pros and cons of fitting lpg to a e39 540i? as......

[320ise]

i have seen onw very cheap but know full well i could not afford to ru it on petrol? what lpg kit would be good for the v8? also do the v8`s like lpg?

[madaboutthe30]

I dont see why they shouldnt. Converting to lpg even increases the life of the engine apparently.

The only con that I could think of would be finding somewhere to store the extra tank. On a car like that, Im sure you could spare some boot space.

[S38B38]

The LPG conversion must be at that price ,, that the difference in fueleconemy must be gigantic ,, if this is a good idea
or you are driving ..... A lot

[djk]

You need to do the sums and see if it makes sense for the amount of driving you do. My limited understanding of how LPG systems work suggests to me that the more power and/or more cylinders you have, the less likely you are to want to do a DIY fit. I guess you'd be spending well over a grand to have it fitted by the pros.

Also take into account the likelihood that your insurance premium will be increased by the very fact of the conversion - depending on your status, you could find that the saving in fuel is eclipsed by the increased cost of insurance. This raises the thorny subject of certification which, depending on who you speak to, is either a waste of time or absolutely vital. Do bear in mind that there are myriad different forms of certification - some are totally meaningless. Some insurers won't touch a converted car, others won't unless it is certified by the individual body that they favour. Costs costs costs! The point is there won't be a lot of competition for your business and your premium may be significantly higher.

DON'T be tempted not to inform your insurer - you WILL NOT be insured should the worst happen.

Basically, you need to be doing a hell of a lot of miles to make it worthwhile - unless you are in the happy situation of being an expert DIYer AND a very low insurance risk.

[Jon_Bmw]

I think i'll attempt it in stages with my new 540 touring. Having already successfully fitted a single point, with much help from the one and only Brianmoore, it makes me a bit more confident. Don't underestimate it, the BMW ECU in a m60/m62 is far more intelligent than an e30 and the wiring is potentially the biggest headache

It will need a fully sequential multipoint system with a big ol' vapouriser to support 286bhp. Inlet manifolds will need to come off to drill the injectors close enough to the standard position that BMW choose for their petrol injectors. Recently I found a horror story of a 540 conversion carried out by a so called LPGA approved professional! If they can get it that wrong, its never going to be a walk in the park.

What 540i have you seen, not the one that I have put a large deposit down on I presume?

[320ise]

no lol its an auto non touring up for £650! my mate put me on to it and is thinking about having it himself now! but its a bit rough paint and body wise but apperenty drives and inside is mintish. i think at some point its had a front end bump as thats where the paint is not to clever.

[cecotto479]

The same engine converts well in X5 guise so I think with a modern sequential multipoint, it will be perfect. I doubt that I'd be spending £2000 on a conversion to a £600 shitter though.

[Jon_Bmw]

I doubt that I'd be spending £2000 on a conversion to a £600 shitter though.

[e30_singh]

Some engines do not work well on LPG and self destruct. This is because certain components in the engine require the lubrication from feul to stay in a working condition. When a gas is passed through, OK it does work, but there is no lubricration.

I have seen failed engines down to this reason, what these old boys say is that engines on LPG should be given a run on feul as well from time to time, in order to preserve engine life.

Jap engines love LPG and can run on gas just like they do on liquid feul.

[Morat]

I considered it on mine but the sticking point was still being able to fit the dogs in the back on a flat floor without the spare rolling over them through corners The wheel well is pretty big, and also deep - surely that has to be your first place to look?

[UweM3]

The same engine converts well in X5 guise so I think with a modern sequential multipoint, it will be perfect. I doubt that I'd be spending £2000 on a conversion to a £600 shitter though.

Friend of mine had his MErc converted in Netherlands for 2800 Euro! OK it's the newest system out there but they did a fantastic job. Nobody else wanted to touch the car so and he travels a lot so ended up in Netherlands. They use a lot of LPG over there and have the experience. With all the horror stories I hear about Garages with STANDARD work, I would be very concerned to let anybody loose on a BMW E39.

And I agree, not really worth on a £600 banger. You have to be sure the car is sound to return your investment over 2 years+

I was looking to convert my E39 528 tourer but A: the selfleveling suspensions compressor is in the spare wheel well and needs to be relocated and B: NO Eurotunnel with LPG.

And working out the "savings" LPG will give you I ended up with 2 years driving before you even start saving. And that didn't even take the insurance into account (didn't realise the bump your premium up for LPG!!)

In the end I was surprised how little fuel (for such a big car) the 528i uses on CRUISE, you just pay extra for town driving (or when you put your foot down)
The 540 isn't too bad as long you don't floor it constantly. But what's the point of having a 540 and creep around

I was looking at 540's when I bought the 528 and sometimes wish I would have gone for one. Especially with the M3 on the trailer behind it. The 540 is actually better on mpg when towing than the 528!

And the 540 was 1k cheaper then any other E39 model, not even talking about the diesels.

[djk]

NO Eurotunnel with LPG.

Didn't know that. Presumably they view it as an increased risk of explosion/fire? Seems a bit daft to me, but I suppose there are a lot of daft rules around in this world!

that didn't even take the insurance into account (didn't realise the bump your premium up for LPG!!)

To clarify, I'm not saying that an LPG conversion will definitely raise insurance premiums in all cases, just that it gives insurers more ammunition to do just that. Those on the zone with LPG kitted cars will know better than me. I find it difficult to believe that there isn't some added cost in most cases though, and it all has to be taken into account when budgeting for a prospective conversion.

As you rightly say, the number one consideration is projected mileage - a converted car doing below average yearly mileage will take ages to 'get into the black' given the likely costs involved.

[PiersM5]

A mate of mine is running a top of the line BRC kit on his e39 540 with no issues. Tank is in the wheel well so there is no loss of space. His dad is an LPGA fitter and a very skilled engineer so the fit looks OEM. They have converted loads of these engines and have had no issues.

[Morat]

So, how much for the conversion?

[PiersM5]

Circa £2k for a V8 540