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Well I’ve just completed a UK double din radio install and gotta say it was a total pain the ar5e to do and ended up costing a lot more than I expected. I installed a Pioneer double din unit, decided not to go for Apple CarPlay; the unit cost £130 delivered ex-display model in v good condition with all original kit. I then bought steering wheel controls + fascia kit for £35. I thought that would be all I need. What I had not budgeted for was £95 for a cable to enable the OE reversing camera and £85 for a new fascia panel which takes a double din unit (the original was bigger than a double din). The camera works but it does not show the reversing / guide lines and I cannot use the camera except when the vehicle is in reverse (the pioneer unit does support use of camera at any time but I assume the power for the camera is linked to the reversing light; both of these are minor irritations. The fascia panel also came with a nice double din insert so I didn’t need to spend the extra tenner with the steering wheel controls. The steering wheel controls only deal with volume, track and mode, I.e. just the left hand side, they don’t deal with anything on the right side of the wheel. No big loss there ... I’m not convinced it’s even worth £25 to retain any steering wheel controls anyway. In fitting the head unit the original brackets needed adjustment to get the front of the unit at the right depth; I have a pillar drill for this task but still took a few attempts to get it right. Lots of spare cables and connectors at back of stereo now and even managed to remove some dud ones entirely. Whilst at it I changed all leds for fresh blue ones (cos it looks cool ... maybe), I had a couple of dead leds in there so needed to do something. I also removed the cigarette lighter and replaced with a really nice double USB charger + voltmeter with on/off switch (important to have the switch as usb sockets can drain power if on even if not charging). Managed to install new microphone for hands free calls on sun visor with the wire neatly tucked away. The stereo also has usb connection in the back so I have a usb extension plug which also charges router via the ashtray, looks good and neat. Didn’t bother with DAB as can broadcast from iPhone via Bluetooth. Total cost for all of this, including leds, about £350 and several hours of, at times, frustrating work. Nowt broken! Was it worth it? Maybe ... time will tell, but if in doubt I would recommend just using that little kenwood unit recommended above for about £90. If you keep the vehicle or want something neater then maybe take the plunge on this expensive and awkward I srt all. Note, much cheaper and easier is not retaining camera and not need a new fascia panel.

Have now ordered from Local dealer; part number 51960-26020 , listed for a Hiace. £45 each (ouch).

I replaced with this rather nice item I bought on eBay for £14 delivered. I did have to cut a longer connecting bar (M6 threaded bar, cut to 50mm; it came with a 40mm bar which would only just have done it). I also added the washers and the nuts to secure the connecting bar length. Total time to replace was 10 mins; quick clean up down there and some liberal application of ACF50 and all looks good.

I’ve just had to replace the ball-joint levelling arm, see pic of original which has clearly had too much British road salt and not enough cleaning. It has completely seized and was the source of a loud squeak from the R rear; I’m just relieved it wasn’t something more expensive.

Toyota Durham will work on Alphard’s and for some jobs they’re actually cheaper than the local specialist (AJ Automedics).

35 miles? I’d call that local! A good garage is probably gonna be more important than having a closer garage. Good luck 🤞

Plenty of Alphard’s of various colours being broken for parts on eBay

Pretty much all parts are available; service parts can be had anywhere as the engines etc are common to many other Toyota and Lexus models. Body parts incl lights etc can also be obtained easily as there is now a good supply of old Alphard’s being broken up for parts. the most frustrating thing will be getting English language instructions for the OE stereo!

Meguiars kit works fine but you must follow the instructions assiduously ; however they will cloud over again as it is UV light that does the damage, so go the extra mile and put a UV resistant film or solution on the lenses too otherwise you’ll end up redoing them every year.

If you’re prepared to make a drive this could be worth a look ... https://osakanewport.co.uk

Look for a generic Toyota specialist, the engine is common to many other Toyota’s and some Lexus models so they’ll be familiar with the job even if not the model.

Hi, my 2005 Alphard v6 did not come with a tow hook, I actually need 2 of these as I intend to tie a canoe down on some roof bars so I need these as tie-down anchor points. The shank diameter is 20mm with about 25mm of 2.0 pitch thread at the end. Does anyone know where I can buy replacement tow hooks of this spec OR does anyone have a spare tow hook they want to sell me? Thanks.

I don’t think a roof tent would work because the roof bar fixing points are really quite close together so you wouldn’t have a very wide, or stable, base.

On my 2005 v6 it’s attached to the rear drivers side wheel. Same on my mates 2003 v6. I would guess same for all Alphard’s. It’s very prone to seizing in British weather (wet, dirt, salt kills the rubber and metal).

Is the heating/aircon/blowers on when you start? Might be a fan bearing, or just some dust stuck in a fan somewhere. Is it definitely from under the bonnet or could it be in the dash?

What year is your alphard? If MW10 facelift then you’ll need a new fascia insert to fit a double din from Xtrons for about £90.

Do you have an OE reversing camera you wish to retain? That will need some new and quite expensive cables. do you want to keep the steering wheel controls? That’ll require a new £25 connector from digital sounds. if you replace your unit with a double-din you’ll need some filler inserts left and right, £10 from digital sounds. do you have an OE front camera you wish to retain? More expensive cables required. do you have an OE video (vga) system you wish to retain? if no cameras or VGA then it’s quite an easy and relatively low cost job. You’ll have loads of redundant cables at the back of the unit.

I think best option will be to locate the buzzer/s and disconnect them; hopefully it’s just a case of unplugging. If you find a buzzer and there’s no immediate plug then track the wires back to the next plug and disconnect. Might need some dashboard panel removal (eek, buy some cheap tools on eBay for the job). Once unplugged quickly turn on the ignition just to check no unexpected warning lights ... there shouldn’t be but you never know.

Ps I use the residual card slot in the dash to hold a couple of petrol loyalty cards, well, it might as well be useful for something.

Yes, it’s a Japanese road toll system. What problem is it causing? Just disconnect the plugs but I’d advise against cutting wires or pulling them out as you never know what else is connected or what could end up getting disturbed etc. you’ll probably also find a Japanese-specific GPS unit and a VICS system which provides traffic updates on Japanese roads only. All of this stuff is redundant in UK.

Dynamic sounds

I also use Tayna for car, van and motorbike batteries. So far no probs.

At that level of voltage it’ll definitely be AC

Done a few quotes and Aviva is significantly cheaper than the others AND provide a higher level of cover in several regards.