starider

Hi, I assume your van needs/has an MOT Test, if not it will not pass. I see there is much help on the different forums. I spent quite a lot of time researching the question of rear fog lights and still have a copy of the rear lights section of the MOT Testers manual[readily available on line]. If you want to have a look at the various posts, have a look at the posts on the Alphard Campers section.Remember if you are replacing the rear reflectors with fog lights you must add relectors for an MOT Test[again covered in past posts].

Hi, It's worth every one checking for a towing eye,our camper has one in the tool kit. It is impossible to have a tow without one, to be towed safely. A tow rope can be used to tow without the eye, but to find a safe place to connect a rope will be difficult and dangerous. With the advent of towing eyes many breakdown services now use a solid metal bar which connects to the towing eye. The problem with a rope is most folks are not used to being towed,because the towee has to try to keep the rope taut when slowing down using the brakes carefully,if not when the towing vehicle accelerates away the rope re-tensions[snatches] and often breaks the rope. Believe me,when I was in the motor trade,towing broken down vehicles was an almost daily chore. If a solid towing bar is used the towee does not need to brake.

Very happy with our converted 2007, now 2+ years with us, couldn't have found better. Odd fittings,such as cupboard door catches, could have been been of higher quality,but soon sorted that problem. Fitted my own awning rail,looks and works great. As I have said in the past,tows our caravan well.

I agree with Rojie,a dehumidifier is the way I keep my camper fresh and dry inside[for just a few hours now and again],we also have a dehumidifier permanently working[on a timer] in our touring caravan while it's here at home. It's amazing how much water is collected over several days. We also have one in the main house and one in our cottage[both on timers] which filter out the moisture.

My mains connections are on the back of a tall field fence away from wind and rain, so I can connect to the Alphard and our touring caravan.A tip if you have a caravan on your property for the winter is to put a largish dehumidifyer inside on a timer. I am getting almost a gallon of water every week and the inside is dry and there is now smell of damp.

I have considered turning the Alphard round 180 degrees occasionally and present the "algae" side to the sun for a period of time,but decided that having the rain[which we get in large amounts],is better blowing at the rear rather than the front.

Hi, beginning to think about cleaning the camper ready for the coming season. We live about 10miles from Bude and are subjected to salt laden winds from the various westerly coastal areas. Our property faces South so we have sun all day, Our vehicles are parked East to West so one side has sun all day,thus the other side,after a time begins to collect green algea in various places,eg behind N/side mirrors etc.This algea washes off the main areas easily, but not in all the spaces such as where the side glass joins the bodywork. I mix a little wash and wax with a small amount of water and go round all these areas and any that a normal wash/polish doesn't remove with a tooth brush[£1 for two, Waitrose].

Hi, The insurance premium on my Dacia shot up at the last renewal, after a lot of phoning around it transpired that older folks[well retired] can expect a large hike in premiums!! It appears old folks are bad drivers and a greater risk???? I,and many others see this as an excuse to grab more money from us pensioners. Each day we witness the appalling driving of the majority of young drivers[many uninsured etc.]. This group are classed as a massive risk with premiums to match, so drive uninsured. Something needs to be done to curb these terrible drivers[male and female]. Many have parents who insure a vehicle for their offspring as a named driver which means they are insured if they are not the main driver[unless of course that no longer applies. Would be interested in your comments.

Welcome to the Forum. I'm pleased that some folks are having success with sound systems , but as I have posted before, I'm no expert with fitting different devices to replace the original Japanese equipment. We are quite happy with what we can get out of the O/E and our Dewalt Site radio picks up most of the DAB stations, and it fits nicely between the front seats.

Hi, Looking at the picture of the rear and tailgate,it rather looks as though the bottom edge of the tailgate has been pushed inside the rear frame structure. It looks like judicial use of a lever could pop the tailgate back over the frame to allow the tailgate to be opened and the tailgate and frame could then be inspected.This should give a better idea of cost especially if another tailgate and straightening of the frame is all that is needed? Good luck with the costing. My Alphard has a hefty tow bar behind the rear valance, so there is a chance if I should be rear ended, the damage may not be too severe.

Hi Larry, Sorry to disagree, but I've been in and around the motor trade for nigh on 50years and have used number plates from the time we had a jig to punch holes in the new bare plates and then rivet the letters/numbers on,using star washers. I have used trade quality double sided tape since it's inception and I agree on odd occasions "stuck" on plates can be difficult to remove, but my comment is how does anyone know that plates are well stuck on. Surely it's better to be safe than sorry. Knowing how insurance companies will always try not to pay out on a claim for any reason, I suspect that having properly secured number plates[in view of the huge increase in vehicle theft] could be the next item to appear on vehicle insurance policies. I've watched CCTV clips showing thieves ripping off number plates,often with great difficulty,but even the most well stuck come off eventually.

Hi, Being a neighbourhood Watch "rep", I often receive Emails from the police with security advice. A recently item suggested that number plates fitted to many vehicles are just fitted using double sided tape and are easily pulled off,or other plates just stuck on over the ones, by thieves.I have just secured all our vehicle number plates with one-way screws which can only be removed with a lot of time and trouble.These screws are covered by appropriate coloured caps, which then prevents other plates being stuck over the top.All items available on Ebay. You don't have to do anything to the stuck on plates just drill and fit screws and caps. The caps come in three colours black, white and yellow. I measured the plates on all 3 vehicles to look neat.The yellow and white caps are obvious but some times a hole needs to be drilled through a number/letter, hence the black screws.

Hi, I purchased all the rear and front bushes from www.spring-loaded.co.uk. I had the front bushes and lower wishbones fitted[purchased from the afor mentioned] when our Alphard had it's recent MOT, to remove the advisory on the front and rear bushes. The garage did the front suspension, but advised having the rear ones done prior 2024 MOT as they were still OK. They did say the rears are quite a big job!! Normally I would have done the work myself, but the 4 poster has a vehicle on it and there is much to do around the farm. Email: Info@spring-loaded.co.uk I recommend this company as they have supplied me with Japanese suspension parts for years [also they are just down the lane from me]. We have huge potholes down our way, so over the recent years I have had to replace numerous broken coil springs!

Hi Rojie, no need to apologise, it's difficult to keep up with all the different "things" that seem to alter, usually without being broadcast.

Hi Rojie, If a number is purchased from the DVLA, the purchase price paid includes either the retension fee or the assignment to a vehicle fee,which ever comes first.I also have another personal plate which my family gave me 30years ago for my 50th Birthday. It has been transfered to every vehicle I have owned since. If anyone wishes to transfer a reg.number from one vehicle to another or retain a number the current cost is £80.

Hi, Today I have fitted our new personal reg. to the Alphard. I was extremely impressed how seamless the process was. Firstly I would recommend purchasing a number from the DVLA..gov, not one of the many listed under a similar banner. The DVLA have hundreds for sale from £250. If you go onto the DVLA site and go through the process you will find dozens of numbers for sale,some coming up for auction or make up your own. it takes a little practice to find how it works Choose your number,enter it and DVLA tells you if it's OK. You then pay for it, it is then assigned to you. You receive an immediate receipt which also confirms you now have title to that number.The number is then registered to you.You can either put it on a vehicle immediately or retain it for several years. When we received the receipt we immediately assigned it to the Alphard,Saturday through the post the document arrived in the post and i was able this morning to go to my Auto Parts store[Pat Williams] where they made up the plates and I fitted them after lunch. You have to inform your insurance company of the reg.change .You will not receive a new MOT Test Certificate.The new reg will appear on you next renewal.

You're welcome.

The ride has been much improved,no sign of any negative difference.

Yes,Although the set I purchased contained shock absorbers,they were purchased from the same supplier. I checked back to when I ordered them in 2021. You will note we both had them fitted by local garage, as the rear flexible brake hoses had to be disconnected to allow the suspension to be"swung" down far enough to remove the old and install the new[plenty of muscle was needed].

On looking at the symbol in the red light, looks like a stylized key?? perhaps the security is the fact the ignition has been turned off?

Sorry to contradict, but the springs although stronger were longer when put beside the ones removed, not by a great deal, but definitely longer enough to make fitting difficult. Interestingly when I purchased my kit there were a pair of new shock absorbers with the springs. That accounts for the ebay number I gave not working,as from the number given by Picasso is for the springs alone. I didn't fit the shocks as the ones on the Alphard are still OK, plus I didn't fancy dismantling"stuff to get at the top of the towers.

Yep, that's the one. noticed it in the past, but it does not always appear. No reference at all in the Drivers Hand Book as to it's purpose or what security it provides. Anyone any ideas?

Hi, I note Picasso has provided a number which I assume means he has obtained a set. If you read my post re.the fitment you will note I found it impossible compress both the old springs and certainly not the longer HD springs. My local garage did the job successfully with much heaving by several mechanics!! I have just towed our caravan from St.Mawes in Cornwall,adding the nose weight of the caravan did not "push" down the rear of the Alphard in anyway,as far as we could see so the HD springs do a good job. We had a nice easy drive home, a slight drop in speed on the steeper parts of the A30 but a good tow at between 50 and 60 with no swing on the caravan. I've towed many types of trailer with many different vehicles and the Alphard is one of the best, second only to my Morris 1800[Land crab] which I owned during the 1980s. The most difficult to tow was a single axle, around 25/30ft long, which contained a Sailplane. I've been taken to task in the past about the length of this trailer, but my excuse, it was over 40years ago!! What I'm trying to say is the Alphard is a good steady towing vehicle. If you can't find the springs I'll try to find the box the HDs came in and see if there is a label still on it.

The camper recently passed it's MOT again. I had the front suspension parts replaced' which removed the advisory,but the manager advised leaving the rear bushes as they had not deteriorated any further since last year,so will check next year. I have the new bushes to do this work in stock as they will only go up in price!!

Hi, Suddenly noticed a red indicator on the dash in one of the clocks when the ignition is turned off. Having searched the hand book I found that this indicates that Security devices have been activated, but I couldn't find anywhere what these devices are or do. Does anyone know?