Rojie

Hi Steve, Welcome to the Forum.

Hi Shane, Check out the recent posts, that should give you an idea.

Try Scenic, it's a subsidiary of LV, specialising in conversions.

Briefly looking at the EPC drawings, the struts seem to be the same for the manual tailgate and for the power assisted one. Check before you order !

That's the MET IGN fuse. Don't ask !

Hi Stephen, Glad you got it fixed. For the benefit of others, which fuse was it ?

I assume you have a V6 as there is no timing belt on the 4 cylinder engine.

Please read WJVH post above

Hello Stephen, Welcome to the Forum.

Welcome to the Forum. My thoughts are that part availability on the continent, where European made vehicles are so popular (patriotically purchased) could be tricky. Regarding insurance. There is no shortage of companies that cover Europe; whether they will cover an Alphard is another matter. I used to travel Europe frequently, but not in an MPV / camper. I used Saga who, in my opinion, offered good value insurance; especially if the duration of your stays were lengthy.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264688263950?hash=item3da0a6630e:g:PMEAAOSwA9xeYjBe

This is the link that Chris.ac shared with me. It is similar to the one he has used. I haven't got one yet as I put my issue of slow warm up down to the old weather.

Sorry to hear how your first drive didn't turn out well. Please do not tell us where you bought it; although all your local Alphard / Vellfire owners would love to know and avoid. (PMs can keep this kind of info private). Perhaps the code was switched off, deleted, before you bought it. Perhaps the problem was fixed ! I have just received advice from Chris.ac on a suitable OBD2 unit. I'll try and find his post, and let you know. You are loacted quite close to Ldrego (on here) and Cuttothechase (on youtube). He has also done some work with OBD units.

G'day, Welcome to the Forum. You pose a very interesting question, for which I have no answer. I'll be very interested in the replies you receive. I can say that here in Blighty many Toyota dealers won't work on grey imports. To date, Alphards and Vellfires have not been officially imported into the UK; hence the dealership attitude. However some, such as mine, will. I will ask them if they have access to these firmware updates you refer to. My guess is they won't. There is Toyota software available, Techstream, that Toyota dealers use. Whether that contains these firmware updates, or not, needs further investigation. Techstream is available, on line, and can be downloaded.

Hi, No. I have not been 'through all this'. But I know someone that allowed their licence to lapse and were surprised to learn they had to take the test again; the enhanced version! Sorry if you thought I was preaching to you. I was merely trying to raise awareness for other members approaching 70 years young to be careful.

As you attain the grand young age of 70, you automatically lose your right (qualification) to drive any vehicle of 3500kg or more. This weight limit is gross weight , so includes anything in your vehicle, anything that you are towing, and anything in your towed vehicle. If you wish, or need to, retain your right (and this right depends on when you passed your driving test) you can. There can be some bureaucratic hoops to jump through, including a doctors note re your overall health. If you let your right lapse, I believe you can take an official test to regain your licence to drive higher weight vehicles. If in doubt how this might effect you, please refer to the DVLA website. As you approach 70 you will receive a notice from the DVLA to explain tis. Don't ignore it.

Just an afterthought. Does your vehicle have a moon roof, or sun roof, or both ?

In my opinion, New Dawn are one of the better convertors, similar to Northstar. Certainly, neither of them are new to 'the business' Just consider, a pop top is a major structural project, fitting a side conversion is a medium project and should not affect the structural integrity of the vehicle.

This doesn't surprise me, or some of our colleague members. As vehicles become ever more safe, they become ever more complex. Certainly, on my conversion, both the floor and the roof trim panel were removed. There's lots of wiring. I may remember incorrectly, I think it was Chris.as (forgive me if this is the incorrect credit), who highlighted the fact that the later models have side curtain airbags. Anything that obstructs their operation could be dangerous, and if not that, possibly something the MOT Inspectors become increasingly interested in ! If this is the case, side conversions may be affected.

I had a villa en Espana (Murcia) for 15 years but nada mas, so I know what it's like when the Heavens open !

That's where the TEMS switch would be, if you had TEMS. A electronic suspension system. The problem with these vehicles is that Japanese owners fit all sorts of bells and whistles; them remove them prior to sale ! This leaves wires from nowhere and no easy way to figure it all out. I have several loose ends in my machine. My wild guess would be some 'entertainment' system. Weird switch too ! Sorry I can't be of further help. If it bothers you too much I guess you could try and purchase a blank switch cover, remove your switch and fit the blank.

Which switch position is it located in ? Do you have any additional driving lights ?

Austops ?

Don't forget your Vellfire will probably weigh twice what your hire car did ! I am aware of the company above, and , in my opinion, they offer good vehicles. They have been quick and courteous in answering my enquiries, although I have not bought from them. Just one last point, Alphies and Vellfires are limousines, not off roaders and the lowered ones don't have much ground clearance.

I wish you luck. Most vehicle batteries take quite an extra load during the winter. Cold starts, lots of lights, etc I had a problem with one of my cars. The AA gave me the same advice, and it worked. So, to be clear, we are discussing the vehicle battery; we are not discussing the hybrid battery ? Did Northstar fit a leisure battery ? It is not unusual in a camper conversion. Did you buy the camper from Northstar ? Or another dealer ? Do you have a battery charger ? Do you have the ability, garage or drive, to charge your 12v battery overnight. It would seem that none of your three 12v batteries has been able to hold a charge. It seems to me, that your batteries must be suffering some form of constant battery drain. Are you able to visit a Kwik Fit, or another similar business, and get your battery tested ? I'll try and refer this to a couple of our members for their opinions.