Rojie

2 hours ago, ReepsNpeeps said:

On our van this enables the radio to be switched on without the keys in the ignition.

Very useful, provided you remember to switch it off when leaving the vehicle.

On 5/9/2022 at 8:36 AM, Teekay said:

Hi Chris/Moderation group, apologies if already exists, if not, I would like to suggest  creation of a compilation of the queries / answers / resources / FAQs, all into a shared spreadsheet or page. Usually a shared google spreadsheet with public link could work quite well. Or on an ongoing basis, important / interesting posts can be linked to a common landing page. Any thoughts?

Hi Teekay,

I'll pass this onto Alphard Club.

It sounds like a lot of work to me !

Are you volunteering ?

There are a few examples on this Forum; the main ones being the Insurers; head units and fuse locations

It can be very difficult to keep current, e.g. as Insurance Companies are changing their policies (pun intended) frequently.

One of the main issues, from my point of view, it that some members just start another thread rather than search the existing ones.

I know searching can be tedious, and unrewarding. Also, as is common with some search engines, if you aren't precise with the search, or previous threads had imprecise headings, the search will, effectively, fail !

It could be a good approach.

What do other members think.

23 minutes ago, Chris.ac said:

seems like the russian host of the gen 1 alphard maintenance manual has had their site cutoff

Looks like back to the search engines to find a copy, it would have had the info you needed, too.

Oh what a shame. After all that hard work you did !

Putin. Could be there still, but no access from The Allied countries !

1 hour ago, Teekay said:

Who is running the forum actually? Are there admins who can answer such questions? Also do they moderate? Don't mean anything.  .just curious 

My view is, it is the Membership that is running the Forum.

The owner is Alphard Club.

He is assisted by two Moderators

MonsterS and myself (fairly recently).

We do Moderate, censor, delete, edit and take other actions; such as (trying) to keep threads focused on topic.

The 'free style' of this Forum can make that quite a challenge.

On membership, there have been over 750 New Introductions.

There were about 500 when I joined last June.

So reasonable growth, imho, considering the relative rarity of Alphies and Vellies.

My guess is we have many more members who, to date, have chosen not to formally introduce themselves.

I will try to discover the number of (active) members; that is not to say I will disclose it !

I even have to censor myself sometimes !

As this Forum is not for Commercial purposes, that is my normal area of Moderation, and that is very infrequently.

Thanks for your interests, and those of all other members.

Happy Advanturing,  Rojie.

Relax. It will be great.

Can't wait for Friday. Can you ?

2 hours ago, Oddcouple said:

As far as I can make out it increases throttle response, almost as if you’ve pushed an extra inch without pushing an extra inch. It certainly makes it shift with a very light foot. Doesn’t actually increase speed or torque, just makes it a whole lot more responsive. Looks like 4 different modes from eco to sport which will change throttle response times. Looks as if it’s fitted somewhere in the loom, so really don’t want to drag it out. Might help with fuel consumption a little, but doesn’t seem to cause any harm.

No. I would leave it well alone.

I rather like the slower shifts.

I have active suspension settings on mine.

I don't use them on the Alphie; trying for the smoothest ride.

I have another car with sports response settings.

Goes like hell but the shifts are not smooth, just 'sporty' !

Good luck with it.

Hopefully it will be 'trouble free'.

23 minutes ago, Oddcouple said:

Been all over their site, lots of great info but as I said, no instructions on how to use it.

I confess, I didn't read it.

Never come across it before.

A prime example of modifications / additions that Japanese owners fit.

Do you need it, whatever it does ?

5 minutes ago, Teekay said:

I keep wondering how can we increase membership of this forum..

Hi again,

The membership is increasing steadily; especially as the importation of Alphard seems to be booming.

They are, as most of us know, very good value.

The prime purpose of the Forum is self help, and mutual help.

The Forum is not a commercial site, and does not promote itself (yet, at least).

As the Handbooks published by Toyota are all in Japanese there is a real need for mutual help.

Google translate can be used on the Toyota Handbooks, but it is extremely tedious; and the manuals are so, so comprehensive.

Just understanding the head unit can be a major challenge for all new owners, including me. 

Their are no English language Maintenance Manuals available (yet).

Chris.ac is very adept at searching out maintenance information from Russia, Malaysia and other territories where Alphards are sold by Toyota.

I would strongly advise ALL members, new and 'older', to purchase the appropriate English language Owners Manual by JPNZ via ebay.

They are about £25 each.

I am assured I will be one of the first to know when Maintenance Manuals by JPNZ are available.

Thanks for your thoughts on growing the membership, all suggestions considered !

As a footnote, I'll try and find out what the membership actually is.

Search for Tom's Linear Throttle System on Google.

There is quite a bit of info on their site

2 hours ago, Teekay said:

Thanks but looking at the paperwork, taxes and prices I'm thinking I'm also unlikely to go for such a new vehicle. 10-12 years old is the sweet spot it seems 👍

Ten years old (or more) is what most of us do.

Plenty of choice too.

1 hour ago, Oddcouple said:

For some reason the link won’t work for me, just says link broken and does nothing, I’ll try to find it using the details..cheers..

Try the Castle Coombe website direct to see their events calendar.

I did and it was OK.

4 hours ago, Teekay said:

Indeed only couple of years back. It is highly unlikely someone in this group has LM 350 or LM 300h but not assuming 

 

I'll be over the top if can grab a 2015 Alphard model.. Let's see. I'm thinking rather save stretch and buy once this..

There's a dealer near Heathrow that tends to import the later models of Alphards and other JDM (including European made vehicles)

Send me a PM if you need to know.

5 hours ago, Oddcouple said:

That’s all I wanted to know. As a club we won’t be there as a group. Thank you.

if anyone else is going, please let us know!

Hi, just to be clear.

When I said I, I meant personally.

I am not aware of any 'organised' official event for Alphies organised through this Forum (and I read all topics and responses).

If you go, have fun, and let us all know how appropriate it is for Alphie owners.

5 hours ago, Teekay said:

I've been hearing about 10 year old vehicle and rule -> IVA check is needed if it is lesser than 10 year old. I have a question - is it 10 year from date of manufacture

or 10 year from date of registration in Japan

 

Related question - the number plate we get in UK, is it decided by manufacture date or registration date in Japan 🎌. Thanks

Hi Teekay,

Both these are very good questions.

I don't know the answer to either !

Otherwise, I respectfully suggest, you phone the DVLA for the definitive answer.

Good Luck.

2 hours ago, Voodoo101 said:

Thanks for your answers.

 

The car I was looking at was a 2007 3.0L Alphard with 51000 miles. Its advertised at £10500, but I am not too sure at the price. It has the double sunroof and the two separate middle seats as opposed to the bench seats.

Hello again,

Alphies, and Vellfires, are becoming very popular. Quite rightly so, imho.

But that popularity leads to price pressure.

Furthermore, there are many 'new' dealers entering the market.

Is the one you are considering at a Dealer, or private ?

Is the auction sheet available from when it was imported ?

If so, the mileage can be verified and most issues will be identified on the sheet, scratches, dents, scrapes, etc.

Also affecting the value is the level, and conditions, of options.

£10k5 doesn't seem too bad to me, bearing in mind the market atm. (and it's summer !)

For the same money, you could consider an very early Gen 2, 2008 onwards; V6 with a 6 speed auto.

Middle seats that swivel are sort after.

The 'middle bench' seats do normally swivel.

If they swivel the they will have a lap belt strap as part of the seat (that swivels with it).

2008 onwards do not swivel

57 minutes ago, Teekay said:

Guys any proud Gen 3 owners who can share there experience?

 

Gen 3 vs Gen 2, we can read up specs differences but what is the "wise man speak" on this? How these two compare? Is it worth saving up for Gen 3? Sometimes older models are even better. 

 

It might be less likely but any proud owners or first hand experience of Lexus version of Alphard? I'm asking for too much here ☺️

Hasn't the Lexus just been announced ?

It will certainly be too pricey for me.

Will it be officially imported to the UK ?

2 hours ago, Oddcouple said:

As @Jellybeanhas mentioned in threads regarding the event on 9th July, is the club going as ‘a club’ ? Couldn’t see anything on the fairly large list of clubs that are going.

I believe it is a JDM Day, which, of course includes Alphards.

It appears to be a Race Day.

As I don't plan to race my Alphie, regrettably, I won't be there !!!

8 hours ago, Chris.ac said:

because they are imported, it falls under the classification based on size and year of manufacture, it defaults to the about £280 bracket (i think i posted elsewhere the links to the updated costs)

if anything, if the correct emissions certs were purchased, the cost should reduce, because the alphard 2nd gen are better than Euro 4

I have read, on here, that getting the DVLA to change the Tax class is doable. But don't expect it to be easy.

As Chris notes, you need to correct paper work and it isn't particularly an easy process.

You can have your vehicle tested, I believe, to prove the emission levels.

8 hours ago, Teekay said:

Hi there, what does it mean the front seat have been converted into swivel? It's not factory setting and needs some modifications? Any video?where did you get it done?

Does that quality as modification for insurers?

It's very attractive idea to be able to have seats turned back with family 🙂

Swivel seats. Do they swivel ?

Yes. The front seats.

A plate is fitted underneath the seats, thereby raising the height (which can be an issue if you are tall).

On some models, if not all, the centre console, between the seats, needs to be removed/modified to create the room for the seat to rotate.

These plates are not cheap !

Enquire at NorthStar Conversion, IOW.

29 minutes ago, Chris.ac said:

Owners manual would have been given with the car at point of original sale.

You CAN download PDF copies of the owners manual at toyota japan website, but its in japanese.

There IS an english version available, it is usually given with the alphards/vellfire that are sold official to other countries (China, UAE, Russia, Malaysia) but I have not cracked yet where exactly to find an official download link - given that the original is freely available from Toyota, I do not think it is wrong for me to suggest using google to search for

 

'pdfcoffee alphard'

 

The first link for me is the manual, you will see other links for the wiring diagrams (these are for 2nd gen vehicles 2008 onwards)

Hi Chris,

The link didn't work for me.

I got an error message.

The file wouldn't load !

Hopefully, others have better luck

1 hour ago, John Harrison said:

Hi. I have just bought a 2.4ltr petrol auto Vellfire 8-seater.

Can this model be retro fitted with cruise control???

Thanks

 

John Harrison. Wallasey, Wirral.

Hello John,

Welcome to this Forum.

16 minutes ago, Oddcouple said:

Well, we’ve been here for a couple of weeks and are now proud to announce we have taken ownership today and here she is.

Beautiful.

Happy Advanturing

7 minutes ago, OldWellhouse said:

Rojie do you have any advice on getting standard steel van wheels for my 2005? Would Hiace wheels fit do you reckon?

No, I can't offer any advice on steel wheel suitability.

If the wheels are a comparable size I cannot see any issues but I really wouldn't know.

Are Hiace vehicles lighter than Alphies ?

WillTheyFit, I think it is defunct now, was an excellent website for wheel tyre combination comparisons

But there are other models out there on the internet.

If you know the specifications for the Hiace you could do a comparison.

Remember, clearances are key to safety. Offsets and insets are important for correct wheel bearing loading.

Other than above re rolling circumference, offsets, sensible tyre widths, side wall height (aspect ratio) and adequate clearances; my only concern would be ensuring you match the wheel stud type to the wheels.

My Gen 1 facelift uses conical shaped wheel nuts, not flat faced ones. Nut to wheel fit is crucial.

Also it wears XL (extra load) type tyres.

Finally, if changing wheels and tyres for non standard fit you need to check with your Insurance Company that your plans are OK.

Hope this helps.

23 minutes ago, HARRY55 said:

Thanks Rojie. I think I've now discovered that the AN20 vehicles don't have the facility to rotate the middle row of the 8-seater. Perhaps there was a change in the law in Japan at that time. Pity, because it's a deal breaker for me.

 

What is the letter string part of your machine, or intended machine ?

ANH20 XXXXX ?

What are the X's.

Send me a PM if preferred.

I'll check the EPPC data

I'll send you a PM now.

6 minutes ago, Rachel said:

Been driving my alphard 2005 since 2017, however recently must've done something wrong when adjusting the seats and now the back support from one of the seats has "fallen" into a position that I can't undo. Any ideas would be much appreciated. See pictures..

 

Hi Rachael,

Welcome to the Forum.

I don't have these seats so cannot help you with that.

If no one else can supply you with a quick fix, you could try a company that does conversions.

Most conversions will entail removing these middle seats, thereby creating a surplus.

Many converters would be glad for you to take away a (matched) pair.