Rojie

There are swivel mechanisms available for the front seat. They are expensive.

I think the centre console is removed, not for walk through, but to allow the seat to fully swivel.

According to the supplier (on the IOW) the the swivels won't fit the middle 7 seater seats.

The larger 8 seater seat won't fit the 7 seater seat rails.

The smaller 8 seater seat will. So two of the smaller 8 seater seats should fit , and swivel.

Hope this is clear !

Hello Jeff,

Someone suggested, I think it was MonsterS, that the Mercedes Vito rear awning should fit.

I have it on my wish list, but no purchase until Spring.

I didn't realise just how costly equipping a campervan could be !!

Ian,

I bought my machine from Uxbridge, and, I believe, the rear end was overhauled prior to sale.

If you need to know a contact send me a PM.

I feel sure they can do it, whether they will want to is another matter.

They are an importer / dealer mainly interested in selling vehicles; but you never know...

1 hour ago, Clive Campbell said:

Hi does 2.4 have captain seats 

Some 2.4l versions come with 7 seats; implying that some (if not all 7 seaters) have Captains seats.

I think only the top grade option cars have leather Captains seats.

I have a 3.0l, so hopefully some 2.4 7 seater owners can clarify.

8 seaters will not have Captains Seats.

Alphard 2003 3.0 V6 abnormal fuel consumption.

There is quite a lot of info here.

Search for it in the search box, it may help you. Hope so.

Hello again Pixdee,

Your thread has gone quiet, maybe because I moved it !

So, let's wake it up !

What kind of shock mileage are you getting ?

What engine size do you have ? 2.4, 3.0, 3.5 litre.

Have you driven automatics before ?

20 hours ago, Rojie said:

Aviva will insure an Alphard (mine is a 2006 MZ) but they won't insure it if you get it converted !

I went with Scenic, part of LV group; although there is a ceiling on the value of camper they will insure.

I may get a quote from Lifesure, as recommended by Ian24.

10 hours ago, Rojie said:

White smoke, or steam ?

Many engines emit steam while warming up; especially in the recent early morning weather.

 

Remove the oil filter cap. Does it have an emulsion of white / lightbrown colour ?

 

Oil normally burns blue, water 'burns' white.

 

Oil needed is 4 to 5 litres, from dry, including filter.

How much oil have you topped up in a month ?

 

Are you having to top up the radiator ?

 

So I'm thinking head gasket issue; but I hope not.

 

I don't know if this is a PCV problem; but if it is, it is not expensive.

Cuttothechase on youtube, or Ldrego in this Forum, has done a video on replacing the PCV valve (on the 3l I think).

 

Answers to the above should help other members suggest problems / solutions.

 Sorry fellow members, I did not notice this was in the introductions section' so I moved it to a more appropriate place.

8 hours ago, Chris.ac said:

a single photo showing where to pull the lining down, would be great, I have  2010.

Hi Chris,

Did you forget to attach the photo ?

White smoke, or steam ?

Many engines emit steam while warming up; especially in the recent early morning weather.

Remove the oil filter cap. Does it have an emulsion of white / lightbrown colour ?

Oil normally burns blue, water 'burns' white.

Oil needed is 4 to 5 litres, from dry, including filter.

How much oil have you topped up in a month ?

Are you having to top up the radiator ?

So I'm thinking head gasket issue; but I hope not.

I don't know if this is a PCV problem; but if it is, it is not expensive.

Cuttothechase on youtube, or Ldrego in this Forum, has done a video on replacing the PCV valve (on the 3l I think).

Answers to the above should help other members suggest problems / solutions.

Aviva will insure an Alphard (mine is a 2006 MZ) but they won't insure it if you get it converted !

10 hours ago, starider said:

Hi, it's a shame that a comprehensive workshop/repair manual is not yet available. I have tried to contact JPNZ in New Zealand, but have so far had no reply. If a translated manual was available it would prevent garages over charging for repairs, simply because there are enough Alphard owners on these forums with a good expert  knowledge to accurately assess how much time is needed to have done or to do most mechanical repairs.

It must be understood that there is nothing special about the Alphard's suspension,engine,running gear,brakes etc. although the elecronics,electrical system is a different animal.

So of course the main requirement is a good W/Shop manual!!

 

JPNZ are due to publish one next year.

12 hours ago, MonkeyHunter said:

Hi, 

 

   When I open the doors or boot on my Series 20, (Vellfire) the map lights for the front and middle row seats come on, but not the rear map lights, they work if you turn them on with the button, but then when you close the doors they stay on while the other lights go out. Is that what are they supposed to do? Now its dark pretty much all the time, I have to use a torch to see what's in the boot.

Hello

Welcome to this forum.

This probably doesn't help at all but on the 10 series there is a boot courtesy light on the near side. It is a direct switched feed from the battery (so best not to leave it on.)

I'll try tonight, but I don't think it is linked to the rear hatch. Maybe the Vellfires don't have them.

Hello again Ian,

I can't advise you on your suspension issues.

I do know that Alphies can suffer from rear end issues but I I have no experience in that area.

I am a bit surprised how costly your quote is.

I am sure others who have had this work done will advise you accordingly.

The rear end on my Alphie was done prior to purchase so I have no idea about costs.

Picasso may be able to give an authorative comment on your quote. Perhaps if he doesn't comment here you can send him a PM.

28 minutes ago, Martin1621 said:

adding to my previous information the sizes of gen 1 and gen 2, are very much the same give or take 25mm.  the gen 3 appears to be approx 100mm longer so zentimex gen 3 covers would fit all models (being 100mm too long this would not show once the drawstring was tightened.

checkout the web site of Autodata as this gives all the dimensions of all the models.

i am more than pleased with the cover and have paid more in the past for smaller and more inferior products

 

good luck

Thanks for the update Martin, very helpful.

1 hour ago, Martin1621 said:

i steve h

 

i got a cover for my 2006 2.4 with a pop top

look on eBay  for ZENTIMEX -uk (8323) cover  it will list all vehicles it  fits by year and cc

it is sent from germany and took about 2weeks but that was due to being out of stock

it is not a perfect fit ()a bit baggy round the screen area) but i don't think you will find one that is.

it comes down to the bottom of the metal on the wheels so only the lowest section of the

tyres show however if no pop top roof it will probably reach the ground.

there is a draw string around the bottom to tighten it up.

i have had my van covered for quite a while now and have taken it off once and the car was dry underneath

so it appears to do what the blurb says  and allows any moisture to evaporate

Hi Martin,

Welcome to this Forum.

I, too, am looking for a winter cover. I tried this supplier; but mixed news.

They seem to offer a 'garage' for the Gen 3 Alphies, but not the previous 2 Generations. What a shame.

I have a late Gen 1 so need to check the similarity between Gen 3 and Gen 1 dimensionally.

But I may get lucky.

They do offer windscreen covers for all three generations (at very low cost).

Hi Starider,

I now have my Alphie back from the convertor.

I need to check again, but it would seem that the importer of my vehicle fitted rear fog lights (a legal MOT requirement) by replacing the reflectors (also a legal requirement)!

Doesn't say much for the MOT station that performed the initial MOT on the newly imported vehicle.

The good news is, I believe I have found a pair of reflective rear fog lights (or brake lights) specifically for the Alphard.

Only £20 so I need to spend some pennies.

Thank you so much for highlighting this requirement / anomaly.

I can, as you did, fit mudflaps and add some reflectors which I may do if my plan doesn't work out well.

13 hours ago, Pixdee said:

Picked up my 2008 Alphard last week. She's called Dixi, and she needs a full conversion which I'll look at in the spring. So many options it's mind boggling. Loving driving her,  but oh my, did I get a shock on fuel consumption! 🙀

Hello, and Welcome to this Forum.

As this section is only for introductions please start another thread about your fuel consumption and I, and others, will give you some assistance.

It will be helpful if you can provide you model number ANH10, or something similar, as your year is at the cusp of a generation upgrade.

10 minutes ago, Jay Hine said:

Hi there,

I bought my 2008 Hybrid alphard a couple of months ago and in the last few weeks the speedometer has developed a fault.  It takes a while for the speedo to "turn on", I'll be driving and sometimes it can be a mile before it turns on.  Once it does it seems to work ok.  Has anyone had this fault before and if so what was the caus and fix?

Thanks, Jason

Hello Jason,

Welcome to the Forum.

3 minutes ago, Ian24 said:

Hi all. Can anybody recommend what bulbs and size I can use in the headlights and side light's instead of the original ones. LED preferred as they look more up to date and are brighter than originals.🤔🤔

Hi Ian,

I await everyone's replies as I need a couple of side light bulbs.

I did get  part number of the EPC data but haven't ordered any yet.

About £8 each !!

Hi Graham,

Welcome to the Forum.

Radio / Sat Nav is one of the most common topics.

I respectfully suggest you do some searching on here.

There are loads of contributors on this subject.

On 7/10/2021 at 9:35 PM, Rojie said:

I tried Adrian Flux. Hard sell techniques, major efforts to upsell.

 

I normally pay my insurance monthly.

 

APR at Adrian Flux is almost 40 percent. Forty, not four. Extortionate !

I had never heard of the Insurer  (Markerstudy).

 

I insured my Alphard, a Jaguar XJR (rocketship) and a Ford Fiesta for about £550 with Aviva. (APR about 13 percent)

Alphard with Aviva, no problem, although the excesses on the Alphard ("import") and the Jaguar ("rather sporty") were a little higher than I had hoped for.

I just called Aviva to notify them of add my camper modifications, which were professionally done, and they no longer want to insure my vehicle !

So, here we go again. I have seven days to reinsure with another company.

I expect this new topic could be awkward/controversial/troublesome !

I was invited to have a Pre Winter Inspection of my 2006 Alphard under the "Toyota For You" marketing program.

The invitation was 'buried' in some Toyota Marketing information I received.

I expect the invitation was the result of my purchases of small items (and value) from both the Toyota Direct website and my local Toyota dealer.

I can anticipate that many Alphard owners will not receive such an invitation.

As, I believe, many Toyota dealers are huffy (a polite term) about grey imports; I suggest that many dealers may not wish to participate in this Toyota initiative. I have little doubt that Toyota wish to generate more service sales. My view is that if your vehicle needs remedial work it is better to know about it, than not to know.

It remains the owners choice as to whether they have the work done, or not.

The inspection of my vehicle covered brakes, tyres, wipers, lights, fluids, etc., and a general quick look over the whole vehicle.

I wish you all the very best of luck if you try to have this FREE inspection at your local dealer.

On 11/30/2021 at 12:12 PM, Rojie said:

 

I, and a lot of other owners, have discovered that Toyota dealers can be very huffy about imports.

My local dealer is the Snows Group. They have several branches.

 

I am going for mine this afternoon. See what happens.

I only need my antifreeze concentration testing; but it is a sales opportunity for them to make some sales.

But I will appreciate the peace of mind.

So, I have had my free (Toyota dealer) Pre Winter Inspection. (Toyota For You).

Thinking about how I was invited for such a service; I remembered buying some parts from my local Toyota dealer (Snows) and I bought some parts from Toyota Direct.

I assume this is how Toyota (or Snows) added me to their customer data base. Whatever...

The 30 minute inspection took 90 minutes. This may have been because they had a backlog, or because they were extremely thorough.

This time didn't include the normal wash which I had declined.

When I bought my Alphard I had an AA (maybe it was RAC!) Inspection.

Snows performed a similar inspection. Not at MOT level, nor AA/RAC level, but the documented report included lights, brakes, tyres, wipers, fluids, etc.

After 90 minutes, I was extremely concerned !!!!

My Alphie gained the All Clear, except for one front side light that was out (that I didn't know about).

So, lots of relief, and no charge.

If you are one of the owners whose local dealer is really huffy about grey imports, don't give up.

Try another delaership.

Snows (Group) have several dealerships. I have found their local branch very helpful.

I have no financial interest in Snows (Paignton, or the Group); nor any incentive from them to promote their services.

I value their interest in my Alphie, and they seem to value my custom.

I feel sure there are many other smaller Toyota dealerships that are interested in your business.

3 hours ago, Harvo said:

Hi from a fellow Devonian. 

I'm from oop North (Barnstaple). Where are you from?

Hope you're enjoying your Alphard. I know we are!

3 hours ago, Harvo said:

Hi from a fellow Devonian. 

I'm from oop North (Barnstaple). Where are you from?

Hope you're enjoying your Alphard. I know we are!

Welcome the Forum from Torbay, and throughout the UK. I'm almost in Brixham.