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Check your Alphards past history in Japan in detail with CarVX Γ—

pipsyp

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Everything posted by pipsyp

  1. I need to do this on my AH10 facelift at some point. Annoying for the sake of a stalk and a flip on the wiring on the facelifts that Toyota didn't just put it on these as standard.....cost cutting at the extreme πŸ˜‚
  2. Any auto locksmith worth their salt really should be able to source a key and (at very least) code it to the immobilizer. If you want genuine keys, you could try getting one from a local Toyota dealer, or from abroad like Anamaya or PartSouq (they aren't actually that ridiculously expensive) with a view to getting it cut and coded by someone. For what it's worth, syncing the key RF remote to the vehicle is a DIY job, it's just the transponder coding that's a bit more involved. Again with the knowhow, you can buy a copy of Toyota Techstream (the dealer level software) and cable from eBay pretty cheap and do it yourself, but a level of knowledge is involved (and I guess it could prove a touch risky if done incorrectly).
  3. If we're talking tow vehicle and AH20, whilst absolutely nought wrong with a 2.4, CVT won't be a great idea for towing I wouldn't have thought. 3.5 also will have more guts and probably the right way to go, probably overkill really but given they are the only two engine choices. As others have mentioned however, no idea on the towing capabilities of these things.
  4. I can tell you from the pops and bangs that came out of the exhaust none of it was good for ones health, but totally get your point πŸ˜„ I'm betting ULEZ will become EU5 or 6 mandatory before too long anyway (I can't see TfL stopping the pressure on older vehicles) so that will definitely rule out all but the newest Alphards. Shame but no doubt the way it's going.
  5. In all honesty as long as it's a 10 series facelift (came along in 2005), these are all petrol and she to the age tend to be considered Euro 4 compliant. Technically anything of that era, 2.4, 3.0 or Hybrid should be ULEZ compliant, but it's not always a given. Best way to know is find a vehicle you are interested in, get it's registration and put it through the TfL ULEZ checker. If it doesn't say ULEZ needs to be paid you'll be fine. Whole thing rather makes me laugh as I had a 2006 Mini Cooper S as a bit of fun for a while, and that was ULEZ compliant, despite being horrifyingly bad on fuel on urban run (25mpg and probably being generous) and having a CO2 output well into the 200's of g/km πŸ˜†
  6. Both would do the job I think, though not sure either does Android Auto/Carplay (suspect that's not essential?). Personal preference, Id probably choose the Pioneer.....only from experience in having both Kenwood and Pioneer headunits in recent years and the Pioneers (to my ears) tend to sound better. The wiring on these things is crackers though, unless you're very competent with this sort of stuff I'd leave it to a professional installer to sort (be worth the money). With the right wiring harnessses you should have no issues keeping the steering wheel controls and reversing camera πŸ‘
  7. If you have a pop top (like a Drivelodge) might be water in the front spoiler section. The sealant on mine has gone in a couple of places and does fill up in heavy rain, does exactly as you describe. Bought some Sikaflex sealant to sort it (a job for the summer πŸ‘) I use a trim tool to lift a section where the sealant has split on the front to let the water out periodically, surprising how much gets in there! If not, could well be blocked sunroof drains.
  8. Another option.......shape up some Miliput putty, paint it and either glue/silicone it in place. Would probably work quite well (is great stuff). I used it to repair the lower door sills on an old A3 I had......they were prone to having the ends snapped off when people opened the doors out onto things carelessly (pavements mainly!) but I found this stuff could easily be fashioned into the right shape and would attach itself on ok and provide a solid fix and once painted you could hardly tell they were ever broken.
  9. This is very true. That said as long as it is 5w 30 fully synth and the Alphard already has that installled, for the sake of a top up it's incredibly unlikely to cause any harm. TBF in the case of an AH10, most if not all oils you'll pick from the shelf will exceed the specs required....newer Alphards/Vellfires definitely something to bear in mind πŸ‘
  10. Probably won't work on an aftermarket head unit unfortunately.
  11. 5w 30 is 5w 30 really, shouldn't be an issue at all Dave, though making the assumption it has 5w 30 in it already.
  12. Depends somewhat on whether it's a V6, 2.4 or hybrid to be honest. I have a 2.4 and it does appear that the reserve on them is pretty massive. When run until the light comes on, I'm pretty sure there is still between 12 and 14l of fuel left in it....certainly good for a good many miles (50/60 at a push). As others have said though age of these vehicles and the garbage that's probably in the bottom of the tanks, regardless of fuel filters etc it's probably best (whilst not really a problem to run until the fuel light is on as there's plenty left) not to run it on vapours.
  13. I have an AH10 and I found wiper replacements a bit of a challenge too. The blades on mine were ancient and I didn't like the original frame (super twin style) wipers so wanted to replace with aero ones. Also my driver's blade was skipping and not clearing the screen properly so just figured they'd seen better days. I bought Bosch retrofit ones, think 26 and 16 front and also an OE matching type for the rear but found the 26 inch one skipped badly too. I therefore ended up getting a 24 and that is fine...naturally misses c. 1 inch of screen top and bottom but not that you'd ever notice. I have however had a brand new Toyota screen fitted since so am curious if the 26 will now wipe properly. I might give it a go at some point and feed back.
  14. Challenge is what's good in Japan and what's good here (given the relative climate differences) it's hard to say. 5w30 is just a bit heavier weight and you'll likely trade the tiniest bit of fuel economy for better high temp protection (I imagine a heavier weight oil probably lubricates better when cold too). What is important is to try to not mix grades, as they don't mix well together. So if it already has 0w20, use 0w20 to top up etc. Also if you put the Alphard (2az 2.4 engine at least) into Opie Oils every option that comes back is 5w30. Certainly it won't do any harm and again might offer a bit better protection for our climate for a slight trade off in MPG.
  15. No worries Bri, insurance on these isn't ideal....you'd think it'd be a bit less of an issue nowadays considering how prevalent they are becoming in the UK!
  16. Depends if it's a camper conversion or still a regular minivan. If converted it's harder still TBH. These vehicles are rather in an unfortunate category, as even with minimal damage they can prove expensive to repair (as parts aren't cheap anyway and typically would need to be sourced from Japan).....also many repairers would probably refuse to work on an Alphard so from a write off standpoint they are considered high risk (I.e a minor prang will likely result in the insurer just wanting to write off and pay out the insurance valuation). Mines with JustKampers at the moment, they've been very good so far but again not what I'd consider cheap.
  17. It's probably axle tramp, most of these things don't have traction/stability control so you push 220hp through the front end of something like an Alphard harshly, it's somewhat to be expected.
  18. 0w 20 or 5w 30 fully synthetic. Depends rather what is in it already. In Japan 0w 20 I believe was preferred and tended to be what was used but 5w 30 works fine over here (is what was put in mine at it's last service).
  19. You might do already chap, but if not definitely give 99ron a go. Found my 2.4 drives quite a bit better on it, top end performance when revved is definitely improved too. Probably all the better on yours now!! πŸ‘
  20. Nah they run fine on E10, no problem at all. You'll find they run a bit better (certainly a bit more perky) on E5, but it's purely a choice thing. They don't need additive really, particularly if you are putting good quality fuel in and have it serviced regularly....being a port injection engine they don't really suffer from coking.
  21. Yeah the soft close is a really nice touch, same on the tailgate if it's powered πŸ‘
  22. No not really, only that they are quite complicated, expensive to repair (relatively speaking) and given these are now quite old vehicles I can understand why they wouldn't warranty them. If they work now chances are they'll continue to work for some time to come so I wouldn't be too concerned. Just check that they open and close OK as of now and that there is no obvious damage to the cables that run under the rear 3/4 glass.....some minor splits/cracks in the plastic sheathing isn't anything to get too worked up about.
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