Hillclimber

Hi Nigel, It doesn't help in these matters when you weren't told by the previous owner how they all work together! On my auxilliary control panel I have a 3-way switch. Car-Off-Aux. I had taken it that this was controlling where the solar charge was being directed, so normally have it in the off position, except when the van is being used and the fridge is on. In the off position the extra room lights and the water pump are also off. Apparently there is also a Victron controller somewhere, but not yet found, that could affect what is being charged. I have now been told that it would be best for the 3-way to be in the Aux position so that the leisure battery is being charged at all times. Just concerned about what overcharge cutout is in place if I do.

Having spoken with a very helpful engineer at Portable Power, the conclusion was that the vehicle battery had discharged enough, through not being used, but not to the point that the engine wouldn't start. This was enough to trigger the relay into action. Engine start and run for 5 minutes and relay is silent. One thing to put on the list during winter is to either disconnect the +ve lead to the relay, and/or keep the vehicle battery on a trickle charge.

As the leisure battery is fitted under the passenger seat, access is not a quick 5 minute job! What I have done is to remove the lead from the +ve post on the starter battery that went to the relay. That has stopped the relay flip-flopping while I further research what the problem may be. Thankfully I have no plans for using the Alphie for the remainder of this month, so will have time to get this sorted.

Just come across an interesting electrical issue on my 10 series Alphie. It's fitted with a solar panel on the roof and there is a Portable Power Technology split charge relay between the main and leisure batteries. The solar panel is off according to the 3-way switch on the auxiliary panel at the rear. This morning I heard a regular clicking noise coming from the front of the Alphie and found it was from the relay. Presumably it is sensing a full charge in one battery and switching to the other. Sensing that is also fully charged, it switches back, ad infinitum. Not heard it before, so wondering if I have a fault, and also will this switching slowly discharge one or both of the batteries until the next time it is driven.

Did you ever get to fix this, as I've got the same issue. Just going to investigate further as both bulbs are good. As an aside, has anyone found a UK source for the 8w bulbs used in the front personal light?

Thanks for this info. After a bit of research, it turns out they were the cheapest as well as being confident its the correct one.

When I bought my 02 model Alphard I found that it only had a temporary petrol cap fitted. The seller kindly forgot to mention that! Looking online for a proper cap, some seem to retail at £30 or more. Is that right? Is there a supplier that I should be looking at and should it be a locking type or plain.

Don't forget to let us know how you get on with fitting the new one. We might need to be following suit!

Just to let everyone know that the part has been refitted. The two pivots (near the top of the item in my pic) fit into two holes on the underside of the main part. Positioned one pivot then pushed the other side up and it clicked into place. Now just need to test that it will hold a full cup without dropping.

Thanks Picasso! I found someone who is prepared to sell me a pair for £20, so hopefully that will mean I'm sorted. I found that parts list as well, and know that as a backup I can get them from Partsouq

Thanks. That has answered the important question of how it fits! Now just got to see if I can put mine back together!

Yes. I think some call it a puddle light. The previous owner was supposed to have replaced it, but was upfront by saying he hadn't managed to find one. I'm just going through my list of jobs that I found during my first month of ownership

The door lamp (reflector assembly) is missing on the drivers door of my Alphard. Any ideas of anyone who could supply a replacement, please. TIA

I found this inside the large cubby bin at the bottom of the dash. Looks like it belongs somewhere in/on the dashboard but where?

Removed without any real problems. Just needed a quick tug with one of my trim tools and out it came. Now, able to see the wiring for the current rear fog lamp switch and what was done to the standard wiring. I believe the grey plug at top left of the pic was the standard connector. This had five wires. The green power and the wite/black earth wires have been cut off and connected to the top two terminals on the after market switch. The bottom two terminals on the switch have a red and a black wire in a sheath and heading towards the lamp. That leaves a wite/black, a grey and a green/wite wire still in the plug. AS there are only four wires on the new switch, which wire do I ignore form the standard wiring?