CNG in WagonR: More Mileage than Petrol but Decreased Resale Value

• Has anyone got CNG kit in his/her car for fuel efficiency?
• How good it is to get petrol to CNG conversion done for WagonR?
• Does it affect the resale value of my car after five years of CNG driving?
• Due to increased rise in petrol and diesel prices, long distance drivers are getting CNG kits installed in their cars because it gives more mileage than petrol but do you think converting your petrol car to CNG is good if you run your car for a short distance?
• What is the maintenance cost of a car on CNG?
• What is the safety and price of CNG kits?
• Affect of CNG on pickup of car?
• Fuel cost with CNG?
• How CNG controls emissions?

The above are the questions I have found on the net while searching for “converting petrol to cng” plus some other questions that are also related to the questions mentioned above. Now read my answers.

Safety and price of CNG kits in India

Well according to me, CNG kit is a good option if you want to go for some cheaper mode for fuel efficiency and emission control. It is really good fuel and safe too. Thousands of cars are running safely on it. Dealers are offering from Rs 30 to 35 K with RC, endorsement, and warranty continuation from them, so do not take risk of getting it done from some local shop where it can be done for as cheap as Rs. 22 k.

Affect of CNG fuel on car’s performance, pickup, and resale value

CNG can slowly and gradually decrease a car’s pickup and air-conditioning is less effective on the CNG kit than in cars running on petrol. CNG kit should be installed if and only you have more run during a month say more than 700-800 kilometers per month; otherwise, let your car run on petrol itself. Also, I think it will reduce or affect the resale price of other cars but if it is a Maruti Suzuki car, then you have the best resale value. But you should go for CNG kit only if you have a longer run during a month. Also, CNG affects performance and increases maintenance cost of the car.

Availability of CNG in India

CNG fuel is not available in all cities of India. If you just have to stay in your city only and do not have to go outside your state, then CNG would be really the best option, but if sometime you tend to go to some state where CNG is not at all available, then you need have to run your car on petrol; otherwise, CNG is the best option.

If you drive around 1000 kilometers per month and expecting to recover cost in 1 year, then you can go ahead with getting your car fitted perfectly with Lambda ECU for CNG and timing advancer with 3 presets, which helps in maintaining pickup of your car. Also if you are planning to get a CNG kit for WagonR specifically, then you can get it done from a Maruti dealer so that ongoing maintenance can be looked over by an expert from Maruti, but remember it will cost Rs. 10k more to your pocket.

Fuel cost with CNG

The fuel costs reduce to almost 1.5 rupees per kilometer with CNG so it is not a bad idea to install a CNG kit for our car if you run your car more than 700 kilometers in a month. Your car will become more fuel-efficient.

Some important point to be kept in mind before converting to CNG

• The most important point is to get your CNG kit installed from a standard dealer.
• The patrol mileage decreases significantly after CNG is installed?
• For improved performance, you can replace K&N replacement filters, as they improve performance.
• Again remember to buy Lambda CNG kit and timing Advancer installed or else pickup will reduce drastically.

Happy Driving