Steve in Chester

As Peter says, turn the engine run switch off when it’s pointing straight down. You don’t actually have to have the engine running to do it though, you might flatten the battery if you start the engine to many times. Just press the start button twice without touching the brake pedal, operate rear wiper, press start button when wiper points downwards.

Does anyone have a service interval for the transmission fluid?

I have got servicing parts directly from my local dealership before without any problems. They’re probably not the cheapest, but they always have them.

The manual states 6.1 L with a filter change, but there will always be some oil left in the engine even after you’ve drained it. I only got 5 L in.

I can’t remember off the top of my head, but when I did mine, I bought 6 litres of oil, so it must’ve specified more than 5 litres in the manual. But when I went to refill the oil it only took the 5 litres and it was slightly over the full line. Did you replace the filter? Have you run the engine to circulate the new oil round the engine and check again?

Just out of interest, have you had the battery off recently?

I just went to the local Toyota dealer.

The manual mine came with recommends 5W-20 for the 2GR-FE (3.5 litre), or, 0W-20 for the 2AZ-FE (2.4 litre).

Did you get to the bottom of this?

Can you turn the engine over with a socket on the crank shaft pulley, take the spark plugs out first though or you’ll be fighting the compression. If not then I’m wondering if the oil pump has failed. If so, it might have damaged the engine. There could be all kinds of damage. My sister ran her car dry of oil and it was ruined. You could try draining the oil and changing the filter, check oil for metallic particles, you could also take the sump off and check for signs of over heating and wear.

Normally, the clicking starter can mean low battery voltage too, have you had it charged. Is it a normal petrol engine or a hybrid?

Do I understand correctly, the oil level is showing as being correct on the dipstick, but the oil warning light came on under acceleration? Was the engine temperature ok when this happened?

Glad it’s MOT’ed now. There are some diagrams on this site but they’re a bit complicated if you’re not technically minded.

Did you get to the bottom of this? There is a fuse box in the footwells on the drivers side and the passengers side.

Toyota windscreen wipers and rear wiper:

I got mine from the Toyota dealer near where I live. They were exactly the same as the existing ones. I got the numbers off the Toyota EPC site: https://toyota.epc-data.com Mines a GGH20 (2nd Generation) by the way. Here’s a picture of the windscreen wiper part numbers.

Have you got the manual? There is a procedure to reset the doors if the battery has been off.

There are electrical drawings here if that helps. They are complex though and you’ll need to view them on a computer.

There are fuses in the left and right footwells on my 2008 Alphard, have you checked both sides for a blown fuse? Also, my side doors can be opened with the remote central locking key fob, might the button have been accidentally pressed in your pocket? Have you got a good voltage in the 12 volt battery? I’m not especially familiar with these cars as I’ve not had one long but that’s where I’d start. Steve.

I use an Alphard as a daily driver an love it. I’m used to driving vans for work so the size of the thing’s not an issue but you’ll get used to it.

Mine is a different one but Google Translate app is very helpful in setting up the Bluetooth pairing. There are plenty of options to mess with, but you do need the translate app. It’s a good system when you get used to it. Only problem is the radio frequency range only includes Radio 2. You can pair your phone and listen to the Radio via the internet and hear it through the cars speakers though.

Always worth checking the basics before paying a garage. Have you had a flat battery recently? That can throw up spurious faults. Is the battery in good condition? What’s the voltage across the battery with the engine running? The electronics need the correct voltage to operate correctly. Any blown fuses? Have you done any jobs on the car that might have caused it?

I think the fans will be at the other end to the inlet. Maybe try vacuuming the dust out if you can get the vac hose through the gap.

I couldn’t see a filter. It looks from the drawings like the air is sucked in through that vent at the back and blown through the ducts out the vents under the seats.