Rojie

As Picasso says, automatics cannot be towed with their driven wheels on the road. Make sure your insurer covers for a flat bed truck. I have two autos and would not allow either to be towed under any circumstances. The Breakdown cover I have (with my Bank) covers me, not the vehicle. By that I mean any vehicle I am travelling in is covered ! I pay more than Picasso, but receive other services too.

There are no restrictions. Ownership wise, there are many more Gen1 (up to 2008) than Gen 2 (from 2008). There is a Gen 3, and a Gen 4 ! General Chat is a new addition to separate the social conversations from the more technical queries. Threads were becoming diluted by social chit chat, so General Chat was created for the purpose. We have some new members who are very active creating new information threads. In the meantime The Alphard Team is working on several, imho, significant improvements. The topics you seem to be 'landing' on are the newer topics. Favourite topics seem to change with the wind; and can be quite 'trendy' Gen 2 owners tend to have a different set of question s to Gen 1 owners. I can't help you with OBD other than what you already know. Get a JOBD version. Rest assured, you have full access. Bon Voyage Toyota have Techstream which is, by all accounts, very good.

Hi Mick, There is no minimum of posts necessary to use the Forum. There was a restriction on how many messages newer members could send per day (to limit spammers); but that has been increased and should not be an issue. The Forum team is putting in a lot of effort to restructure the Forum so that it is easier to find things of particular interest. Recently, the vehicle categories have been increased to assist getting to the 'heart of the matter'. Be patient, use the search engine, and be inventive with the search criteria you use. Try to read the unread content each day, you will soon get a flavour for what's what. The Gen 2 is becoming affordable and quite popular, so the Forum knowledge base is building quickly. What are you specifically looking for ?

Another mistake of mine. My answer should have said passenger side. I think quicker than I can type !. 8 seat, MS model, according to my JPNZ Owners Handbook. (Highly recommended). Not sure about the significance of the E suffix.

I am biased. I have the 5 speed, and have never driven the 4 speed. The 5 speed will be ULEZ compliant. You can check on Transport for London website. I seem to recall there have been compliance paperwork issues with the early Gen 1. I can vouch that the V6 is smooth and quiet, and has a pleasant under load burble (not quite like a V8 though!) Regarding resale values. What we all tend to overlook is how long we expect to keep the vehicle. That has a large affect on resale value. If you can afford the extra £2k; spend it. Here's hoping you make the correct decision for you.

Hi Eddie, I have a 5 speed, and no complaints. Later models have a 6 speed . Quite a few 4 speeds get a LPG conversions, probably, imho, partly to do with fuel costs. If you plan on long journeys ? There is a thread on the Forum about fuel consumption. It's worth finding and reading before you make your final decision. Do you have a 2.4L now ? If so, you'll know the mpg as all Gen 1 2.4L had a four speed. According to my handbook you could expect 1km per litre improved consumption with the 2.4 (under manufacturer test conditions ! ). Of course, that depends on how you drive. The consumption thread concludes (in general) you get better mileage with E5 fuel.

The seatbelt warning may be a legal requirement in Japan.

Eightseater.blog.com provides a very good guide on the Gen 1 HDD unit, including adding and removing tracks from the HDD unit. Ade, I know you have a newer vehicle, but I suggest it's worth a read.

Hello Frank, Welcome to the Forum. It seems you have discovered most official Toyota Dealers are an huffy lot wrt Alphies which are grey imports. Some Toyota dealers will help. Snows in Plymouth, Exeter and Torbay, for example. It's worth phoning around. We have a member, Ldrego, who is relatively near you. Send him a PM, although..... He prefers contact through Youtube, Cuttothechase. There was also a recent thread on here regarding a local, to you, garage. So ? Try and use ToyotaAlphardepc.com to determine the correct part number. Be careful. You will need your option string (which probably begins PRxxx; to select the correct vehicle. Once you have the correct part number contact Toyota Direct. You will need the part number first. There is also a list of spare parts being collated in this Forum; but it is primarily for service parts. Good Luck.

Hello Nick, and Lin, Welcome to the Forum.

On the B pillar driver's side. Should be there with the VIN number. Coming back to the original topic. Your Insurance company needs to be aware of the conversion. They won't really care how many seats. Under normal circumstances they are easily removable and replaceable anyway ! The MOT Inspector will though. As I can't see any provision for a lap belt on those rear seats, my guess is they will assume they are for just two people. I have a JPNZ manual, which will tell me how many seats yours had specified as OEM. There is also, i believe, a decoding thread on here (somewhere), which does the same. Should you ever need to use the ToyotaAlphardEPC.com, you will need the Alpha string, to get part numbers (should you need them). Picasso has a way of looking at the spec of vans, by VIN number. If he asks for your VIN, it's OK to let him have it.

As Chris says, his price isn't unreasonable. As soon as you remove the head unit you will think it is an absolute Bargain !

This looks very much like your configuration. This may have been Steve's personal van. Whatever, it is noted as an eight seater; so there should be a lap belt somewhere for the third rear seat ! (Maybe not needed in Japan though).

Looking at this again, in less of a hurry, and you do appear to have a 2 3 2 configuration. There isn't much demand for rear seats as whatever conversion is made, side or rear, they usually fall victim ! Most go to the recycling centre or motor dismantler. I think Alphard Club did a topic on seat configurations. I'll try and find it. Meanwhile, my curiosity aroused, I still would like to know you option string. Mine is PFAQK G. Mine is listed as 7 seater. 2 Captains in front, 2 Captains in the middle and 2 huge luxurious full width ones in the rear !

I looked into the Odyssey ones. They appear very durable, bit the colour choice is (or was) limited. I used rubber flooring mat with the coin shaped pattern. Works well but is prone to tearing when cutting and leaving sharp 90 degree edges. In fact I have it fitted over my luxury carpets. Seats have to come out to cut slots for the seat rails. Care needed.

Just a quick word of caution. I bought some LED side lights for my Gen 1 facelift, to replace the blue lights fitted which I didn't like. There are so many to choose from. The ones I bought were Canbus types and did fit, JUST. They were quite loose in the holder. I was worried one could jiggle free. If they ever fall out inside the glass, oh boy, what fun. I didn't think I would ever get them out. So, Please be careful what you fit. Make sure they are a robust fit, and are well seated. Strangely, the ones I fitted appear blue, until you turn them on when they appear a very bright white. Please don't ask what I fitted, I have no idea now.

Hhhmmm ! Looks like a I made a mistake here. Your middle seats are definitely the one and a half plus one. You can see that the seat rails are unevenly spaced. They are evenly paced when the middle (two) seats are of the Captain variety and all four seats run on the same four seat rails. Clearly the one swivels, so the one and a half probably does too. I have removed your VIN number. I should have asked for the Alpha string eg. ABCDE); not the numeric one ! Sorry. Usually begins with a P. I still have me rear seats so I'll look into this some more, and come back to you. Did your rear seats fold up sideways to create a large loading area ?

Clearly, they don't want your business.

Hello John, Welcome to the Forum, Some of the early Gen 1 vans came with dividing curtains. So you may be able to source some parts. The rail is easy to source and attach to the roof lining. Otherwise Fuel Lagoon (amongst others) produces window blinds that fit on the outside of the windscreen and front doors. Depending on what you are trying to achieve they may fit the bill.

Sorry for the delay; I could not find the correct lead for the camera I used ! This front valance is MZ G Edition version.

OK Thanks. I need to test mine, I never have ! I believe my main reflectors were removed to fit rear fog lights (which are not reflective. I need to test the main light clusters for reflectivity. I hope they are, as it has been a worry for me.

Hello Nick, I think you will find DVLA do regard the vehicle as an MPV; irrespective od how many seats you have. I have heard that it has become very difficult to get DVLA to reclassify (any) vehicles. About a 5 percent success rate. I believe most replies will confirm the owners vehicle as MPV. Mine is; and it's the same year and engine as yours. The seats is an interesting issue. The large rear seats are 3 seaters ! If you have two single seats in the middle; you have a 7 seater. If you have (had) the 1 and a half seats plus 1, in the middle, you have an eight seater. You can also tell by the rear seat rails. 7 seaters have one less rail; as the middle and rear seats share all the same rails. If in doubt. send me your model number (I don't need the VIN). MNH10W xxxxxx

SL5W 30, SL5W 20, SL10W 30 OR SJ10W 30. 4.7L FOR V6, 4.3 FOR 2.4L, INCLUDING OIL FILTER From the JPNZ Owners Handbook.

No, but I'll get one tomorrow