pipsyp

I recall that I've been able to squeeze about 62 litres in not long after the light comes on, so is probably 8/9 litres or thereabouts as others have said. Probably 50/60 sensible miles worth.

Cheers Geralt, I had a good look as best I could when I was changing out my DAB antenna but I couldnt figure out what the issue was. Figure it might need the shifter to be removed from the vehicle to really see what's happening but I didn't fancy it. As it's not locked into gear, I'm thinking that it perhaps failed back in Japan and someone took the shift lock off the vehicle, save replacing it for whatever reason. That or it's failed open rather than closed (luckily!). The ignition interlock works just fine as it won't start if not in P, and you can't remove the key so at least that side of it is fine. It has a knocking upper steering column (I suspect the bushings which I already have a set of), so it will be going into the garage to be looked at before too long.

As Rojie said in his post, if you have mains/EHU on the van then use of any old kettle/toaster will be fine. I think my mains has a 20A breaker on it, so would have to be doing quite alot at once to get it to trip. I don't think there's anything of that ilk that'll run off 12v. I don't think I'd go to the trouble of having a conversion done that didn't make provision for mains TBH. Something I don't like about mine is that it only has split relay charging for the leisure battery (so only charges on the move) and the battery/12v services don't charge or work off the mains hook up as it doesn't have a charger installed. Is something I am going to sort at some point, as we've found the 12v fridge freezer will only run for about a day on battery before it stops. Yes, technically the sink does drain straight out. Certainly we're not heathens (😂) so if we were going to waste anything more substantial/unpleasant in the sink than a small amount of run off/washing up water then absolutely would use something to catch it and dispose of it as needed. It's of course a common sense approach. The nice thing however is at no point do you have that stuff retained in the van, or face the situation where the grey waste backs up and overflows as it physically can't happen. I'd have lived with a grey waste bottle if it had one, but I like it without.

Not the 12v battery starting to let go is it? Does it turn over Ok?

Not sure on kettle, ours has 240v but only works when hooked up. On that basis any kettle ought to do really. Sink, haven't really ever used it TBH. One thing I do like about ours is that it drains straight out rather than into a grey water tank. People I bought it off opted to have it converted that way as having researched with others they know with campers the resounding feedback was if you aren't remotely sensible with what you put down there it can get smelly. Think of it what you will but I too prefer the idea of not gathering grey water (it's hardly toilet waste after all). Hob wise, naturally it's propane and you really have to have the tailgate up to cook, so depending on the weather conditions it can take quite a while to a long time to cook stuff. Being used to mains gas at home you can very much tell the difference! We used to holiday in a remote part of Portugal (family used to have a house there) and most houses have propane for cooking and hot water....trying to cook a roast dinner one Christmas in a propane powered oven was a very interesting affair!

As others have eluded to, you can DIY reprogram the car so that the doors unlock when put into P, rather than having to turn off the ignition. Mine was like this and was quite infuriating, but I found a post on here somewhere which described the process and sorted it. Quite a number of steps that have to be done in a specific order, but doable (and does work). Of course there is also the lock/unlock button on the driver's door 😂

I've so far had a good experience with JustKampers Insurance for what it's worth. They are just a brokerage (think it's Sterling underneath the facade), they also wanted lots of info upfront that most insurers don't ask for, a bit irritating but was worthwhile for the cost. I think my van is insured with Aviva. Premium is more than I expected but far more reasonable than most, though you'll also find the moment you go for higher mileage cover the premiums go up exponentially. I tested the water by requesting a quote to up the mileage by 2k pa to see what'd happen and the premium was to increase by about 150 quid a year. Will see how they are come renewal time. If you try the price comparison sites you'll probably laugh out loud at 1. The prices quoted and 2. The number of companies that will provide a quote (probably only a couple).

Hey Rojie, They don't, but I guess it would only hold so much/long. Not that they'd ever likely play with the shifter anyway but still I'm not one to take chances 👍

In my car I believe the rear lights that come on with the dipped beam have been set up to run brighter when the fog light switch is flipped. Also the fog light switch will only work when the dipped beams are turned on (no power to it otherwise). I'm not sure if the bulbs are dual filament, of if it just hits them with a higher wattage. Quite a neat solution anyway.

No worries Kerryn! Totally get it RE the V6, I happened across mine and was an opportunistic (to good to turn down) purchase....it was a 2.4 so had no choice in the matter really but I would also preference the V6 if I was actually going out to buy one from scratch. That said I like the 2.4 and haven't been at all disappointed by it, other than being a bit thirsty A to B. People say the 2.4 is underpowered, it really isn't. Look out for an MS I would. There are four main variants AX (2.4 non sport), AS (2.4 sport), MX (3.0 non sport) and MS (3.0 sport). The 'S' variants have a nice bodykit and boot spoiler on them and IMHO definitely look better than the regular car, though that's subjective. A number of different specifications as well, no two Alphards seem to be the same! Look out for examples with power doors and tailgates. Some have none, some have one power door, some have two power doors, some have two power doors and a power tailgate. I have power doors and tailgate and find them pretty useful, though it is something else to break/fail. I wouldn't bother with a car with the sonar parking system unless it's otherwise a good car. They don't function quite like parking sensor systems we are used to nowadays, I gather you have to get very close to something then an angry Japanese voice shouts at you instead of bleeping. Retrofitting some sensors is probably the way to go if you want them, but they are quite square so not too challenging to park. The thing also beeps relentlessly at you when reversing anyway (it's a JDM thing) so how well you'd hear sensors over that I don't know! The factory nav head unit is a bit random as it's mostly in Japanese and have CD and Mini Disc players. Also unless a band expander has been fitted the radio won't work. Its possible to fit a aftermarket double din and make it work with the factory rear camera (if fitted) and steering wheel controls, but the fascia adaptor and working for the camera and controls can be quite costly. Mine came already fitted with an expensive Pioneer double DIN with DAB, Bluetooth and wireless carplay/android auto and and integrated to my factory rear camera and steering wheel controls so got lucky there! Many have a TV in the back and I believe you tend to lose that if you remove the factory audio, but you would have to lose it with a poptop conversion anyway. They pretty much all have adaptive (by this I believe this is just auto levelling) xenon headlamps and folding mirrors, just a good idea to make sure they are all working as both can be a bit of a pain to fix if they have a problem. If you have a flashing AFS Off light in the cluster the auto levelling for the Xenons is up the spout. You can fix folding mirror motors but it's not that straightforward. RE the Drivelodge top, if you opt for one with opening side windows be aware that the flynets fitted to them can be a bit of a weak point. Mine split badly at barely two years old so I had them removed.....it's actually better without them IMHO. Drivelodge said that it was most likely that they had been cleaned with something which led to the mesh deteriorating but I think that's unlikely (just split from being folded more than it's open I suspect). Also, I have the LED rooflights in mine and have found they haven't ever worked, though I suspect it's a wiring issue, not a problem with the LEDs themselves. Otherwise I think they are a really good bit of kit. Just make sure it gets fitted by a Drivelodge approved installer (if I had the choice, I would have used Drivelodge themselves most likely). Feel free to PM me if there's anything else you want to know/ask, is no problem!

Ooooh another point....Insurance. These things aren't the cheapest to insure anyway. Converted it's definitely more of a challenge. Less companies are interested in covering them and many that will want quite a premium. You may find you end up having to go with someone that specialises in camper van conversions to get a more reasonable premium.

I have a 2008 converted 2.4. Has a rear kitchen, factory 2nd row (so essentially it's still a factory 5 seater) which converts into a flat sleeping space and also has a drivelodge pop top. I can tell you mine is a sunroof car, from a conversion perspective it doesn't really matter, all it will mean is you won't have the sunroofs anymore but will still have the switches for them. My vehicle was imported mid 2021 by Stuart Spencer Autos for the people I purchased it from and then the conversion was managed by them before collection (New Dawn did the kitchen and electrics, Northstar the pop top conversion). People who have been converting these for a long time don't care if they have the sunroofs, just they are a bit more straightforward to convert without. The Drivelodge is pretty good, looks neat and you can hardly tell it's there when driving it. Of the poptops available, it's probably one of the better designed/developed units. Not cheap though (mine cost c.4k to do). If I can offer any advise....... Don't discount the 2.4. People on here do tend to preference the V6 and I do get why, but even unconverted this isn't a performance vehicle (they drive well but the steering is very slow and dim witted and it's definitely designed to drive well in a straight line!) and the 160hp 2.4 will haul you around quite admirably and actually still has a relatively decent lick of pace if you use the gears and rev it. It's not fast by any stretch, but it will sit on a motorway as speed quite happily and is a pleasure to drive. I am also a bit of a petrolhead and like/have had some fairly quick cars. MPG wise there probably isn't much in it but note the 2.4 runs quite happily on E10 as well and whilst it probably has to work a bit harder it will still do 28/29 mpg on a sensible long run. It also has a timing chain, so no cambelt changes to worry about. The V6 is a non interference engine so if the belt did go, you won't bend valves but they still need a cambelt change every so often. Possibly avoid the Hybrid. They aren't at all bad, not at all but they are considerably more complicated in the same way an early Prius is compared to a regular car or a similar age. Short version, the regular 2.4 and V6 are easier to fix if they go wrong. Think about how you want to have it converted. Everyone has their own view on this, but whilst I didn't get to choose how mine was converted, I think side conversions are more compromised. Firstly you lose access to one or the sidedoors. Also you end up having to trade the factory 3 seat 2nd row for a 3rd party made rock and roll bed. These may be more comfortable to sleep on, but if you are going to be carrying passengers in it regularly, they aren't very nice to sit in. With mine, it still serves a purpose as a 2nd family car, also the space behind the rear seats serves as quite a roomy boot space, so it's not a great deal less practical for having the kitchen in the rear (just has to be loaded through the side doors, not the boot). I'll be honest, I got mine for a relative steal and it's undoubtedly worth a fair bit than I paid for it (looks like most are 20k+ from reputable places) but if you are going to the trouble of converting one, source the right vehicle first through a well regarded importer and get them to assist with the conversion. Perhaps give Stuart Spencer Autos a look?

Evening folks........ Be interested to hear your thoughts and recommendations (particularly the more seasoned Alphard owners of you). My 2008 AH10 2.4 has always had an issue with the shift lock, in that it's never worked full stop. Better than being stuck in P admittedly but in my case you can simply pull it in and out of P with the engine running and no foot on the brake. I've had the dash apart today as I wanted to figure out how best to get it apart as I need to install a new DAB antenna following a windscreen change (a bloody pain of a job) and as far as I can tell...... The shift button wasn't broken (as is usually the case I lost the sod in the bowels of the dash putting the fascia trim back on lol) The lever that the shift lock operates with moves freely and returns just fine on the spring. Looking within the innards of the shifter....I can see that when the lever is operated that the catch that would lock the lever into P moves up and down as expected. However in the lock position, it simply doesn't stop the lever being moved out of P. I'm assuming that the park lock is likey normally activated off of the brake pedal and that likely this has failed and that perhaps someone as a cheap fix has broken the top section off of the lock mechanism so that it never locks. I must confess I can't tell really by looking at it but the white catch definitely does not prevent the lever moving in and out of P. My worry is that I have three kids, two on the younger side and whilst I rarely ever leave them in it, it does go through my mind that they could very easily put the vehicle into gear (or out of P) and that doesn't sit very well with me. My thoughts are that I'm probably going to have to replace the selector unit if I'm ever going to get it working. Just wondering if anyone else here has suffered the same fate/if it's a common issue and if just buying a used selector off eBay is the best thing to do. Cheers. Paul

No worries Rojie! I had Autoglass as well, also a Toyota screen. Cannot fault the service one bit, chap who did the work was wonderful and did a beautiful job. I'll need a new DAB antenna at some point but just one of those things. He told me something interesting that it somehow works out more cost effective for the main glass distributors to stock genuine Toyota glass than 3rd party made stuff so pretty much any time you get a screen changed in an Alphard it will be genuine glass. Unfortunately mine has sprung a small leak so am going back to have it refitted this morning (again, same technician, contacted directly by his mobile no. Which he left me when doing the job and has literally done all the organising. Unbelievable service). I hope the wiper thing helps you out. Interestingly mine didn't wipe properly before I switched to aero blades so I knew going back to the old school blades would've made no difference. As @John Harrison mentions I am sure adjusting the physical arm would've had the same impact and so could have retained the 26" blade but not knowing what I am doing, didn't fancy it in case I made it worse. What is also interesting is that my wipers were quite noisy and clattered in use previously which they now don't with the smaller driver's blade. For the loss of a couple of inches of wiping (which in recent torrential rain I've not noticed one bit) its a good result 👍

New Dawn are excellent

Very nice, New Dawn do a nice conversion (did my rear conversion for the previous keepers)

Since getting my 2008 AH10, the drivers side wiper had always skipped. The initial sweep was fine, but the return used to miss/skip over a fair section of screen to the point it was quite annoying when it rained/you washed your screen. I initially put it down to the blade being bad (as they were the old frame style and clearly quite old) but changing it out (from the old style to aero blades) for a new one of the same 26" length it still skipped. I figured it was either a weakness in the arm or perhaps some distortion of the screen. I'd just lived with it up until now, but having recently had my windscreen replaced and it doing the exact same thing with fresh glass I thought I'd try something. I replaced the original AR26U Bosch blade for it's 24" equivalent, figuring that the loss of an inch of wiping either end of the blade wouldn't be a huge loss it would be worth a try to see if the skipping stopped. Well low and behold it did. Now wipes perfectly with barely any difference in coverage. Therefore if anyone experiences the same thing, can almost guarantee switching the driver's blade from 26 to 24" it'll sort it. Certainly cheaper and less problem than trying to source a new wiper arm!

Appreciate this, I had wondered about mine so checked it out and confirmed both had been done 👍

Pretty sure all facelift AH10s are effectively Euro 4 compliant. All the prospective buyer needs to worry about is whether the TfL site says it's compliant or not. Unfortunately (and I think it's often down to how they are imported and registered in the UK), some show compliant, others such as yours don't. You could reach out to TfL with the evidence of Euro 4 compliance and they'll probably amend the online record, I am sure others have done this but I'd imagine it's a pretty tedious job! The buyer probably needs to lighten up TBH, even if these cars are currently ULEZ compliant, way things are going they probably won't be for that much longer.....if they live in a ULEZ area or would be using it to travel into it alot I'd question if an Alphard is the right vehicle for them anyway.

The bolt to lower the space saver on my rear converted AH10 is under the boot latch trim, has to be removed to access it. You then use the wheel brace from the cars tool kit to turn it to lower it. The kitchen unit does get in the way but it's still very much accessible. I however cannot confirm if this is the factory location for it, or if it was relocated when converted. Regardless I've just ordered an emergency repair and inflation kit for it, not sure I'd fancy running a space saver on it unless I really had to and tyre looks original.

My 2008 57 plate AH10 2.4 shows as compliant. Not sure if it's age related, or whether they are just more friendly towards Japanese imports (because they don't know what the emissions are).

Hi, I bought an already converted AH10 a few months back. Rear Kitchen, MHU (mains hook up) and 12v wiring/leisure battery was done by New Dawn, pop top done by Northstar and is a Drivelodge. I think each to their own but these are my thoughts. Rear conversion works better than side conversion - this way you retain the factory 2nd row (which still folds flat into a bed) and retain full use of both side doors. There is still useful bootspace between the kitchen and 2nd row......if you plan to use it as a daily then this is the way to go. Only real downside is that it's nigh on impossible to get to the spare wheel release due to the kitchen placement (just resort to tyre gel and a compressor!). I also am not personally a fan of rock and roll beds.....comfier to sleep on sure, but as nice to sit in on a journey (or as safe)....I doubt it. New Dawn did a lovely job on the kitchen conversion, all very solid and nice materials/components used. No complaints and they've been very friendly and responsive to requests for info I've made to them. Definitely get a leisure battery with split charging. I also strongly encourage having a battery charger installed that allows the 12v systems to be powered from the MHU and also charge the battery whilst connected. We have a 12v fridge freezer in ours which is brilliant, but it kills the leisure battery quick and without the means to charge the battery when not moving means it's pretty compromised. Mine currently doesn't have a charger so is something I plan to sort. Drivelodge roof is very good, seems well made and is a nice profile on top of the van - well thought out. I would however say it's only really ever as good as how well it is installed. Northstar didn't do a bad job on it, but my suspicions are that Drivelodge would have done it better and would have been my choice had I got it converted. The internal framing started coming unglued and some minor bits of trimming came unstuck which I've had to sort etc, which given it was only done mid 2021 is a bit disappointing. My only disappointment with the roof is that the fly netting (believe it is fibreglass mesh) has started splitting in a few places already both sides, I believe as a result of it remaining folded much of the time. Sadly the netting can't be unzipped and replaced (it's triple stitched in place), so it's going to be the case of taking it to a suitable place to get it replaced eventually, replace the entire canvas (big job, expensive and seems unnecessary seeing as it's perfect otherwise) or cut it out with careful use of a Stanley blade. Still a bit of a shame given the roof is barely 2 years old. Regardless I don't think there are too many poptop options for the Alphard, but despite my minor issues, it's an excellent bit of kit and would highly recommend. I can also say that support from Drivelodge themselves is excellent 👍

Yeah the lap belt thing is workable in most circumstances. I have three kids, though two of them no longer need boosters but one of them will sit in the front and myself or the wife will take the lap belt. Guess it's a bit of a shame Toyota didn't engineer a third 3 point belt into the physical seat, also I'd have forgone the armrest for another headrest but it is what it is 👍

Just noted your point on the 3 child seats. Not to burst the bubble but do be aware that the middle seat in the 2nd row only has a lap belt, not a 3 point harness so it really is no good for a child seat or high back booster. The two main seats either side have full 3 point harnesses and they also have ISOFIX capability (just been out and checked)

Have a 2008 2.4 that's had a rear kitchen and pop top conversion. Retains the 3 seat 2nd row so still a full 5 seater. Just drove it from the South Coast to North Yorkshire, loaded it did about 28 up, 27 on return, both ways plenty of stop start traffic. I think 30 is possible with a light right foot and the right sort of run but I think high 20's is very good for a heavy 2.4 NA auto petrol. It's not wonderful A to B though, I daily mine a fair bit and the previous tank which was mostly commuting to work and bumbling about came in at about 19 which is a bit heavy. They definitely prefer a decent run. I'm not anti Hybrid, but I personally wouldn't want one as whilst the tech was clever for the time it's not that wonderful now and adds quite a bit of complexity to a vehicle which (being a bit of an obscure Jap Import) can be quite challenging to fix when needed anyway. The V6's are nice and I think I'd appreciate their extra go/effortless nature but the 2.4 is all the engine an Alphard needs IMHO. I concur with others as well, to tax is good as it's a fixed amount being an import (215 a year, being over a 2.0 I think) but insurance is challenging. Mines worse as it's a camper conversion so limits options that bit more but they definitely seem to be a harder, more expensive car to insure regardless of your age, driving history etc. I don't think some insurers/underwriters will even touch them......I think it's in part down to them being challenging to repair if they ever end up in a fender bender!