The pros and cons of autogas systems

The cons:

1. Additional maintenance – as we have said already, an autogas system is an addition to the car, so – like the entire vehicle – needs certain periodic inspections and maintenance (normally once every 10 thousand km or once a year). True, it is another thing you need to remember, but then it is really not that inconvenient. It is not costly, either – given the size of savings you make, you definitely will not feel ripped off.
2. More costly MOT inspections – every autogas system needs to be controlled anually, just like the entire vehicle. This is done during the regular inspection, but at an extra cost. In Poland, the basic inspection costs 99 zlotys and another 63 zlotys for the LPG system (plus, on top of that, 42 zlotys for a taxi, which adds up to 141 or 204 zlotys, respectively). New petrol and diesel cars do not need inspection until they are 3 years old (and even then, the second inspection is not required until the car turns 5), but if you convert a new car or buy a factory-converted one, it then has to be inspected every year.
3. Limited luggage space – the LPG tank occupies some of it, but a lot depends on the type of the tank. If you choose a cylinder, some cargo space will be permanently lost, because it is mounted within the boot and fixed there for good. Toroidal tanks are something of a solution, because they are placed in spare wheel wells, beneath boot floor. However, they are usually smaller than cylindrical tanks that could be used on the same car. Also, you need to accommodate the spare wheel as such, but luckily it can be put in a cover and moved around as required. It could also be displaced entirely and replaced with a space-saving tyre saver kit.
4. The engine needs to be taken care of more carefully – LPG is a little more demanding than petrol, because it is more difficult to ignite and combusts in higher temperature. As a result, it is crucial that intake and ignition systems are properly maintained and remain fully functional at all times. Certain cars and engines require spark plugs, ignition cables and air filters to be replaced more often than others. Obviously, as long as the driver takes proper care of his or her car and replaces all worn-out parts without delays, little will change once the car is converted. If you are one of those drivers who do as little as possible around the car, you might actually notice the difference.
5. LPG-powered cars sometimes cannot be parked in underground car parks – autogas is heavien than air, which means it deposits in the lowest points of the ground. For that reason garages with inspection pits should be avoided and admission to multi-story car parks may be limited.

There are no golden means, in any aspect of life. If you decide to put money away in a bank, you agree to „freeze” it for a certain period of time. If you want to make your life less hard on the environment, you need to make some sacrifices, too – you segregate trash, save energy by switching off unused appliances and replace regular lightbulbs with energy-saving lamps. Driving your own car is not exactly easy, either – you spend money on fuel and maintenance, waste time waiting in jams and assume responsibility for participating in traffic.

When you convert your car to run on LPG, you probably do it for the savings and for the environment, but in order to achieve your goals you have to invest in an autogas system first and go out of your way a little. Yes, you will pay some more for your car's MOT inspections and yes, you will need to replace spark plugs a bit more often, but you will save enough to cover that and much more. In return, you may be allowed to drive into the centre of the city, while others may not, even though you might sometimes find entering an underground parking lot impossible. A car that is regularly taken care of will not fail and will be more pleasant to drive thanks to the more silent and flexible engine.

LPG will not fix a broken car and will not make you money, it can only save you some. But still, it has enough advantages to keep convincing more and more drivers around the world every year, including 2,7 million in Poland alone. Such great numbers of people cannot be wrong, can they?