Rojie

1 hour ago, big_boz said:

Well, van died yesterday while driving, full Christmas tree dash, power steering went and she conked out. 

 

Recovery 1.8 miles to my house 

 

Just Japanese collected her this afternoon to take it back to Wigan from Leeds to fix. 

 

That's what I call dealer Service!

 

I may never buy a car from any other dealer ever again 😂

How long have you had the vehicle ?

1 hour ago, big_boz said:

It's not the XL you need to be concerned with it's the load rating. Think mines on 97s which would be 730kg per corner. Not Sure what the recommended is but gross weight is what 2000kg? I guess in theory you could put on 95s once you account for weight distribution by axel and potentially how much load you carry that would be 690kg per corner.

Recommended , on a Gen 1 vehicle, is 95.

14 hours ago, Gillibanana said:

Hi I am a total campervan novice, I  have a 2005 2.4 Alphard & had this problem last year with the doors & twice the battery went flat. It had a new battery fitted when we bought it the previous year.  Mine also is not used every day & on these occasions had been on the drive several days.  Charging the battery sorted it out & our mechanic suggested we buy a ‘trickle charger’ device to stop it happening.  Haven’t really looked into it yet & not had any problems this year yet but now make a point of going out more in the van especially as it’s getting colder.  

A trickle charger is a great idea if you park on your drive. On the road, not so great.

2 hours ago, mick85 said:

Hey all, it's time to replace the tyres on my Vellfire, I have seen a set of tyres I want to buy but not sure if I need to get the XL version or not?

 

My Vellfire is not converted for a camper, just a bog standard 7 seater for carting the kids around in.

 

I'm going to replace with a different tyre brand but the same dimensions on what's on there currently 235 50 18, but the XL VERSION of the tyres I am going for is an extra £100.

 

Any advice on whether I need to go for XL or not? Thanks

Hi Mick,

I have an earlier model than you.

My Owners Handbook does not specify XL tyres.

As I have rear conversion I have XL fitted at the rear.

XL tyres will harden the ride slightly..

Imho, you do not need XL tyres, unless you have several children with mountains of gear !

Perhaps a Gen 2 owner can refer to their Owners Manual and advise us.

My guess is, XL not required.

3 hours ago, ThuMentaliss said:

As above were their issues involved

IMHO this is not the way to go .

Are we talking starter battery or leisure battery ?

Either way, I believe Lithium batteries need a different charging regime than Lead Acid or Gel.

A starter battery needs to deliver very high current without damaging itself.

I believe the properties and discharge characteristics of the three technologies are quite different.

Not sure the Toyota alternators are suitable for Lithium technology.

Interesting though, I need to research this.

4 hours ago, johnpara said:

Thanks for replying Rojie

I think your a one man club/expert good on you for all your great advice. 

I think I'm going to sort the battery and see what's next ..let you know . Must admit when I read this site and all the problems it does worry me a little. I've only had the camper 6 months and with 4 new tyres and rear bushes already spent nearly £2000, now this. They are so lovely inside as well ..as nice as any VW to look at and getting so popular 

 

Thanks again mate 👍 

Thank you for the compliment, but I am not an expert.

We do have Club Members that are far more knowledgeable than I.

I won't name them here, but they know who they are.

We are all learning from each other.

Isn't that the reason we all contribute to this Forum ?

2 minutes ago, Gazz said:

Hi folks my names gazz and  i thought this would be the best place to start as I'm thinking of buying a Toyota Vellfire or a Alphard. We have a local dealer here in N. Ireland who has started importing them in from Japan and has a good selection in stock. Hope to be able to pick your brains at a later date.

Hello Gary,

Welcome to the Forum.

51 minutes ago, Garry Alden said:

Hi everyone,

Whilst having bought my Vellfire a few months ago, I am starting to get a little worried that I am not going to be able to get it serviced.

I know there will be a lot of people with these vehicles but it would be good to know how easy others find it to get them serviced. I am based in Ipswich in Suffolk so if there are any Alphard or Vellfire owners in the area, does anyone have any recommendations? I would really appreciate any comments on this as I hope I haven’t just bought a vehicle that will eventually just sit on my drive and be eventually sold for parts ☹️

Most official Toyota Dealers will not support grey imports.

However, some do; so contact your local dealer and ask.

Other Forum members will tell you, for the most part, any competent mechanic should be able to perform a routine service, and some of the more major part replacements.

1 hour ago, Geralt said:

When you experience this, is the engine on? If not, it might be a sign of a failing battery.

 

To move one of those heavy doors takes a lot of work and the battery voltage will dip if the alternator is not running. If I remember correctly, motor rotational velocity is proportional to voltage. Lower voltage means lower door speed.

Cold temperatures will reduce electrical resistance but I think it is probably a negligible factor.

I love the Physics: but different materials have different temperature coefficients ! Some positive, some negative !

I agree that the effect of the temp coeff is insignificant.

Sam, you need your battery testing, under load; sooner rather than later, as Geralt suggests.

If your battery is failing, slow door action is likely to be the last of your problems.

39 minutes ago, Geralt said:

Having replaced my battery this year, my advice is to research and choose your battery ahead of when you might want to buy it. That way your down time will be minimised if yours dies suddenly.

 

Or you could preemptively replace it. Lead acid batteries are one of the most recycled automotive products.

Tanya Batteries provide a mail order service.

1 hour ago, johnpara said:

Hello I'm back again, 

I managed to gain access to the rocker switch in the boot (it made no difference). The weird thing about my car is if I drive it on a longish run everything starts working again. If I leave the car or central lock it with key sometimes I can come back an hour later and it's still working, on shorter runs if it does work then it stops working quicker. You can always tell when everything starts working again as you drive the interior lights (side ones)  will come back on. Surely a fuse can't have blown if they keep working OK ? Can the car battery on longer runs be making it work again ? 

I hope someone can help or its back to a dealer and large bill again . I've tried resetting battery too ..nothing 

Thank you for past advice 

John

Yes it can. It appears your alternator is OK.

Sounds like your starter battery is on the way out.

It needs to be tested under load (Kwik Fit, or Halfords; you don't have to buy from them).

Tanya Batteries offers a good mail order service.

You will soon discover whether it is your battery, or not, as the cold winter mornings are almost upon us all.

You must maintain your battery at full charge otherwise all sorts of Gremlins start appearing.

Problem appears solved.

On 11/22/2023 at 1:29 PM, Gazza said:

Interested Parties should open the .docs file to view more details.

Toyota Alphard Campervan.docx 7.73 kB · 6 downloads

OK, so we have some Gremlins here !

The file is .docx not .docs as stated above.

I have now been able to open it, by double clicking.

On my aged PC, the file opens as a tab (top right in my case).

Clicking on that opens it into my Word processor, an equally ancient Word 2010 !

I will unlock this thread and try again from outside the hold environment.

If the file is reachable fine, if not it will be locked again.

Note to Gazza, You should be able to copy and paste from the Word file to this editor (below, attach, or choose files).

3 hours ago, Geralt said:

Looks like clicking the PDF doesn't work:

I agree, the file does not open; it did when I tried it before.

Poster has been notified to correct or risk deletion under the info required for sales rules.

2 hours ago, Paulc said:

I need to replace the rear right hand side light for my 2006 Toyota Alphard but can’t find a replacement anywhere, would a pre 2006 rear light fit my Alphard?

Hello Paul,

Welcome to the Forum.

There is a comprehensive list within the forum, try the technical section, of all light bulbs.

The list was provided by Alphard Club or MonsterS

18 minutes ago, DADDYLOVEKISS said:

I HAVE A TOYOTA ALPHARD ANH10W WHEN TURNING ON HEATING FRONT BLOWS COLD BUT  REAR BLOWS HOT ? IV'E REPLACED THE THERMOSTATE AND REFILLED WITH SPESIFIED COOLANT BUT TO NO AVAIL ANYBODY HAVE ANY SUGESTIONS.

Hello Robin,

Welcome to the Forum.

This thread isn't really pertinent to your issue.

I respectfully suggest you use the search box on your home page (top right).

Search for heater flap valve or heater problems.

From memory, you are not the first to experience this problem.

I am sure there is a fix within this forum.

Good Luck

3 minutes ago, Lou72 said:

Been told my 2.4l alphard 2006 has a noisy timing chain, done 160km. 
Any recommendations for garages near Southend in Essex and ball park if anyone has had this job done, garages so far being female I'm getting the intake of breath and ohhh that ls going to cost you a lot 😂😂😂😂 thank you

Hello Louise,

Welcome to the Forum.

I asked my local official Toyota Dealer for a quote two years ago. But I have a V6 with a cam belt !

Most Toyota dealers will not work on your Import; fortunately, mine will.

From memory, they quoted me about 600 pounds. (I'll try and find the quote).

20 hours ago, Gazza said:

Toyota Alphard Campervan.pdf 61.04 kB · 5 downloads

Interested parties should open the .pdf file to view the required information.

22 hours ago, Marco said:

Hi Rojie, thanks for the reply

I have the ath10 hybrid with 2azfxe engine

VIN: 7AT0H64EX20010506

(I live in NZ)

On the dash I can see "cruise" so I believe I can somehow install it.

A person from AliExpress told me this will work but I'm not sure..

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EJtftC1

 

What do you guys reckon? Cheers

If you haven't already, read what Chris.ac has to say in this thread.

It depends on whether you have a mechanical throttle, or not; if you need the upgrade to be easy and inexpensive.

2 hours ago, Marco said:

Hi guys, I'm struggling to find the exact cruise control model to fit my Alphard 2005 ath10, can someone help me? Thanks

Hello Marco,

Welcome to the Forum.

As 2005 is a crossover year from Gen 1 to Gen 1 facelift, you need to inform us which model you have.

From memory, the facelift will take a retrofit cruise control, the earlier model won't.

2 hours ago, Clutha said:

Update!

Long story short, it lives!

Under the bonnet hunting for fuses, gave battery cables a tweek, +ve one had slight movement on eyelet connector, clamp was tight on batt. post.

Quick tighten up and viola, she runs.

Batt. charging levels in pics attached.

Things are looking up!

 

 

Cheapest fix I can think of !

16 hours ago, camper man said:

Hello everyone new member here , i drive 2006 , 2.4 alphard had bought about 15 months ago and just love it 

Hello Tony,

Welcome to the Forum.

19 hours ago, Danny Neil said:

I thought any exterior LED bulbs would fail an MOT??

   Does anyone know if this is a fact, as I would really like to fit LEDs for the reliability and better light?

Hello Danny,

Welcome to the Forum..

2 hours ago, sarath said:

Thanks Rojie, definitely it is not the windows as they are closed fully.

Sorry for the query, where can I find the door sensors, is it in a place where we can clean without opening the door panel.

Yes I believe they are on the inside faces of the door 'jambs'.

Just a gentle clean, make sure nothing is effecting them; I doubt the problem is this though, but it is a no cost option.

I believe tight or frayed cables can also cause issues,

Door issues is not uncommon.

I expect you will receive several suggestions from members who have solved various issues.

3 hours ago, Clutha said:

I’m about to try slowing down camper van engine battery voltage drop by connecting an inherited 1.5W solar panel.

I'm assuming this output is too low to make a controller necessary.

What do the team think?

The panel is an heirloom from our disposed of motorhome & it’s output described as ‘maybe slowing down rate of discharge ‘

Our Alphy was showing signs of low battery charge, (11.8v) due to enforced idleness when its owner got severe gout in my left foot!

(I’m better now)

So, is there any danger in my proposal?

I assume panel should be disconnected when on the move?

What is the output of the solar cell ? Sorry, I meant voltage.

As Jan asserts, it will take ages to charge a 65a/hr battery at approx 100ma.

If the solar panel is outputting a low 12 volts, it won't charge the battery at all.

So, at best, you are unlikely to achieve full charge, which you will need on a cold winters morning.

My advice would be to invest in a smart battery charger. (Mine is a Ctek).