BigNev

Smashing! Oh aren't they just sooo good !

I would second all of the above! Look into the oil filler hole and see if it's fairly clean in there, clear or golden colour is good, but black and sludgy, or white and creamy- walk away. If they've not done the oil, it's very unlikely to have much other maintenance. Oil goes off with age as well as miles, and lots of small journeys kill it faster, due to condensation within the engine contaminating it. And also highly recommend a "CarVX" report especially in the absence of any import and first UK dealer sale paperwork. That will give you its condition and mileage at its auction in Japan. You just need the VIN number from the passenger door pillar. If you are a little bit handy then lots of routine servicing can be done by yourself. They're not mysterious cars, they're just not an official UK car, it still has nuts and bolts holding it together! I can't figure out why some garages are afraid of JDM cars. If it's a 2.4 it has a camchain so no belt to change, which it will be if you've posted in the correct section - the Hybrids.

It sounds pretty much like ours. It may be a tiny bit slower to wind and a tiny but longer to fire, but not slow, or reluctant to start, to me 🤷‍♂️ If a fully charged battery makes a bit of a difference, then you're on the track!

Blooming heck! Is there a big event on in the area??

Chuffing heck!! That was seriously stuck in there! Far too happy where it was and wanted to stay!

Hi there! Have you heard of the "searchforsites" app? Our friends use it, and recommended it to us when we borrowed their motorhome to tour the Highlands in 2023, then Europe in 2024. Seems great to us, you can tailor the results for what facilities you want on a site, or don't! To get full function it is a paid for app, but it's only £7.99 for the year.

Hi guys! I got an almost new 17" spacesaver off a Lexus IS220, from an ebay trade seller in Bury, North Manchester, for £36 delivered. Yes, I tried it on and it clears the calipers! A few little marks on the metal, and the tyre still has the moulding pips. It sits in the back as the lpg tank is underneath. I just had a quick look and there are a few on now, but - I don't know if the pcd on the 10 series is 5 x 114.3 like mine. Cheers!

Absolutely cracking job!! Silent door operation would be lovely, as would the full window openi for hot days, had that on a Ford Galaxy and it was a really good useful function for hot days! If only I was close to you!

Yeah! But we live in a low speed, traffic light, junction infested town, so sadly it's going to influence it a LOT. Even her drive to work has enough town at each end to make quite a difference. My in laws live over near Driffield, and almost straight out on to the roads at 50 and 60mph, so much better for travel and economy!

Hi Gary! In our 3.5 V6, town or "fast" motorway drive to work for my wife, 20/21mpg ☹️ But - at least it's on 85p per litre lpg Or with a more restrained cruise, around 25mpg, still not great hey!

Bah humbug, I'm jealous 🤣

Hi everyone! On a legal note, if the garage has done something, they clearly have as you presumably drove it in and now it won't start, to cause this damage, then the responsibility will be on them to put you back in the position you were when you took your vehicle to them. Did they do some electric welding, without disconnecting the battery, to be able melt the ECU? Or what other manner have they managed to short out some electrical circuits, without fuses and other protection devices doing their jobs, in order to cause that level of damage - "inside the ECU had melted"!! As Picasso says, there are several ECU's on them, but I guess it must be the main one to have the problem with the immobiliser, and not be able to read anything from the OBD port, which is pretty jolly serious. Has the ECU actually melted, have you seen this? I do not know, so this is a question for anyone out there, if a new ECU is plugged in, will it know any fault codes on a "new" to it vehicle? I'm guessing now, but will it read the normal parameters from the car, and report anything "off schedule"? But would a new ECU need programming to the car? Beyond my knowledge and skill set that one! Do not be too nice about this, it can bite you on the backside, if you tow it away, and they try to wash their hands of it.

Marvellous! Nope, I'd certainly think not! Well, i wouldn't if it was mine! Ours are simply stuck on with the tape! You're most welcome, glad it helped!

Hi there! This is ours, does this help at all?

Cracking! An excellent, clear, if somewhat unfair for Hybrid owners, explanation! But it's good for us 3.0 and 3.5 owners I suppose!

As per the almost duplicated post - maybe an ignition coil breaking down under heat / load?

Ignition coil breaking down under heat / load?

You're a good man!!

No worries! Did you need help with the numbers for the rear too? (I don't have myself- yet!) I'm lucky that my local autofactors do have access to the Toyota parts system.

Hi guys! I didn't mange to look at the brakes when I hoped, the family had other ideas 😂 But I did this weekend! Free play, travel, and distance to floor under pressure are all sound. So I did a "lazy bleed" of them - put a tube on the bleed nipple and let it dribble into the jug, keeping a watch on the reservoir and topping it up. I do have a little one way hose device for one man bleeding, but I just did it that leisurely way with a cup of coffee! I let around 200ml through each front caliper. Feels a bit firmer! Also, I checked the free sliding motion of the caliper pins and pistons, very free, as are the pads in the carriers. This can cause lots of loss of brake effect if they're not lubed properly, with the correct grease. Perhaps something to check on @turnerjr to be sure that's not a thing with yours. And I have been trying to look into what part numbers the 328mm discs, calipers and carriers may be........ 🤓

Hi Joel! I have the same model same year - but it is not a guarantee they will be the same - Lee should be able to confirm this. I have only done the front, and I used Apec discs DSK2829, 296mm diameter, Toyota 43512 28190, and Apec pads PAD1580, Toyota 04465 28520, and have found them absolutely sound. They are certainly a heavy piece of kit! From those numbers - but only if Lee confirms the originals for yours are those - you can cross reference to other manufacturers.

Hiya Roger, thanks for those numbers, much appreciated! You've cajoled me into setting myself the aim of getting on it this weekend! I do agree, so much can affect the way brakes feel. I seem to remember a few VW cars I drove felt like they were very "over servo'd" - way too much brake for very little pressure. I always used to change hoses on my motorcycles, but as yet never felt it necessary on any cars, not even the Impreza we had a while ago. Yep, I've only got little legs, but strong, so I do have it far enough back to be away from the steering wheel with bent legs on the pedals. My Mrs and I have the same leg length, so never have the argument about the seat position, but in the Alphard she does have the seat higher than me. 😁

Does that company say how they can improve the braking significantly, without swapping calipers or disc size? Just disc type and pads? Yes, an improvement can be made with a softer pad material, at the expense of longevity and dust. Or a material that works really well when hot, as per track day cars and bikes, which wouldn't any good for the road.

Yes indeed they are, loving ours!