LPG Conversions

About LPG

What Is LPG
LPG is produced during the normal petrol chemical distilling process of crude oil and the letters LPG stand for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, so in other words - petrol gas - which is 100% octane as in 100% octane 5* petrol 97/98 4* and 97 super unleaded.  Any car can run on high octane fuel without modification, problems arise from cars designed to run on high octane being asked to use regular unleaded, which is 94%. LPG is stored in a liquid form because being 250x more dense than as a gas it requires less space within the car.  Many manufacturers, including Renault, Citroen and Vauxhall offer LP gas cars direct from the dealership as part of the range.  Other manufacturers such as Ford, Range Rover and Chrysler may not have an LPG vehicle as part of the range but will allow conversions to be carried out after manufacture as long as they are LPGA approved.
Interestingly two of the largest nations for LPG use in vehicles are Italy and Japan, who are not oil producers. In the UK we produce in excess of 4 million tonnes per year.

What are the Benefits
The benefits are:

• smoother, quieter, cleaner running for your car
• 30% extended engine life
• cleaner air for all
• half price fuel for you
• lower service costs
• extended cruising range. The ability to run on both petrol and gas.
• safety - quality LPGA approved LP gas cars are recognised as being safer, offering better crash/fire tolerance.
• safety - allowing you to drive a larger/luxury car with inherent added safety features and better crash protection qualities.
• as a business user you will be able to recoup some of the conversion cost as a capital expense.
• added reliability - the RAC and AA will confirm that most breakdowns are fuel related. On a rainy night having a second, fully independent tank of fuel might give some comfort.
• possible reduced insurance premium
• possibility of running one larger/luxury car for all journeys and selling second runabout.
• resale value enhanced, especially on larger engined or luxury cars where running costs put a lot of customers off.

Comparisons of LPG

Who Uses LPG
Worldwide millions of people have been benefiting from converting their car to run on LPG and now many car companies including Mitsubishi, Volkswagen and Smart are offering duel fuel models, which has proved very popular with fleet buyers looking to save on running costs.  We are currently converting cars direct from the factory for Ford for the BP fleet.
In Europe, countries like Italy having nearly 1.5m but also countries like Japan, where 90% of taxis use LPG and Australia where on bigger vehicles it is extremely popular and even in America, where petrol is currently 25% of the cost in the UK, in certain clean states such as California. In the UK high profile users including Royal household, ministerial cars, local authorities, police forces and the support service industry such as UPS and Securicor. Also at the last budget the government allocated a further £30m towards London black cab users and fixed the price of LPG until 2008, but the main private users of LPG are people who appreciate smoother, quieter running, longer engine life, cheaper car insurance and half price fuel as well as knowing that you are doing your bit for the environment.
To join this growing number click here for a quotation.  For further information go to www.lpga.co.uk or www.boostlpg.com 

How Much Will I Save
Whatever you are spending on petrol will be halved on gas if you take into consideration longer engine life and longer engine peak performance. Also bear in mind for the larger/luxury car sector LP gas is very much a selling point, but should you feel that you are unable to justify a premium at resale the conversion can be fully removed and the car left in near original form and the kit can be re-used on another vehicle, we can reprogram. Also, you might qualify for cheaper car insurance and with car taxation soon to be based on emissions you might qualify for cheaper road tax and congestion charging.
Click here for a quotation.

Can we Convert Your Car
Within reason, all petrol engine vehicles can be converted with age and mileage not being as important as condition. We regularly convert high mileage modern and classic cars with anything up to 200,000 miles. If we are happy to do the job you will be happy with the results.  Over the years we have converted in excess of 100 Jaguar/Daimler vehicles, dozens of Range Rovers, Cherokee Jeeps, Chrysler Grand Voyagers, Ford Mondeos and Galaxys.  Please contact us and we will be happy to inform you if your car is suitable.  For more information please see our Ford press release on home page and editorials from Jaguar Enthusiast, Jaguar Monthly, Jaguar World and Jaguar Drivers' Club magazines.  For more information please go to Editorial page.  More information on Jaguars/Daimlers can be found on websites listed below.  

www.jec.org.uk      www.jaguardriver.co.uk      www.jaguar-world.com

Click here for a quotation.

Safety and Insurance
LPG has an excellent safety record when carried out by companies using LPGA standards and is industry recognised as being safer than petrol. This is due to the construction of the LPG tank being more robust and on our system having 3 fuel safety shut off solenoids and safety vent system which can open and close at a split second but will not be open unless the engine is running. LPG converted cars may affect your insurance premium and you may be able to save up to 20% through LPG Sure who can be contacted through www.boostlpg.com.  LPG converted cars should not normally affect any other warranties in force, but we offer in such cases a comprehensive Olympic warranty which is included in the cost of the conversion.
Click here for a quotation.  More information can be found at www.lpga.co.uk 

Government Issue
LPG is so much better for the environment, which is becoming a major issue worldwide, that manufacturers such as Ford, Vauxhall have endorsed LPG converted vehicles by, not only running a number themselves, but also price fixing LPG taxation until 2009. Various grants are available to London black cab drivers and certain other users but not currently private users, although some cars can qualify for London Congestion Charging exemption. 

Environmental Issue
Worldwide the number of cars is expanding at an alarming rate. In the UK alone we have 24 million. With LP gas being up to 75% cleaner on petrol and up to 90% cleaner on diesel everyone will benefit from the number that convert.  The UK currently, on the DVLA register, only has 150,000 LPG vehicles so it would be a long time before the government would get any benefit from putting the price of LPG up. 

Warranties and Services
London Petroleum Gas Co/Sovereign Classics has many years of experience behind it and absolute confidence in its product so offers a genuine 24 month no quibble guarantee on all parts and labour. In order that you get the maximum benefit from your LP gas conversion it is essential that your engine is in tip top condition prior to any work being carried out, with modern engines capable of extremely high mileages.
It is important is that consumables - normal service items - have been recently replaced. These include air filter, spark plugs, distributor cap, rotor arm coil and if in any doubt HT leads. If it is necessary prior to conversion we will advise you, if you want to leave the fitting of these components to us there will be no charge for labour. We are fully used to dealing with people who have traveled long distances to get to us and will be happy to discuss any requirements that will be of a help to you while your car is with us.
Click here for a quotation.

Why choose Sovereign Classics  

Hopefully after assessing the evidence you will have decided that the only sensible thing to do is to get your car converted to LPG.  That’s the easy bit.  Finding a good quality gas conversion company unfortunately isn’t always that easy.  Almost all major purchases that you would have made would have been done with familiar brand names, whether this is car manufacture, TV or home appliance, the products you look at are manufactured by companies with reputations built on years of supplying product or service.  Unfortunately the LPG market is relatively new to the UK so even the best of companies are not yet household names and some companies rely more on sales technique than technical ability.  London Petroleum Gas Co Ltd has been trading since 1999 and was born out of Sovereign Classics, which was a Jaguar restoration and modification company, with over 12 years involvement in the motor industry.  Our reputation gave us customers from around the UK and Europe .  Since concentrating on LPG we have still been able to attract gas conversion customers from Edinburgh to Cornwall and benefit from our supply company having 25 years within the industry, who we work very closely with.  Our reputation for good quality gas conversions has had us featured in numerous magazine articles which can be found on this website and it is also represented by our customer testimonials which can be found on this website and currently we are very proud to have been the company selected to carry out conversions on brand new Ford vehicles.  See press release on home page, but if all this still hasn’t convinced you please give us a call for a no obligation informal chat where we will be happy to discuss any of your requirements.

Where To Fill Up
Please view the LPGA website which has listings of registered sites by individual county. www.lpga.co.uk