Hi All newbie Alphard owner in North Notts.

[Mich1968]

Hiya All.

 

Thank you for letting me join your forum, I'm by no means a newbie to unusual cars and vehicles usually american but this is onlymy second dip into the Japanese, my first being 30 years ago with a beautiful Honda prelude.

 

But were talking Alphards now, a 2.4 4WD 2012 model fitted with a factory disability seat, making it a (Welcab) I believe.

 

Purchased because of my wife's disabled sister, who can no longer drive  and can no longer get in and out of a vehicle without alot of help from myself, hence the welcab which will now allow my wife to go out with her sister without the stress and struggle of getting a spinally injured disabled person into a standard vehicle.

 

So that's the reason for Alf as my wife has decided to call him.

 

As you can imagine I have lots of questions and wonder if you good people could guide me in the right direction.

 

The vehicle itself seems in very good general condition for it's age and 77k on the clock with a service history and just had a full service and safety report at Toyota main dealer in the past week here in the UK, I have 2 miss matched but fully operating keys remote (one apears to be a remote start key and it works fine) everything apears to work as it should all electric sliding side doors and rear tailgate.

 

It is my intention to instal a hoist in the rear to allow my wife to load and unload her sisters 40kg of mobility scooter without lifting in and out all the time.

 

So to some of my questions first of all the stereo head unit would appear to still be the stock unit this is also conected to an Alpine screen in the rear along with a remote (I have attached pictures to identify) what would be the best unit to replace this with and where would the best place to source this from? is instalation straigh forward with basic electrical tools and knowledge (Ive changed a few stero's in my time).

 

Cleaning of the interior the seats are in excelent condition but I have a few dirty marks on the brushed nylon headlining what if anything id the best to use on this has anyone any experience of this?

 

Also has anyone had experience of installing a hoist in the rear any tips?

 

Lastly anything to look out for on the vehicle anything I should keep and eye on or change etc etc.

 

Thanks so much for reading and comenting on my post, and myself my wife are looking foreward to some gret trips out in the near future.

Cheers Mich 

 

[Gamith]

Hi - welcome to the forum.

I have no experience with the welcab or hoist but I was wondering whether a ramp might be suitable? - it might be a more flexible option, especially if the wheelchair is powered.  

Otherwise it looks like a great example. I would suggest:

check oil and gearbox levels

check water levels

check for any leaks underneath (put a clean cloth under and leave it for a bit)

you can get a CarVX check done to confirm export mileage (though it will be in kilometers) and condition at the time of export

look up MoT history to see what has been identified, and hopefully fixed, over the years

 

On the whole the 2.4ls are robust minivans.

[Rojie]

Looks to me to be 'sitting' too low.

 

Has the suspension been lowered ?

 

If so, be very careful at speed bumps.

[Mich1968]

Hi guys thanks for the replys, ramps would work but it's just another level of work for my wife.

 

Her sisters mobility scooter folds flat elecrically and is already set up for picking up with a hoist, I have managed to pick a hoist up locally so ill set to and get it installed somehow.

 

The ride height is stock as far as I can tell, the vehicle does have a Modesta Kit fitted (I don't know if that's the right spelling) which I think makes it look lower plus the fact our driveway slopes quite alot probably making the front look lower, anyway I will keep an eye on the ride height and any oil leaks.

 

Having had more time to play with the vehicle, I have a few more questions, I get two japanese verbal warnings when I first start the vehicle I think one is for the ETC, is it possible to disconect this and stop the warnings (is there a fuse that would do this)

 

Thanks for the input and I look forward to any comments regarding the replacement of the head unit.

Mich