Rojie

Hello Phil, Firstly, let me say, we are all sorry to see your predicament; and we hope you wife suffered no injuries other than shock. Hopefully you have Comprehensive Insurance, even if the perpetrator is found. I agree with Picasso, try to resist all attempts by any insurance company to write Alphie off. My priority would be to find a friendly competent mechanic to assess the damage and repairability. First call is your closest Alphard Dealer. Then you can plan your actions. A similar event occurred with my wife, albeit not in our Alphie. We resisted the 'write off' vigorously, and received a payment, less £100, to keep the car and have it repaired at our expense. Admittedly, it was only a smashed in door. We had the door panel pulled out. Cost was zero ! Everything works as it should. Not pretty anymore but wholly functional and safe. We have been driving her even since, and she waltzes through the MOT each year. So, what ? Try not be too disheartened. You have more options than are immediately apparent. There was a downside though, and I mention this for full disclosure. The car is now classed as a Category, I know not which; but my insurance company is happy to insurance (at almost zero value) and the car is fully legal. Looking at the photo again, I see quite a lot of superficial damage; but get those wings off and hopefully you will get a surprise full of relief. We drive it every day. So ? BEFORE the car is written off, just be sure you ask the right questions and get the lowest category you can. Very best wishes for you, your wife, and your Alphie.

Hi Starider, I believe Chris.ac has done this but he has a Gen 2.

hi kevin, Welcome to the Forum. May I respectfully suggest you either add a photo, or give wheel and tyre sizes. There were more than one type of wheel tyre combination fitted to Alphards. Good luck with the sale.

Ben Hau is THE man

Hello, Welcome to the Forum.

You can get radio frequency extenders (£20) which will allow you to receive most UK FM stations. Any CD you play will be recorded to your HDD, so will will not need to load that CD each time to listen to its contents. Xtrons is a candidate, as is Pioneer. Read / search through the Forum to learn which models other members have successfully fitted.

Hi Bronagh, So if the kitchen is in, was a provision made for an industry standard size fridge to be fitted ? If not, you will be faced with a fairly major modification to the 'furniture' already fitted. OR, you can get a compressor cooler. There are still many to choose from, and the benefit of many is that they are truly portable. They tend to be of the chest type so are very good at retaining the whatever chill they achieve. (Door fridges ten d to let all the chill out when you open the door; but draw fridges don't). I have some experience with thermoelectric units, on my many trips to Spain; however, I would not wholeheartedly recommend them. They are OK; but OK, for me wasn't enough. Mine, an Mobicool, struggled to get truly cool, and stay cool, especially in a Spanish summer. I cannot recommend a particular brand; however Dometic are great, but expensive, Alphicool are worth looking at. My favourite (not either of the aforementioned) is unobtainable, atm, due to Covid and reduced manufacturing in China. There are plenty of different brands and sizes to choose from. As always (ignoring budget / affordability) understanding your needs is key. If it cannot be inbuilt, pay particular attention to size and how you will secure it whilst mobile as they are no lightweight. Good luck with your decision.

Hi Wayne, Welcome to the Forum.

Hello Maiklas, Welcome to the Forum. Are all your warning lights on before you start the car ? Are your oil and water levels correct ? Any puddles under the car overnight ? Any white 'smoke' steam coming from the exhaust after the engine is fully warmed up? Sounds like the car may be in 'Limp Mode' if you can't go beyond 50. I would not drive it unless absolutely necessary. Maybe you should consider a mobile mechanic, with an OBD2, to run some diagnostics.

What type of fridge are you looking for ? Chest, Drawer, Compressor, Thermoelectric, 3 way ? They only come in a few standard sizes. Fridges for vans tend to be expensive. £500 upwards is not uncommon, in this niche market. Has the conversion been completed, or in the planning stage ? If the latter, inbuilt compressor chest freezers, mounted in the top of the kitchen counter are a neat solution. You should fit a leisure battery too. Mine is under the dining seat.

Hello Alastair, Welcome to the Forum.

Hi Starider, I found the passenger side quite easy to access. The lower glove box can be removed very easily. It is also easy to refit. I agree the location is a neck breaker. My point about the manual being if you know which fuse is the most likely culprit you can remove just that one, and not all of them, one at a time, until you strike lucky. Fortunately, so far, I haven't needed to change fuses.

I'm thinking a small plastic dental pick, as Chris says, just to ease the edge past the point of contact. Silly point, once ejected, check the flatness of your CD ! I hope you overcome the issue as the head unit you have is a good one, and automatically records CDs to the HDD.

The Owners Manual, for the Gen1, published by JPNZ, provides illustrations of the fuse boxes, the fuse locations and the fuse values. This manual is a MUST for owners of Gen 1 vehicles. About £25 on eBay. NB, It is not a maintenance manual.

Which head unit do you have ? Photo please.

The EPC stipulates the 55D23L for the Alphards. The unit in the link is a 55D23R. The difference is the position of the terminals. If you go for the R you need to check the leads will reach !

Reading my Owners Manual (search the internet for JPNZ) the sun (Moon) roof will not open if the window lock button has been activated. Worth checking. Ignition should be on, preferably with engine running, as there are two switches for the roof it may be worth trying both in various combinations. Also, if the battery has been disconnected (as they frequently are by the Dealers) the sun roof may need to be reprogrammed ! Although the sun roof is closed (it won't open) press the Close button for at least a second. If you have wireless door locking, that can also be used to close the sun roof. Good Luck.

Clearcut Conversions in Barnstaple supply flat pack kitchens. Many, but not all, side kitchens limited the size of the Rock and Roll bed (if fitted, as they usually are). There are some Converters that can fit wider RandRs, but may not supply them flat packed.

Good Morning Andy, Welcome to the Forum. I note you have checked all the fuses. As a new owner, ,are you aware of all the fuse boxes; there are four. You are concerned with fuse 1, 30A, in the fuse box behind, and above, the passenger side glove box. .... and the glove box comes out very easily.

Replacing the head unit most definitely is possible; but not necessarily "easy". It can be costly too. It can be done DIY, but is not, imho, for the faint hearted. Ben Hau in Birmingham can also provide an upgrade. His implementation works best with an I Phone. Android works but provides less functionality. Try and read up on Head Unit Replacement, there are loads of responses to questions like this; as it is a very common issue.

Hi James, This is the same unit I have; and it is a good one. I can't advise you to change it or not. If you visit eighterseaterblog.com (or something very similar) you can find a comprehensive explanation on how to use this unit; all in English. The TV will not work, as UK and Japanese are different. Sat Nav won't work, either, as it is a Japanese subscription service. DVD, CD, and MD should all work. You may get Radio 2, unlikely anything else; although this can be tweaked quite cheaply. (£20, diy). Head unit has to be removed though. CDs (originals) will be copied to the HDD automatically. A really nice feature, in my view. You should have three front cameras which should work automatically, and a rear reversing camera also automatic. All should work. The front cameras are switchable from 2 to 3, and vice versa. Very helpful for peep and creep. Try the reading for actual advice on who fitted what and how well it worked.

Hello James, Welcome to the Forum. NO, Almost certainly not, but it may depend on which head unit you have. Help us all to help you; add a photo please. Many users, initially at least, use the Google Translate app running on a mobile phone. Get the app, point the phone camera at text and buttons, hey presto. Then the fun begins. There are English language head units available. If you pursue that route be careful you don't lose steering wheel functions (if they matter to you). Front cameras can disappear too. Search Radio or Head Unit Replacement on this Forum. There is lots and lots to read !

Wendy, I am so sorry I did not get back to you. Hopefully, you managed to find him on the internet. If you didn't, Simon has added the correct link above. Allan is not renown for answering the phone promptly. Be persistent. he is often busy in his workshop.

Hello Julie, Welcome to the Forum,

Glad we could all help you. Don't be surprised if your fuel consumption improves ! Coincidently, I was in Weston today (at the Crem). My 2006 V6 was turning 2000 rpm at 60mph. You should now enjoy, happy, quiet, and economical motoring