Liam

My car does a lot of short hops on the school run so mpg is always lower then most. On a run it's 24-30. But winter and school run can see 15-18. Mines used everyday so mpg can be all over the place. I think a lot on here have campers so there mpg will always look better because it's not used for short trips 

Insurance isn't cheap most I've ever paid for a car and my mpg over 20 months ownership is 18.53 average. Low of 13.44 and high of 30.33. The only bad point of this car so far is the running cost but I wouldn't sell it lol

I've used this oil in most cars I've owned the last 7 or 8yrs no engines have gone bang. It's more then likely cheap because they don't sponsor any motoring events like the big brands, your paying more for the nice tub there in. My Alphard has it in now 

Check the oil level first, low oil will do similar things in an automatic box

You have to take inside panel off to get to the bulbs, two screws are hid behind plastic covers. I think from memory the rest just pulls off 

Shouldn't be using any but I've noticed if I fill mine when cold it always seems to lose some till it finds its level just above the min mark. It never goes below min so I think it's pushing the extra out the over flow when hot. I've left mine months now and it's still at the same level.

Have you been topping up to the max when the cars cold?

On 1/20/2023 at 10:05 AM, ThuMentaliss said:

I, too, own a 2005 3.0ltr Alphard spent a load of money on it looks nice, but it's not without flaws.  Firstly, from the many hours I spent researching the series one history, it appears that the 2.4l engine is not ideal power unit for a vehicle that weighs more than 1700k.  My converted Alphard +driver and wife weigh's just over 2200 kg (weight obviously depends on what conversion is carried out) if you are considering towing a Caravan with a 2.4L fully converted Alphard with its added conversion weight you would notice the lack of power particularly when tackling steep inclines plus the fuel consumption from the 2.4L is not a lot better than the more powerful 3.0ltr, Service parts are available but be aware major unit parts are becoming difficult to source, from my own experience here in West Sussex no official Toyota Dealer is interested in carrying out general service work or repairs so your left finding a garage that gives you confidence that they know what their doing, depreciation is a problem for any motor vehicle it's all about supply and demand, insurance companies tend to write off certain vehicles where body parts are difficult to obtain certainly the in the case of vehicles over 15 years old....the Alphard does drive well, and its good looks stand well against much younger vehicles and as a people carrier for its age no other vehicle comes close to its appeal.

Towing a caravan with a CVT gearbox will be a short life for the box. And this 2.4 Vs 3lt thing always comes up but really makes very little difference on the road. Parts seem easier to get then I thought it would be eBay has almost everything you will need. The 2.4 will be cheaper to service and maintain being a 4 cylinder. Have a good look under the car, almost all the Alphards I've seen are really clean, I wouldn't worry about the age thing 

What's the spec of the cars? but for me I would go option 2 just because it's 2k cheaper and both are low mileage for the age 

"the 2AZ-FXE is an Atkinson cycle variant designed for use in hybrid models."This was off a website talking about the 2az engines, so it won't be changeable with the normal fe 

The fse won't work it's a direct injection engine they didn't fit to the Alphard, I think you will need fxe only the hybrid had lower compression pistons and lots of other changes 

Rear sub frame bushes 

6 hours ago, robert jackson said:

Hi can anyone help i put my key in turn it everything lights up but wont start nothing no clicks or anything it happened the other day i sat and just kept turning eventually it started any ideas to the problem just went out this morning again it took about 5 turns of the key to fire up

check battery cables and cables to starter motor

6 hours ago, Edmxrs said:

quite a few hybrid alphard ex cabs hit the japanese auctions with 300-500k km

That's impressive seems like they will be long lived motors if looked after

3 hours ago, Rojie said:

 

Hi Liam,

 

I can understand that mileage indicates longevity of mechanical parts and reliability.

 

But surely service history has a huge role to play in both too.

What parts have already been replaced to achieve that recorded mileage? Most owners won't know.

 

So I am not sure what conclusions can be drawn; other than which vehicle has the largest indicated mileage.

 

However, I would suggest 180k km is quite low for a Toyota

But then, I previously had a Jaguar that covered 250k miles before becoming uneconomical to maintain.

Maintenance is the most important thing when it comes to longevity but still doesn't get a bad engine design to half a million miles. I would say 180000kms is still low for most engines, I would love to hear others who have had there Alphard long-term and big miles

2003 2.4 180000kms

So who has the highest mileage on there Alphard? I think it will help future buyers about longevity and reliability

My 2.4 only does 16-18 mpg in town stop start traffic and small local trips, it will do 30mpg on a run. 

12 hours ago, Teekay said:

I didn't think it was about the American made issue, but more about some design flaw and it was fixed in much later years. But I am not sure when exactly and what is factual position. But personally my 2p thinks the bottom line is..280 hp vs 178, with only minimal difference in mpg, thanks I'll take the 3.5L. Oil change might be little bit more expensive and spark plug change are difficult but extra power for such big 7/8 seater van and extra six speed gear box and V6 smooth, why would anyone want to drag around with 2.4L? I know if you are use to it, you may think it is fine as you don't know what you are missing on. No offence to anyone but these are my thoughts 

For me the Alphard just isn't a car I would want to drive fast, it's a smooth luxury car. I have drove both the 3 and 2.4 the 3 is the better of the two but I wouldn't buy an Alphard on what engine it had, for me it's all to do with the spec you want, all the engines are nice and are perfect for the type of car there in

The 2.4 in the Alphards are jap made engines you will find that the oil burning problem was American made engines only. The 2.4 won't be any less reliable then the 3 and 3.5 Alphards 

Remember you will have lost the vat so that's 20% gone off the resale value. What are you wanting for it? You will never get back what you have paid for it 

1 hour ago, Jerry said:

72000miles....timing chain is on the list to do...

The 3.0l doesn't have a chain it's timing belt, I would get it changed if it hasn't been done. Get the water pump done at same time. Can you try and get the video of the sound working would help to point you in the right direction

It could be the vvt cam it's been a problem on other Toyota engines, if the noise goes away after a couple of seconds. If the noise stays I would look at the idlers on the belts