Rojie

Hello again, Alphies, and Vellfires, are becoming very popular. Quite rightly so, imho. But that popularity leads to price pressure. Furthermore, there are many 'new' dealers entering the market. Is the one you are considering at a Dealer, or private ? Is the auction sheet available from when it was imported ? If so, the mileage can be verified and most issues will be identified on the sheet, scratches, dents, scrapes, etc. Also affecting the value is the level, and conditions, of options. £10k5 doesn't seem too bad to me, bearing in mind the market atm. (and it's summer !) For the same money, you could consider an very early Gen 2, 2008 onwards; V6 with a 6 speed auto. Middle seats that swivel are sort after. The 'middle bench' seats do normally swivel. If they swivel the they will have a lap belt strap as part of the seat (that swivels with it). 2008 onwards do not swivel

Hasn't the Lexus just been announced ? It will certainly be too pricey for me. Will it be officially imported to the UK ?

I believe it is a JDM Day, which, of course includes Alphards. It appears to be a Race Day. As I don't plan to race my Alphie, regrettably, I won't be there !!!

I have read, on here, that getting the DVLA to change the Tax class is doable. But don't expect it to be easy. As Chris notes, you need to correct paper work and it isn't particularly an easy process. You can have your vehicle tested, I believe, to prove the emission levels.

Swivel seats. Do they swivel ? Yes. The front seats. A plate is fitted underneath the seats, thereby raising the height (which can be an issue if you are tall). On some models, if not all, the centre console, between the seats, needs to be removed/modified to create the room for the seat to rotate. These plates are not cheap ! Enquire at NorthStar Conversion, IOW.

Hi Chris, The link didn't work for me. I got an error message. The file wouldn't load ! Hopefully, others have better luck

Hello John, Welcome to this Forum.

Beautiful. Happy Advanturing

No, I can't offer any advice on steel wheel suitability. If the wheels are a comparable size I cannot see any issues but I really wouldn't know. Are Hiace vehicles lighter than Alphies ? WillTheyFit, I think it is defunct now, was an excellent website for wheel tyre combination comparisons But there are other models out there on the internet. If you know the specifications for the Hiace you could do a comparison. Remember, clearances are key to safety. Offsets and insets are important for correct wheel bearing loading. Other than above re rolling circumference, offsets, sensible tyre widths, side wall height (aspect ratio) and adequate clearances; my only concern would be ensuring you match the wheel stud type to the wheels. My Gen 1 facelift uses conical shaped wheel nuts, not flat faced ones. Nut to wheel fit is crucial. Also it wears XL (extra load) type tyres. Finally, if changing wheels and tyres for non standard fit you need to check with your Insurance Company that your plans are OK. Hope this helps.

What is the letter string part of your machine, or intended machine ? ANH20 XXXXX ? What are the X's. Send me a PM if preferred. I'll check the EPPC data I'll send you a PM now.

Hi Rachael, Welcome to the Forum. I don't have these seats so cannot help you with that. If no one else can supply you with a quick fix, you could try a company that does conversions. Most conversions will entail removing these middle seats, thereby creating a surplus. Many converters would be glad for you to take away a (matched) pair.

Maybe if you are prepared to mess around with an OBD2 device. My guess is, there is a law somewhere that specifies at what light intensity they must come on. Which, if true, does not mean you can't adjust them to be on earlier.

Hello Harry, Welcome to the Forum. I believe some do, some don't. The 'aircraft' type don't.

E5 is permitted to contain up to 5 per cent ethanol. Most refineries in the UK do not add ethanol to E5. West country E5 does contain ethanol. If interested read up on the Shell, Esso (Exxon) and BP websites. I think E5 can be as low as 97 Octane.

There are web sites that will allow you to calculate alternate wheel sizes, tyre sizes, inset, offset, etc. What is most important, is the clearances within the wheel arches under dynamic conditions. Not only is rubbing dangerous, it can be costly in terms of renewing parts. Regarding membership. I would be interested to know how many Alphies are registered in the UK. Then we could compute the membership ratio. My guess is it would be rather high.

Hi Teekey, I was not aware the bold indicates model year. I thought it was the trim levels, and options fitted. Which, to a certain extent, is a function of the year made. So I have learnt something useful today. I have looked, and the VLJBTSP string is not listed in the epc data I have access to. The PFTQK is, and several others. I'll check my PM thanks.

Hi Voodoo, Welcome to the Forum. Are you hoping to buy a 2020 ? What years are you considering I agree with all points made by Jellybean. The Vellfire is not more luxurious, but more 'sporty'; and the sportiness is all in the 'looks' department. Whilst they are all pretty luxurious anyway, more 'luxury' comes with better trim levels and options. You should be aware that, as your vehicle will be a grey import, most official Toyota dealers will not service it or otherwise get involved. There are exceptions so it is worth checking with your local Toyota dealer. Other than body parts and trim, mechanical parts should not be an issue. Jellybean is correct about the belt driven cams, but the 3L engine is of the non interference design. That technology ensures that if the belt does break (unlikely) the pistons and valves will not collide. You would be stranded, and need a new belt and the valve timing resetting, but you wouldn't need a new engine. With Gen 1 cars you are stuck with Japanese. I believe (some) later vans are changeable to English. There is a chip available for Gen 1 vans, up to 2008, which facilitate converting the odometer to miles. There are faceplates available for MPH too. None of these comments apply to Gen 3 as I have no knowledge of the newest vehicles, except that they are expensive !

Before you 'put it to bed', I have two suggestions. 1) Visit some VW forums, there must be info available on them. Call some mainstream sellers, there are specialist companies that ought to be able to advise you.

I still think you have a 2011 year. The model was introduced as a Gen 2 in 2008 and discontinued in 2011. An updated model was introduced in 2011 and discontinued in 2015. I tried the link, but didn't see anything that stated it is a 2008 vehicle, only information that suggested it was introduced in 2008, which it was. I'll check again.

I am getting confused. You may be correct but, imho, almost certainly not. What makes you think that DBA-GGH20W-PFTQK makes it 2008 ? That is the model descriptor. What is your VIN number (it will be on the auction sheet). I'll check the epc, but I expect we are comparing apples with oranges. According to my interpretation of the epc, your model was made 04.2008 - 10.2011

I doubt the Sat Nav will work. It doesn't in the earlier models. Chris.ac, please comment

The manual quoted by Oddcouple (below) is not a maintenance manual. There are Owners Manuals avalable from ebay. They are VERY useful, showing you where various parts are. They do not give servicing details when or how. When, if, they become available, there will be major activity on this Forum, I can assure you, as we all want one.

It is a common practise in Japan for Alphies to have more 'glamorous' wheels fitted. With larger diameter wheels you need lower profile tyres, to maintain the correct rolling circumference / distance. If you don't replace with very similar rolling distance you will change the gearing and your odometer will be affected. Fitting larger wheels with lower profile tyres will make the ride harder. Regarding the coil springs, these can be changed to lower the vehicle, that is to reduce the ground clearance. When you come to insure it you should, probably, inform your insurance company as they may regard these changes as modifications ! If you need to alter it back to original; I think picasso recently advised about £1200 ! Winter tyres in the UK are not very common, but some owners fit them; especially the further north they live. Winter tyres in Europe is now a legal requirement at certain times and in certain conditions. But that topic deserves another thread !

The car will be registered in the UK with a plate suitable for the year it was manufactured. If you look at some adverts in the UK, I won't say who or where, the year in the headline will be the year the car was imported and first registered in the UK; which is quite legal but can be somewhat misleading! If you are buying the in the UK, the more 'accurate' description will be the year of manufacture. Imho, it is the condition, and mileage, that is of most concern. Yours is Gen 2 and will have a speed gearbox if you have the V6. (Not sure about the 4 cylinder). I doubt your van has been 'sitting' idle somewhere for 3 years. Get a copy of the Auction sheet before you start worrying.

Cuttothechase on Youtube for the videos.