Rojie

Hello Thom, Welcome to the Forum

Hello Alan, Welcome to the Forum. Dealers ? Some are good, some are not. There are several dealers mentioned in this Forum for their 'quality and service'. Lots of reading to do ! The best conversion is the one that meets your needs and is within budget. The choices are very personal. There is a company in, or near, Barnstaple. You could start your search there. Funky Ram is a trade member of the Forum. The Gen 1 V6 has has a cam belt. However, it is a non-interference engine (which means the valves won't hit the pistons if only the cam belt fails). Other (common) engines use chains. Good luck in your search.

If the 140amp fuse was blown; something serious happened ! Probably reverse polarity of jump leads ! If not, something else failed big time. I'm afraid I think you need a visit by a very competent mobile auto electrician; or a flat bed to your garage. You probably know this, but, you should never tow an automatic transmission.

Hello Stephen, Welcome to the Forum. No it isn't normal for insurers to insist on a tracker. I think most Alphies/Vellfires have immobilisers fitted as standard; mine certainly does. Getting Insurance can be hit and miss but this thread has loads of feedback. Getting insurance for converted vans is more tricky; some insurers won't touch them. Lots of reading for you to do ! Good Luck.

Fit a new battery to the smart fob perhaps ?

I doubt the radar unit will be cheap, even if all the wiring is there !

Hello Dame, Welcome to the Forum.

Hi Norman, Welcome to the Forum.

Try Snows in Plymouth, or Toyota Direct (you'll need the part number first). Toyota/Alphard/epc.com or Picasso (who will need you VIN.

Hi Gavin, Welcome to the Forum. Search Awnings in the Forum. It's a popular topic. The search box is top right hand side of your home page. I am sure you will find members experience, and ingenuity, very interesting.

Normally, testing a battery 'under load' involves disconnecting the battery from the vehicle and attaching a shunt across the battery terminals. The shunt places a 'heavy load' on the battery for a short time. The longer the battery can maintain an acceptable voltage, the healthier it is. Did BBL Batteries do this test ? They probably had the equipment to. If so, I guess your battery is OK. 11.7V is low, indeed, it indicates your battery is down to about 25 percent charge. But, unless your voltmeter is across the battery terminals, any current flowing through any wiring will cause an inaccurate reading. Do you leave the fridge on ? An 85 amp/hr battery will supply your fridge for, in theory, 31 hours. Not that long if left on overnight. (Depends how often the compressor runs). BUT, and it's a big but. That would result in a totally flat battery. Batteries should not be discharged beyond 50 percent, if that. Having 85A/hr, rather than 75A/hr, capacity is helpful. So, what would I do ? I am unfamiliar with your new battery charger, I have a CTEK, but I would disconnect your leisure battery and charge it for a week with your smart charger. Check that your battery charger is suitable for your leisure battery technology first. Most batteries will hold their voltage (more correctly, charge) if not supplying current ! 14.7v is a very 'healthy' voltage but, if you are measuring that whilst the charger is connected and on, you are measuring the output of the charger, not the battery. My charger can read both, hopefully yours can too. For what is worth my leisure battery is 110A/hr, physically larger, but not located under a seat. It may also help if your battery and main load, the fridge, are closer physically and electrically together. The longer the wire run, the more chunky the wiring needs to be. Where is your split charger located ? Near the battery, or in the engine bay presumably. I doubt I can be any more help, that is assuming any of this is helpful at all.. Hopefully other members with off grid experience will offer suggestions.

Hello Babs, Welcome to the Forum. Happy Campharding.

Hi Jorge, I can't take this any further with you, but I am absolutely sure you will get some helpful suggestions from other members. Is your odometer reading Kilometres or Miles ?

14 mpg ! What kind of motoring are you doing. How do you know (think) your kml is so low ?

Is it your battery charger that is providing the voltage readings or a voltmeter ? Do you know the leisure battery voltage without the charger connected ? Under load, and off load ? Do you know what fridge you have ? Make and model.

Which room light isn't working ?

Hi John, I suspect your Bedford had a distributor. I think, only think, these Toyota engines have a coil for each cylinder.

Sorry to keep on about an auction sheet. If an imported vehicle has it's odometer altered to display miles, it will be 'clocked'. That is, the km reading will be lowered to the comparative miles. Totally legitimate. But, there is an opportunity to 'over reduce' the km reading; that would be clocking as we all know it, and illegal. The kilometre reading, at auction, will be on the auction sheet. Maybe that is why some dealers don't provide it. As ever, it is a case of Buyer Beware. Question. Would BIMTA detect an unregistered recent import that has been clocked ?

Probably, as you said, because no washer was fitted. At least you got it resolved without incident. Thanks for sharing.

What is the condition of your starter battery and alternator ? Do you know the age of the leisure battery ? What capacity is your leisure battery ? What is the current draw from your fridge ?

I wholeheartedly agree with this advice. There are several excellent importers. Their names appear in these pages quite frequently. There are lots of dealers, similar to any other marque. Some are good, some are not. Most sellers do not spend on their vehicles before auction. That is why the auction sheet can be so valuable. Most imported vehicles need work, to pass the MOT at least. Rear axle bushes are an example. Many dealers do not have workshop facilities ! So which 'company' deals with your issues, if you have any ? A good Alphie is a delight to own, it's worth the patience. Beware the seller who is selling 'privately' from a forecourt. The Law is quite different for business sales versus private sales. Good luck in your search.

My VIN number has 7 digits.

The vin number will be on the auction sheet, as will the 'mileage' It won't look anything like a European one ! Also it should be on the vehicle plate on the passenger side B pillar. Without a VIN, DVLA will not produce any documents for you Why wouldn't the seller give you the VIN number ? Hopefully, you have not yet paid a deposit ? The more 'guarded' the seller, the quicker you should walk away. Difficult, I know, but ..... I bought an AA Inspection. VERY thorough and was well worth it for piece of mind.

A good place to start is he For sale section in this forum. So I move your thread there. Good Luck.

If you have a copy of the Auction sheet it will have the recorded distance covered in Kilometres. If you don't have it, you should ask your seller for a copy. When the vehicles are imported the DVLA needs to know the odometer reading, so the importer should have (or had) a copy of the auction sheet.