CNG retrofitting

[Donivlapog]

Hi all,

Has anybody tried CNG retro fitting on a petrol car? If so have you faced any problems during servicing the vehicle?

 

[ketansethi1987]

I have used automatic Civic with cng for 7 years. It was pretty good to drive. It would stall sometimes you may have to learn braking with left foot but it was fun enough. If you can get it tuned nicely it will be totally worth it for the amount of money it saves. But now days cng is also expensive than it used to be sometime ago. There are no problems or additional costs for servicing. Just get it serviced more frequently and timely. You have to look out for any oil leaks and if you find any get the seals replaced from company. There is slight loss of power which can be overcome by installing advancer. It is better to install in a sedan than a hatchback so you can have some boot space for luggage and a subwoofer without which I cannot do. Now the civic has been scrapped and I am driving i10. On a lookout for good sedan so I might get cng installed in that as well.

 

[Donivlapog]

I have used automatic Civic with cng for 7 years. It was pretty good to drive. It would stall sometimes you may have to learn braking with left foot but it was fun enough. If you can get it tuned nicely it will be totally worth it for the amount of money it saves. But now days cng is also expensive than it used to be sometime ago. There are no problems or additional costs for servicing. Just get it serviced more frequently and timely. You have to look out for any oil leaks and if you find any get the seals replaced from company. There is slight loss of power which can be overcome by installing advancer. It is better to install in a sedan than a hatchback so you can have some boot space for luggage and a subwoofer without which I cannot do. Now the civic has been scrapped and I am driving i10. On a lookout for good sedan so I might get cng installed in that as well.

I had a Honda WRV which I sold and bought a pre owned BRV with same odometer reading Petrol on both occasions. With this BRV, I have gone from Chennai to Kanyakumari, Alleppy, Munnar, Rameshwaram, Goa etc... With WRV, I had been to as far as Chikmagalur, Wayanad, Valparai, Hampi and Kodaikanal. WRV was with me when Petrol was Rs. 60 ish and pre pandemic times, and I never considered CNG. BRV on the other hand has been with me since Petrol hit Rs.100 a liter and the sudden rise in number of pumps that support CNG tempts me.

Your Civic is also from Honda with a superior engine and so I am even more curious to have it retro fit. BRV uses Honda city engine which, according to many, should be left alone. CNG has indeed gone up in price but it gives 50% more milage they say. Boot space is an issue indeed especially during long drives but since it is a 7 seater the third row serves us extra space. If my Parents also come then it would cramp us for space but thats a rare instance. I use the car under 2000 km a month on an average these days but am tempted to go on long drives. I was planning a road trip to north and north eastern India one of these days. The resale value will also hit right?

 

[ketansethi1987]

I had a Honda WRV which I sold and bought a pre owned BRV with same odometer reading Petrol on both occasions. With this BRV, I have gone from Chennai to Kanyakumari, Alleppy, Munnar, Rameshwaram, Goa etc... With WRV, I had been to as far as Chikmagalur, Wayanad, Valparai, Hampi and Kodaikanal. WRV was with me when Petrol was Rs. 60 ish and pre pandemic times, and I never considered CNG. BRV on the other hand has been with me since Petrol hit Rs.100 a liter and the sudden rise in number of pumps that support CNG tempts me.

Your Civic is also from Honda with a superior engine and so I am even more curious to have it retro fit. BRV uses Honda city engine which, according to many, should be left alone. CNG has indeed gone up in price but it gives 50% more milage they say. Boot space is an issue indeed especially during long drives but since it is a 7 seater the third row serves us extra space. If my Parents also come then it would cramp us for space but thats a rare instance. I use the car under 2000 km a month on an average these days but am tempted to go on long drives. I was planning a road trip to north and north eastern India one of these days. The resale value will also hit right?

In a span of 7 years cng has saved me approx Rs. 3 Lakhs for driving around 50k km. I dont think there will be any effect on the resale value. Many people prefer car fitted with cng so you should get a hit extra for that. If you are planning a long trip, I would suggest you get the cng installed after you come back from the trip as boot space third row are important for that trip.

Even with low running you will save a lot from cng. Do not get local kits. Get it done from a genuine place who guarantees cng being mentioned on RC after installation. Even if I drive 500km a month I would have got cng installed. Don't worry about fitting cng in a Honda. It works well with honda. Get it serviced every 6 months. If your running is more get better oil otherwise normal oil would do. I would say there are no extra costs related to cng. Service and everything remains the same. Some things might happen which can happen even when using a petrol car, you just have be careful and keep everything in check.

 

[Donivlapog]

In a span of 7 years cng has saved me approx Rs. 3 Lakhs for driving around 50k km. I dont think there will be any effect on the resale value. Many people prefer car fitted with cng so you should get a hit extra for that. If you are planning a long trip, I would suggest you get the cng installed after you come back from the trip as boot space third row are important for that trip.

Even with low running you will save a lot from cng. Do not get local kits. Get it done from a genuine place who guarantees cng being mentioned on RC after installation. Even if I drive 500km a month I would have got cng installed. Don't worry about fitting cng in a Honda. It works well with honda. Get it serviced every 6 months. If your running is more get better oil otherwise normal oil would do. I would say there are no extra costs related to cng. Service and everything remains the same. Some things might happen which can happen even when using a petrol car, you just have be careful and keep everything in check.

Thank you so much for patiently answering my questions. One other thing my wife keeps arguing is can Rats bite the wires and cause a dangerous leakage? Are the wires tracing the bottom chasis to the bonnet with perhaps a conduit for extra protection? Our garage has rats but we put a tobacco stem inside the bonnet to repel them.

 

[ketansethi1987]

Thank you so much for patiently answering my questions. One other thing my wife keeps arguing is can Rats bite the wires and cause a dangerous leakage? Are the wires tracing the bottom chasis to the bonnet with perhaps a conduit for extra protection? Our garage has rats but we put a tobacco stem inside the bonnet to repel them.

There are no wires anywhere at bottom of chassis going from back to front or front to back. There is only gas pipe which goes from cylinder to the cng reducer. Even if any wire is cut there cannot be any leakage. The pipe is really good and it is hard for it to get it cut even in worst situations.

 

[Donivlapog]

Lpg has come down by a huge margin. It is Rs.54.50 today. The workshop says there is also 250 liters of LPG given for free by a certain agency for new kit installations. It is only giving me cost advantage and not milage increase. Friday is when I need to decide between CNG or LPG. LPG requires a filter change every 10000 kms amounting to Rs.750 in addition. He has quoted a sequential Italian kit with pressure and leak alert indicators with an advancer for Rs.34000 and RC endorcement help for LPG and Rs.65000 for CNG. CNG sells for Rs.84 a kg today in TN state. 3k extra for RC endorsement for CNG.

 

[rikhav]

What is your yearly running of the vehicle in which you are planning to install cng / LPG kit ?

Please be aware LPG would be difficult to get then CNG and if i am not wrong incase of a leakage, LPG is more dangerous.

Ultimately anything can happen how ever good the installer is so don't take too much risks if you don't have very high yearly running

 

[Donivlapog]

What is your yearly running of the vehicle in which you are planning to install cng / LPG kit ?

Please be aware LPG would be difficult to get then CNG and if i am not wrong incase of a leakage, LPG is more dangerous.

Ultimately anything can happen how ever good the installer is so don't take too much risks if you don't have very high yearly running

From Sept 2021 the vehicle had run for 24000 kms.

 

[rikhav]

From Sept 2021 the vehicle had run for 24000 kms.

That's just around 1100 kms a month .
In my personal opinion i dont feel it's worth the effort

 

[Donivlapog]

That's just around 1100 kms a month .
In my personal opinion i dont feel it's worth the effort

How much it had run in the past is a rearview mirror sight. How much it is going to run might be different. I might have to frequently go to Bangalore as a construction in our family plot has started and I will be frequently visiting some temples in and around TN state.

Now CNG is fast picking momentum while LPG pumps are losing traction. So I also wish to future proof with CNG. Is the LPG cars catching fire due to a leak a very frequent happening or it is just a possibility that one has to fear like a possible train derailment in Indian railway tracks is always possible due to general lack of maintanance while just one Odisha accident happens once in a decade logic in this case. I never thought about leakages and car catching fire until it is being stressed here. The LPG/CNG conversion dealer says it is safe if i do periodic maintanance and that 50% autos and cabs in city run daily and so they have improved in quality of fitment and finishing these days..... still am confused.

 

[Donivlapog]

Decided with CNG itself.

 

[Amarendra]

Decided with CNG itself.

Many years ago I had fitted my 4 year old swift with a CNG and used it for another 4 years. Mileage on highways used to be insane 20-22 km/ kg. But beware of dryness. At times the car used to raise the acceleration by itself (remember Herbie ?). the solution was to open the bonnet and spray WD 40 on the cables (once in a while). Barring that it was great

 

[Donivlapog]

Many years ago I had fitted my 4 year old swift with a CNG and used it for another 4 years. Mileage on highways used to be insane 20-22 km/ kg. But beware of dryness. At times the car used to raise the acceleration by itself (remember Herbie ?). the solution was to open the bonnet and spray WD 40 on the cables (once in a while). Barring that it was great

Thanks for sharing your experience. Today got it fixed. The immediate observation is 8.7 kg only can be filled in plus there is zero exhaust pipe smell. Even when I was idling the car in our garage before switching off for 5 or 10 minutes standing right next to the exhaust pipe. And the car felt like it came out of the showroom after 28k kilometers. But maybe because I changed engine oil too.

 

[jbkakadiya]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Today got it fixed. The immediate observation is 8.7 kg only can be filled in plus there is zero exhaust pipe smell. Even when I was idling the car in our garage before switching off for 5 or 10 minutes standing right next to the exhaust pipe. And the car felt like it came out of the showroom after 28k kilometers. But maybe because I changed engine oil too.

Just don't forget to run the vehicle on petrol at regular intervals for few kms (around 10% of total usage).

I did 1.45 Lakh km in my previous car fitted with CNG kit from second month of purchase. Never had any issue in 10 years of ownership. Used to get 25-27 Km/Kg on highways during night drives and ~20 Km/Kg in normal city rides. When I handed it over in exchange, the mechanic informed that engine was still in fantastic condition.

 

[Donivlapog]

Listing some minor inconveniences i faced after retro-fitting CNG...

1. Some pumps run out of storage and so running around for a pump that has stock will be tedious and we have to endure a queue but the silverlining is there are seperate counters for cars.
2. The pump guy does not let passengers sit in the car when he fills it up. So my 80 year dad had to step out and so if elderly are there in the car, it is not easy.
3. Tank can only be filled in full and they demand tender in exact change unlike petrol and so if your bill comes to say Rs.634, you can gpay or pay it through upi but pulling out two 500 rupees note will strike an argument with the filling attendant.
4. Google maps mislead to pumps having no CNG or disfunct CNG stations.
5. In some pumps the petrol diesel attendants do not act as a makeshift CNG attendant and so if the CNG dude has gone to lunch, we need to wait.
6. Outside cities the rate is lower by 6 rupees a kg and so more people fill it up there creating a queue and that gobbles up upto 40 minutes.