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 Mr. Hall knew the dangers involved with not getting an LPGA Approved Conversion so made sure he did his homework on Fuelture before agreeing to let us do the conversion on his Jaguar.
"I did some research on Gbenga and Fuelture and I got a lot of good hits on the internet; interviews and his plans for the future. He’s got big ideas and was the one guy who phoned me back to talk. He always left it the decision in my court and was honest about the conversion. I get the feeling Gbenga lives, eats and sleeps LPG!" Simon Hall, Technical Specialist
Berkshire Date of Conversion: 25th November 2006
Name: Simon Hall, Berkshire Profession: I.P. Technical Specialist for a large Tel-co. Primary Purpose of Car: Personal and Commuting Annual Mileage: 10,000+ miles
 
Is this your first LPG conversion?
Yes
Did you have any initial concerns about converting?
There are lots of cowboys out there – also non LPGA approved installers, which could make insurance difficult in the future (my current company insists on a LPGA approved conversion). You will find many, many horror stories of people who have been ripped off and had major problems. Apart from the initial mechanical concerns you’ve got the concern that this is a £2250 conversion – how much miles and how many years will this take to pay it back? How did you overcome those concerns?
I went to the LPGA website and spoke with Mike Chapman who directed me towards the list of LPGA Approved installers. I searched installers based on postcode and location and found Nicholson McLaren. NME put me in touch with Gbenga and he was so honest about the kits and didn’t rubbish other makes, he just described the pros and cons of each system. I did some research on Gbenga and Fuelture and I got a lot of good hits on the internet; interviews and his plans for the future. He’s got big ideas and was the one guy who phoned me back to talk. He always left it the decision in my court and was honest about the conversion. I get the feeling Gbenga lives, eats and sleeps LPG! How did you find the whole conversion process with Fuelture?
I've not had any issues.
What was your experience of the actual conversion like?
The centre let me come in on a Saturday which was nice of them, it was also vital as I was unable to take time off work. I had a few issues with the courtesy car, but this was resolved 100% and was more bad luck then an issue! Has refuelling been an issue?
I found that I couldn’t fill up once. I went to my local garage and connected the nozzle, let it pressurise but it wouldn’t fill up. I went into the garage to ask if there were any problems but the queue was huge so I just left and went to another garage and it filled up fine. How has your car been running since the LPG conversion, any problems?
It is running fine; I think it could be running a bit rich because I’m only getting 16 mpg which I think is a little disappointing. I was getting 22mpg on petrol; I was hoping to be getting 17/18mpg on gas. When I go for my free 1000 mile check I think they’ll sort it out. I believe this may have triggered my engine warning light, the car runs fine so I suspect its just a sensor reporting a minor error. After speaking with the engineers, we found that the tank pressure needs adjusting which will improve the miles achieved per gallon. Is there anything that you would change about your conversion?
I would have had a bigger tank. I was initially going to have the bigger tank but it didn’t quite fit under my boot floor without having to raise the boot floor. I had a three way chat with Gbenga and the installer and we decided that we wouldn’t go with it, which I now regret. What was the key factor about LPG that made you convert?
I love my Jaguar, I love big engine cars. My Jaguar is in the highest band for pollution and with the environmental pressure I am embarrassed by the amount of carbon that I am emitting. I am going to save thousands of tonnes of carbon over the next three-to-five years, which I predict the life span of this car to be. Plus, I do a lot of miles which would be so expensive on petrol. So in order green first and save a bit of money second. You loved your car on petrol; do you still love it on LPG?
Yes, in fact I like it more because I’m not polluting the environment. It’s a monster engine and I’m doing the equivalent of 30mpg. I can sit on the motorway at 70mph and it cruises beautifully, I can sit at 90mpg (on a private road!) and it’s fantastic – you can’t tell the difference.
If I come across some little boy racer and I want to blow them away I can flick the switch to petrol and take them. But to be fair there isn’t much difference, I can take them on LPG and it’s a thrill to say to them at the traffic lights “Do you realise that I just took you on gas!” I know it’s immature but it’s nice to have a big old man’s saloon and be able to take little boy racers, I know I shouldn't! What advice would you give someone thinking about converting to LPG?
Do your research; I used the internet for most of mine. The answer that’s right for one person is not necessarily right for someone else so do your research. Research the kits, the installers, how the kit fits your car and don’t be scared by horror stories! If you do your research you lessen the chances of problems. Remember that LPG is a relatively new technology; your car will need the occasional fettle!
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