[khoj]

Guys,

We are looking to buy a small car with very low running cost for office use, which essentially translates to car running on CNG or LPG. At first we thought of converting our 1996 Zen with 150000+ kilometers on the odometer to CNG. Got the engine checked for suitability and was glad to know that the engine still runs close to original compression ratio. Then someone informed us that vehicles more than 15 years old can neither be registered nor have their registrations renewed in New Delhi. Called up the AAUI and reconfirmed the above to be correct, since switching to gas would necessitate a change in the RC we had to drop the idea.

Now we are looking at either the Spark or the Santro that come factory fitted with LPG kits complete with warranty. We are also open to buying the above cars or the Alto in petrol and have a CNG after market kit installed. In this case however we will not get any warranty.

Also if you could enlighten me on the positives or negatives of LPG vs CNG, I would appreciate it very much. I would not want to be stuck with a seemingly more dangerous gas i.e. LPG, just because it comes with factory backed warranty. I might sound paranoid here but then I have absolutely no experience with gas driven vehicles and just want to be as safe as possible.

Assuming that we were to Pass LPG as the gas of choice, then what car should it be the Santro or the Spark. Here I will request you to let me have your views regarding these two vehicles in terms of quality, A.S.S. and warranty issues if any.

[DCEite]

WagonR LPG Duo - tried, tested and proven. Biggest usable boot space compared to other dual fuel models.

[vigsom]

Running a car on LPG is not advisable unless,of course,it comes with a factory fitted kit.

IMHO CNG would be a better bet given that it does not need to be vaporised,is cheaper,and with some preventive maintenance(like air filter cleaning,throttle body cleaning,spark plugs change to a range cooler),will prove to be a much better and cheaper alternative.

Since you stay in Mumbai/Delhi,I presume availability of CNG is no big deal.

You could buy a Wagon-R and retrofit a Landi Renzo unit.Some boot space could still be utilised.

Other options are the Spark or the Santro.

[smooth]

Putting a CNG kit is a better option than LPG. There are more CNG pumps available, as the need to fill gas will be very frequent. Approx. after every 200kms you have to refill. Look for the pump stations which are around your place. CNG pumps are open 24hrs.
And as per cost you are going to save more on CNG as compared to LPG. as you will be putting the kit for cost saving purpose so installing CNG only makes sense.

In all the cars Spark, Santro, WagonR or the similar ones forget about the boot space after putting the CNG kit.

[Technocrat]

Please refer to our Arthicle on CNG Vs LPG here to know the advantage & disadvantage of both.

[khoj]

Originally Posted by i_see

can some one please change the title to something more appropriate
this one dosent give a good meaning

@i_see
That was the intent of the title. To draw attention so that I could get quick feedbacks and decide on the car by the end of the week and it seems to be working.

Just noticed that the title of the thread has been changed. How did that happen ? This just in. As I was typing, I got a pm from the mods that title has been edited. Come on guys some leeway for a bit of humour.

Originally Posted by DCEite

WagonR LPG Duo - tried, tested and proven. Biggest usable boot space compared to other dual fuel models.

@DCEite
Thank you for pointing out the Wagon. I thought that MUL had stopped production of this variant. Just checked with the dealer and it is available but only against order.

The find of the day however is that in NCR, MUL is providing Alto with a CNG kit complete with factory warranty of 2 years. The kit costs 43K more than the petrol model. I guess the extra 20K over the open market for CNG kit is for better materials of construction and to cover the warranty issues as and when they arise.

On the LPG models both the Alto and Wagon R the company is giving 3 years warranty at no extra cost. Similarly Hyundai and GM are also giving 3 years warranty on their LPG models. This points towards Auto LPG being better suited to the current day IC engines. This is exactly what my dilemma is all about?

Now the cars in contention are
Spark LS LPG
Santro LPG
WagonR Duo LPG
Alto CNG

Regarding availability we have both a CNG and an auto LPG pump within half a kilometer from our office. On the rare long distance runs that this vehicle might see there is always Petrol.

[smooth]

In my opinion only opt for a CNG vehicle. There is no cost advantage if you go for LPG vehicle because instead of LPG you can go for Diesel vehicle.
Alto CNG will be the best car in this scenario, a low maintenance car.

And the 43K cost will be justifies as they will be having 12/10 kg cylinder, Lambada, Timing advancer. Timing advancer will make sure that you do not lose the pick-up, up to that extent.

The one more benefit of the company fitted is that you do not have to endorse it on the RC separately and change the insurance as the company fitted car will come with these things.

And above all there are around 127 CNG outlets in Delhi and whereas I think only 20 outlets for LPG. A BIG difference in my opinion.

For CNG outlets check:- IGL : Indra Prastha Gas Limited
For LPG outlet check:- IAC

[Johnny_]

Neither CNG nor LPG would give you complete peace of mind and (relative) safety. Since your running is high, you could also consider a Quadrajet or a DDiS.