ThuMentaliss

I replaced all of the Toyota head unit system for a Alpine head unit with built in tom- tom sat navigation and facilities to operate APPLE PLAY, ANDROID.+ three cameras, the rant of the story is don't do what I did, my Alphard is over 12 years old  I suppose Im lucky as I'm able in most cases to repair most of the faults that arise with a Alphard  but I'm sorry to say that 12 year plus vehicles old soon become a 'cash cow's and you will never get your money back

On 1/17/2025 at 4:03 PM, turnerjr said:

WHEN Ok Rojie, thanks, I thought amayama was only oem parts so I will take a look there. 
yes I’m well aware of the issues, funnily enough I’ve never had an issue with my supra in 20 years but have had blow outs due to pot holes on both my Hondas which are completely standard. 
I’m only looking on moving to 19 inch wheels and a 15mm drop on lowering springs which will be the same as the Vellfire GS sport editions.

I have a set of lowering springs , I removed them due to some issues when traveling over field lanes etc when visiting campsites (dont recall supras being designed for rough surface travel?) I fitted 19" wheels three years ago, take heed as to Rojie's comments,  from my dealings with upgrading several alphards and vellfires they become a "Cash Cow" very quickley

Sorry, but where has this Habitation query come from especially on vehicles that are in most cases are over fifteen years old? (The Alphard was designed and built in Japan as a people carrier)   if you commission a company to change your vehicle's interior and have gas installed they should provide you with the appropriate gas certificate from that  I would recommend you should carry with you a gas leak detection kit/spray the current MOT legislation and yearly maintence carried out by a competent Mecanic should cover your needs.

WELL DONE ! this is not a cryptic remark but did you consider undersealing those many exposed body joints🤥

Does the noise increase /decrease when going around a bend? is the noise associated with a vibration?

should unfold when the ignition  starts up would suggest your mirror switch via drivers door is either faulty or maybe poor connection

looks to me that this could be a device that basicilly stops the ignition being turned on to stop theft of your vehicle ?

where does the cables terminate too ?

£600-750 is current charge rate by installers make sure you do your homework regarding gross weight when towbar is utilsed plus the tyres heavy duty or not.

LPT

Lets see a photo. You may be surprised to know that there's are lot of Tec's out there who, in a lot of cases, are able to fix plastic damage to external panels of vehicles Theres are a lot of external plastic panels on Alphards, Vellfires etc etc😃

 The BEST way is to attach a small gas strut to the bed chassis/bed frame  unfortunately, you need someone who knows the procedure of fitting such a device, for instance does the bed assembly have a manufacturer's label attached did you purchase your vehicle from a professional source etc etc

18 hours ago, Kibby John. said:

Thanks - how did you support and stabilise the camera whilst the

epoxy set?

There are many ways, one example is to put the tailgate in the open position get yourself some modeling plastercine make a mode with it, apply to the camera body (which you have already applied bonding sealant)  carefully place the camera to its location  let the bonding agent set several hours then remove plastercine

2 hours ago, Kibby John. said:

I had thought about epoxy type adhesive but supporting the camera and mount whilst it sets will be challenging in a confined area. May have to give it a go though as adhesives and vibration  + wet and road oil/dirt seem like a recipe for failure. Thanks for your input. 

My rear Alpine camera has been fitted as per my system for nearly 4 years, so Im pretty confident that it would be difficult to remove it (if I wanted to)🙂

Forget  the ideal of using self-adhesive tape even the best tape made (IBM) will deteriorate in time use a polymer based adhesive , if you do make sure you support the camera whilst the adhesive sets can take up to 5-6 hrs

The last two years of my time as a national craftsman Mechanic I trained and specialised in problem solving problematic auto transmissions in those days auto transmissions were never classified to be included as a service item, I have noticed many posters here on the Alphardclub asking questions of where they can get the auto transmisson oil changed........ well from my experience to change and drain the oil out of a Torque Converter driven transmission requires expensive specialist extraction pumps and measuring equipment ... so the point is if you intend to get the oil drained from your Alphard make sure  the garage has the right equipment

On 6/19/2024 at 8:52 AM, John Harrison said:

Hi. If you have any enquiries about Auto Boxes, I was told by a specialist auto repair garage to get it checked by one of them. He wasn't touting for business, it's just that they have the gear and knowledge to check your box. 

My local specialist is ROBBS GARAGE, WALLASEY. Their workshop benches are like a hospital operating theatre, spotless! Which is what you need for working on auto boxes!

If youbare in any doubt, fins one of them and ask. Usually with them though, if it works ok, leave it alone!

Good luck!

John Harrison. Wallasey.

Interestingly, during a moment of boredom  i  plouged through the Alphard owners manual 2002-2008 looking for details of the auto transmission to which I could'nt find any details about changing the transmission oil or how often level should be checked so I can only surmise that this operation was never classified as a service operation...so all the suggestions of doing this in from some of the Alphard forum topics was actually never suggested by ToyotaTechnical.....🙁

I would be interested to know if owners of Alphard's and Vellfires who have converted their vehicles to camper van's have had their vehicles weighed ?

22 minutes ago, Arthur said:

I have a 2007 3.0 AWD with full side conversion. Visiting Cornwall last year fully loaded for a week’s camping and 350 miles each way via M53, M6 andM5 (with a heavy foot) we returned 23 mpg.

Exactly right, we travel down to our caravan located on the Spanish Med' coast every year for three months utilising toll roads and countryside roads never been able to achieve more than 22-28mpg..the secret to even achieving this mileage is to try to keep your engine rev's under 3000rpm ( Alphard 2005 3.0ltr cash cow )

44 minutes ago, big_boz said:

Springs brake, try owning a Merc Vito/viano, the fronts are an annual service item, heater not working is probably a sticking thermostat, oil leak seems more invasive but at worst a used replacement head can't be that much, few being broken on eBay.

 

To add Just Japanese undertook mechanical work to mine prior to purchase and after in terms of warranty work, collecting and returning the car from Leeds (to Wigan), new springs all round, sorted the steering box worm gear, numerous electrical bits and bobs. Not all importers are equal.

 

You don't mention how old yours is, the mileage, or how long you have had it, it's a used car though, they do tend to need maintaining, some more than others depending on what kind of life they have led. 

you ve picked the wrong person to preach to,  I Have owned a Merc, Jag, Corba,  Several fords. plus in the good old days raced with Surtees............ suspect Ive been around a bit longer than you..😁

On 1/15/2024 at 3:41 PM, ThuMentaliss said:

Let's be clear there is no such thing as an TOYOTA Supported ALPHARD/VELLFIRE dealership in this country or for that matter in Europe, the majority of ALPHARD. VELLFIRE Vehicles imported into this country are from private business who have never owned a vehicle Manufacture  supported Dealership most of them do not employ mechanic's and from my experience, they tend to shy away from this subject so in the majority of cases you could be on your own when problems occur however the 'Alphardclub' forums must be commended for their support and helpful advice.

  JUST an update to this cash cow !    Vehicle just failed its MOT.. broken rear suspension spring which was fitted Thirteen months (1020 miles) ago to replace the lowered springs (causing the vehicle to bottom out at every pot-hole) and now we have an engine oil leak, (camshaft housing to the Cylinder head )... The interior heater does not heat up. Sorry the love affair has ended, the previous Japanese owners probably had the best time with it !  As a retired IMI Master craftsman I should have known better Not a good investment, anyone interested in purchasing this ?

Let's be clear there is no such thing as an TOYOTA Supported ALPHARD/VELLFIRE dealership in this country or for that matter in Europe, the majority of ALPHARD. VELLFIRE Vehicles imported into this country are from private business who have never owned a vehicle Manufacture  supported Dealership most of them do not employ mechanic's and from my experience, they tend to shy away from this subject so in the majority of cases you could be on your own when problems occur however the 'Alphardclub' forums must be commended for their support and helpful advice.

16 hours ago, Nuvolablue said:

@cookie9561 did you go ahead and get this service done ? Did you use a Garage or DIY ? I've also been trying to get answers to this question in my separate thread here, to no avail. Like you I have no written proof of it ever being done on my car.

 

I'm surprised this topic isn't talked about more on this forum, given the importance of it, particularly on the  2AZ-FE engine.

DURING MY PERIOD many years ago AS a master craftsman mechanic with a speciality in overhauling hydraulic auto transmissions,  changing the transmission fluid was never considered a priority, indeed it could only be carried out successfully if the 'fluid Torque' convertor had a drain screw plug built into it and one processed the very expensive special drainage suction pump...

Have you a campervan  conversion, if so check out the split relay unit that might be taking too much of its share of voltage to your start battery.

15 hours ago, big_boz said:

Yeah seen plenty of em, I am a dubber (air-cooled) so i see alot of camper chat, I can't square the value proposition on the Alphard S10, I get why they are converted, base van price is cheap if you are importing them, they aren't big so you can get a huge conversion in so the profit margin must be super if you are converting to sell on with such high retail prices.

 

 

 

 

     Yeah, the space inside once the seats, runners etc are removed is in fact only slightly bigger than a Mazda Bongo the depth of the Alphard floor to ceiling is misleading from when the vehicle is (viewed from outside) my point is the so called converters are making a nice healthy profit.