PaulE

In answer to the previous question I believe the Panasonic is Flood Fill or Enhanced Flood Fill. I have a Panasonic and a Yuasa (definite AGM) equivalent and I have charged both on the AGM setting without issue (by mistake I ended up with 2 batteries but change them about). HOWEVER, My Panasonic has died this week (3 years old) and the Yuasa is 2 years old so was looking for a replacement and thought I would have to bite the bullet for Around £350 (ouch) but thought I would call local Toyota for a price. I was taken aback when they said £139.34 inc. VAT. Thought it was a mistake but I gave them my Reg. No. Vin and the original part no. 2880028021 and they said it was correct and that Toyota parts don't supply OEM batteries and this part had superseded the original on the Toyota system. They wouldn't let me know the make or model so I took a punt at that price. What came was a Toyota branded battery D23R (neg on right) format battery 2880 AZC21. Fitted it and works fine, was 10mm wider than the others so is an exact fit in the battery box. Saved £200. Hope it lasts as well as the originals but at that price it might be worth changing it yearly. It is a sealed battery and there appears to be no vent hole. Not sure what type it is. Just an aside another member remarked about the vent pipe having to be on the left for the OEM battery. This according to Toyota EPC diagram is because there should be an extension pipe which possibly vents to the outside. I have never seen an extension pipe in my vehicle and was likely lost years ago. My Panasonic vented left and the Yuasa vented right without any obvious issues.

The connection I made is directly to the 12v battery inside the vehicle located between the front seats and accessed from the middle row seats and the eyelets are connected to the battery posts bolts. I think you are talking about the jump start connection under the bonnet (the red connector under the fuse cover) with crocodile clips to this post and the black crocodile clip to a chassis ground (I use a grounded nut to the left of the red positive connector). I have read on previous posts that some members use these connectors to charge the 12v battery but it does mean having the bonnet up which is no problem if the van is garaged or you stay with it but could be an issue if raining. Not sure if this could be dangerous with possible petrol vapours under the bonnet, perhaps other members may comment. I will try and post a photo to explain. Cheers

I have the same issue and I think most hybrid owners have this even with modern ones. It is possibly a parasitic drain which would be difficult to find on the Alphard Hybrids as the internal fuse boxes are almost impossible to access but also 12v batteries go bad very quickly if not charged regularly and hybrids only have a low output alternator so needs a long drive to charge up, I think they are more for "topping up" than fully charging. I have found it worth taking the battery off and giving it a full charge regularly- but see below. However I have found recently a possible work around. I have a Noco Genius 5 battery charger and I had to regularly take the battery off and charge it fully (I have a spare to swop). I found on a Youtube someone fixing a (semi) permanent Noco charger connection with eyes rather than crocodile clips to the battery post bolts. This then connects to the Noco charger and allows on board charging without removing the battery. I have tried this yesterday and worked fine. I intend to use this regularly to top up on days when not using the van. I do have the van off the road on my drive and run a long power cable through a gap in the driver window allowing the charger to be in side. I can then lock the van and give it a boost for up to an hour or as required. I then remove the charger leaving the cable connected and the end hides under the carpet. If you don't already have a Noco Genius charger they do the Genius 2D (the "D" is important) which is designed to be permanently connected and is very small so can be hidden. I will leave Amazon links below. I have taken professional advice on whether this is safe to do and the answer came back is that charging with the battery connected to the vehicle should not be any different to charging with the alternator and less potentially damaging than using a booster pack ( I do use a Noco booster and keep one in the van- very good product) and the Noco chargers are well made and have protection circuits (honest- I am not sponsored ). I will try and put photos on at some point in the future. Hope this helps. There are 2x alternative to the lead - one with M10 eyelets and one with M6- I used the M10 and these are a bit large but work, I had to cut a small slot in the red plastic cover to accommodate the positive eyelet. NOCO GC002 X-Connect M6 Eyelet Terminal Accessory for Genius Smart Battery Chargers : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive NOCO GC008 X-Connect M10 XL Eyelet Terminal Accessory Genius Smart Battery Chargers : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo NOCO GENIUS2DUK, 2-Amp Direct-Mount Onboard Charger, 12V Battery Charger, Battery Maintainer, And Battery Desulfator With Temperature Compensation : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

Try Vine Place Motors in Durham where I bought mine, they give good advice and not pushy. They list their vehicles on their website. Used cars for sale in Durham & County Durham: Vine Place

Found these on Aliexpress £33.16 for both sides free delivery. For TOYOTA ALPHARD AH10 2002-2008 Window Rain Guards Accessories Side Chrome Window Trim Car Cover Waterproof Shelters - AliExpress

Hi, I need to top up the power steering fluid but I have a dilemma-- the filler cap say use "EH" only which I can only find on Ebay at about £60 per 1 litre can. I spoke to local Toyota and they only have something called Dextro 3 part no. 08886-80506 ( I have seen it on Ebay as D111) which is under a tenner for a litre. Are the 2 items compatible if not is there a part no. for EH? Any advice welcome, cheers. Just found part no. 0888681250- ebay seller is Toyota itself

I don't think you can start the vehicle unless it is fully in "Park". As you were having to use a chopstick, is it possible the shift is not completely in Park? Try taking the fascia panel off to see if anything is blocking the shifter. Put some tape over the release button to stop it falling through.

The Panasonic battery doesn't say AGM on the label but I am advised it is by a specialist I have used- the Yuasa equivalent says it in the online spec. A standard 12v battery won't do the multiple stop starts and live very long (I know I had one).

I have brought both my 12v batteries back from the dead on several occasions (I ended up with 2x batteries as I thought the Panasonic had died so replaced it with the Yuasa due to not using the van for a few weeks over Xmas/ New Years). I have a Noco Genius 5 charger set to AGM and I charged the delinquent batteries for 6 hours each day over 5 days and the voltage was restored. Both batteries still work well but do discharge in 3 days if I don't give the van a good drive especially in winter. The Noco does have a restore function which I think works automatically if needed. The Panasonic S55D23R is now 3 yrs old and the Yuasa S55D23R 2 years, neither have a temp sensor (series 2 and above I think). If buying a new one check the positive post is on the left (for Hybrid) as you can get identical looking batteries, same model. no. with the posts reversed. Also the supplier may insist the vent pipe should be on the left (positive side) but in my experience this doesn't matter as I have one battery vented on the left -the other on the right.

I think it is series 2 that has the temp sensor on the battery. There is a Yuasa S55D23R which is usually a bit cheaper than the Panasonic , both are expensive, I have both as I keep a spare on charge. Don't forget to move the vent pipe over as the new one may not come with it.

Hi this is a link for replacement professionally made speedo dials, www.kmh-mph.co.uk 1st Generation

I have passed 3x MOT with the original Km speedo display and no issues. I suspect the MOT tester does not know what they are talking about. I would protest this asap. I have an MPH HUD on the dash but I don't think this is necessary for MOT. As regards recording "mileage" I make sure the tester records the ODO distance in KM. no problems.

Possibly a faulty relay not switching off. Good luck.

Just been watching a Youtube of the LM hybrid and the reviewer found the 12v battery kept going flat. Looks like Toyota have not fixed this issue after 20 years even on a flagship vehicle. They should have put the battery in the boot and allowed more room for a bigger battery.

If you wanted a brand new Alphard you can now have one under the Lexus brand and is UK spec and not a grey import. Lexus LM hybrid only £90,000 up wards. 7 seat or 4 seat luxury. Has anyone seen one yet? Lexus LM | Luxury In Every Detail | Lexus UK brochure Lexus LM

Hello, if it is no trouble would you have the A/C info as my A/C is not working , mine is anh10 but may be the same as you had originally. many thanks

Many thanks for this. Do you have a diagram for the air con system (hybrid series 1) ? cheers

Hi, I purchased mine from Dave at Vineplace Motors near Durham. Very good sales service as he doesn't hurry you and gives you all the info.

My Alphard came with full Japanese Service history- I think you should look for one when buying as they seem to be very thorough. The only problem was that the mechanics wrote their notes in biro and Google Translate wouldn't work with them but much of the service sheet contained a thumbnail of each item checked. I bought mine at 102,000km and it looks as if it had a major service at 94,000km so all the underpinnings were top notch. You wouldn't buy a car here without FSH would you.

Not sure if this is sucking eggs but have you turned the light switch on the column stalk all the way as this is "Auto" and the symbol doesn't show- turn back one click and this puts the lights on all the time and the symbol shows.

I reported a clicking noise from the dash area (seems to be from there) a while ago and no one knew what it was - sounds like a demented relay but is sporadic- could this be the heater valve actuator and if so where is it located and how is it fixed? The heater is working fine. I also can hear a low noise, barely audible, sounds like a liquid going through a restricted pipe again apparently from the dash area. I also reported the AC not working, AC gas is ok.

Looking at some Youtubes I wondered about trying the fuses and relays but I can't ID them except a 10amp fuse in the passenger footwell. None of the relay descriptions in the engine compartment fuse boxes shout out AC and I can't find a circuit diagram. Does anyone have any info on fuse and relay descriptions. I suspect being a hybrid Toyota use some other method of naming them.

My 2.4 (hybrid) has never used any oil and it is always clean almost as new when checked. I always check the levels weekly. It has never used any coolant either.

I suspect it might be that due to the noise it made before going wrong but how do I get it fixed is the big question. Des anyone know where it is, how to test it and how to fit it? I suspect the replacement will be an astronomical cost. Might leave it until next year as I have spent about a grand on repairs and service this year already and still have the sliding door lock to look at. The basic car and it's underpinnings are like new but expensive odd bits are wearing out.

Just had the van back from Toyota and the verdict is that the air con is faulty but they can't diagnose what it is as they have no technical info any more. They could spend an amount of my money trying but would be a shot in the dark. The good news is that the system is holding gas so is something else. If any members have any ideas or know of any garages with some expertise with Alphard air con I would be grateful. I do remember that immediately before it went faulty the noise from the engine sounded like a diesel???