ThuMentaliss

 High Michael,  I think the real issue here is that potential buyers think they're getting a good deal (as I did) but in reality the Alphard is a cash cow can I ask you a realistic question ? How much have you spent on your Alphard since owning it, for instance I have spent well over £16800 which included a 'North Star' conversion plus maintenance costs over the last 28 months..hardly a good return for a vehicle that's eighteen years old the trouble is I now find myself constantly questioning why didn't I do more research into the Alphard probably because like everyone else its looks are quite different and it drives nice, but the bottom line is in my opinion that there are much better vehicles that convert to a camper van

AEROSOLS difficult to find, I get my local auto paint trade specialist to make up the colour and supplied in a small paint tin I use fine artist brush to touch up people forget the Alphards and Vellfire were never exported to Europe so colours made up by non-professionals can differ significantly.

Members might be interested to know my experience in asserting conformation if the drive belt on my P.U.T.A  3.0Ltr  Alphard has had its drive belt changed. So the issue is the stickers that the Japanese Technicians stick on the bonnet underside confirms the date and mileage they changed the belt, problem is it's in Japanese dialogue so does anyone know a translator?

 And what I've found during this journey of discovery is that every Technician/Garage services who I had spoken to declined to take this job on due mainly to is complexity and lack of knowledge of the procedure of work, So lovely looking vehicle drives nice cheap to purchase,..but anyone considering purchasing may be alarmed about the issues of very poor technical support,  Costly repairs, complete lack of vehicle customising parts (if that's your thing) poor fuel consumption.. I think I will go back to a VW or a Ford😔☹️

No easy answer but you could fit a double keder strip into the awning channel and then make up a canvas section to cover the gap..you might even find on the net someone may have already done this....this is why I don't like upright awning brackets,  in my opinion S45 Awnings are not suitable for Alphards

sorry to hear that never happened to me but only changed my blades once during 2022

dont understand you guys😝 Halfords, Europa parts carry them BOSCH being the most popular

+ You should use a trim remover lever (plastic lever is best) usually in a set of Trim/clip removers ....ebay or Amazon

Bought all mine via surfacing goggle browser,  the best way to buy them is to buy an assortment within a box-set, usually Chinese supplied but perfectly adequate as trim clips.

Are you talking about a topper to go over a R&R bed? We used to use a Dunelm 50.0 mm thick mattress topper over our R&R bed then we purchased a self inflatable camping type topper, much better than any kind of semi-permanent mattress topper (but not without its flaws getting it to roll up when not in use)😁

Wifi to laptop. Laptop should have a decent Wi-Fi card or device within its system, HDMI connection (or powered connection block), Blu-ray external drive..Done

I'm sure someone here in the posts can help, personally I have never yet seen cycles suspended off the rear of Alphards probably due to not having rear doors, my fix to this issue was to fit a decent tow-bar and a movable bike rack to take our electric bikes

We have a small inflatable drive-away tent which is attached to the Alphards roof KADER Tube, but from our experience with the Alphard I would just buy a quality inflatable 4-person tent much better value than pop top roofs (we never used the point of the drive away tent) 

For most DAB frequencies you should install a 'FIN' type aerial fitted to the roof (rearmost) of the vehicle where there is less vehicle electrical interference but be prepared for a shock as the FIN'S are quite expensive + fitting... I have fitted several over the last few years, and they do sort out the Dab Radio reception issue and can help head units that contain Sat Nav IT intelligence.

On 4/15/2022 at 11:04 AM, Gag Halfrunt said:

@ThuMentaliss  If you're still looking for LPG filling in West Sussex, I often visit Chichester & fill up with LPG at Morrisons Littlehampton. Hope that helps.

   Yes  I'm aware where the station is 20 miles from us ...not practical

Don't want to blow your enthusiasm. But here down South 'LPG' equipped stations are virtually non-existent and if you do find one it's normally miles away from your aboad so you end up no better off with the fuel consumption😐

1 hour ago, Rojie said:

The rail looks very much like the rail Dometic sells for windbreaks.

I do hope Dometic are copying me, then I could sue them...😎

On 11/17/2022 at 11:18 AM, Hugh McLean said:

Hi Larry,

 

any chance of you answering the questions asked on the forum,

cheers

Hugh

Sorry Hugh, I designed it and made it now a lot of interest so Im now in the process of patenting to sell, why not😀

Your problem is obvious the blades are not turning correctly in their movement cycle test them whilst they are working, stop them by turning ignition off see if the blade rubber has turned to the direction of travel

Great for you but am I can't see any restraining straps to hold the bike down 🤐

IF your going to be a frequent user of camping sites then you should seriously consider a inflatable drive away awning much better than a pop-up especially when the issue of hight restriction comes into the equation if your going to be a 'one-nighter' then a pop-top would suit,  remember that most types of camper van's lack storage space

'if you are considering towing a Caravan'  I have seen no evidence that the CVT BOX has a short life when used as a caravan tow several people at our visits to Spanish camp sites use their 3.0ltr ALPHARDS to tow their caravans and done so for many years,  my post is about basic lack of pulling power i.e. what Torque is delivered at what engine revs, the CVT BOX in my opinion was better than the now defuncted Power-glide transmission which of course was fully Hydraulic (I used to overhaul when I was somebody😎

Come off my Alphard 2005 3.0Ltr series one , £135.00

Great Rojie! Must be nice to have friends who are in a situation that they can order a new Mercedes or Rolls Royce 😁 however do get your point ...incidently I never mentioned the MOT issue in my post completely separate issue, in my day one could loose their MOT licence by refusing to carry out an MOT without a very valid reason.

The truth is Rojie that garages run by astute business people are only really interested in servicing vehicles that their workforce are familiar with, time is money if their Mechanic's have done their training/ apprenticeships etc they should be qualified enough to engage most problems that may occur on any Toyota, but it's the Boss who pays the mechanics time when I ran several franchised Dealerships the profit came from the Mechanic being able to do the work without having to constantly referring to the vehicle's training guide

  The majority of people that have purchased vehicles that are over fifteen years old will not find today's Mechanics fully versed on imported vehicles that were never sold within Europe

Try Facebook marketplace good photos are a must😉

16 minutes ago, Chris.ac said:

they should have used a ring binder, so it sits flat, and lets you laminate the pages.

Well you know that I know that but's that's another £10 + on the price no longer a reasonable price 😝