smurf

I have a 2003 Alphard E-four camper. It was converted by the now defunct campers Scotland, also known as Campervanco, and they specialised in converting the hybrid Alphard so there are quite a few about if you look. It suits me fine, won't win any speed records, and although it is a hybrid it is still a bit thirsty (I generally get about 35mpg on motorway runs sitting at 60mpg) The older hybrids are getting long in the tooth, and they can throw up expensive faults. Having said that, like anything these days you only hear of the people who have had a problem, not all the people who don't. If you have set your heart on the hybrid then maybe see if you could stretch to the later gen 2 model as the hybrid system is very different. The non hybrids models aren't too far behind in fuel consumption, so don't discount them if that is your reason for looking at hybrids. It terms of getting 5 belted seats, I believe North Star conversions do offer this with a side conversion but it does then limit the space for the side conversion. If you do a Google search you will probably find some photos to get an idea of what is possible.

Toyota don't make them, so don't waste your time with them. The only company left manufacturing them for the Alphard is PCT automotive https://www.pctautomotive.com/towbars

So far as charging goes, a lead acid leisure battery and a lead acid starter battery require absolutely no difference in how they are charged. The differences between the construction of the batteries is minimal. If the leisure is something like an AGM battery then a charger capable of charging that battery in the correct manner should be used, but even a charger just made for a common starter battery would not make wreck an AGM battery on one charge cycle It is more likely that your charger killed the Sargent unit by forcing current into its outlet side, or it was on its last legs and the charger exposed the weak point.

That is a great result 👍

Not as bad as it sounds. It looked like a Russian enthusiast run website that originally offered the manuals with payment via PayPal, and the Ukraine invasion stopped that method of payment. I took a punt for $40US and it worked out fine. The website has gone now, but this is it on the internet archive https://web.archive.org/web/20230326174700/http://en.estima.su/

It is perfectly fine to charge a battery on the car with a modern smart charger. Those of us with camper conversions are charging our batteries on the car every time we hookup. My main 12V battery is also charged from the solar panel. There is no reason for fuses to be blowing because a few amps is flowing into the battery. I wouldn't chance it with an old school charger, and would always disconnect when using one of these. They can be a bit more brutal.

I have a copy of the hybrid manual that is partially translated from Japanese. I bought it via a Russian website from a guy that only took crypto as payment. That was a steep learning curve 🫣. The website is dead now. Anyhow, I'll fire up my laptop later and see if it has the file you are looking for.

Try these https://hybridbatteryrepair.co.uk/about/

Presumably this would cover what need, which is wheel nut torque and tyre pressure https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toyota-Vellfire-2008-Owners-manual/dp/B00F0UA4SS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=1CSD42CEISOPR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._0dVYIxSpCpdh_yqE8HX9_4zHVcDcTW2ReWH7UZPg6Y.IQfcoR-pPRf7yg5uaqLGmu2BVFtSW1-MCCNdRmSQ200&dib_tag=se&keywords=toyota+vellfire+owners+manual&qid=1753433633&sprefix=vellfire+o%2Caps%2C132&sr=8-1

I assume the electrician has not looked at the schematics, and is only considering the implementation of canbus in its most modern form where nearly everything on a car is directly on the canbus. A 2007 Alphard has canbus and MCX to the dash. The schematic in the manual appears shows the speed signal to the dash is provided over canbus. The sensor is not connected to canbus, it is connected to one of the ECMs that will have a canbus connection. If the electrician has checked the canbus speed chip why do they think the car doesn't have canbus? I'd be disconnecting the canbus chip from the dash and see if the problem goes away.

What year is your car?

I've sent you a PM James, with some info about a manual.

The speed sensor will go through an ECU. There will be a canbus connection to the dash from the various ECUs, which brings me to my question. How has your car been converted to read mph? Has it had a dash overlay, or has it had a canbus chip installed? The canbus chips can cause all sorts of issues when they play up. If you aren't sure, an overlay will likely have mph and kph numbers on, but if a canbus chip has been used it will be just a single scale.

Powering an electric heater from a battery is not really a viable option. I just looked at the stats of a Bluetti 1800W, and it only has a little over 1100Whr of power, which is just over 2 hours running a 500W heater. A diesel heater would be better for heating, especially if you are considering going off grid in winter, and a small gas stove might be simpler for boiling water.

At least one working rear fog light in the centre or to the right of the vehicle is the MOT requirement. Front fog lights aren't a testable item. Not sure why a wing would need taking off for a rear fog lamp repair?

An alternator is another name for an AC generator. When applied to cars, what most people are talking about is the small generator ultimately responsible for providing the 12V required to charge the battery and power the 12V systems. The Alphard hybrid does have an alternator, but it is not powering the 12V system. It is actually a starter/generator that is used to start the engine under certain conditions, and I believe it acts as a generator when needed to help charge the hybrid battery at tickover.

Have you checked the usual petrol engine problem causers? A dirty throttle body seems to be a bit of a feature of Toyota's and can give the problems you have, MAF sensors also get dirty and cause running issues, there could be ignition problems such as spark plugs or coil packs.

There is no alternator on the hybrid. There is a DC-DC converter that (on my 2003 hybrid) outputs 13.9V when the ignition is on, with the supply coming from the hybrid battery. 13.6V should be absolutely fine to keep everything powered up, but it could be a indicator of gremlins at play. Is your OBD scanner compatible with JOBD? Even if it is, it might be worth getting techstream and a minivci cable as you could check live data and see what is going on. It also might pick up codes that a generic reader has missed.

I'm surprised it didn't come spring loaded so it can't flap about? A quick Google search did throw up plenty of spring loaded EHU sockets, so maybe a change might be the simplest solution?

Those conditions read to me that they only apply when they are stated in your insurance schedule. If they aren't in the schedule, then they don't apply. I'd double check with the insurer.

The factory fitted immobiliser won't be Thatcham approved. I'm insured with Caravan Guard. They take a lot of details, but it means nothing is left to chance. The only downside with them is that it does have to a professional conversion and they do ask who did it. If it isn't on their list they won't offer cover. I can't remember the cost off the top of my head, but it was very reasonable.

You'll need to use Toyota Techstream to do it yourself.

The springs and shock absorbers aren't arranged in a strut, they are separately mounted and changing one doesn't involve the other, but obviously it will do no harm to change them.

The lack of gas does need resolving. Knowing what pre-charge pressure it should be set to will be a challenge as it doesn't appear to be published anywhere. Contacting Tein ú in in Japan might the best way to find out. From the photos I've seen there appears to be no pressure sensors fitted to the gas side of the suspension, so the controller wouldn't have a clue what the pressure is. I would expect low tank pressure to be related to the hydraulic pump. It doesn't look like the system holds much of a reservoir of oil, so if the bladders are empty of gas then that is more volume to be filled with oil before it can begin to build pressure, and if there isn't much spare oil in the system it just isn't going to work. Look for hydraulic maintenance specialists near you. The chances are that they will have the gear to recharge accumilators and it should be easy for them to charge up your suspension, so long as they know what pressure they are aiming for.

Accumulators normally have a gas bag filled with nitrogen to provide an energy store within the nitrogen that is compressed by the hydraulic side of the system. Definitely don't recharge it with hydraulic oil. Where is the hydraulic pump located and is it working? Lack of hydraulic pressure is more likely to be a cause of not lifting rather than low nitrogen pressure.