering the way the engine worked for peanuts as opposed to the tens of millions that car companies had spent on deisgning the engine in the first place.

Anyhow, would be interested to hear views on LPG conversions and, more specifically, whether converting a CRV makes any sense?

Thanks,


T. Read more

I'm looking to buy a used car for a friend who needs wheels, and the requirements point to a secondhand repmobile. Need a mile-mucher (25k-40kmiles pa) with a big covered boot (so not an estate), enough power to cope with fast A-roads as well as mways, and reasonable comfort (seats and noise and driving position, not electric toys). Must be cheap to run and reliable for long-term use, because this car will be used for unmissable appointments a long way from home (niggles aren't critical, but car-won't-go would be an expensive disaster).

A saloon would be marinally preferable to a hatchback, but they are rare on the UK market, so it'll likely be a hatchback. In Focus-sized cars hatchbacks are shorter than saloons and thus have a smaller boot, but in the next size bracket (Mondeo), that seems not to be a problem, so the disadvantages of the hatch are minor.

The options appear to be Mondeo, Vectra or Avensis, but the Avensis holds its value too well, so it's Mondeo or Vectra. Of the two, my impression from the reviews is that there's not much to choose between them either in driving quality or price, but that the Mondeo is a slightly better drive and slightly more reliable.

The ideal purchase would be youngish car which has been run in without clocking up massive mileage, and after burrowing around I find that the best deals on offer are on 07 reg Mondeo IIIs at Motorpoint. They have a choice of 1.8LXs at £5,999 or 2.0TDCI 130s at £6999, all with mileage in the low teens; both seem like real bargains (save £10k for a car which someone else has run in, but still has plenty of warranty left). The deals on Vectras don't look quite as good, and since the Mondeo seems to be a slightly better car, no reason to choose the Vectra.

So far as I can see, the 2.0 petrol offers more power with only slightly more thirst than the 1.8, so would be a better buy, but I can't find 2.0 petrols at a resaonable price. Similarly, the 115PS TDCI is slightly less thirsty than the 130PS TDCI, but I can't find and TDCI 115s at a sensible price.

So it's a choice between the 1.8 petrol or the 2.0 TDCI 130. My guess is that the TDCI will be a much nicer drive, with a litle more noise but a heck of a lot more useable power. There is little to choose between them in fuel cost: on current prices, my spreadsheet says that 30k miles in the diesel will cost £3,093, compared with £3314 in the petrol. That's barely £200 a year, but enough to pay for an extended warranty on the diesel once the manufacturers warranty runs out in 18 months time.

So the choice between the two come down to a trade-off between reliability and driveability. HJ's car-by-car breakdown at www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=119 lists a long catalogue of problems with the diesel (injectors, DMF, DPF, which may not be all that common but could be expensive disasters if they happened while the car was in use for business. OTOH, it seems that the extra torque of the diesel will make it a much nicer drive.

Any suggestions on how to approach the choice? Read more

Hi, has anyone got any ideas on how to reprogram a vauxhall combo van key? I have just changed the battery & the little red LED lights up when both buttons are pressed but it wont lock or unlock using the fob! I have tried the ignition on press buttons route to no avail!! any ideas would be much appreciated
Many thanks Scott Read more

Both 55 reg vehicles with 1 owner, 16k miles on X Trail and 23k on Freelander.
Nissan X Trail 2.2 dci Sport
Land Rover Freelander 2.0 TD4 Adventurer

What would you choose? Read more

i have a renault megan 1.6 16 v on a 03 plate and the cam belt has snapped. It went at low speed. Please can you give me an idea on the amount of damage this would cause and if possible a ball park figure i can expect to pay. Many thanks rich Read more