[shridhar.s.i]

Hi lalit,
i correct myself, i did some searching in TBHP and found the following thread, looks like the Tomasetto parts provided in India are not that genuine, Please go thru the below thread before making any decision (as now even mine is in little jeopardy)
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ts-market.html

[Nash24]

Hey Ajay, i agree to what shridhar has pointed out. CNG pump near your home who supplies good quality CNG is a must.

Secondly i'm just thinking, 5.11 OTR for VXI plus another CNG kit for about 40k, Total comes up to about 5.5lakh.Just a thought, i feel the diesel is making more sense, 5.8lakh Swift Ldi may be and waiting for sometime and fitting in a few goodies on the Swift She will run for about 70-80k Km easily without giving many issues if basic maintaience is done well and performance will be spot on.

I've never owned a CNG, does it really workout dam cheap when you compare it to a diesel? i know it is more environment friendly but i'm feeling 5.5 for a wagron CNG is quite expensive

[shridhar.s.i]

Here is a basic comparo i did
Say my monthly running is 2000 KMS
Now let us compare the same car here, Say Swift Lxi with CNG Kit (4.8L OTR Pune + 40K for CNG kit = 5.2 L)
Swift Ldi 5.8 L OTR Pune

Initial Net price difference = Rs 60K

Now i consider a years running, Total KMS = 2000 pm X 12 = 24K
Catching a mixed driving with both city / highway i take the worst case scenario where Swift CNG will give 13 KM/KG
and Swift Ldi will give 16 KMPL (I am giving Diesel engine an advantage)

Totol CNG burnt= 24000 / 13 = 1846 KG
Total Diesel Burnt = 24000 / 16 = 1500 Litres

Now total expense for CNG per year= 1846 KG X 30 Rs/KG (Pune) = 55380
Now total expense for Diesel per year= 1500 Litres X 45 Rs/Litre (Pune) = 67500

Approximate difference in running cost = Rs 12000

Now running both cars for 3 years, the cost of CNG kit is already recovered (i leave Rs 4K as cost of depreciation)

I have read stories that CNG being a dry fuel causes more wear and tear to engine, but in 5 years if you plan to change the car then CNG is the way to go

Again as per NDTV profit program which i was watching, it is a known fact that cost of Gaseous fuels will not rise linear to crude
and CNG being available abundantly i do not see a steep rise in next five years but the same cant be said for diesel though

And as Nash already said it is environment friendly too, two birds with one stone

[Nash24]

Well now i know why so many cars are running on CNG, it is indeed cheaper than diesel. The only issue is wear and tear of the engine and resale value after 5 years.

I'm now feeling a WagonR LXI with CNG is suddenly making more sense than Swift LDI or FIGO Diesel LXI for practical city driving

[ajay387]

Originally Posted by shridhar.s.i

I have read stories that CNG being a dry fuel causes more wear and tear to engine, but in 5 years if you plan to change the car then CNG is the way to go

To counter this the best way is to have sequential kit, though costly (60k) is best as the changeover to CNG is on optimum engine temperature rather than rpm. All factory fit (Maruti) have it, called "i-GPI technology".

Regarding FE of CNG vehicle, you will be suprised to hear that everyone give atleast 20km/kg. Check out the FE (ARAI) of maruti factory fit CNG cars.

[shridhar.s.i]

Hey Ajay, but does Maruti fit it as aftermarket on existing cars, coz that is the big question here, i will enquire about it tomorrow once i go to showroom

[Nash24]

I doubt they fit it aftermarket, Another issue is not all cities has CNG readily available close by, I'm hunting for CNG stations in bangalore

4yrs MSIL warranty and i am sure another 2 yrs the car wouldn't give an issue Big cost savings indeed to use this K series and CNG fuel machine

[ajay387]

Originally Posted by shridhar.s.i

Hey Ajay, but does Maruti fit it as aftermarket on existing cars, coz that is the big question here, i will enquire about it tomorrow once i go to showroom

Not aftermarket, its FACTORY fit.
Check these threads, first one has a wagon r Factory fit the other an SX4. You will get all the info

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ms-update.html
And
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...y-fit-cng.html

[saintsinner]

there is nothing like factory fit. they are all installed aftermarket. the only difference is the sequential kit. Job's are out sourced to different distributors. a sequential kit requires mounts/wiring/injectors/ECM as per the car. no manufacturer would put money into designing all this, and that too when they are not the experts at it. No company would invest so much to develop their own sequential CNG kit. lets take delhi for example - aveo/indica/hyundai factory fitment uses the BRC kit. so does Maruti but they don't market it as BRC. now, you would assume this kit comes factory fitted? nope, the work is done in okhla. undoubtedly they are great at it. but here is a better option, buy a petrol car and get the CNG kit fitted by them. its sequential - so no loss on power. it can be RC endorsed too. and since no wiring is cut, your car's warranty is honored.

[nitinhegde]

Ladies & Gentlemen,

I have been dormant for quite a while now on team-bhp but have been a silent admirer of all the wonderful posts from our Team-bhp folks. I now look fwd for all yr advice for my second innings now.

I own an Ikon for 7 years and It's time to bring in a new car in the family which will be driven by both, me and my wife. I am happy with my Ikon which has done around 65K till date with no major hiccups. I take it to office daily which is a commute of around 28 kms(total). I am now looking for a second car which will be primarily used for city chores, driven to office by me or my wife(wife's commute is 36kms total).

My criteria for the second car(hatch):

• Major criteria: Totally practical car with low running costs (Maintenance, fuel etc.)
• Decent comfy level
• Boot is not a major criteria (Family of 3: me, wife and my kiddo of 5 yrs). I can use my Ikon in case my mom/dad/In Law's hop in. I intend to keep my Ikon for another 3-4 years(currently, the utility value of Ikon is far more than the resale value )
• Power is not a key criteria, FE is. As me/my wife intend to use this car extensively, we would prefer to keep the fuel guzzlers at bay(my Ikon is giving me an FE of 10-11 KPL in city with 70 % AC)
• I am not so keen on diesel as my running may not justify the break even vis-a-vis Petrol
• Budget is ~5L

This being said & after searching/reading through all the posts, I have zeroed in on Wagon R CNG. Have I made the right choice ?

• Is CNG a viable alternative for Pune. I heard that the wait is extensive for filling CNG due to limited CNG pumps. At the same time, I also heard that 10 new pumps are coming up soon (one very near to my home - on Paud Road). Pune'ris, please comment
• Is CNG a safe alternative ? I know that it might be safer than LPG. What happens in case of an accident - Impact on the backside of the car? This is something which needs to be clarified and I couldn't find an answer here
• Even if the running of this second car is not high, I may still break even vis-a-vis petrol within 2 years (CNG). My current fuel costs: rs 7.5/km vs CNG which would be say 2 Rs/KM i.e. I will recover the 40K extra I paid if I run my car for ~7500 kms. So, does it make sense to go for CNG? I think yes !
• Which other car in CNG fits the bill other than Wagon R?
• LPG may not be practical as it's break even is far higher as compared to CNG?

I have gone through all the posts on Wagon R/CNG, Eon, etc which I thought could fit my criteria.

Looking forward for your valuable inputs. Thanks, in advance.

- Nitin

[neofromcapone]

@nitin, I guess your requirements are pointing you only in one direction. CNG.
If you are buying a new car, factory fitted Wagon R is the best bet.
If you are taking out a loan, then add you avg monthly fuel costs + EMI.
If you going for a used car, Honda City and fit a kit. I would go for a CITY AT and fit a cng kit.

But if you intend to keep this car for a long time - Wagon R CNG.

[S@ndy]

Amongst your criteria, WagonR CNG is a good choice made by you. Yes, CNG is a safe, viable and cheap way to travel (even cheaper than diesel!), also pollutes minimally and has proximity to your residence as well. But do remember that CNG affects acceleration and performance of the car. I guess you might be okay with it. So, your best bet as of now would be WagonR CNG. Do keep us updated of your final decision.

P.S. Does i10 come in a CNG variant? I think it comes in LPG variant! If it comes on CNG, do check it out once.

[sameerg001]

Originally Posted by S@ndy

Amongst your criteria, WagonR CNG is a good choice made by you. Yes, CNG is a safe, viable and cheap way to travel (even cheaper than diesel!), also pollutes minimally and has proximity to your residence as well. But do remember that CNG affects acceleration and performance of the car. I guess you might be okay with it. So, your best bet as of now would be WagonR CNG. Do keep us updated of your final decision.

P.S. Does i10 come in a CNG variant? I think it comes in LPG variant! If it comes on CNG, do check it out once.

Yes, i10 do comes in CNG and surely can be a better choice then wagon r.

Even base figo diesel can be a good choice, if you up your budget by few grands.

[hellmet]

If it is just going to be a second car, and with a family of three, why not try the Tata Nano? Incredibly small, good F.E, and light on the pocket (easily 2.5Lakhs+ difference with the CNG WagonR). I'm sure you can afford to fill a lot of petrol for the price difference, and you'll have no issues with availability of fuel, either. The WagonR is a tall-boy, but the Nano isn't a low seat car either.

And great decision to keep the Ikon around longer. 65K is barely even half life for that car.

[arnabchak]

@Nitin

WR is a very good option.

However, with extremely frequent trips to Pune, I will not recommend going in for Green.

The CNG queues are massive and a wait of an averege 45-50 mins per fill is quite normal.

Unlike in Mumbai which supports CNG Pipeline, in Pune ,CNG is supplied to the various pumps through trucks carrying the CNG cylinders. These cylinders are then attached to the CNG valves in the pump.

So, as you can see, customers are left on the mercy of these trucks.

If your travelling is high, suggest you look at the below options:

1) Beat TDCI LS Model
2) Ford Figo TDCI Base version
3) Tata Indica TDI(Not Vista)

@Sandy,

i10 does not have a factory fitted CNG Kit. It is retro fitted by the dealer. It has a factory fitted LPG kit though sold under the monicker- i10 Blue.