Rojie

Hello Justin, Welcome to the Forum. Please update your profile so readers will know which machine you have ! Model and location would be helpful.

Thank you Richard. A very worthwhile addition to our knowledge base. The Google review has not been verified. Nor is Jonathan Bennett a member of The Alphard Club. HOWEVER, Knonos appears to be located next door to the Stuart Spencer dealership. This is significant, as Stuart Spencer Autos is one of the established Alphard / Vellfire vendors of some repute. I am assuming that Stuart Spencer Autos use Kronos for their undersealing. If that is the case that is, indirectly, a recommendation.

Hello Honza, There are traders, and there are Traders. I would be looking carefully at the vehicles the sellers have. Alphards and Vellfires are becoming ever more popular. There are many importers / dealers that have been involved with these machines for years. There are some new businesses trying to 'get in on the act' If these sellers have a large assortment of (different) vehicles for sale they may be 'box shifters'; without ay real experience with the Marque. There are issues associated with buying (or self importation) of the JDM vehicles. (Japanese Domestic Market). 'Box shifters' may not be the ideal places to purchase. I would avoid them. THE most important decision you make is which dealer to buy from. I have an undersealed Gen 1 facelift, so cannot knowingly comment of the chassis treatments (if any) of the later models. I am sure other members will. I believe an AA/RAC/Independent report is essential; especially if buying from a 'box shifter'. If the report will not effect your decision to purchase, then don't bother with one. Many of the expenses you list are voluntary. Others are a legal requirement ! So, no discussion there then. Google reviews ? Hhmm ! Read what members record in this Forum as they have no reason to 'adjust the truth'. Perhaps the Vellfire is not a vehicle for you. Perhaps you could look at other, more specialised, dealers. We have many Gen 2 owners; I feel sure you will receive underseal advice from some of them. Good Luck

Most members would not know, as it is normally the importing dealer that have the work done. So, the job is normally complete before members make their purchase.

Hello 'Tan', Welcome to the Forum.

Good morning Bob, Welcome to the Forum.

Hello John, Thanks for this; but my struts are not electric. The tail-gate motor is, but not the struts. I don't want the complication of additional wiring; but I will check them out. Could I ask you please, when convenient, to measure the strut diameter. I have previously imported 'suitable' struts which, unfortunately, were not suitable !

Oddyssey Carpets make mat sets for Alphards. Nice and durable, but not rubber.

Thank you John, At that price I'll probably give it a try. Were they 'easy' to fit ?

I have been considering replacing the struts on my MZG. There are different versions depending on power door or not. At the time, my local Toyota dealer could get them for 200ukp each ! Can you disclose the price you have paid for yours, please. I'll check and see if they supply those for the power door version. My door almost opens fully, I do need to be careful when stepping under the tail-gate from a kerb. However, functional that it is, it judders while closing which annoys e intensely.

Hello James, Welcome to the Forum.

Hello Mark, I read all 'entries' on this Forum. I think it fair to say that Gen 1 Hybrid problems do feature on the Forum. Both batteries and invertors. It is apparent (here in the UK) that locating competent engineers to work on Hybrid issues can be quite challenging (to say the least). However, what is extremely difficult to quantify is how many Gen 1 Hybrids run without issues, and continue to do so. I do not read about 'many' Gen 2 Hybrid issues on this forum, but there are far less Gen 2 machines (in the UK) that have been imported (so far). Of course, all owners may not be members of the Club either; and reporting issues if they have them. My guess is, and it is a guess, as technology improves so does reliability, assuming there are no EV variants of Alphies or Vellies ! So Gen 2 should be more reliable than Gen 1; time will tell. If you are considering a Gen 2 Hybrid purchase you should initially ensure you have the support services available locally should you need them.

I would suspect ballast resistor too. Before buying one further tests are probably required ! Do they 'level up' satisfactorily when first switched on ? I am sure more learned members will offer some assistance soon.

Hi Charlie, Would you like me to send you a recipe for custard that is less mobile ? Arrowroot comes to mind ! Enjoy your van. I have lop-sided glasses for imbibing, or at least they seem that way after a few !

I'll have a read of my JPNZ Owners Manual, see if I can find any reference to the alarm. Have you changed any settings in your head unit recently ? Does this happen wherever you park ? I am wondering if your sonar sensors are being triggered. Doe sit happen with a warm or hot engine restart ? Nothing I can find in the manual !

Ldrego is near Glasgow/Edinburgh.

Are you using your vehicle every day ? Even a new battery will benefit from the frequent charges of daily driving.

Long shot. Ensure your starter battery is fully charged.

Hello Chris, Welcome to the Forum.

I think Lightening and USB C are both digital interfaces; whereas RCA is analogue, i.e. Component Video is analogue. Lightening cables are available that have an in-built DAC which will output analogue signals.

I don't know about a size difference. My guess is not. The other thing you might consider is some industrial "button" rubber flooring. I use it in the camper area to protect the carpets and it's almost identical in colour I am very happy with the mats, but they are not a perfect fit. As I do not need the centre units, because of the button flooring, so I use them under the items in the rear conversion. Just a small amount of protection for spills, especially in the 'wet' area for water tanks. Have you tried Amayama ?

Hello Scott, Welcome to the Forum. Do you have the original head-unit fitted, or has it been upgraded ?

Hello Vell, Welcome to the Forum. I bought some a few years ago for my series 10. They are not specifically for an Alphard, but are heavy duty rubber in a caramel colour to match my leather. There are a good, but not perfect, fit. They came from Spain. I think I bought them via ebay; I'll try and check if my records go back that far Sumex CARAT10 Carat Universal Rubber Car Mats - Beige From Amazon UK. I'll try and create a link; wish me luck ! I could not create a decent link. But they came up immediately with a Google search.

Hello Susan, Welcome to the Forum. I would have thought it very unusual for an exhaust manifold to be "gone". Do you mean cracked ? If so it may be weldable. Or perhaps an exhaust gasket has failed. Has a qualified mechanic diagnosed the problem ? Send a PM to Ldrego to ask if he can help. He is Cuttothechase on youtube.

It is advisable to ensure you have replacement fuses before you even contemplate starting. Failure to do so will inevitably lead to much more cursing and swearing ! I believe Starider reported in a separate thread that you will need micro-fuses.