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While you wait for someone more knowledgable: >3.5l v6 auto. I have a 2.4 and it's not bad I would say - the V6 seems to be preferred as it makes a nice burble noise and has more power, though it has a timing belt that needs changing every so often (the 2.4 has a chain which doesn't) >8 seats There are 7 and 8 seat options - mine has two fronts, a wide and normal middle and the rear seats taken out - though they can also (apparently) hold three people also. >Middle row can face rewards (I take it you mean rearwards 🙂 ) My 2005 (10 series facelift) version certainly can - I have heard that later ones can't but I don't know which ones I'm afraid - some models have seats like an air-liner which probably can't turn. >Reversing camera I would hazard a guess that they all have these though some head units might have been changed that might not have them connected - my 2005 has two side cameras in the grill but they don't work 😞 >Auto on lights Mine has but your mileage may vary so to speak - and currently I have a dash cover which I need to make a hole in so my car doesn't think its night all the time. >Side blind. A camera in the passenger mirror so you can see the kerb Are these two things? Mine has side blinds in the back and a secondary side-mirror so i can see the kerb - though no side camera. >Dual climate control in the front, rear climate for the rearmost seats Again mine has - there is a separate air-con for the rear above the offside rear wheel >Electric sliding passenger door Mine has the near side powered though others have both - someone recently posted they got a right dash switch and plugged it in to find their offside door was also powered. >Alloy wheels Again that will depend but I think they all might >Twin sunroof I can only speak for mine, which has a manual front sunroof and a larger electric rear sunroof >Privacy glass The glass around the back is darker, though it can be seen through if you really try. >Vellfire or Alphard? Personal choice - the Vellfire is supposed to be more sporty than the alphard but I cant really see the point 🙂 >Based on my Elgrand spec, which versions should I refine my searches to? Can't help much here I'm afraid as so much comes down to what you want and how much you want to spend. if you have UKP 100k sitting around you could probably get a brand new one imported. >What models/years/configs to avoid? They are all as, or more, reliable as you have any right to expect but I don't know of any that are worthy of any sort of an avoid label - sorry. >Is hybrid available on older Vellfires? No idea > Are they all ulez compliant, regardless of being hybrid or not? Some are - I think 2007 inwards - again you will have to await a more knowledgeable >Is the indicator stalk on the left? It's on the right in my Elgrand, they can be swapped if you are suitably skilled/confident (I am neither of these ) Umm - yes I think so. I suspect you can swap them around but I haven't taken a close enough to be sure I'm afraid. > Are the buttons and any on screen menus in English? Elgrand buttons have some in English and some in Japanese! The on screen menus can be changed on newer models with a magic box from some guys in Russia. Unfortunately, mine is too old for this. The original head units are in Japanese and offer all the functions but most people, for their own sanity, have changed them for EU versions that may not be able to do everything and usually have to play around with various adaptors to get them to work. >Do the radio's support Apple CarPlay? If it's a modern head unit then quite likely - I doubt the original japanese versions are. >Does the speedo also indicate mph? The Elgrand was kph and I had a new panel fitted. The odometer is digital and fixed at kph. Most have been converted to MPH but I have fitted a separate GPS HUD which can show both in my line of view, which I find preferable anyway. >Are most of the commonly used parts readily available? To some extent - certainly service items aren't too much of an issue at all - but things like replacement windscreens would be more of a tricky proposition, though someone was talking about their insurance company being able to source the correct windscreen without too much of an issue. >Any recommended dealers that would be open to part exchange? I live in Surrey and happy to travel for the right car. I bought my Ellie from West Yorkshire. I will let some one in surrey pick up on that one - I am in Stevenage and I don't know of any specialists in my area. >Has anyone used an importer and achieved a happy outcome? Others can answer this - we got ours from a company that was using them as campers. >I'm easily distracted by shiny things and would welcome your thoughts if this, constitutes good value? Well it's certainly shiny. If that is your budget then look around and see if there is anything that is shinier 🙂 >Is the criteria of newest model and lowest mileage the most appropriate? Or are high mileage examples likely to run and run? I can't (and won't) say for sure but generally speaking it's a good rule of thumb. Just bear in mind a well-maintained one that has been used as a taxi every day will be better than a zero miles one that has been kept in an open field for 15 years. >Do some models have twin electric sliding doors? See above >Do some models have a powered tailgate? Indeed some do - but not many. However you can get kits from the likes of aliexpress that can be fitted. I would post a link but I have been typing for a while and my wife want us to watch the TV now.

You are very brave to entertain doing this job, I hope it all works out fine for you. Looking at the gravel drive might have been an idea to lay a tarp on the ground under the vehicle to retain anything falling off. Nice pictures

You have my entire admiration for even tackling this job (especially in your somewhat remote location).

Tq my bro friend..finally my problem solved . Just join purple vs purple and brown vs brown. Tq verry much..Hafiz here from Malaysia 😀😀👍

Hi Jim, I lurked on Elgrand forum for 3 years before buying an Alphard instead....think I know your name from there? Estima is similar to Serena as in smaller version of big brother. There seems to be mixed reviews about 2nd hand hybrid reliability, though hopefully Hybrid owners will chip in and allay that. I have 7 seater 3 litre v6 gen 1 facelift from 2005. If it was 2006 it would be ulez comp. It should be anyway as the emissions are well under, but the cut off is 2006. I get 24-28 miles to the gallon depending on foot down or not. 340 miles from brim to warning light on 60 litres leaving 10 in reserve every 10 days. I only use posh fuel. I've done about 50k since buying, and it's been great. No Cat issue to worry about. Stereo will need replacing to get rid of Japanese, but buttons are marked in english apart from toll reader. New stereo means you lose front and side cameras but not rear with a specific cable. I believe you can keep front cameras too with a considerably pricey cable and head unit. You can get a speedo chip behind binacle to convert both odo and speedo to mph. Mine has many options already as it's the mz v spec including most of the things you mentioned in your other thread. All the electrics are sound as are the bodywork and mechanicals. it's better than most cars I've ever been in and still puts a smile on my face after almost 4 years of ownership, though I'm starting to get a few creaks and rattles from the rear seats and doors over Very rough roads. Hopefully this completely biased report helps

Welcome david its easier and cheaper to replace the rear bushes any garage should beable to do this for you they are easy to source check this link out https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125378262547?itmmeta=01JDSEPA9BWF4EQYHF1FKPWZ93&hash=item1d31207613:g:susAAOSw4D5ahvbe

Need to change head bolts as they are stretch bolts and can only be used once

Thanks for all the tips. It rained all day today so I will investigate more in the next few days.

OK, let me know if and when you would like to come take a look at them 👍

How are you parking? Put vehicle in neutral, before the parking brake is applied, otherwise the gearbox is under tension against the parking pawl pin.

Hi and welcome. Just some observations. You say you have a v6 4wd? That would be ggh25, not ah20. Ah20 is a 2.4lt. The throttle should be smooth with no lag, i could easily wheel spin my v6 when pulling off from a junction, until i learned to be more gentle. The new dash clock is obviously the wrong one. There are minor differences. TRC off is traction control off, operated by the button that looks like a skidding car. 8 have square plate at front, the bumper is cutout for that design. Random switch may be the rear fog lights fitted to comply with uk rules, it's possible to replace with the correct Toyota switch or a new indicator stalk that has both front and rear foglights positions.

Also, if you are missing the dynamic reversing lines on the screen, or just feel it needs better fine tuning, go to here and run it through Google Translate: http://allion-club.ru/index.php?topic=10111.0

Day 3. It's been raining all week. Finally nice enough to do something. Took me about 3 hours of frustrating work. Put the front of the car on Axel stands. Out of the 4 bolts I planned to remove. 1 was successful😂 The 2 exhaust bolts just snapped off. Easy access from underneath with the impact gun. 14mm. I'll order new ones 1 exhaust bracket bolt came out without any difficulty. The other rounded with the 14. So I blowtorched it and hammered on a 13. Rounded again. So I decided to cut the bracket with a reciprocal saw. A very awkward job. This is all done from underneath the car. I'll order a new bracket and worry about removing the old another time. Next job is to remove the wheel arch liner and see about getting at the Timing chain cover. I'm really hoping I don't need to remove engine mounts and jack up the engine to get at some of the bolts.

Send your VIN to Picasso

Hi what’s your reg no. Pm me it if you want help lots of members on here with part no.s

You need to strip the loom gomg into the back of the brown plug. remove the shielding and you'll see 2 purple and 2 brown wires. Loop them together and you'll get your audio back. Obviously keep the plug in case you get the monitor repaired and can put it back to factory.

It is only the facelift 3.0Litre from 2005 on wards that had a 5 speed, 4-speed automatic: U140E (pre-facelift 3.0) U140F (2.4 AWD/pre-facelift 3.0 AWD) U241E (2.4 FWD) P210 e-CVT (hybrid) 5-speed automatic (facelift 3.0): U151E (FWD) U151F (AWD)

I changed mine because they were clunking, even though the were shot to pieces (UK roads destroy rubbers on jap imports) i was hoping it would of be totally quiet, but still got the odd knock on particular bumps. that could of been strut mount bushes too. However, cornering was much better. A lot tighter and did not feel such a large barge in the end. so anything like strut mounts (not worth doing, take a look where they are positioned) slight play in ball joints perhaps. Problem is the car is so quiet is that you can hear all the knocks

Hi everyone! I've owned my Vellfire for a year and a half and already done two super long jaunts across Europe plus countless school runs. The pic is last year near Montreaux in Switzerland, where Freddy Mercury used to live. Last year we drove around France, Switzerland, some of Germany and Belgium. This year we drove along the French Riviera, Italian Riviera, and all the way down to Naples which is probably the worst city in the world to take a Vellfire (so that was fun!).

did you use aftermarket droplinks? I did and they do clunk a little. I think i paid £19 per link and took 2 hours to fit from start to finish, that includes no ramp, on the roadside. also ARB's are hard to get to from what i could see. maybe the actual reason for the high costs i guess.

worth checking if they tightened the drop links up correctley

Well done, not something I would fancy doing in this weather

Good stuff! Keep on going mate👍

This was so useful even 2+ years on! I ordered the very same LED lights which are still available, so thank you! Much better than the original lights for both sidelights and number plate.

Well done!

I have a brand new 1 on its way from Toyota, it should be arriving quite soon, jp700, hopefully this will work with my MK4 supra, having a spot of bother with this as well 😒

If you want to pm me your reg no. I could give you all the part no.s you need and will be able to point you in the right direction for the parts

On the same wavelength - the car will be out of action for x time, with greater access (than normal) to a lot of kit that will mostly be what 22 years old? it makes sense to do as many extra jobs that would be needed sooner or later anyway. Also if you are spending £n on the engine gasket a few more £ now is still better than having to do a lot of the same work again.

If you are effectively taking the engine to pieces then maybe: the water pump (someone is selling one on here), flush out any gunge in the oil pan at the bottom, check maintenance schedule for anything associated any other gaskets or seals. umm there's probably other items. Oh, and as far as doing a head gasket change in situ I suspect with the 2.4 it should be possible, though if you have access to a winch, lots of room, time, and a few extra hands it would make it a simpler task to remove the engine first.

Tensioner should not need doing unless a very high mileage, if your rad has the plastic side panels they can crack due to age and heat but you can get radiators with metal sides on ebay, new hoses is agood idea, also towards the back there are 2 T joints that take the coolant into the heater matrix, they are made of plastic and can get brittle due to the heat/age some people, my self included, fit brass T pieces, 19mm, again on ebay, the link will be helpful for any part numbers you might need for other bits, once you have a part number you can use it as a cross reference or ask a toyota dealer to get it or even get it through the link amayama.com

As it is an inline 4 it is possible to do it in-situ, however it is advisable to have the head skimmed to ensure it has not warped so search for a place local to you that can do that

Hi, recently had a similar problem.Towed our caravan back from Cornwall, the engine light came on, stopped for a few minutes started up light went out and stayed out until I had to put more power on an incline on the A30, light came on.Same problem as before so a careful drive home,no more light, but notice fuel consumption had increased. Used the Alphard solo a few times after and same problem. Asked around and read Hand book which suggested oxygen/fuel ratio sensor may need replacing. Replaced it, the one before the 2nd Cat,much better, but still came on on occasions. Then the wife noticed a rattle from the exhaust, onto the 4 poster and found a rattle from the 2nd Cat.which sounded like the internals had disintegrated.Had a complete S/S exhaust fitted[Described and as shown in my recent post]. Couldn't fit a new after Cat sensor, as the new one I received had a wiring harness that was too short. When I get time I'll take off the old one and splice the old wiring onto the new wiring. What I have found out since is that the 02-08 Alphards have 2 cats.One as part of the exhaust manifold,and one 1/3 of the distance from the front,this is because of the very strict polution laws in Japan. Hope this helps.

After buying my Vellfire in August 2022, my first major purchase for it were Daylight Running Lights which I purchased from Ali Express back in October 2022, I've just got them installed last week! Please don't ask why it's taken 2 years to get them fitted! Lol!

Thanks to this group I secured insurance with Adrian Flux (van is still on the ship) via chassis number. I'll be able to drive the car myself to an MOT station and then home, as per their T&Cs. £470 for the premium itself, but then if you add all the fees and the fact I'm paying monthly, it'll be £680! Still ok for the first year I guess. I'll look around once my car is registered, etc.

I think @FrenchDJ could help you. Note, the transmission control is also done by the engine control ECU. Is it possible the wrong sensor was replaced? The input and output sensors are identical so this is quite possible. Regardless, try swapping input and output sensors. If the problem is in the sensor, then an output shaft sensor DTC should be flagged. e.g. P0722. If it doesn't the problem is in the wiring harness or contact corrosion perhaps. Pray it isn't in the ECM itself!

This is off the Toyota Club Net- hope it helps. Toyota-Club.Net - Fluids & capacities - Alphard 10 (2002-2008)

Did some research. Toyotas OEM Wipers for the alphards used blades provided by nippons blade division called NWB (nippon wiper blades) For the 10 series, the fronts are 26"(650mm) and 16"(400mm), with rear being 16"(400mm) For the 20 series, the rear is the same, but the fronts are 30"(750mm)and 14"(350mm) NWB blades are coded D** (** is the 1st 2 digits of the size in mm, E.g. D75 = 750mm) and the rear is GRB40 The 'D' is their design range that use graphite coated rubber. You can buy their HDA or HDB range (the frames are identical, but the rubber blade is coated in varying qualities of water repellant material that coats the glass (better performance with frost/snow)) You CAN buy just the rubber inserts (check that your existing blades are the nippons ones, they should have a metal clip/rail that needs to be removed and reused - the rubbers do not come with this metal part) I bought a set from amazon.co.jp (you can create an account in English) Search term for 10 series is NWB D65 D40 GRB40 Search term for 20 series is NWB D75 D35 GRB40 You can also buy DENSO, which is a decent OEM used by Toyota. Their largest blade, unfortunately, is only 700mm(28") so if you have a 20 series, you will have slightly less coverage on drivers side. DENSO codes are DU-070R (28") or DUR-065R (26") driver side DU-040(16") or DU-35(14") passenger side And DRB-040 rear. For all these wipers, the passenger and rears are about £8 to £12. The drivers side, being much larger is about £22 to £26 These are hook fixings, so any cheapo blade of manufacturers wipers will work if you get the sizes right. The rear blade has a different connector design, so probably best to stick with the NWB or DENSO designs. Opieoils (linked in a previous post) is very competitive of you are buying the denso blades, but you will be limited to a mac size of 28" If you still have the original NWB (Nippon) blades fitted, you can save money by buying the rubbers only, from Toyota, or amazon.co.jp

The 2.4L shares an engine with the RAV4 so thought these links might come in handy: https://www.trav4.net/2az_fe_engine_mechanical-349.html https://www.trav4.net/2az_fe_ignition-505.html https://www.trav4.net/2az_fe_charging-523.html https://www.trav4.net/2az_fe_emission_control-546.html https://www.trav4.net/2az_fe_exhaust-554.html https://www.trav4.net/2az_fe_lubrication-564.html https://www.trav4.net/2az_fe_fuel-557.html

I have that second style grille without the logo. It’s not aftermarket, it’s a Toyota factory option. The owners’ manual shows images of both styles.

basically, all the sidelights, interior lights, number plate lights use the same capless bulbs, with the exception of the small boot illumination bulb, that looks like a fuse shaped bulb. These type https://www.amazon.co.uk/Autobulbs-Capless-Sidelight-Bulbs-Interior/dp/B009ZJUI90 I replaced all my 5W and 8W capless using LED ones, whiter light, and brighter. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/382904669684 Far far far cheaper than going to halfords or the like, 10 bulbs for under a tenner, I bought 20 and did all bulbs at once (including the ones above the Visors)

This quick reference to service part torques and oil requirements for 20 series is useful to print off and keep in glovebo ALPHARD.pdf

With credit from Neil Pead. Here are the fuse locations and amp's. Alphard Fuses.pdf

Mark Richards insurance we just renewed with £408 for me which was over £100 cheaper than anyone else. Adrian Flux wanted £900