Rojie

Insurance is increasing, but be aware that many companies 'low bid' the first year to encourage you to switch to them. Not for my Alphard, but I recently received a renewal notice for another vehicle. The notice politely explained that the market had risen about 20% So I phoned to ask why they were proposing an increase of over 35% ! So I changed insurers and saved myself 66% (of the new proposal). If these companies want to play these games, so will I.

Hello Sam, If you question is to me; I don't have any photos, I just saw one !

Have you done any wading in the recent storms ? Have you been water jetting your wheels ?

When I used to regularly drive my car to Spain I had a sticker fitted to the inside of the windscreen. At a glance you could see the km equivalent of miles, and vice versa. Cost? About a fiver !

What a result !

I had a faulty battery on one occasion. Easy to test for a shorted cell; volt meter across battery, result will be about 10.5v if a cell is shorted. This is without any load, and not under starting conditions. Battery was also swollen, and was very warm ! Easy to detect ! I doubt this is the problem though.

Hello Shunny, Welcome to the Forum

OK Overlays can be purchased to overcome this.

I believe neither the speedo nor odo need to be changed on importation. Bearing in mind the DVLA don't see either; I don't know whether the Auction sheet must be submitted to DVLA. BUT .. Some MOT testers will not be happy, others won't care and just will record what the odo figure as is ; although in kms, it will be recorded in miles; just the opposite of 'clocking'. In the earlier models a conversion chip is fitted (which btw opens up the opportunity for clocking, hence another reason to see the Auction sheet). The Auction certificate is a vital piece of official documentation as it records the odo setting, in kms, at the point of export. I am sure the owners of the Gen 2 models can provide better information than I.

I went to Tanya. They did all the hard work. Perhaps my terminals are the Japanese type; I need to check, just for reference, just in case. Tanya's mail order service is first class. All I did was fit it, which was very easy. CAUTION MUST BE TAKEN to ensure no reverse polarity happens, even for a moment.

Hello Mattie, Welcome to the Forum.

Hello Dave, Welcome to the Forum.

I agree with this info. However, you are likely to buy a battery that fits the leads you already have; unless you can't.

Hello Geralt, I believe terminal size is an industry standard. But ... The terminal locations are not. It depends on the cables you have fitted. Although, of course these can be changed. There are several terminal configurations. This can be important, in some cases, VITAL. You do not want to connect the battery terminals incorrectly. Despite their different sizes, this is quite instantaneously easily done, and will blow the main 100/120 A fuse. The other consequence of selecting the incorrect terminal configuration is that the correct leads won't reach ! Battery physical size ? There are many ! I have the V6; from memory capacity is 65A/hr, CCA about 600. I find Tanya Batteries very good. Supplier, not a brand.

Hhmm. My aircon works after about 2 minutes, not 20. I have other vehicles with aircon and they all start, more or less, immediately too. After nine months, without use, some of the seals may have dried out. I would hope the dealer would fix it for free, I doubt a local mechanic will; but, obviously, that's your choice. Good Luck

Local mechanic and undersealing asap are both important first steps. Are you importing directly from Auction or using UK agents etc. ? First step will be getting an MOT, then having DVLA register it.

Removing CDs from the HDD unit is covered by eightseaters.blog.com (or an address very similar). It certainly covers the Gen 1 units, but perhaps not the Gen2 that you have.

Hello Trevor, Welcome to the Forum.

I believe Lee will suggest you contact the dealer; especially since they re-gassed it (supposedly) to correct a fault. It would appear they failed, or took the cheap hopeful route to appease you. Do you have any sales literature, advert, or anything that mentions the AC as functional, or not. As a retail sale you are protected by various consumer laws. If they are forgetful of this, maybe they just need a polite persuasive reminder before you contact Trading Standards. I find Trust Pilot very useful for publishing (truthful) accounts of poor business practices and behaviours (although t5his seldom produces any 'progress'. Any decent AC place will be able to re-gas it. The better ones will also have the equipment to locate a leak (using a special dyed gas). However, a competent repair shop may be a little more difficult to locate, assuming one is needed. Some Toyota dealers, but by no means many, will work on an imported Alphard; so it is worth checking around your locale for peace of mind. Good Luck.

Welcome to Alphard Ownership.

Most 'better' ac places will pressure test the system to ensure there are no leaks before recharging it. There is no point in recharging an ac system that is known to leak. The leak should be located and repaired first. Did the dealer you bought from conduct the MOT ? A two hour run should produce an efficient ac, if all is well.

I thought you were researching to buy. Have you bought already ?

Unless a super duper sound system is a make or break decision for purchasing, I think you have other significant issues to decide upon first. For example, engine size, trim level, colour. You can always audition systems in your prospective purchases. You can always upgrade later, albeit probably not to the 18 speaker system

I don't know whether the Generation 2 model uses Canbus for entertainment, Chris.ac will, but I do know that many upgraded head units can introduce some loss of OEM functionality.

Hello Y, FYI, Your engine is not a 3.5L. The 3.5L was not introduced until the 2008, Gen 2 model. IF your engine is a 3.5L, it is an aftermarket upgrade (if a 3.5 would fit as gearbox is different too.