pcous

Hi Granny & Pop, I've put the wheel alignment specifications in a post in the Technical Guides section - hope this is helpful. I assume you want to check the wheel alignment, rather than just balance the wheels (to avoid vibration, steering wheel wobble at certain speeds...) Front wheels can be adjusted, rear axle is fixed. Our Alphard also pulls to the left and I've been trying to work out what's causing it (as you'll see from the post...) Regards, pcous

Hi ThuMentaliss, It adds 200mm (8") to the vehicle height, although we have a Drivelodge roof fitted, which already adds 100mm.

Thanks all for your replies. The 4-wheel alignment shows OSR toe-out -0˚38' and the rear total toe -0˚33', whereas both NSR & OSR are supposed to toe-in. So, the alignment figures suggest that the rear axle isn't completely straight and there's no means of adjustment of course, because it's a fixed axle. Alignment figures are from gauges fixed to the wheels when stationery on the ramp, so this would suggest that the tyres can't be the simple cause of the problem (wish they were...) That said, there's no indication that the tyres are directional, so I could try swapping rear wheels to see if a different configuration might at least compensate/reduce the effect to some extent. For information, these are the Alignment specs I was referred to: MALAYSIA: TOYOTA ALPHARD MPV(2002 - 2007) Parameter MIN MAX Front Total Toe -0.11 0.11 FL Toe -0.06 0.06 FR Toe -0.06 0.06 FL Camber -0.41 1.25 FR Camber -0.41 1.25 Rear Total Toe 0.1 0.26 RL Toe 0.05 0.13 RR Toe 0.05 0.13 RL Camber -1.5 -0.58 RR Camber -1.5 -0.58 Left Caster 2.08 3.58 Right Caster 2.08 3.58

Hi all, Our 2007 Alphard has been pulling left regardless of road camber. Standard wheel alignment / new tyres have made no difference and I was advised to seek 4-wheel alignment - although the rear axle is fixed and rear wheels cannot be adjusted... The results were interesting - NSR toe is 0˚05' [OK]; OSR toe is -0˚38' [definitely not OK]. So, as I understand it the OSR is toeing out, which I'm told is causing the vehicle overall to pull left (because the rear is heading right). I'm told there's no play in the rear bushes and everything looks fine. So, before considering getting the rear axle replaced (which I'm obviously not keen on) I wondered if anyone else has experienced a similar problem and whether there's any way of compensating for this. All ideas welcome... Regards, pcous

Hi, We have a Thule Omnistor 4900 fitted as a side roll-out awning. Pleased with it, it comes with feet that take a tent peg and there's an additional hold-down kit available for the adventurous! Regards, pcous

Hi, PCT Automotive (Sheffield, UK) manufacture a towbar (TY3565 for Alphard 2002-07). They supply a schematic as part of their fitting instructions - you could contact them, they may even be able to ship to Cape Town..... Regards, pcous

Hi starider, We got ours from PCT Automotive in Sheffield [0114 251 1000] - their model no. for Alphard 2002-07 is TY3565. Regards pcous

Hi BeeeBeee, We had our 2007 3.0L Aphard converted to LPG 2 years ago. The system recommended by our installer was Prins and as part of the conversion he installed a valve lubrication bottle, which I gather is to address valve wear. Pleased with the fuel consumption, particularly on long runs, but we've not done enough mileage since then to tell whether the valve seats will wear.....

Hi RAC, We have a 2007 Alphard and, after much searching and a few drawings to try to work out tailgate angles, settled on a Strada Evo - some of the Strada models have a roller system so the rack slides away, moving both backwards and down to give clearance for the tailgate. Works well - however, these are designed for rear towbar (thought trying to hang bikes on the tailgate would just be too much!), so the whole kit can be quite expensive.... If you're looking for a towbar you could try the TY3565 from PCT Automotive. Good Luck... pcous