The latest AGA saga

[Flyfisher]

I'm busy practicing driving up the outside lane of M6 at 90mph, 6" off the bumper of the car in front, flashing my headlights...... :wink:

There's really no excuse for such dangerous and inconsiderate driving, just use the spare lane on the inside of the motorway - I believe these are reserved for the exclusive use of BMW drivers. Remember, you now own the road. :wink:

 

[Feltwell]

Good tip. I knew that £250 a year for a little round bit of paper must be worth something......

 

[jocelyn plummer]

How did we get from Aga to BMW and Volvo-- :roll: I loved the box shaped 240 volvo we had--- nothing to beat it really until a Rustafarian ran into it when we were in London for a Grandaughter's Christening--- he did not see the volvo, so he said, wrote it off, we were unscathed though.

 

[Feltwell]

How did we get from Aga to BMW and Volvo-- :roll:

With not even Fred Drift to assist....

If you ran a Volvo into an Aga, I wonder which would come off worst? :wink:

 

[Penners]

soon to be ex Mrs Scwarzenegger should have switched on her own Aga.

Is that a euphemism? Cue Penners...

Even if she had, it would still have taken her ages to warm up.

Maybe Arnie's already invested in one of the new models. A quick call from your mobile phone and it's nice and hot for you when you arrive.

 

[Penners]

If you ran a Volvo into an Aga, I wonder which would come off worst?

Your insurance company.

Shame. 8)

 

[jocelyn plummer]

:lol: :lol: love it!!

 

[AMc]

If you ran a Volvo into an Aga, I wonder which would come off worst? :wink:

If you were in the Volvo you'd be fine - if you were in the Aga then I think you were already in trouble before the accident.
I'd expect the Aga to work after the accident but probably not the Volvo.

 

[worms]

I'd expect the Aga to work after the accident but probably not the Volvo.

Perhaps...but it would be a close thing for which would cost more to repair!

 

[Penners]

If you ran a Volvo into an Aga, I wonder which would come off worst? :wink:

If you were in the Volvo you'd be fine - if you were in the Aga then I think you were already in trouble before the accident.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Ah, but the Aga apparently has Total Control----

 

[worms]

Strange as it may seem:

AGA TRUCK PARTS offers a wide selection of spare parts for trucks, heavy duty, industrial and specialty equipment from all major manufacturers. Caterpillar parts, Cummins parts, Detroit Diesel parts, Freightliner parts, Volvo parts, International parts, Kenworth parts, Eaton parts, Arvin Meritor parts, Case parts, Hitachi parts, John Deere parts, Atlas Copco parts, Bob Cat parts, Komatsu parts, New Holland parts and many more!

 

[Feltwell]

Ah, but the Aga apparently has Total Control----

I bet it still takes longer to warm up when you need it though..... :wink:

Our gas range died yesterday . Well, 1 of the ovens has anyway - at least we've still got the other oven to use for now. Looks like a very common fault - the thermostat, but being a gas oven it looks like it's linked to a gas control valve as one unit. It it was an electric oven I'd just fit a new one myself, but being gas I think I'll leave it to a professional.

 

[Penners]

Ah, but the Aga apparently has Total Control----

I wish I had....

 

[Penners]

Strange as it may seem:

Strange as it may seem:

 

[jocelyn plummer]

:lol: :lol: what a coincidence!!

 

[Feltwell]

Continuing the drift.....

Just had my Countrywide Farmers LPG account come back today - 66p a litre At that price it is without doubt cheap motoring, less than half what petrol is round here at the moment (and no, you don't have to be a farmer to get an account).

If anyone does a decent amount of miles and is finding the cost of petrol crippling at the moment then an LPG conversion, or buying an already converted car (as I did) is looking like a very attractive option.

 

[Flyfisher]

I once looked into the cost of conversion and it seemed to around £1000. That must have been at least 10 years ago. At that time, with the mileage I was doing, it didn't seem worthwhile, plus there were not so many LPG pumps on forecourts then. I opted to buy diesel cars instead, for their lower fuel consumption.

No doubt the economics are now rather different, but buying an already-converted car seems like a good idea. Was there a premium on the vehicle cost (perhaps hard to tell with a used car)??

Also, does it affect the price of a tax disc?

My only concern would be that if it suddenly became very popular then the government would increase the duty to maintain their tax-take . . . . I'd keep quiet about it Feltwell, just in case.

 

[Feltwell]

Cost very much depends on the car - £1000 to £2000 generally. Mine would have been about £1800, as it's a 6 cylinder engine and needs a relatively sophisticated gas injector setup. Payback period is of course determined by how many miles you do and the fuel economy of the vehicle in the first place. For me it would have been about a 12-18 month payback period if I'd had the conversion done myself, but I will be doing a high mileage.

A car running on LPG does not give better fuel economy, which many people think. You actually get a bit less mpg on LPG than on petrol as it has a lower calorific value - 10-15% less mpg. The saving comes about because the fuel is so much cheaper.

I paid about £400 - 600 more than I would have paid for a non-converted car - a good deal I think, as the conversion was only done 6 months ago. A diesel version of the same car with the same size engine would have been about £2k more and would not have been as cheap to run, as even the diesel version will only give ~ 35mpg. A smaller diesel would give better economy of course but would be much slower. The value of large petrol cars has gone through the floor - not surprising really. The problem with already converted cars is they often have intergalactic mileages, for obvious reasons. I hit lucky in getting a low mileage example.

LPG Fuel outlets are quite common now - motorway services invariably have LPG, as do quite a few normal petrol stations as well as bottled gas suppliers (which tend to be the cheapest). You can get an atlas with all the fuel stations on and a satnav download - I think with most people they just get to know their local outlets. There is a good price monitor website as well. I've got a key now for the local bottled gas supplier, which means I can fill up when I want, 24/7 - it's on account and they debit me once a month.

The car's petrol system is left as is, so if you do run out of LPG it's not much of a problem, just run on petrol for a bit. I do get a car tax reduction - a whole £10 a year, woo-hoo!! Don't worry, I won't spend it all at once.........

It's worth doing but only if you do a relatively high mileage and you're the sort of person who is happy to hang onto their car for a while. If you're a Londoner then certain models of car become congestion charge exempt once converted, which I'm told makes a big difference if you go through the zone each day.

The Chancellor's whims are of course a concern. Labour backed LPG and gave certain commitments on future tax increases, as a converted car is much better on emissions than a non-converted car plus I understand we have a surplus of LPG and export a lot of our own production. As to how the current one will behave I don't know - if he did hike the duty he would kill off what is a rapidly growing industry.