Rojie

Try this guy. He is on ebay as beanbean280r ben bean Address:Unit, 53 Bizspace Business Park Bordesley Green Road Birmingham B9 4TR UK Email:bean280r@gmail.com

After you remove the headrests from all the seats they should all lie 'flat'; but not that flat ! Some are flatter than others, depending on the seat combination you have. Most people with this type of conversion use the kitchen 'end;' as the head of the bed. There are various 'topper' techniques to make the bed more level. Persevere until you find the combination that suits you best. The rear conversion has, in my opinion, many benefits; but the flattest of beds isn't one of them.

Adrian Flux quoted me a really silly price. £350 does not seem silly. I find it surprising that the trim level would make much, if any, difference; although the MZ model is the top of the range. There are only a few trim levels AS, AT, AX, MZ, MX, MS from memory; although it seems there are many optional extras within those trim levels. If you go with Adrian Flux ensure you ask which company is the insurer, as AF is a broker. The quote they gave me came from an unknown, to me, insurer.

I agree with Monster S. However, it may be worth asking Wellhouse what the weight of their conversion is. You don't say whether you have a rear or side conversion. I will be removing my two rearmost seats to have a rear conversion. I guess the original tyre pressures are calculated on the assumption there may be two person sitting in those seats (and the middle seats for that matter). Most Alphards weigh two tonnes, or so. What is the weight of two average weight Japanese passengers ???

Road tax appears to be based on year manufactured, as noted on the DVLA website, not year imported. I agree with Picasso, mine was about £290.

9.7 km per litre according to my manual.

Coincidently, I notice a small pull to the left just today ! I was thinking I may need the tracking looked at; as, I believe, the rear bushes, etc, were replaced before I bought the Alphie. How well the rear end work was done I don't know. I'll be following this thread........

Thanks Slinky, Presumably Rugeley Staffs need the vehicle to achieve this. Apparently, my local Toyota is not allowed to source the original Toyota key blanks for grey imports, so I have; hopefully they will work! I don't see cutting the key as a problem, it IS just a key blade; but 'matching' it to the car could be. I have read somewhere that the key can be programmed by the car; which is what I am going to try.

Busy day yesterday so no update from me. IDLE UP SWITCH. Interesting but probably of no relevance According to my manual some Alphards have a feature to increase the idle speed. It is a "cold climate" option fitted on (some) 2AZ FE engines. (Apart from the button being present, I have no idea how to tell whether this feature is present or not). The on/off switch appears to be the lower right hand in the group of five to the left of the steering wheel. I don't have the option. Nor I can I read the legend on the switch in the illustration. The manual says (I quote) Press the switch to increase the idle speed. Press again to return to normal. 1) Use idle up switch to improve the warming effect when the engine is cold. 2) The display light will illuminate when the device is operating. Note. 3) To stop the operation, press the idle up switch again to turn off. 4) If the switch is not turned off, the idle speed will rise each time the engine is started. If the idle switch is turn on when the engine revs (when idling) are below 1200 and the engine is cold, the idle revs will rise. 5) Use the switch when the engine is running. (End of quote). I assume the switch is where the warning light is located. I'll read more to check if there is a dash light.

Hi Shawn, you should not need your foot on the gas to start any car! Brake yes, gas no. Nor should you rev the engine until the oil is flowing nicely; 30 seconds or so. 2200 sounds a little high to me, but 800 seems normal.

Hi, Yes they are You should find loads on info on this site. The consensus seems to be its OK for Alphards. But, I guess it is way too early for any of us to know for sure. Only time will tell !

Errors corrected and additions made.

Ok, so let's try and help you. Congratulations on your new ownership. Rest assured, there are many new owners (this year) and we are all learning as we go. This forum is fantastic. A chip is available to convert your odometer to mph and miles covered. I believe it is not mandatory to change to mph, but is desirable. There is also a 'faceplate' available that 'changes the speedo to indicate to mph. I believe the speedo needles do not need to be removed. I have both, but did not fit either of them so can't help there. I feel sure if you approach one of the more reputable converters, or importers, they will be able to help you. The HDD is fun. You ought to be able to play cds and have them copy to the HD drive. Play a CD, remove and check your HD drive; you may find it copied automatically. There is a way to set this to happen but I would need to research that. Your DVD will also probably work; provided the vehicle is not moving ! The radio, you need a frequency expander (less then £20) to get most UK channels but, the head unit needs to come out. The shift hold button is known to drop out into the abyss below; so be careful if you attempt it. Regarding your windows, I suspect your battery has been disconnected; and you need to reset your windows (from the drivers side panel). I can't remember how to do this, check youtube, but I think you just wind them all up and down a couple of times and the car remembers them ! I think your seller is suspect suggesting all Alphards have windows like this , it's (*****). They don't; unless yours are faulty and I doubt that. You may need to perform this reset each time your battery is disconnected. I cannot really comment on your other points. USB can't be difficult to achieve, I'm sure. Try an auto electrician. Best wishes and good luck with your new Alphie

Thanks for this. I appreciate it. I like the colour, it would work well in mine. Previously, you were interested in the differences between our vehicles. I note that you have an Alphard motif just behind the centre console. Nice I don't have one of those, unless it is covered by my carpets. I'll check. I really like the attention to detail that the Japanese have included in these MPVs. I also notice the volume controls on the back of your centre console. I don't have Theatre Sound so I don't have those.. But I do have the VTR connection, same as you. What do you use it for. I have not got that far yet. Why was yours in the garage ? Best wishes

Nice to know, although I don't have this problem (yet).

Please do.

Hi Pritch, Which company did your conversion ?

Hi again. When can I expect the photos ? Please.

I have not noticed this on my recently acquired Alphard. I will check. I do have a Jaguar which, when started revs at about 1200 rpm. As it warms for the first 10 seconds or so, the revs diminish to about 750. This is normal, as the engine is run a little rich to start with, then is leaned out. I assume this will happen with Alphie as the weather gets colder. I assume that if your Alphie is revving to less than, say, 1300; it is OK, above that I think you need a mechanic!

Search this site. There is lots of information herein. E10 is OK

Can anyone who has a model that has front curtains, that is curtains immediately behind the front row seats, advise me of the year and trim level (MX, AS, etc) of their vehicle, as I am interested in retro fitting these to my 2006 MZG .

Try Jap Autos, Southampton.

Make sure the volume control (top RHS on/off button) is not turned to the lowest volume. Press the third button from the left on the bezel; that should bring up the DVD settings Press sound to get the faders etc. Within the faders there does not appear to be a master volume adjustment Return is top right legend. ASL allows you to crudely adjust the sound presentation. Have you recorded any CDs to your hard drive ? Can you hear them ? Press Disc to switch between disc and HDD. One of the joys, frustrations actually, of Alphie ownership is learning to read Japanese. I will check my HDD handbook and try to understand the squiggles......... I doubt any of this helps you but I hope it does.

I don't have an answer for you; just a couple of suggestions. As you don't mention Theatre System, I am assuming you don't have it, (nor do I). There are settings within the DVD menus to change the stereo balance, front to rear balance, and various DSP functions. I would suggest you try and check those (and make sure the steering wheel volume control is not at its lowest. I will go an have a play, to discover if I can actually help.

Try your nearest Kwikfit, or other tyre fitting business ? Are your tyres newish, or almost done ?