BigNev

Yes, Amayama have alternative manufacturers listed, quite a few, including Febest! As well as the original, but at £512 I would certainly be looking at one of the others, round figures £40 plus £35 shipping in just over 2 weeks. And at that cost, from what I've had from them, no VAT on arrival.

Hi there @Malcontents did you get further on your investigations? Just so we can all share in the knowledge?

Ah yes of course! Well then, its not impossible I'm wrong! But, into the mix, the DSG gearbox cars we've hired on holiday the last 2 years both drove like a "normal auto", and they aren't. I'll be watching for @Clutha response after checking on the actual vehicle!! As that's the ultimate test report! Or anyone else with the correct model of course! We learn something new everyday! About 15 years ago I did a supercar driving experience as a present, and a Ferrari had a gearbox that didn't creep, but was therefore very jerky on take off. So maybe it's "engineered in" for the masses?

Yep. All creep forward. Stuck brakes? Etc Etc Etc

I did the filter as well, if you take the sump off be aware there is still about a litre and a half of fluid, have a bowl under there!

No worries mate! Yes, my best guess is an an air leak. Check for any loose connections on the intake system, cracked hoses, and anything else like that. It's beyond my abilities, but as you said the car was running lean, do you have the kit to see the long term fuel trims? And are they still lean? Not that I know what the figures should be! Possibly, if there aren't any obvious leaks, try some fuel system / injector cleaner, in case it's that side of the system.

I'd say at about 15 years old or when I just bought it 😄 As that's what I did personally. It's not too hard at all, but you do need to be able to see transmission fluid temp to get the level right with the "overflow tube" method it uses.

If I've read what you said correctly, it can happen at any time apart from when the engine is cold and running enriched fuelling? And a "gasp" sound. That sounds like a possible unmetered air leak somewhere. Extra air getting in that isn't measured by the Mass Air Flow sensor so the fuelling isn't adjusted for it. Could be anywhere along the air intake after the MAF - assuming it has one of course!

Also, if you really actually need to change your battery, if you can do it yourself, try two companies I've used, they do do delivery, Tayna Batteries in Bodelwyddan, and Advanced Battery Supplies in Stockport. You may not necessarily need them, but more amps equals more "in the reserve bank" to still start the engine - after successive starts, lights left on, charging phones etc Both great people to deal with! Good luck getting it sorted out!

Gorgeous that one!

Heck of a job you're into there mate! Good luck with progress, I'll keep watching out for updates!

Very nice indeed!

Bargain! Obviously though, run it through the comparison sites, some don't know what an Alphie is, or Vellfire, but some do. Follow the order advised by martin Lewis - Money Saving Expert. We ended up with Admiral, from Confused.com, when we bought it, for our first year insurance, as our (current at that time) car insurer eSure (who were garbage as an "on line only" company) "didn't insure imports" so couldn't do a vehicle change. Hopefully, as is common, the longer you have a vehicle it counts as a minor positive score.

Surely not .......... hmmm well, actually, I reckon it's more than a little likely!

American companies..... surely not anything to do with maximum profits....

Hello there!! Well, I do now have a Vellfire! And it was on lpg when we bought it, saved me a job and a chunk of money too! I have noticed a drop off of mpg on the Subaru, since the end of 2023, which hasn't changed with new coils, and LPG specific NGK plugs. The Vellfire runs GREAT, but not had it a full 2 months yet, so I've not had any real opportunity to compare petrol to gas! How has the situation been with your car?

Hi Ross! From your location you have a lovely stretch of motorway to go at. you don't have to speed, use the gear selector to keep the engine revs up to get the catalytic converters nice and blooming hot. As Picasso says, jolly good results can be had from some of the cleaners. The one I have used in the past is Cataclean, but there's plenty of choices! Good luck with it, keep us updated please, and let us know which cleaner you go for! Cheers!

Wow! It's more than a bit steep for my pocket that! But if I actually bothered to buy a ticket, and won the lottery.... as luxurious as it may be, I'd still not do it 😂

Hi Ed! Mine is a 2 wheel drive, bought it with LPG already fitted, saved me the job! So looking under ours I would GUESS that no, a tank that size may not fit, ours is only about 70 litres total and the front is rather close to the centre line of the wheels. But it may be possible, if the tank was further back than ours is! I want to try to get more capacity, if necessary with an extra tank under there somewhere, but the first guy we tried was very dismissive, I very much got the impression he just couldn't be bothered, only interested in easy fits. He also said that he couldn't swap the big filler under the bumper to a hidden fill point, the one that is standard fit on Dacia, so I just gave up and left at that. My Subaru has that filler type fitted, when I had the BRC installation done, so it can be.

I also meant to say the handbook is very much worth the investment, takes tbe guesswork out of a lot of little functions !! And some bigger ones too! I bought my book around May / June, finally got a car at the back end of November, we were very hopeful on what model Alphard / Vellfire we wanted!! 🤣

Hi David! Jolly good decision, I hope you'll like it as much as I'm liking mine so far, we've only had it just under 2 months! Already been tempted by many aliexpress goodies !! Yes. the VX report is in the region of £18 to £19 depending on the exchange rate on the day.

Hi Fred! Good luck for tomorrow, I hope it's as good as the pictures you've seen! The CarVX reports are very good, but not infallible, I did them on one we didn't end up buying, and the one we did. On the Vellfire we did get, the report said the airbag recall was still outstanding, but on Toyota's own site search it has been done. But on both, from the copy of the auctions sheets, with the aid of google translate, I found some useful information on them! Cheers! Nev

Hi there! Have you attempted to see if it's locked, by NOT having the fob with you when you try to open it? Otherwise it does sense the fob and allow the rear door to be opened.

Hi guys! Ah those extra bolts would have saved my knuckles some grief 🤣 Cracking job, and extra photos in tbe mix! Ooh it's chuffin lethal on that shopping site isn't it? And I'm liking your lights mate! The Mrs has had me order some "Vellfire" ones too, as I made the mistake of showing her, and how cheap they are in the winter sake, oops! Mine has the flare too!! Told her to stop kicking it on the way out 😬

Heehee! Yep, for us most of the time it will be the 4 of us, so my daughters will love that! I've just been out with one of them and she said it's almost too big! Those lights were very much definitely worth it for me, that original light is rubbish in a black car, certainly for me. Same as you on the other lights as LEDs, not it sure if they're original, but extremely blinding if I look into them. Yes, I know, there's an easy solution to that 🤔 Because aliexpress.com is a temptation zone, I also bought some replacement door LED projector lights, many options available. That's how bright the interior lights on ours are, just illustrates the contrast!