[DeepakS]

Hey folks!

I bought an Elite i20 Magna Executive CVT for my wife in January 2019. There's been a huge change in the scenario of fuel expenses since then due to the following reasons:
1. My kiddo's school was 1km away, now the new school is 8kms away.
2. The fuel(petrol) prices were Rs. 70-75 back then, now they're approx Rs. 115.
3. The car is being used more and more just cause of the mere fact that it's more comfortable than an Activa which the wife used before

Now the main purpose of the car was to drop the kiddo to school and run some small errands. But since the fuel prices have sky rocketed and the car runs a lot more than it was foreseen at the time of purchase, the fuel bills are actually raking up to be more than the school fees, which is downright tragic/funny/insane, whatever word you may choose to describe the situation.
i20 CVT returns an average of 8kmpl in city, and in the 2 trips to school daily, it consumes 4 litres. On an average, for 23 days a month, at Rs 115 per litre, it amounts to Rs. 11000 approx for the school trips alone. The other errands combined would add another Rs 3-4k. In total, 15k per month on fuel expense on what is essentially a secondary car is simple unacceptable for me. I'm sure many people are in the same boat as me, albeit with different reasons.

Here's the real question:
How successful is retrofitting a CNG kit in the Elite i20 CVT? If it is indeed successful: What brand to go for? Where to get it done from? Does Hyundai install the same on a dealer level with Hyundai certification/warranty?
Losing some power/pickup and the whole boot space is not of concern for me since the car is mainly used just with 2 people most of the times with no luggage other than a school bag or some groceries.
Any comments/suggestions are highly welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Shreyans_Jain]

A CNG retrofit is a proven mod on the 1.2Kappa, with lakhs of cars running successfully all over India. Get a proper sequential kit with filter installed, preferably an OBD type kit for negligible performance loss. The new fiber cylinders are much lighter and don’t affect the ride quality or ground clearance or suspension life much.

You will have to find a reputed CNG workshop nearby for this. Don’t bother with the dealer, you will overpay for most likely a sub par kit. Find a good workshop and get the best equipment, no compromises. The car being CVT is of no relevance here. Warranty will be lost, so better not think about it.

[sumeethaldankar]

Well a factory fitted CNG kit is the best option rather than plonking a after market one in your car. You must find a reputed dealer with good after sales service else you will be in for more miseries. I had fitted my car with after market CNG and though it saved money, frequent garage trips, sputterinng engine, sagging boot and long queues were what I experienced. Try ways to improve fuel efficiency a bit. Bump up the tyre pressure by 2 PSI more. Use the a/c less and keep the rpm around 1500 and this will nudge up the FE.

Kindly remember, they will drill holes in your car's manifold for the CNG injectors or something and then in the boot to hold the CNG kit. Once done they will remain forever. If possible and you do not have attachment to the car get yourself a CNG factory variant like a Wagon R etc. I would rather keep the engine factory stock than fit a kit because so much depends on the garage who does the fitting. In my case my CNG guy deigned his services to me. In the long run in my case the CNG kit was not worth it. I had issues with ignition coils and the car would come close to stalling, an issue my stinking CNG kit guy was not able to resolve tilll the end. I showed it to another guy but they were not able to solve same and suggested i remove the old kit and fit theirs to solve the problem. So frustrated I got, I ended up selling the car a decision i regret till today.

In a normal non-pandemic situation I would have advised car pooling like S-Ride etc that shares the ride cost to soften the fuel price blow but alas in today's times even that has become a bit difficult.

Good luck with your decision.

[Knighted06]

I have fitted LPG sequential kits in may of my cars. Never had any issues. But all my cars were bought pre-owned and the longest car that I had was the Honda City ZX 06. Never had any issues. But while installing the kit, there are plenty of options out there, make sure you're installing a sequential kit. If you can get it installed in the authorised service centre, it is better as it gives you peace of mind. But it is going to be very costly affair. Close to 1lac. Outside, not sure about CNG, but for LPG, you can get it around 30-35k including all charges. Lovoto is the best brand to go with, as per my knowledge. I have also used Stag, which also worked great. A better alternative would be to get a pre-owned santro or Celerio which already has a LPG or CnG kit from factory. You'll get them around 2-2.5 lacs. Use it as a beater car until you need it and sell it off. You'll loose very less from what you paid. If you only need a automatic. Try searching for a Celerio AMT with CNG. They're pretty rare. But you'll easily get 14kpl in city.

The main reason I would advise against the conversion for your i20 is:
1. If the person who fits the kit is not skilled, they make a huge mess.
2. Any small issue in the car, the mechanics keep blaming the LPG or the CNG kits although the problem is not related to them.
3. Finally, you'll have no boot left in your car. The CNG or LPG tank is going to occupy the entire boot.
In case you're going ahead with the conversion, make sure you have ut done at a reputed conversion shop. Don't trust the google reviews, my cousin on seeing 5 star reviews got his car done at shop in Hyderabad who charged him a lot, ruined the car.l, and every time the LPG gave trouble, he used to charge a lot for repairs. Please enquire carefully and have it installed through a reputed mechanics. Hope this helps. All the best.

[ssathiyanarayan]

I'm planning to get an automatic car sooner. My question is can I fix CNG after market kit on any automatic. Will it void warranty from manufacturer. Coz after 1 or 2 long trips or may be 6 months down the line once the itch for the new car fades, everyone will ask for the mileage, maintenance and reliability of the vehicle. Need some suggestions in Pune or Chennai as I intend to purchase my car from either of them