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Genuinely impressed with the main dealer service at Toyota Cambridge today. As someone who owned a Lexus for years, I’ve come to expect a high standard—and honestly, Toyota matched it. Not too surprising given they share the same site and team, but still, credit where it’s due. I booked it in for an interim service, but they went ahead and did the full service at no extra cost (including spark plugs). They also changed the rear diff and transaxle oils, and were upfront about not doing the gearbox oil because it’s a bigger job that needs the sump removed and filters replaced (just like someone mentioned in my earlier post); but told me to pop in during the week when they have more staff and they’d do it for £135! For some reason, my two local garages wanted approx £680 for the job, excluding the diff/axle oils. Toyota charged £430 for everything excluding gearbox oils. Their full service is normally £425, but with the rear oils and other small bits I’ve asked it should’ve been around £600 or so. All in all, very impressed with the dealer—and I’ll definitely be using them again for all my Alphard jobs. I’m more impressed at how cheap the service is in comparison to my previous Volvos and BMWs that would’ve charged me north of £700+ for a full service.

Great song, but I digress already! Had the new to me experience yesterday of bringing up the low fuel light. I blame the incident on me not having had a decent drive in the old bus due to other issues. Off I went with my £20 voucher for butcher meat from a known good butcher in the wilds of West Stirlingshire. After a few miles I realised tank was rather low but I knew where the only station for miles was so pressed on. Imagine my delight to find it closed for major refurb. I'm 13 miles from my nearest station so a very light footed journey commenced. 10 miles later low fuel light comes on, totally new experience for me in van. So, I make it to station & she takes 61 ltrs, another 1st, but having now found out tank capacity is 70 ltrs I am brimming with knowledge. Not that I’m going to make it a habit but I reckon a 2.4 petrol should give you 40-50 miles after low fuel lamp comes on.

I wouldn't panic about it. I've left spark plugs for 5 years on my early cars. As already mentioned. I'd spend the next couple of months putting penetrating oil on it. Hopefully she comes free. Snapping it would be a nightmare. Took me 42 hours to do the head gasket in my driveway🤣.

Could be worth getting a new radiator cap. The coolant is released into the expansion tank as the engine warms up, and is drawn back in when it cools. However, if the cap is not sealing properly when the engine is not fully up to temperature it will spit hot water out until the cap seals.

A person in russia has done it by removing the standard trim/bumpers, see pics. You can get lift kits on eBay, but the maximum is 40mm without putting undue strain on the driveshafts.

looking at your photo this Alphard has not been lowered so its standard suspension lot of owners in uk regret buying lowered Alphard's as we got lots of speed bumps and pot holes on our roads and to put a Alphard back to standard Hight your looking at £1200 British pounds

I replaced mine, I levered out the side with the R on it then bent the whole reflector up and pulled the other hand side straight out, I then filed down the serrated bits on one side of that tab, then bent it back in to shape, then pushed the whole thing back into the slots

Picked this up on Saturday. 2003 Alphard G. 73,000 KM V6 AWD I love this van.

Hi Denis, I am so pleased they found one for you. They are very nice people to deal with. It does seem to be a lost cause when you first start looking for a simple item like a headrest. Great to find a company that can help and at a reasonable price.

Hi Andy, Our underseal was done by Victoria Vehicle Services (VVS): 07749 706746 or vvsphil@icloud.com.

Hi everyone. I installed android player to my car since 2022. Before this I never bother about the extra function using canbus box because my car didn't come with 18 unit speaker. Last year I make a study about the function of canbus and make some modification. 1) I bought the socket for meter 40pin. This socket connect to canbus box and HU. Original for other car. 2) I change the connection point to 13&14 follow the diagram 3) then I bought canbus Toyota from raise. 4) after that setting the HU You can get information like - parking trajectory - door information - parking radar - outdoor temperature - millage odometer - average consumption

Hi @Gamith Did you know that the engine has to be running when checking the auto transmission fluid level? Run though all gear positions, slowly, a couple of times, then check the level. The two dip stick marks are minimun and maximum, for hot and cold, same as for engine oil. The accurate one is the hot one. Yes there is that much expansion when it's hot!! Cheers fellas!

Eightseaters is a great site for Gen 1 owners.

Hello Anthony, Welcome to the Forum.

Be very careful what you buy on eBay I replaced mine last October paid £45 for a pair £250 labour to fit they failed again about a month ago they was worse than the ones taken off first time there are lots of cheap Chinese ones on eBay they won’t last I bought my replacements from my local supplier about £85 apair they are like the original Toyota ones so far better quality and stronger

Coming back to this old post after a year, as I have finally managed to get the fob programmed. Tried techstream last year but there is nothing in it that I could find for programming up this type of fob. Tried the door and key hokey cokey and never managed to get it to work. I gave up, and forgot about it. Last night I was delving around in the original Japanese Toyota workshop manual for the gen 1, for no particular reason, and I came across the instructions. This is specific to the pre-facelift gen 1 and it is as simple as following the "Remote Program" instructions attached to the opening post but in step 10 where it tells you press lock and unlock together replace step 10 in its entirety with "press the R button for 1 second and release, and within 3 seconds press the R button again for 1 second and release". If it has worked the door locks will cycle locked and unlocked once. If they cycle twice it hasn't worked.

+1 for Northstar. Bought a set of headrests from them a while ago. Absolutely brilliant service - so polite.

Yes just pulls out, do not twist as the holder will fall out behind, 5W capless or led equivalent

That looks like a standard body trim but seems to have been lifted slightly

Hello Chris, I am sorry to have to inform you that you have purchased a limousine; not an off-roader. I would not even begin to think of true off-roading, even with a 4WD Alphie. Good dirt tracks maybe, nothing more severe. Wholesale modification of wheels, tyres, shockers, etc is very expensive. On standard wheel / tyre combinations you have only about 160mm ground clearance. By how much do you plan to heighten the van ?

I was running V18 of Techstream and decided to uninstall and install V17 which also came on the CD with the vci cable. I set up the driver and connection parameters in Techstream before plugging in and connecting to the car. This time when I double clicked on immobiliser from body electrical menu, Utility appeared on the left of the screen, from there I successfully programmed the transponder key I bought a few weeks ago on Aliexpress, now all I need to do Is cut the blade which the shop a mile from my house can do for £5 Job done, took less than 10 minutes all in including powering up the laptop. Now I have 3 keys that will start the car including the original Toyota one.

Arent they quite low for a towbar? Unless you use one of these but other way around to lift up the level

I got a GPS Speedometer (i.e.: https://www.autoguide.com/top-10-best-head-up-displays-for-cars) that can do KpH and MpH and doesn't drag your eyes from the road much at all. I would avoid ones that require an ODB connection, but they are capable of showing all sorts of extra info which may be worthwhile.

Hello G, Welcome to the Forum.

When camping, I turn off the electric doors with the dash button to the left of the Wheel, and just use the doors manually in the night.

It’s a 20 series page, not 10 series 😉 Also unlikely to be dented as sure they are plastic tanks on these

Transmission Fluid Change for the 3.5 V6 (Not 2.4) ANH20 Alphard / Vellfire uses ATF WS and has been quite hard to get hold of. I have seen a Toyota Dealer selling it for £25 a litre on amazon, yes you read that right. As its hard to get hold of they are making the most out of it. I have just bought 7 litres for my Series 2 Alphard (bear in mind Alphard 1st series uses different fluid!!!) https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/product/lexus-genuine-ws-atf-fluid-1l/ Lexus Parts Direct sell it for just over £10 a litre with a few quid delivery. A pound cheaper that Toyota Parts Direct. lol Sometimes this does go on back order as there is a shortage ( an additive shortage) so get some now or put yourself on back order if they run out. Other prices i have seen are £15 per litre, so Lexus Parts Direct have a decent price.

Yes Daniel, VERY well done. We are all so pleased that your mammoth journey has been completed successfully

Well done for completing your mammoth project, now go and enjoy driving

Day 20 3 hours I'd decided to order a new exhaust manifold as I'd damaged a bolt hole on mine. It arrived today and it was the wrong one. It seems the 2005 2.4 is a different manifold from my 2002 2.4. Mostly the same apart from a slightly different angle where it joins the exhaust and those two bolts are in a slightly different place. So I was forced to repair my own. I filled the hole with weld. Then drilled and tapped a new thread. Actually went quite smoothly. I then had to remove 3 cut off bolts from the heat shield. 2 removed and that will need to do🤣. Installed the manifold Filled with oil Filled with water. Installed battery. I'd planned on turning over with the fuel pump disconnected but I was too lazy to find the fuse. She started on 3 quick key turn. Hunted for about 5 seconds and then purred like a kitten. Let it get to temperature and fans kick in. Kept checking the water. Turned her off and checked all the levels half an hour later. Took her for a spin and she is driving like she hasn't been off the road. I'll add up the hours and my final thoughts in a couple of days🤣

Hi BigNev Thanks for your message and apologies for delay in getting back to you. I am reasonably happy with Apec red but heard from a few mechanics now that Brembo were far better just that when replacing discs the pads would have to be replaced also. It is always good getting opinions on such like from folks with the experience.Will be ordering in the next few days so at this stage my thoughts are my van is not a racing machine but in the event it can stop a few yards quicker safety is possibly bettered.Recently our mechanic suggested put Brembo discs pads at front and at rear less important as 75% breaking power is all on the front in general. I am no mechanic and like to get opinions as money is not something I can afford to waste. Will let you know but no complaints about Apec red they are possibly all that is needed. Thanks again

It looks like the HU Ombak has is a Mekede Tech model - probably a DUDU 6 or 7. Mekede also own a software development company so are usually ahead of the game for updates etc. This is the brand I've been looking at as they advertise it covers the original HU functions, so ordered the 10.36 inch model from their UK Amazon store (for less that it cost to buy from AliExpress....) they contacted me and offered a better 11" unit C/W with fascia and real buttons/knobs, but it turned out to be nearly twice the price (@£1079), so will re-order the one for £569 (which is the same size as Ombak's), and order the correct fascia from AliExpress (circa £24). Note: (only) if you have the 18 speaker sound system you will also need a combined MOST and CANBUS adapter which range from £90 to £120 from AliExpress. The DUDU7 models have a USB C port on the back which can feed an external display/touch panel - plan is to feed the roof monitor via this: will see how that goes.

Day 19 1 hour. Cleaned up the sump and reinstalled. Then installed a new oil filter. If my new exhaust manifold comes tomorrow I might have her running.

Hello Martyn, Welcome to the Forum.

My reading of it says Yes - 360 UKP. Its classified as 'PLG (Private/Light Goods)' rather than Light Goods, no sign of Euro there either so those tables can be ruled out, as can motorcycles and tricycles, and I suspect that arguing that it's a car won't go very far so the only table that fits is the one you have there for the next tax year. What makes me chuckle a little is that our other car, a Hyundai Kona Electric, is currently at 0 UKP (for one more day - so I have just renewed that) but next year will be 10 UKP - though it will be increasing after that. I believe I am bringing some balance to the universe by being at opposite ends of the road tax spectrum (I can't afford a Veyron etc. so I am being realistic about the width of the spectrum). 2025-v149-rates-of-vehicle-tax.pdf 2024-v149-rates-of-vehicle-tax.pdf

I had a motorway drive this week for first time since fitting it, and it was only after I got home that I realised I have become so used to having a three lane flash over the years that I was using it and not even mentally acknowledging that it was doing it 😆.

Greetings, I’m a semi local to the area mentioned & I went to Drymen at the east side of Loch Lomond today failing to check my tank before setting out 🙄 Be warned, fuel stations are few and far between, nearest would be Dumbarton or Balloch if you come up the A82, if coming from the east Stirling would do although the village of Buchlyvie has a small garage. Aberfoyle has a community station. I got the low fuel light on and after a sweat got filled up near home, 61ltrs 😳 weat

Hi, just completing V55/5 to register my 2006 Alphard 3.0ltr and need to confirm the new April 2025 tax rates - I am a bit unsure of the V149 tax rates (here) Please can I check I have this correct - will it be £360 as per image below (PLG weighing no more than 3500KGs) ?

My hybrid is the same amount as a V6 - £345 at today's prices.

This points to the TAIL fuse. The TAIL fuse is hidden in the passenger compartment. https://car-box.info/toyota/previa/alphard-h10-2002-2009.html Are you sure the sparky has found and checked those fuses as well? They might have only checked the easy-to-find fuses in the engine compartment.

OK, I have scanned and translated pages 3-172 to 3-182 thats 11 pages as png images each about 1M size. Printing is not a very good way to use the diagrams, best to look on screen so you can easily zoom is as the print size is very small. You can get the pictures at : https://photos.app.goo.gl/ghabZHui6bDmqaAdA I will remove them in a week or so. Good luck David

Old thread I know, but someone may find the information as useful. They aren't OEM Toyota but I have just fitted a set of Bola FLY alloys. They're 18x9" ET38 and in my option fill the arches nicely and I have no rubbing going on even with the vehicle lowered on coilovers. The alloys are also very lightweight at approximately 8.5KG each (lighter than my Enkeis!).

You might do already chap, but if not definitely give 99ron a go. Found my 2.4 drives quite a bit better on it, top end performance when revved is definitely improved too. Probably all the better on yours now!! 👍

Yeah quite a few places offer maps for them, even the 1st gen. I can only assume the factory mapping is quite tame, and being a relatively large capacity 4 cylinder there's a bit of room for improvement. I wouldn't be surprised if it involves increasing the factory 6250rpm rev limit and tuning it to make a few more ponies at the top end. This one reckons c. 179hp can be made.....given the engine is probably the same as the 2nd gen bar software it wouldn't surprise me TBH. https://puretuning.net/en/chiptuning-files/toyota/alphard/2-4i-160hp I think the 2.4 gets a bit of flack for being underpowered, but honestly even stock I'm rather impressed with how well it hauls a vehicle the size of an Alphard around. It's also noticeably more perky when run on high octane fuel. Certainly it's not as effortless or relaxed as the V6 (nor sounds as good) but if you rev it out and are prepared to use the manual gears (will let you hit the rev limit then) for a minivan they tear along quite nicely I think 👍 In the US there is a bit of a following for turbocharging these motors in Camry's, where they then easily make late 200 bhps on very modest boost. I did watch a video of some guys in Australia that also eBay turbo'd a cheap Camry they bought and with next to no playing around (I think it may have had a standalone ECU being the only thing....£££££) it made about 260 brake. I'll be honest, if someone in the UK put together a decent, reliable kit for it and I had the funds, I would probably consider it for a laugh!

Hi, have you considered these vehicles were made to carry up to 8 people (8 x 180 = 1440lbs) plus luggage as well as the seating which is very heavy. Personally I don't think you'll need uprated springs.

I have a rear conversion and found 2 medical wedge shaped pillows fit perfectly on the seats and create a very flat bed. With those and a self inflating camping mat (Berghaus) ontop, I don't notice any undulations. They're not the cheapest, at £24.95 each, but I think they're definitely worth it! Look on Amazon for : Waterproof Acid Reflux Flex Foam Large Wedge Support Sleeping Tilter Pillow-White(71cmx60cmx14cm) I also bought some laundry bags to store them in and they're a perfect size to get both pillows in when turned 180 degrees to each other (being wedge shaped), Amazon: VIROSA EXTRA LARGE Strong and Durable Laundry Bags | PACK of 5 | 80cm x 60cm

Hi all, Correction - I've found an alternative set of wheel alignment figures for 2002-07 Alphard, which are different from those I posted in Oct 2021 (they were Malaysian and I can't see them on the website any longer....): The link is: http://www.jltechno.com/en/alignment_specs.php?brand=Toyota&ModelName=Alphard/Vellfire:H10%C2%A0Series:MNH10W&ModelID=610365 and jltechno also publish data for other Alphard models: http://www.jltechno.com/en/alignment-data-lookup/40016/Toyota.html Alignment Data Lookup->Toyota->Alphard/Vellfire:H10 Series:MNH10W Alignment Specs Parameter MIN spec Standard spec MAX spec Front Total Toe -0.17 0.17 FL Toe -0.09 0.09 FR Toe -0.09 0.09 FL Camber -1.42 0.08 FR Camber -1.42 0.08 Rear Total Toe -0.25 0.25 RL Toe -0.13 0.13 RR Toe -0.13 0.13 RL Camber -2 -1 RR Camber -2 -1 Left Caster 1.67 3.17 Right Caster 1.67 3.17 Left SAI N/A N/A Right SAI 0 0 There are significant differences, so if anyone relied on the earlier figures for alignment, can I suggest you check them again? Regards, Pcous

I don't disagree that E5 is the preferred fuel. Nor do I disagree with Picasso. However, what is interesting is that Cuttothechase (on youtube) has put up a video which purports to show the ECU adjusting the engine settings when fed E5 / E10 fuels. I can find no reason to question his findings ! If I understand his findings correctly, he finds the ECU adjusts to the fuel the engine is fed. (He does not, as I remember, speculate on long term effects of either fuel). What is of most interest to me, in the above case that Picasso cites, is what is the corrective action that the vehicles need. (Hopefully, not the O2 sensors). if you wish for further reading,, I have already provided two American studies on the use of Ethanol fuels. Should you be interested please search my profile. They may, or may not, help you consider the risk of using higher Ethanol fuels. Respectfully,

Mileage-Based Service Intervals The recommended service interval mileage is usually every 12 thousand miles but would recommend every 8 to 10 thousand miles as a good distance to at least consider replacing the engine oil and filter as a minimum. This obviously depends on usage and if used around town (such as short distance commuting or school runs) which can lead to fuel wash-down of the oil and this, in turn, can lead to lower performance and economy due to decreased cylinder compression. An easy way to check if this is occurring is to sniff the dipstick and if it smells of petrol then it is contaminated and needs replacing. Time-Based Service Intervals Another point to consider is that Service Intervals are not only based on mileage but also time periods (e.g. annually, two-years, etc) and should include fluids such as Coolant, Brake/Clutch Fluid and even Air Con Gas. These fluids/gases can degrade over time and create problems within the systems. For example; Brake Fluid will absorb moisture from the atmosphere over time and this can lead to a reduced boiling point of the fluid which can then lead to loss of pressure within the system. Ideally, Brake Fluid should be replaced at least every two years regardless of mileage but can be checked for water content and boiling point readings. Also, consideration should be given as to where these vehicles originate from (e.g. hot, humid environment) and there is no guarantee that these fluids have been regularly replaced and may be long overdue. Other components which can degrade over time rather than mileage are rubber components such as Tyres (which do have a date stamp on them and can invalidate insurance claims if excessively old and show signs of perishing), Drivebelts of which the rubber may have started perishing, wiper blades and many more components. These will need checking on an individual basis and a decision made as to when to replace.