Aftab

Hey Canuck, I hope you're well. A friend of mine had a similar one fitted to his Alphard many years ago. I believe it was to control the audio from the rear. It's an aftermarket system fitted to override the system while it was in satnav mode (for the Japanese Market).

Hi Michael Yes thank you, it's a great pod unit especially for the Alphard. It's very practical and we use it all the time 😀 I had trouble looking for the invoice. The website is vangear.co.uk The unit is called the black mini pod, which includes the sink, usb tap and 2x 5 L water containers. I had an extra rail fitted opposite the original table/door. That way I could have another large table inside (extra cost) -2 large and one smaller one for the stove inside altogether- I also ordered the bamboo cutting board which fits neatly inside the sink plus 2 J bolts to secure the unit down. The black unit is slightly more expensive than the grey. I think the total amount I paid was £680 ish. I already had 4 extendable tent/awning poles. I use one of these to hold the outside table up. This is needed as the table sits much higher of the ground than the inside one. I use the other 3 poles for my makeshift awning. I think I paid around £45 for these on Amazon. They're really useful and highly recommended 👌 I did tell them that I will be uploading this on our forum. It might be worth asking them for a discount 👍🏼 Good luck with whatever you choose. Let me know if you want anymore info. Cheers

Hey Sean Sorry for the delayed reply. Congrats on buying your Alphard. They're great vehicle! I use my set up more as a day van rather than a camping one. Although we have slept in it one night at a time on several occasions. Our set up is great as it gives us all the amenities of a camper but with the practicalities of the extra seating. The middle seat were laid flat for a bed. You can't fully stretch on this though. Then the option is to either sleep on the front passenger seat (ours is a recliner) or the drivers side rear seat. This is ok short term but you wouldn't have the best night sleep. We have a large air tent which is great for campsite. I've also made up a quick fit awning using a lightweight waterproof tarp with extendable poles. This is held down by suction pads/strong magnets plus fixed down with guy lines. We then use our set up as a kitchen or day/weekend trips. Does your Alphard have the options of a bed on the pop top?

Hi Daimsky My Alphard has the premium sound with the extra speakers. It's great when you're watching dvds but I haven't noticed the 'premium' aspect of it when listening to the radio. My friend has the standard speakers system on his Alphard. There is a difference is sound/quality however you'll only notice it if you compared one to the other 👍🏼 Good luck.. I hope you find one soon. They are great vehicles!

You're welcome 👍🏼

Hi guys, I had my cvt gearbox oil changed last year by a really good mechanic. It was just a drain and fill so about 4 litres. Apparently after the refill you have to get the gearbox to temperature and once achieved (confirmed with a good diagnostic obd tool) You then check the oil via the other nut which has the straw to adjust the level. I was asked by a fellow Alphard owner what the temperature should be but unfortunately the mechanic has moved. Does anyone know what it could be? I've checked YouTube where they mention getting the car to temperature but fail to mention what it is 🤦‍♂️ Thanks

Hi Gavin, how are doing? I hope your Vellfire comes in soon. They are absolutely brilliant to drive 👍🏼 As for the pod. Yes you can fit them behind the front drivers or passenger seats. I think it does show one fitted that way in a Vw on there website. You may loose the option of using the one seat behind as the pod will take some of the legroom. I would recommend measuring up once you have the Vellfire in your hands. These vehicles have quite a bit of legroom and seat adjustments so moving the middle seats right back should help. I'm pretty sure the J clips will fit in the same way. Mine just has the added table in the rear for multi-use in my Alphard. I do recommend going down to there warehouse/unit when you get the Vellfire to perhaps look at the pods they have. They are a nice bunch and will help get you exactly what you want. I tried one of there display models in my Alphard before I ordered one as I wanted it to fit precisely in the rear. I'm glad I did as I then requested an extra table/rail to be fitted too. Let me know if you need anymore information 🙂 Good luck and I hope you have great use of the Vellfire and the camping set up 👍🏼

Hi Alan I still have the original Toyota head unit on my Alphard. They're a great unit 👍🏼 The only issue was the radio and satnav. The fm expander isn't great. I now stream all the radio stations via Bluetooth from my phone and I connect Google maps through a mirroring box. The mirror box/unit does stream anything on your phone for example YouTube, BBC etc 👍🏼 Would be interesting to know if you could connect a separate Hd tv aerial. Aftab 🙂

Welcome to the forum Kristoff Nice looking Vellfire 👌

Hi I fitted the Vangear mini pod in yesterday. It's a brilliant piece of kit 👍🏼 It took me about 20 minutes to fit it in. I have started a new topic under 'Vangear mini pod' where I put details of the unit and some pictures. Aftab

Hi Guys I just wanted to share pictures and details of the Vangear mini pod I just brought and installed in my Alphard. There were some members who were interested in this so I thought I'd start a new topic. I ordered the unit about 3 weeks ago and requested they fit an extra rail for an additional table I wanted. I had removed one of the rear seats and placed a plastic mat before fitting the pod.. which took about 20 minutes to fit. I've placed all my utensils, ridgemonkey, camping bits in the cupboard and behind the unit. I have enough space under the table to put my Thetford loo and my poweroak power station, with space on top to put my stove, picnic rugs and blankets etc..My 30L fridge sits on top when I'm parked up. The only issue I had was that the leg for the table facing the tailgate was not meant to be long enough to reach the floor outside. I instead used an extended tent pole which I already had.. this was perfect. The pictures I've attached were taken when I fitted the unit. I placed all the above items and more in and around it afterwards. This still give me the use of 6 seats 😀 I can remove the whole unit and bolt back the seat in 40 minutes if I had to. It's a brilliant unit. I hope this inspires you all to get out and to enjoy these brilliant vehicles. Aftab

Hi Babs You'll have many happy adventures in the Alphard. They're great cars to drive 👍🏼 We took ours to Cornwall last year and stayed in a great campsite. We're planning a longer trip this year 🙂 Go on youtube to see how the tent folds down... we had the same issue with a pop up shelter last year. Good luck Aftab

Yes, you are right ✅️ The bosch numbers are the same. I fitted these without any issues apart from the unwiped very very small area on the left.... no steering wheel on that side so no issues Lol

Hey Declan I had the same issue last year. The wipers being too long, short or the wrong fitment. After searching for days, I found https://www.opieoils.co.uk If your reg doesn't come up then click down and search for the car Manually (there will be 2 tabs for the Alphard/Vellfire range dependingon the year). Once the vehicle comes up then go into service then wipers. You'll find the right ones you're looking for 👍🏼 They always have a discount on. I found them handy for other items too including the Auto gear oil. Good luck mate Aftab

Hi Sascha What a great idea. I haven't heard of anyone doing this before although I'd love to see it done. I would imagine you'll have to do some extra wiring to allow for the extra functions. Please do post some pictures of the conversion if you do manage to do it. Thanks Aftab

Welcome Brian This is a great Forum. I'm sure there are some members near you that can help recommend a garage. I'm with Admiral too 👍🏼 They beat most of the other insurance company quotes by a few hundred pounds. As for the road tax. I believe it's a general price for a 'grey import'. I suppose it works out cheap if you have a 2.4 or 3.5 as the equivalent uk car tax would be much higher. Summer is around the corner.. enjoy the trips in your Alphard.

That's great Debs 😀 This is a really good site and run well. There's a lot of very knowledgeable members on here so feel free to anything.

Hi Debs Good luck with your search for an Alphard 😊 They're brilliant cars and very reliable. Go through this site to see what you should look out for. For example engine size, spec, year and if you want a camper conversion. Also check if your current insurers will insure it. Don't worry though, as there are plenty of insurance companies who insurer imports. I hope you find the one your looking for. Aftab

Good luck Angel 🙂 Yes get out there and have some great days and weeks away in your Alphard.

No problem, I'll make sure I'll do that in around 3 weeks as lead time for delivery is 2-3 weeks 👍🏼 Removing the 3rd row seats was really easy thanks to the you tuber 'Tc's anything goes'. Have a look at his channel as it shows how to do things step by step. The pod is only fixed on by the J bolts so very easy to undo and take out. Fixing the seat back on should take 15mins max I reckon.

Congratulations on your purchase 🎊 It looks really nice and 50k is very low mileage. The extras you got with the Alphard are a great bonus 👍🏼 I'm sure you'll get a lot of use out of it for the coming years. Aftab

I wanted the factory look too 😀 They can post the curtains out to you so you can fit them yourself if you feel confident.. which I recommend. To be honest their fitting skills weren't the best. I had to replace the screws they used to black ones as the silver ones stood out against the black rail. I will also be changing the velcro they used to a beige one as the black one they used was all over the place and stood out. They fit the curtains in an open yard so they ask you to leave them at it while you take a walk into town. The curtain quality looks good though 👌 and they are a nice couple. Unfortunately there isn't a choice of places where we can buy fitted Alphard curtains from.

Hi Angel I've just seen your post, I have a 20 series Alphard. Unfortunately these didn't come with the options for curtains unlike the earlier ones. I had been looking for a set to fit, so took the plunge a couple of weeks ago and purchased them from Jap autos in Southampton. They're not too bad but you will need to buy some extra fittings separately to make them look neater. It is an expensive option though. The other option is to buy a set of fitted black blind insets from Amazon (£100). They are available as a full set including the front and fit really well. I wanted the more stealthy look so used only the middle and rear ones. I brought a standard curtain cab separating curtain to hang behind the front seats. These have a clip and wire system which just hangs on each side (£15-£25). Good luck Aftab

Hi welcome to the club. Alphards are a great choice for their size. I would do a lot of research into what engine and spec you are after first. I have the series 20 on a late 2008 plate. I chose the 2.4 as this was the best for town and motorway journeys. We travelled fully loaded with camping gear to Cornwall/Devon and the Lake District last year. We had no issues with the power and fuel economy was good. Some members like the 3.5 for the extra power. The issue you'll get is that the camper converted ones are priced at a premium. In my opinion you should buy the highest spec Alphard yourself and then find a conversion company. That way you'll have the best of both worlds. I just had curtains fitted to mine and have ordered a kitchen pod from Vangear as I didn't want a permanent conversion. Good luck with your purchase. Post some pictures when you do buy one . Aftab

Hi Jpiech I personally have a 2008 20 series on a 2.4 coupled with a Cvt gearbox and find this has adequate power. I brought this last year and we drove it fully loaded through Cornwall/Devon and then the lake district for a couple of weeks with no issues at all. We are planning our Wales trip this summer 😀. I have had some powerful cars before but I wasn't looking for speed when I brought the Alphard. They are so comfortable to drive and I would recommend any one of them. I think it depends on what you're used to power wise. The 3.5 will definitely give you better acceleration. On the flip side the hybrid would give you better mileage. However you have to factor in the state of the batteries of an 11 year old hybrid and possible costs associated with it. This may make the 3.5 more viable. Good luck 👍🏼 Aftab