Rojie

Was it a private purchase ?

Hello Mark, Welcome to the Forum. Private Sale or Business Seller ? Check the wheels and tyres are the correct size. Are they 16 or 17inch ? 205/65/16 or 225/55/17. Check the minimum ground clearance, 160mm. Is it a rear conversion or a side conversion ? Quality of conversion ? Gas integrity, if fitted ? Either way, IMHO, it is unlikely to be the additional weight. Most conversion involve removing the middle and rearmost seats. Many Alphies are lowered, either in Japan or the UK. Ground clearance can become an issue. Replacing suspension parts (excluding wheels and tyres) to revert to factory will cost upwards of 1200 ! AA RAC Inspection may be advisable. Mine cost 300 pounds, and was very reassuring. Other than that, all the usual precautions when buying a pre owned vehicle. Check the undersealing too. Is the speedo in miles or kilometres ? Insist on a copy of the Auction Sheet BEFORE you part with any cash. Good Luck.

Underseal is a must.

Is this an after market item ? Are you certain it ever worked properly ?

Hello John, Welcome to the Forum. There are hundreds of tips on this site. Happy Reading. Happy Camparding.

Hello Richard, Welcome to the Forum.

They appear well worn to me, so would say abused !

The colder the temperatures get, the shorter it will last. Bear in mind, that allowing a battery to discharge to 50%, or less, is not advisable. I have my spare battery on constant trickle charge with a smart charger and it is therefore always available, albeit at home, so it remains 'available' at all times. I have hefty jump leads in the van. I did consider one of those instant starter battery packs, but never got around to buying one. It is essential for all members to maintain their starter battery in good condition and fully charged throughout the winter months. Of course, if you use a spare battery, you should ensure you recharge it fully asap. I have also noticed that if I do not maintain my spare battery on trickle charge it can take days to reach full charge in cold weather.

Welcome to the Forum. Welcome, almost, to Alphard ownership.

This rnovie does not run on my PC. I can only agree that binding brakes cannot help your situation.

Nor me.

Hello John, Welcome to the Forum. Have you checked to ensure the correct 'wattage' fitted ?

I haven't either. I had assumed it was/is a Japanese conversion.

Many people confuse the Congestion Charge and ULEZ. The Congestion Charge only applies to Inner London. The ULEZ area is much more widespread.

Hello Gideon, Welcome to the Forum. You need to make some phone calls. There is a long thread on Insurance on this Forum. Use the search box, or go the the list of Forums. Check it out. Alphard is frequently NOT in dropdowns, so try phoning. I would not insure an Alphard as a Vellfire although they are almost the same vehicle. There is no point, whatsoever, in providing an insurance company with an excuse not to pay a claim.

The company was Direct Line.

Is the vehicle already in the UK ? Has it been registered by the DVLA. If so, type the registration number into Transport for London (TfL). That should tell you. I think, as it is post Sept 2005, it should be ULEZ; whether it is recognised as such is another matter,

Hello Nicola, Welcome to the Forum.

Hello Liz, Welcome to the Forum.

I think "calling" an Alphard a Vellfire could be rather tricky; even though they are almost the same vehicle. It could be seen as misrepresentation, or even fraud. Surely not worth the gamble with any Insurance Company. Shop around, say goodbye to Direct Line; there are many companies that will insure Alphards. As you say, dropdowns can be useless; use the phone. Good Luck.

Hello Paul, Is the Forum letting them advertise ? I was not aware that they have a Trade Account. I'll look into it. As far as I am aware, many of the map / carpet suppliers only supply in sets. As an aside, I have a set of mats, but not from Odyssey, fitted in my conversion. I use the extra mats as liners in the lockers.

Do you mean Odyssey, in Bournemouth ? Why not buy a whole set then, they aren't expensive !

Try Martin Sweeney

By cold air, do you mean ambient air, or chilled air obviously cooled by the air con unit. Have you tried switching the air off, so you can test for chilled air or ambient air. I recall something about a flap valve. I'll try and find it for you.

This site that Lee recommends is VERY helpful for all Gen 1 owners, especially those with the HDD headunit.