Rojie

On 11/5/2023 at 4:13 PM, MarkATH10W said:

0003548

 

Why do you ask?

Picasso  is a very valued leading member of The Alphard Club.

As Lee suggests, send your registration or vin number to him via a Personal Message.

It is a secure system.

1 hour ago, lilash said:

Hoping this forum with clear up the conflicting information i seem to be finding online.

 

I have owned a 2008 Vellfire 3.5 AWD for 2 years now and am planning a run to the south of France over the Christmas period. We will be trying to do this journey in one go so would like as fewer stops as possible. The fuel tank size on my car is 58ltres. 

I have been led to believe that the Alphard and Vellfire are broadly the same model with slightly differing interiors and body work but I'm finding information suggesting the fuel tanks are larger on other models.

 

Would anyone be able to confirm this.

 

Thanks Ash

Hello Ash,

Welcome to the Forum.

The Aplhard and Vellfire are essentially the same vehicle.

The Gen 1 Alphards have a 70 litre full tank. I am unsure about the hybrid versions.

I have read in this forum that the Gen2 tank is 60 litres.

1 hour ago, big_boz said:

Just realised my cig lighter socket isn't working, checked the fuse in the driver's side footwell (what a terrible design to Access) and it's fine, before I start ripping the dash apart.....any common issues to look for.

 

I'm gonna pull the dash and check for power at the socket as check 1........

Voltmeters can be bought for 20 pounds, or so.

Probably much easier than pulling the dash out.

1 hour ago, Kerryn said:

Ok, I didn't pick that up from Rojie post. So if hooked up the plugs work as mains? So a kettle/toaster/hair dryer will work as normal?

 

Oh I see, so the fridge doesn't charge from hook up, only the leisure battery? And the leisure battery won't charge up either?

 

I might enquire about ours to see how that works.

 

Ok, thanks for clarifying on the water. I think what I will try to do is empty it really regularly. Surely though if the two tanks are the same size it's not possible for the grey one to overfill? I think we mainly use it for fill up drinks and washing hands so not much would go into the tank and if emptied regularly it shouldn't smell.

 

Another question for those with camper conversions, what are your top purchases? Currently I am thinking of getting:

A windscreen cover

A drive away awning (use tool magnets to attach as suggested on here?)

Soft bag suitcase set, one colour per person

Levelling ramps

 

Our plan is to use it as a day van over the winter and slowly add bits that we need. Any tips are very welcome though! I've tried to find a blog (do they even exist anymore?!) or website where someone documents their alphard travels but haven't had any luck.

I have a windscreen cover, which I use for evening privacy.

It fits under the wipers and over the drivers and passenger front doors.

easy to erect and stow.

Some owners use them as sun blinds when the van is not in use to try to keep the heat gain from the sun lower

Over time the wind can cause them to rub the paintwork.

There are several threads on drive away awnings on this forum.

Attachment and detachment are discussed in detail.

Much to be learnt from reading them, many that there are !

Different colour soft bags, a nice simple idea.

Levelling ramps, depends where you pull up. They are cheap but need to be stowed.

I have yet to find them necessary.

I will clarify the point about Electric Hook Up, EHU.

EHU enables you to connect your van to 230v power; normally when on site.

Not all sites provide the facility, and on those that do, not all pitches have the outlets.

Prices vary from very reasonable to extortionate.

Obviously very useful as when hooked up you can use power hungry appliances (including coolers and fridges running overnight).

But you do need to be able to stow the appliances securely.

A huge benefit of EHU is that you can connect your van at home.

I use a proper domestic dehumidifier to keep everything dry and aired.

I have a mains outlet in the rear of the front cubby box, each side on the inside facia of rear kitchen and on each side of the outside facia of the kitchen.

For completeness, I also have 12v and USB outlets in all those locations.

Another significant potential advantage is that we could charge the leisure battery after hooking up to a mains powered battery charger to any the 230v outlet.

Care is needed in choosing the charger.

A separate charger could be used for the starter battery.

It must be remembered that having 230v available in a van can be lethal.

Installations need to be implemented by a qualified and certified electrician. The Mains Insulation must be tested.

I empty my grey water bottle after each trip. If (when) it starts to smell, I would replace it. They are not expensive.

The pan (aforementioned) for toast (and many other foods) is The Ridge Monkey.

3 hours ago, Mikeg said:

I’ve just recently bought a 20 Hybrid and are a bit bemused that I only seem to get get around 24MPG and this after driving slowly, is this what I should expect or could something be wrong.

tia

Hello Mike,

Welcome to the Forum.

2 hours ago, Thomas said:

Where can I buy rear axle bushes and tool to fit them.  For 2007 2.4 alphard. Are they hard to fit do you have to remove axle

There was a recent thread on this forum on where to buy them.

When mine were done the rear axle was lowered.

9 hours ago, Buzzi said:

Wow, that's awesome. The trick pressing the remote button for a few seconds made it, incredible. It's opening and shutting without issues. I'm very impressed, thank you so much Roger! Is this a kind of reset or what made this?
 

The two side doors need a bit of encouragement holding the handle a few seconds for opening and shutting. The buttons on the dashboard only cause a beeping and a brief jerk when pressing.

I think the delay is to help prevent inadvertent opening.

I cannot help on the sliding doors other than to say the cable system can get 'tight' with age.

Increased friction can be enough to cause issues. But it may not be the cabling.

Search this forum for Sliding Doors , or similar.

It is not unusual for door issues to occur.

Many members have fixed their problems themselves.

When opening the slide doors the handle does does need a second or two to respond.

I know you have a new starter battery; make sure you keep it fully charged or little Gremlins can occur in the electrics.

On 11/2/2023 at 10:29 PM, Kerryn said:

I now realise that kettles and toasters are not going to work! We use a small stove when camping so are happy to use the gas.

An electric kettle will work if you have an EHU and are parked at a suitable pitch.

We carry a fan heater for use "on site".

A Jackery may work, but I don't have one so an untested idea; but they are expensive and take valuable space.

Your gas hob will boil a kettle, or two if you have a dual unit.

Use a thin bottomed kettle. they don't last long, and you need to check the bottom before each time you use it.

There are pans that will do toast, can't remember the brand atm (something Monkey) but the van will have an aroma for quite a while !

You can toast over a gas hob, difficult but not much fun.

As I said in my PM, you need to plan how you use your space carefully !

Grey water should be caught in a vessel of some kind, and not drained "roadside".

When do you visit Evesham ?

23 hours ago, Buzzi said:

Hey, our powered automatic doors of our ATH10 Alphard Hybrid is struggling since a while with opening the side doors and the tailgate. Is there somewhere a service protocol tutorial where to grease them? I have blamed it so far on the weak starter battery, but after we've replaced it the issue still persists.

The issues in detail:

the side doors needs a little jerk to start opening. Shutting works fine

the back tailgate door doesn't open at all and closing the door stops after 10-20cm and stops at a resistant and goes up again.

 

Thanks!

Sorry for this silly question.

Are your doors and tailgate powered ?

I assume they are.

Does the tail gate fail to open with the internal switch, the remote switch, or both ?

Same question with closing ?

If using a remote for the tailgate, hold the button for several seconds.

8 minutes ago, Jack Nice said:

any way of getting it to be ulez compliant

I don't believe there is.

You can pay to have it tested, but if it doesn't meet the requirements....

Also getting TfL and DVLA to react can be tricky !

24 minutes ago, Colliedog said:

Hi thank you for allowing me into the owners club ,I’m not an owner yet but early next year I hope to buy one ,I have a budget between 10 and 15000 and I like the look of white/pearl white ones ,I’m looking at converting it to a camper ( nice project I am looking forward to doing ).

Any advice would be much appreciated, What should I look for ,where to get one ,where to get a camper kit from etc etc .

 

Hello Colin,

Welcome to the Forum.

There is a 'camper kit' (as in self assembly) near Barnstaple.

Most conversions are performed by companies that specialise conversions.

18 hours ago, Kerryn said:

Thank you Rojie.

 

I have spoken to them and it is either ulez or they can apply for certificate to make it definitely ulez, it costs around £300 apparently.

 

They have confirmed, as you say, it is 5 speed. Fifth gear being called D rather D5 is confusing!

 

It doesn't have LPG, you are correct it is to warn of the gas on board in case of an accident.

 

The standard way of making the bed is to rotate the middle seats, drop them, and then that and the rear kitchen makes the bed. I don't know if you can do it without rotating them but the 8 seaters definitely always rotate. As you say, very useful when using the table. That is what attracted us to this layout and alphards in the first place! I grew up with espaces as my childhood car which have rotating seats. I don't know more cars don't offer it really!

 

I have reserved it and will hopefully view it at the weekend. Fingers crossed it is a good one and that I can make a purchase!

You are proceeding with Due Diligence.

IMHO, it is ULEZ compliant, but it needs to be officially recognised as such.

You would even hasve some spare change from your original budget to pay for the Certificate ( if NewAcre won't).

Bon Voyage, and Happy Camparding.

ps. Let us all know how you get on.

54 minutes ago, Waspie said:

Yes. It's looking  like I'm stuck with the one. I'm going to have to be very careful with it!

Don't despair.

I am sure there are other Gen 2 users that have had this problem; and resolved it.

Be patient. I feel sure someone will offer you help quite soon.

1 hour ago, Waspie said:

Hi Rojie. I've contacted several Auto locksmiths and so far they told me they don't have the software programmes for Jap imports. I will try a Toyota dealer as well as trying more auto locksmiths but no luck so far.

Unfortunately, most official Toyota dealers will not work on Imports.

Some do, but most don't !

I used a local auto locksmith, so that will not help you sadly.

13 hours ago, Kerryn said:

Also do any of you know if it would be ULEZ? I have read conflicting information about this.

Hello Kerryn,

I have checked your vehicle on the TfL site (Transport for London), as anyone can.

The good news is the site recognises the vehicle, the bad news is it does not confirm the vehicle to be compliant.

That, in itself, does not mean it isn't compliant BUT ....  it could be a problem.

(Several members have reported issues with ULEZ and TfL. Much reading required).

Discuss this with NewAcre. It is very important that you know whether it is or isn't.

Any reassurance you get (anywhere) needs to be recognised by TfL (and possibly the DVLA).

'Non compliant' vehicles (that are compliant) can be 'certified' as compliant; but often it is a very onerous task.

Maybe one NewAcre could perform prior to sale !

The age of your vehicle manufacture implies it is a Gen 1 facelifted model, as it was made in October 2005.

After checking, all the Gen 1 V6 models came with a five speed auto 

Both the gear lever and the instrument cluster inform what gear the vehicle is in.

D4, D3, etc. D (on its own) is fifth gear on your model.

It was the early 4 cylinder cars that had the four speed.

If you buy, when you buy, do not drive around in D4 unless you need to, fuel consumption will rocket.

Most LPG installations are in the spare wheel well. So you can look for the tank.

I believe motorhomes must display an LPG if they carry gas cannisters.

A far as I am aware, camper conversions do not.

But it is advisable to.

I don't have an eight seater. I had thought the bed could be used with those seats facing either way.

I am probably wrong on this point.

It may depend on which end of the bed space you wish to have as the head end.

Don't be put off.

The ULEZ thing is very important, imho, the other issues aren't

1 hour ago, bridgey said:

Does anyone know where I can get my hands on a power steering pump for my 2005 Alphard 3.0 v6.

Cheers

Do you have Gen 1, or Gen 1 facelift.

I think the latter is electric, not sure about the earlier model.

3 hours ago, Waspie said:

Hi. I recently bought a 2010 Velfire but unfortunately only one key. The key is the five button version so I am interested in finding out if anybody knows where I can get a spare key programmed. All help appreciated.

Most auto electricians should be able to supply cut programme and try.

12 hours ago, Kona Hyun said:

Hi Rojie,

Thanks for asking.

It is between the front seats.

It is in closed position. The top lid covering the box should slide forward to open/ uncover the box beneath. It stuck and won't move.

I have an earlier model, so my input is a guess, and based on my unit.

The lid appears to be as far forward as it can go.

The lower instrument binnacle is preventing it moving any further forward.

On mine, albeit an earlier model, there are small 'buttons' to push downward to release the lid.

Perhaps a Gen 2 owner can comment, and solve the mystery.

7 minutes ago, Kona Hyun said:

Good evening all,

Thank you for accepting me as a member.

My Vellifre 2009 2.4 AWD has a center console like the attached picture. The console box lid decided not to slide forward to open. I used quite a bit of force but to no avail. 

Has anyone had a similar situation and how was it solved?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

 

It looks like it is open to me !

Is this unit between the front seats or the middle ones ?

Do you mean it won't slide rearwards ?

2 hours ago, Charlie Brown said:

Hello

Our Alphard has a very neat installation of the leisure battery in the engine compartment, which I thought I'd share with you. Please see picture. This was done as part of the conversion. You can see it fits just behind the starter battery. There is not much room but an Autolite  75ah Leisure Battery ULTRA 80 85 just fits. You can buy them direct from Autolite on ebay. The split charge relay is close by as well. You can see it in the picture. I don't know if the starter battery is part of the original vehicle or whether that was part of the modification. Not sure about the heat from the engine, there's not much room in there. I hope this helps.

Very neat

3 hours ago, Kerryn said:

I've now had a quote back from Northstar and it quite quickly mounts up. With all the effort sourcing a base car and then getting it to them for several days I'm not sure it is the best option.

 

I have found this which is 2h ish away and to my untrained eyes looks pretty good.

 

http://newacrecars.com/vehicle/toyota-alphard-camper-conversion-3-0-mz-high-spec-10-2005-5-seats-high-grade-52000-miles-number-w11-925/

 

I will try to ring them tomorrow but my main questions will be:

 

Ulez?

Does the pop top have bed boards?

The rear looks a little grimy under the v6 sign

Is LPG, or is the sign just for the oven gas?

 

Any thought that any of you have on it are very welcome.

Me again.

This is an interesting one.

New Acre, by reputation, is one of the better vendors.

I am trying to see if the gear gate supports a 5 speed. Judging by the manufactured date, it should.

(Downloads from the site a very slow !).

It would appear the machine has been 'off the road' for quite some time.

I feel sure there will be a very good reason for this, but I would want to hear it.

There is a missing MOT; and the kilometre difference between the 2 MOTs is only 1km !

Be sure the odometer is in miles or kilometres. MOT stations sometimes get it incorrect on imports.

Check the AUCTION Sheet. The Auction Sheet will identify mileage, all dents and dings, repairs, and the classification the inspector gave to the vehicle.

The tail gate could use a more thorough clean.

If that is the only overlooked grime, I would not care. Toothbrush needed.

Good places to look for cleanliness are around the shutting surfaces of the sliding doors.

The MZ is almost top of the range, so will have plenty of 'bells and whistles'.

Check they all work properly, and be sure to understand any warranty given.

I'll try and check the photos again.

Based on the photos, if I were looking for an Alphie camper, I would be very interested in this one.

I would certainly recommend you visit Evesham to view asap.

I doubt it has LPG, although I don't see a gas canister (or gas hook up) there is enough room for one.

I think the sticker is for the gas for the hob.

There seems to be a (blue) cooler too, although access will be interesting

The gearbox is a 5 speed, which to me, is important.

AND a bonus not mentioned in the description; I would expect those middle seats to rotate.

A very useful feature at meal times.

The only negative I see, and it is tiny, is the size of the fresh water and grey water 'tanks'.

3 hours ago, Kerryn said:

Thanks Rojie, will do.

 

Insurance wise I haven't yet but as I know I want one whatever the cost I was just going to sort it after. I will check first though just in case getting quotes proves difficult.

 

I have now come full circle and am look at new acre cars. They have two in I would be interested in within budget. Has anyone on here had experience of them? I've seen their name come up a few times and there reviews read very well.

Getting insurance for your vehicle should be quite easy; if a little more expensive than you would like.

It is post conversion that the issues can occur.

I was with Aviva, and very satisfied, until I had the rear conversion ! They asked me to find another insurer. which I did quite easily.

Have you identified your convertor yet ? Go speak with them. Get some tips.

Most convertors get to see a vehicle in the raw; in all the spaces that cannot be inspected before purchase.

Having said that, my convertor who has converted many a vehicle; has only once had to refuse a conversion due to the condition of the vehicle.

Getting quotes on line for an Alphie is time consuming.

You will need to phone the target companies; even more so with a conversion.

Be reassured though. pick the right vehicle, and the right convertor and you will enjoy your motoring like never before.

Me. I would go for a Gen 1 facelift V6 (which I did). They have an extra gear compared to the 2.4 and the earlier V6.

What are you finding so difficult finding a suitable V6 for conversion ?

11 hours ago, Bruno said:

I was trying to install a back up cam, jammed a wire from reverse light. After all the wiring the following problems appear,

1. reverse lights don’t work

2. Shift indicator not working 

3. Central doors lock would not unlock when i put to P

4. alternator has zero output( checked by a mechanic, he said usually has low output even it’s dead.

 

Driving is no problem. Transmission still doing right. Anyone know if i has shorted some wiring or just the alternator problem? 
Hoping anyone can help!

 

Where were you jamming the wire ?

You may wish to view the recent YouTube video posted by Cuttothechase, a member of the Forum but not under that name, about Scams.

Imho, worth watching as it raises everyones' awareness of the 'traps'.

15 hours ago, pipsyp said:

Ooooh another point....Insurance.

 

These things aren't the cheapest to insure anyway.  Converted it's definitely more of a challenge.  Less companies are interested in covering them and many that will want quite a premium.  You may find you end up having to go with someone that specialises in camper van conversions to get a more reasonable premium.

I agree with this also.

Another definite line of enquiry, preferably well in advance before you buy (which makes getting a quote even more difficult).