Folding The 3rd Row Seats

One of my reader asked me on this post how to fold the 3rd row seats. In this post I will show you how to do it if you have not tried it before.

You might want to create a large space between your rear seats so that you have more room to work on this.

First of all you need to find the marker for the 3rd row seat. Only when the 3rd row seat is in this position, it can be lifted up from the rail. I have tried but somehow my old digital camera couldn't get me a clear picture of the marker as shown below.

Maybe because of the beige colour and the reflection from the side wall from the flash light such that the marker doesn't come out clear. However, you should be able to find it right in front the edge of your 3rd row seat. I have circled it in the above photo.

Slide your 3rd row seat so that the front edge of the seat is level with the marker.

Now pull the level on the side of the 3rd row seat (as shown below) to lower the backrest so that it is flush with the seat.

Here is a view from the rear of the car when the 3rd row seats are in flat position when the backrests are lowered.

Now pull the level that lock (as shown) the 3rd row seats to the rail on the floor to release the seats.

Once the seat is released from the rail, you can lift it up as shown below.

Finally under the seat, there is a velco strap that you can hook your seats to the roof-hook as shown below.

Give this a try if you want to fold your 3rd row seats.

Hope this help

Disconnect The Battery If You Don't Plan To Drive Your Toyota Alphard For A Long Time

Somehow I didn't get the chance to drive my giant (Toyota Alphard) over the Chinese New Year holiday periods. I was planning to drive the giant to visit relatives and friends as part of the CNY tradition of getting together. Somehow I just left the giant and took the other cars out all the time and didn't even remember to start the car for once in more than 7 days.

So when I try to start the giant today it just won't start. I can hear rattling sound from the engine bay but it just won't kick start the car. The immobiliser indicator on the stachometer started to flash once I pull out the key so I initially thought it has something to do with the immobiliser. However since the flashing light goes off once the key is inserted again, it is obvious that the immobiliser is working properly.

Since I ICEd my car so I have one of those volt meter display installed next to the battery. It was showing around 11.5v which is just slightly less than the required voltage to kickstart the engine. Given that the giant has a large alternator it really need all the power from the battery to start the engine. Interestingly that at this voltage the power door still can be operated (I wanted to test it to see how bad the battery was). Looks like the power door motor don't required so much juice to drive the power door.

Also the IES alarm system I installed doesn't seems to be affected. It continue to operate without any hitch. This is different from other alarm system where the alarm will make annoying buzzing sound when it detected the battery is weak. I think the reason being that this alarm comes with a battery pack that continue to power the system even though the car battery is weak.

Anyway I borrowed a jumper cable from a nearby workshop and jump-started the engine. After driving the giant for a while now the battery is re-charged and maintain a voltage above 12.5v which is sufficient to start the engine. Once the engine is started the voltage will fluctuate between 13.9v to 14.1v.

I must remind myself to frequently start the engine every other day even though I haven't been driving my giant lately. Now you know why every morning the dealers will ask their worker to start the engine of every cars they have on display in the showroom. This is to ensure that the battery are probably charged while the car is on display.

Location of Fuses in Toyota Alphard

In previous post, I mentioned that one of the ways to check for problem with power door is to look at the fuse. Where are all the fuses located in our giant?

There are several fuse boxes installed in a Toyota Alphard. The main fuse boxes are located in the engine compartment. The location of the fuse boxes in the engine compartment is slight different between the 2.4L and 3.0L model. On the 2.4L 2AZ-FE engine model, it is located on the right side of the engine compartment as shown in the photo below.
On the 3.0L 1MZ-FE model, it is located in the middle section on top of the engine.

There is another smaller fuse box below the larger one as shown in the photo below.
This is for the 2.4L model. The 3.0L model has the same smaller fuse box in front of the radiator.

There are two more fuse boxes located under the dashboard, one is on the driver side as shown in the photo below.

You will have to unhook the smaller coin box from the dashboard before you can have access to the fuse location which is located deep inside the dashboard.

The other is located behind the glovebox at the passenger side.


Again you will have to unhook the lower glovebook before you can access to the fuses located next to the aircon filter box.

Now that you have located each of the fuse boxes, you’ll need to identify each of the fuses within the fuse box to ascertain which one controls which component. The following tables show the fuel name, the ampere and the description of each fuse. The diagrams before each table list the location of the fuses within the fuse box.

Main fuse box (in engine compartment)

	Fuse Name	Ampere	Description
1	SLC	7.5A	VSC
2	H-LP (RH)	15A	Headlamp high beam (RH)
3	H-LP (LH)	15A	Headlamp high beam (LH)
4	H-LP (RL)	15A	Headlamp (RH)
5	H-LP (LL)	15A	Headlamp (LH)
6	RAD NO.3	25A	Audio
7	HAZ-HORN	20A	Hazard Light, Indicator Lights, Horn
8	EFI	15A	Engine Computer
9	RAD NO.1	15A	Audio
10	ECU-B	10A	Meter, ABS, Power Window
11	SPARE	15A	Spare fuse
12	SPARE	7.5A	Spare fuse
13	ETCS	10A	Electronic Toll Collection System

Secondary fuse box (in engine compartment)

	Fuse Name	Ampere	Description
1	ABS	25A	ABS
2	ALT-S	5A	Alternator
3	DOOR NO.1	30A	Door Lock

Fuse Box at driver side

	Fuse Name	Ampere	Description
1	STOP	15A	Ingition Light
2	GAUGE	10A	Engine Computer, Power Slide Door, Clearing Sonar & Park Sonar
3	CURTAIN- RH	15A	Electric Curtain - Right Hand Side
4	CURTAIN LH& BK	25A	Electric Curtain - Left Hand Side and Rear
5	MIR HTR	10A	Mirror Heater
6	CURTAIN	5A	Electric Curtain
7	WIP	25A	Wiper
8	AC 100V	15A	Accessory Console Center
9	P/W RH	25A	Power Window
10	ODB-II	7.5A	Dignostic Connector

Fuse Box at Passenger Side

	Fuse Name	Ampere	Description
1	S/ROOF	30A	Moon-roof
2	DEF	30A	Rear window defrost
3	FOG	15A	Front Fog Light
4	DOME2	7.5A	Room Lights
5	VSC	7.5A	VSC
6	P/SEAT	30A	Power Seats (3.0L only)
7	BACK DOOR	30A	Power Boot
8	AM1	7.5A	Engine Switch
9	RR FOG	10A	Rear Fog Lamp
10	P/W LH	30A	Power Windows - LH
11	DOOR	30A	Door Lock
12	DOME	7.5A	Room Lights
13	TAIL	10A	Rear Tail lights
14	PANEL	10A	Switch illuminator, Aircon illuminator
15	ECU-IG	10A	ABS, Power Slide Door, Cruise Control
16	RR WIP	10A	Rear Wiper
17	A/C	10A	Aircon, Audio
18	DEICER	30A	Front Wiper Deicer
19	SLOPE	7.5A	-
20	SEAT HTA	10A	Seat Heater
21	INJ	15A	Engine Computer
22	UGN	10A	Engine Computer, SRS Airbag
23	MET IGN	7.5A	Meter
24	ECU ACC	10A	Shift lock, Door mirror, Audio
25	CIG	15A	Cigarette Lighter
26	P/POINT	15A	Accessory socket

Please note that the above write up cover what I know on the fuse locations for the new facelift model of 1st generation Toyota Alphard. Other model may have different fuse locations.

PS. Phew. This is the longest time I ever took to write a post because the formatting I have do for the table HTML code outside of the blogging platform.

PPS. A reader was asking where exactly is the fuse box on the passenger side. I am away at the moment so I can only attached a schematic diagram as a reference. I will take a better picture of it location when I am back.

After The Fact - Learn More Before You Buy Your Toyota Alphard

It is always disheartening to meet a fellow AOC member in a TT then to find out that he has been kind of short-changed by the dealer. Last night I met a fellow AOC member who recently gotten his 2006 NFL AX-L. However his unit comes with only single power door without the original head unit and the front camera.

I don’t know if this is the latest trend but just this week I found also a few units of NFL AXs in my regular dealer come without original head unit. I know many owners have purchase their car with aftermarket head unit but in this case the car was not fitted with one at all. I consider myself lucky as my AX-L come loaded with all the features that normally not available in an AX-L. At least in all the TTs so far I have not seen another AX-L has the same spec as mine.

So what do the new owner losses when he bought the car?

Without the original head unit, he can’t make use of all the buttons on the steering wheel. He loses the hands-free function and the Bluetooth function. He loses the default reverse camera guide lines. He misses out the function to have the 30GB hard disk. He can’t play CD/DVD with the built in DVD function on the head unit. He doesn’t have the roof-mounted LCD monitor. At the end of the day he has to spent a few thousand dollars to retrofit an aftermarket head unit and other accessories just to be able to play DVD and to have the reverse camera view (but without the original guidelines). Since his unit doesn’t have the front camera, he will have to buy one if he wants the front camera view. If he wants to retrofit the other power door, that will cost him another few grand.

Therefore when I show this owner all the functions in my car that he could have gotten if he has opted for a different unit or one with the original head unit I can only imagine how unhappy for him to find out what he has missed.

I guess the new owner doesn’t know much about Toyota Alphard and probably hasn’t done much research on this subject. At least in the AOC forum I read that there are owners whose has done a lot of research and have scouted at many dealers before they commit to the unit that suits them. I think this is the way to go as there is no point in rushing to get something less at a higher price. In this case this particular owner is relying on the trustworthiness of the dealer who happened to be his friend to advise him on the best option to take. However like any dealer they just wanted to sell their car so they will take the easy way out by convincing the buyers that those features doesn't comes with the car. If the owner has done their homework then he would have not taken this car. I know this is after the fact and that the buyer should know what they are getting when they commit to buy a car. It would be nice to know that they gotten a better deal rather than to point it out to them the hard way.

I put up this blog with the hope it will help more potential buyers to learn more about this car so that they always get the best deal. If it is convenient I don’t mind meeting up with potential buyer to view the car with them so that they can make a better judgment before they commit their purchase. Send me a comment and I'll contact you if you need help.

Cheers

Model Code for Pre-Facelift Toyota Alphard MZG

I have previously writes about the model code for new-facelift Toyota Alphard MZG. During my visit to two dealers this week while helping a reader of mine to search for his MZG, I also found the model code for pre-facelift MZG.

The Alphard G MZG carries the following model codes:

MNH10-PFPQK-G for 2WD model
MNH15-PFPQK-G for 4WD model

The Alphard V MZG carries the following model codes:

MNH10-PFPQK-P for 2WD model
MNH15-PFPQK-P for 4WD model

I think with these information I am ready to compile a list of all the model codes for 1st Gen Toyota Alphard as I mentioned in my previous post.

Watch this space for the table pretty soon.

Update: I have uploaded the table here. Click the link to download it.

More On Toyota Alphard 1st Gen Model Code

As I was looking for the Toyota Alphard MZG model code I saw there is prefix and suffix that I was not familiar with. So I search the web again and found that it does provide some identification information to a particular model.

For example, the model code ANH10W-PRPGK from this table shows that it is a 2.4L AX 8-seaters model. However if you look at the model code in the faceplate of the car, it is probably listed as CBA-ANH10W-PRPGK-V. This model code tells you that it is a pre-facelift 2.4L AX 8-seaters Alphard V model. If you come across the model code as DBA-ANH10W-PFPGK, without the suffix, then you know that it is a new-facelift 2.4L AX 8-seaters Alphard G model. The CBA prefix is the code for pre-facelift while the DBA prefix is the code for new-facelift for the 2.4L model.

Similarly when you see a model code of TA-MNH10W-PRPGK-V, this is code for a pre-facelift 3.0L MX 8-seaters Alphard V model. You would imagine that there should be a different prefix for the new-facelift model. Right? Unfortunately, the same TA prefix is used for 3.0L model from 2002 to 05/2007 as well! What? You might be asking why is such an inconsistency for the 3.0L model? Well I don't have an answer for that.

And then, in 06/2007 onward, the prefix for the 3.0L model suddenly changes to CBA again. So a CBA-MNH10W-PRAGK is a 3.0L MX 8-seaters Alphard G model. Note that for the MX, the model code is now changed to PRAGK while those from 04/2005 are FRAGK and PFPGK for those from 05/2002-03/2005.

As for the suffix, those Alphard G models with the side lift seat will end with “-W” instead of “-L”. I even found that the Alphard G MX/AX L-Edition has the suffix of "-S" for cars from 06/2007 onward while the Alphard V MX/AX L-Edition has the suffix of "-X". Now I know why my model code ended with an "-X".

Now the other interesting part is that the model code for the 3.0L MS 7-seaters Alphard G is FFPSK from 02/2002 - 03/2005 while the rest remain PFPSK. Again I am as confused as you why Toyota would want to make such a small change.

Luckily these inconsistencies only apply to the MX and MS model. Imagine how many codes one has to refer to if every other model also has different codes from one year to another. Phew.

For now I guess the best way for you to make references to these model codes is to print out all the old brochures from the Toyota website that I listed in this post. I wish I can show a long table with all these codes but it will take a long time for me to compile that. Watch this space.

Update: I have uploaded the table here. Click the link to download it.

Model Code for Toyota Alphard MZG

When I was researching for the model code of 1st gen Toyota Alphard, I didn't see the actual model code for MZG. What is listed in that table only shows that MZG is just another variant of MZ.

During today TT with a group of AOC members, I saw the model code of two different MZG and that bring back my continue research on this subject. The reason to continue with this is due to the fact that even though both are MZG models, one car has more features and fittings that another. Because of that, I started going back to the Net and found the following.

The Alphard G MZG carry the following model codes:

MNH10-PFKAQ-G for 2WD model
MNH15-PFKAQ-G for 4WD model

The Alphard V MZG carry the following model codes:

MNH10-PFKAQ-R for 2WD model
MNH15-PFKAQ-R for 4WD model

It is also interesting to note that Alphard G MZG supplied by Toyopet seems to have fuller specification that those Alphard V MZG supplied by Netz. The Alphard V MZG that I saw today was missing the front camera and 5.1 theatre sound system which I read is supposed to be a standard feature in an MZG. At least in today research I found it it not the case. There seems to be so much more to learn about the specifications of these giants from Toyota!

Toyota Alphard MZ/MZG Model

The MZ/MZG are high specification model of the 1st Gen Toyota Alphard and both are 3.0L engine model.


The MZ has cloth seats while the MZG comes standard with leather seats. The cloth in the MZ has a slightly different texture from those cloth used in the AX and MX model. The photo below shows the cloth used in the MZ (left) compared those used on the AX/MX model (right)

The MZ model comes in either 7-seaters or 8-seaters arrangement. It has wood panel on the centre console, the left and right side of the dashboard, and the top/bottom of the steering wheel. Shown below is the interior of a PFL MZ.

The interior of a NFL MZ is shown below Again the difference between the PFL and the new NFL model are in the HU and the lighter colour of the wood panel.

Electric driver seat is a standard feature on MZ and MZG.

The MZG is the top of the range model. It has all the features of an MZ with the following additions:

• Beige-colour Leather seats
• Auto curtain
• Cruise control
• Mini-table in 2nd row on 7 seaters
• Footrest (odoman) on 7 seaters
• Heated Driver and Passenger Seats

Also most owners of MZG would normal specify the option of 5.1 theatre sounds system, power boot, VSC and TRC when they purchase the car. Therefore most of the MZG landed here would have the most complete specification of a Toyota Alphard. It is therefore not surprising that the MZG is the most expensive of all the Toyota Alphard model.

Toyota Alphard AS/MS Model

The AS/MS is the sporty version of the 1st Gen Toyota Alphard. It is differentiated from the AX-L/MX-L in the exterior as well as the colour of the interior. The AS/MS model comes in 7-seaters arrangement only. The exterior difference was covered in this post previously.

The AS/MS have all the following features:

• Head Unit with CD/MD - PFL only
• Head Unit with DVD, MD, MP3, Bluetooth and 30GB Harddisk (HDD) - NFL only
• Smart door lock system
• Front and rear camera
• Black-wood panel centre console
• Black interior colour
• Black colour seats
• 17-inch wheels
• Aero bumpers and side skirt
• Larger diameter tail pipe
• armrest and back pocket on middle seats of 7-seaters
• Round-shape front fog lamp

The AS/MS also comes in Alcantara package where the seats are fitted with Alcantara cloth. Shown below is the interior of a PFL AS/MS model.

The interior of a NFL AS/MS model is shown belowLi

The NFL model comes with a larger HU with LD display.

Since the AS/MS has a sporty exterior, a lot of buyers would like to go for this model but unfortunately the supply of these models are quite low. Hence once a unit is available in any of the dealer it will get taken very fast by those eager buyers.

In the next post, I will cover the MZ/MZG model.

Toyota Alphard AX/MX model

The Toyota Alphard AX/MX edition is the most basic trim available. It comes with minimum features fitted and has beige-colour interior and beige-colour cloth seats. It is only available in 8-seaters trim only. It has orange-wood panel centre console.

Shown below is the interior of a PFL AX/MX model.

The NFL AX/MX interior is shown below

The main difference between the PFL and NFL interior are that the wood panel colour in the central console is lighter on the NFL, and the NFL comes with a large HU with DVD/HD/LCD display while the PFL model has a standard CD player fitted.

The AX-L and MX-L is considered the Luxury edition. They are available in either 7 or 8-seaters arrangement. The 7-seaters arrangement is also specifically fitted to cater for those owner who need a side lift seat (or what is called a wellcab).

The AX-L and MX-L have all the following features:

• CD Player - PFL only
• Head Unit with DVD, MD, MP3, Bluetooth and 30GB Harddisk (HDD) - NFL only
• Roof mounted LCD - NFL only
• smart door lock system
• sonar sensor
• Front and rear camera
• Orange-wood panel centre console
• Beige interior colour
• Beige colour Seats
• 16-inch wheels
• No body kit
• armrest and back pocket on middle seats of 7-seaters
• Tray table on the back of the middle row of 8-seaters
• Left Power Sliding door (standard)

If the AX/MX has any of the above options fitted, then it is an option that the original owner has chosen when he/she purchased the car in Japan.

In the next post, I will cover the AS/MS model.

What is a Toyota Alphard AX/AS/MX/MS/MZ/MZG Model?

Now that we have covered the different grade of the 1st Gen Toyota Alphard. Let look at what are those model type mean.

Let starts with the engine variant. The 1st generation Toyota Alphard is offered in either the 2.4L or 3.0L engine specification.

2.4L	3.0L
AX	MX
AX-L	MX-L
AS	MS
	MZ
	MZG

To denote whether the model is a 2.4L or 3.0L, Toyota uses the alphabet A in it model type to signify this is a 2.4L engine variant and the alphabet M for 3.0L engine variant. Next is the different edition available for each engine variant. The table below summarizes the available editions.

For each edition above, they are available in either 7-seaters or 8-seaters and 2-WD or 4-WD variant. This is the reason why it is so confusing for some buyers!

The 2nd alphabet in the table above represent the trims configurations available each of the edition. For example, the X indicates basic trims while the S indicates sport trims. The trimming is for both in the interior as well as the exterior. The 3rd alphabet L indicates that it is a Luxury version. The 3.0L has the MZ and MZG edition where the difference is in mainly the interior fittings.

From the exterior look perspective, the AX/MX/MZ are considered as the standard grade. The AS/MS has it own grade. Pricing wise, the AS/MS grade will definitely has a higher price than it sibling due to the sportier configuration.

In the next post, I will talk about the AX/MX model.

Three Grade of 1st Gen Toyota Alphard

I have been comtemplating to write a post on the different grade and type of 1st gen Toyota Alphard but has been stucked because there are just so many combinations to list out based on my research on this subject. I have been putting this on hold for quite a while now as I was not really sure how to put it in a way that make sense for most potential buyers. Then I read a book on another subject and it talks about keeping it simple. So it just dawn on me that why not just write on what's relevant from a reader viewpoint.

So this is a (hopefully) the first of the many posts on the different specification on 1st Gen Toyota Alphard. This post start with the different grades available for the 1st Gen Toyota Alphard.

From the exterior perspective, there are really 3 different grades which are the standard grade, MS/AS and Hybrid.

The standard grade consists of MZ, MX and AX model. For these 3 grades, the design are boxy conventional minivan look and come with standard 16-inch rims. The photo below shows a pre-facelifted standard grade (on the left) and a face-lifted standard grade.

The MS/AS grade come with aerokit in the form of a sportier bumper and larger rim to emphasize the sportier design. The photo below shows a prefacelifted MS/AS grade (on the left) and a face-lifted MS/AS grade.
The Hybrid is very similar to the standard grade except the grille and the bumper design. Of course the Hybrid sports the Toyota Hybrid System-CVT including a 2.4-litre gasoline engine, front and rear electric motors, a continuously variable transmission (CVT), high-output hybrid battery pack and an E-Four electric four-wheel drive system. The photo below shows a pre-facelifted Hybrid grade (on the left) and a face-lifted Hybrid grade.

I have previously covered the different between pre-facelift and face-lifted model in this post. Basically the difference are in the front headlight, rear tail lamp and the grille.

Some additional notes on 1st Gen Toyota Alphard are:

- MZ/MZ/MS comes with 3.0L engine (1MZ-FE)
- AX/AS comes with 2.4L engine (2AZ-FE)

The V and G model are supply by two different dealers. Toyota Netz supply V model while ToyoPet supply G model. I have cover the different between V and G grille in this post.

In the next several posts, I will try to explore what is offered in each of these grades.

Model Code for 2nd Gen Alphard/Vellfire

So far, my blog has cover only the 1st generation Toyota Alphard. This is my first post on anything related to the 2nd generation Toyota Alphard/Vellfire. After I posted the model codes for 1st gen Toyota Alphard, I have received a request from an AOC member to also put up the model codes for 2nd generation Toyota Alphard and/or Vellfire. After I did a bit of research on the Toyota official website, I managed to compile the following table:

Model Code	From	Frame	Characteristics
Alphard
GGH20W-PFTQK(L)	05/2008 -	GGH20	350G L Package V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 07S
GGH20W-PFTQK	05/2008 -	GGH20	350G V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 07S
GGH20W-PRTQK	05/2008 -	GGH20	350G V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 08S
GGH20W-PFTQK(W)	05/2008 -	GGH20	350G V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 07S with Side Lift Seat
GGH20W-PFTSK(C)	05/2008 -	GGH20	350S C Package V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 07S
GGH20W-PFTSK	05/2008 -	GGH20	350S V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 07S *1
GGH20W-PRTSK	05/2008 -	GGH20	350S V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 08S
GGH20W-PFTSK (W)	05/2008 -	GGH20	350S V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 07S with Side Lift Seat
GGH20W-PRTGK	05/2008 -	GGH20	350X V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 08S
ANH20W-PFXQK	05/2008 -	ANH20	240G V VAN 2AZFE 7SCVTi 07S
ANH20W-PRXQK	05/2008 -	ANH20	240G V VAN 2AZFE 7SCVTi 08S
ANH20W-PFXSK	05/2008 -	ANH20	240S V VAN 2AZFE 7SCVTi 07S *2
ANH20W-PRXSK	05/2008 -	ANH20	240S V VAN 2AZFE 7SCVTi 08S
ANH20W-PRXGK	05/2008 -	ANH20	240X V VAN 2AZFE 7SCVTi 08S
ANH20W-PFXGK	05/2008 -	ANH20	240X V VAN 2AZFE 7SCVTi 07S with Side Lift Seat
Vellfire
GGH20W-NFTSK (C)	05/2008 -	GGH20	3.5Z G Edition V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 07S
GGH20W-NFTSK	05/2008 -	GGH20	3.5Z V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 07S *3
GGH20W-NRTSK	05/2008 -	GGH20	3.5Z V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 08S
GGH20W-NFTSK(W)	05/2008 -	GGH20	3.5Z V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 07S with Side Lift Seat
GGH20W-NFTQK(L)	05/2008 -	GGH20	3.5V L Package V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 07S
GGH20W-NFTQK	05/2008 -	GGH20	3.5V V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 07S
GGH20W-NRTQK	05/2008 -	GGH20	3.5V V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 08S
GGH20W-NRTQK (W)	05/2008 -	GGH20	3.5V V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 07S with Side Lift Seat
GGH20W-NRTGK	05/2008 -	GGH20	3.5X V VAN 2GRFE 6SETC 08S
ANH20W-NFXSK	05/2008 -	ANH20	2.4Z V VAN 2AZFE 7SCVTi 07S *3
ANH20W-NRXSK	05/2008 -	ANH20	2.4Z V VAN 2AZFE 7SCVTi 08S
ANH20W-NFXQK	05/2008 -	ANH20	2.4V V VAN 2AZFE 7SCVTi 07S
ANH20W-NRXQK	05/2008 -	ANH20	2.4V V VAN 2AZFE 7SCVTi 08S
ANH20W-NRXGK	05/2008 -	ANH20	2.4X V VAN 2AZFE 7SCVTi 08S
ANH20W-NFXGK	05/2008 -	ANH20	2.4X V VAN 2AZFE 7SCVTi 07S with Side Lift Seat

Similar to the model codes for 1st gen Toyota Alphard, the 1st column in the above table is the model code that you will see in a 2nd gen Alphard/Vellfire's chassis number plate. An example is shown below.
The 2nd column indicate the years in which this model was manufactured. The 3rd column indicate the frame type. ANH is the frame code for 2.4L model while GGH is the frame code for 3.5L model. The two digits after that indicates whether it is a 2WD (20) or a 4WD (25). In the table I only listed the 2WD model. Just substitute the numeral 20 with 25 for a 4WD model.

The 4th column indicates the characteristics of this car. The first set of alphabet is the model type. The Alphard will have the designation of 350 or 240 while the Vellfire will have the designation of 3.5 or 2.4. The next character Z/V/S/X is to indicates what fittings are available the model type. I will not go into details here as there are a lot of combination for each model type.

The next set of alphabet shows that it is of VAN (V) body type. The next set of code is the engine code (2AZFE for 2.4L and 2GRFE for 3.5L). The next set of alphabet shows the gear shift type (6SETC - 6 speed super ETC and 7SCVTi - 7 speed super continous variable timing) and final set of alphabet indicates whether it is a 7 seaters (07S) or 8 (08S) seaters. Some model also come fitted with side left seat to aid disable/elder to get in or out of the giant.

Note: Recently Toyota launched a few more variant of the Alphard/Vellfire. The side note in the table above indicates the following:

*1 350S “Prime Selection” Edition also share the same model code. It has Alcantara seats, and brown woodgrain for steering wheel, front door trim, shifting lever and shifting knob.

*2 240S “Limited” Edition also shared the same model code. It has special body colour (grey metallic) and special interior colour. It comes with twin power doors, original gross brown woodgrain decoration (for center cluster and folding side table).

*3 Vellfire 2.4Z and 3.5Z “Platinum Selection” shared the same model code as the 2.4Z and 3.5Z model. It is equipped with power boot, Alcantara seats, and brown woodgrain for steering wheel, front door trim, shifting lever and shifting knob.

Model Code for 1st Gen Toyota Alphard

I was looking through some parts reference site and found the following information that will be useful. The table below shows the model code for all the 1st generation Toyota Alphard.

Model Code	From	Frame	Characteristics
ANH10W-PFPGK	05/2002 -	ANH10	AX V VAN 2AZFE 4FC 07S
ANH10W-PFPSK	05/2002 -	ANH10	AS V VAN 2AZFE 4FC 07S
ANH10W-PRPGK	05/2002 -	ANH10	AX V VAN 2AZFE 4FC 08S
ANH10W-PRPSK	05/2002 -	ANH10	AS V VAN 2AZFE 4FC 08S
ANH15W-PFPGK	05/2002 -	ANH15	AX V VAN 2AZFE 4FC 07S
ANH15W-PFPSK	05/2002 -	ANH15	AS V VAN 2AZFE 4FC 07S
ANH15W-PRPGK	05/2002 -	ANH15	AX V VAN 2AZFE 4FC 08S
ANH15W-PRPSK	05/2002 -	ANH15	AS V VAN 2AZFE 4FC 08S
ATH10W-PFXGB	07/2003 -	ATH10	JPN 2AZFXE 07S
ATH10W-PRXGB	07/2003 -	ATH10	JPN 2AZFXE 08S
MNH10W-PFPGK	05/2002 - 03/2005	MNH10	MX V VAN 1MZFE 4FC 07S
MNH10W-PFPQK	05/2002 - 03/2005	MNH10	MZ V VAN 1MZFE 4FC 07S
MNH10W-PFPSK	05/2002 - 03/2005	MNH10	MS V VAN 1MZFE 4FC 07S
MNH10W-PRPGK	05/2002 - 03/2005	MNH10	MX V VAN 1MZFE 4FC 08S
MNH10W-PRPQK	05/2002 - 03/2005	MNH10	MZ V VAN 1MZFE 4FC 08S
MNH10W-PRPSK	05/2002 - 03/2005	MNH10	MS V VAN 1MZFE 4FC 08S
MNH10W-PFAGK	04/2005 -	MNH10	MX V VAN 1MZFE 5FC 07S
MNH10W-PFAQK	04/2005 -	MNH10	MZ V VAN 1MZFE 5FC 07S
MNH10W-PFASK	04/2005 -	MNH10	MS V VAN 1MZFE 5FC 07S
MNH10W-PRAGK	04/2005 -	MNH10	MX V VAN 1MZFE 5FC 08S
MNH10W-PRAQK	04/2005 -	MNH10	MZ V VAN 1MZFE 5FC 08S
MNH10W-PRASK	04/2005 -	MNH10	MS V VAN 1MZFE 5FC 08S
MNH15W-PFPGK	05/2002 - 03/2005	MNH15	MX V VAN 1MZFE 4FC 07S
MNH15W-PFPQK	05/2002 - 03/2005	MNH15	MZ V VAN 1MZFE 4FC 07S
MNH15W-PFPSK	05/2002 - 03/2005	MNH15	MS V VAN 1MZFE 4FC 07S
MNH15W-PRPGK	05/2002 - 03/2005	MNH15	MX V VAN 1MZFE 4FC 08S
MNH15W-PRPQK	05/2002 - 03/2005	MNH15	MZ V VAN 1MZFE 4FC 08S
MNH15W-PRPSK	05/2002 - 03/2005	MNH15	MS V VAN 1MZFE 4FC 08S
MNH15W-PFAGK	04/2005 -	MNH15	MX V VAN 1MZFE 5FC 07S
MNH15W-PFAQK	04/2005 -	MNH15	MZ V VAN 1MZFE 5FC 07S
MNH15W-PFASK	04/2005 -	MNH15	MS V VAN 1MZFE 5FC 07S
MNH15W-PRAGK	04/2005 -	MNH15	MX V VAN 1MZFE 5FC 08S
MNH15W-PRAQK	04/2005 -	MNH15	MZ V VAN 1MZFE 5FC 08S
MNH15W-PRASK	04/2005 -	MNH15	MS V VAN 1MZFE 5FC 08S

The 1st column is the model code that you will see in your giant's chassis number plate. An example is shown below.

The 2nd column indicate the years in which this model was manufacture. The 3rd column indicate the frame type. ANH is the frame code for 2.4L model, ATH is the frame code for Hybrid model while MNH is the frame code for 3.0L model. The two digits after that indicates whether it is a 2WD (10) or a 4WD (15).
The 4th column indicates the characteristics of this car. The first two alphabet is the model type (AX/AS/MX/MS/MZ). The next set of alphabet shows that it is of VAN (V) body type. The next set of code is the engine code (2AZFE for 2.4L and 1MZFE for 3.0L). The next set of alphabet shows the gear shift type (4FC - 4 speed automatic floor shift and 5FC - 5 speed automatic floor shift) and final set of alphabet indicates whether it is a 7 seaters or 8 seaters.
If you see a giant and wanted the absolute confirmation, just match the model code of that giant to the table above to verify the model and characteristic.
Hope this help with the identification of your giant.

Update: I have uploaded the table here. Click the link to download it.

What's the different between the G or V?

One of the common question frequently asked by potential Toyota Alphard buyer is what's the different between Alphard G and Alphard V label at the rear of the giant. The alphabet G and V actually refer to the logo on the right side of the tailgate as shown below.

There are actually two reasons for the differentiation. For owner who is buying imported used Alphard locally, the difference is most obvious on the front grille only. Look at the photo below for pre-facelifted model.


Alphard G (photo on the left) has the front grille in full chrome and it has two horizontal grille lines across the center of the grille with the top line intercepting the Alphard logo. Also noticed there is a lot of smaller vertical grille lines.

Alphard V (photo on the right) has the top of the grille in chrome and the rest in body colour. It has four horizontal grille lines across the center of the grille with the top two lines intercepting the Alphard logo and there are only 5 vertical lines.

For new-facelifted model, there are some slight variations on the number of horizontal grille lines for both model. Alphard G (photo on the left) has three horizontal grille lines across the center of the grille with the top two lines intercepting the Alphard logo. There are still many vertical lines but now they are more slanted to the center.

Alphard V (photo on the right) now comes with two horizontal lines and the 5 vertical lines are slightly thicker compared to the pre-facelifted model.

What is more significant to the original buyers in Japan is that these G or V models are actually supplied by two chain of dealers, ToyoPet and Netz (http://netz.jp/). ToyoPet (which is one of Toyota business unit) supply the G model while Netz supply the V model. Therefore, at time you might see a sticker on the tailgate that reads "Yokohama Toyopet" which means that is a G model supplied by the ToyoPet dealer in Yokohama.

There are also regional complex dealer that obtain the car from either of the master distributor and sell it to end user. Therefore at time you might see some sticker like the one below.


Updates: Starting with the 2nd generation Alphard, ToyoPet supplies Toyota Alphard only while Netz supplies Toyota Vellfire.

How To Determine The Year of Manufacturing of Your Toyota Alphard

So you have taken the first step and walked into the dealer premises. Looking at all the units on display and the price tag which state the year and the price, how do you tell which year is that unit manufactured in?

Over here, the Toyota Alphard is not available as a new car from the official Toyota distributor. Almost all unit available for sale here are fully imported used car. By that I mean the car has been registered and used in Japan. The owner than sold the car to a used car dealer who in turn sell it oversea. The parallel importer will import these cars into our market and distribute these cars to the local used car dealers.

The used car dealer will normally advistise these car as "unregistered" unit and sell at the premium they set. Different dealer will sell these cars differently depending on the year of manufacture of the car. Some will offer to display all the details of the car together with the price while other will tend to hide some of the details and try to sell the car at a higher price from what it really worth.

So what can a potential buyer do to find out what year is that unit manufactured in?

1. Check out the chassis number of the car to ensure that the year of manufacture of the car is what the dealer claim to be.

If the car is a pre-facelifted model, look for the chassis number at the left side of the car bulk head and copy it down. Look at the photo below for the location of the chassis number on pre-facelifted model.


If the unit is a new facelifted model (NFL), it is hidden behind the engine bulkhead. You'll have to open the plastic cover as shown in the photo below (the red square I marked) and look inside. You'll may need a torchlight to see the chassis number if it is rather dark.

Once you have copied the chassis number, input the chassis number into the input box on this page:

http://www.japan-partner.com/check-manufacture-year.php

and it will tell you which year this car is manufactured? This is the first step to verify that the car is manufactured in that year. I have tried a few chassis numbers including mine and it is proven to be very accurate.

2. Check out the seat belt label attached to any of the seat belt. It usually state the year this car is assembled. Look for a label as shown in the photo below and check out the year.


However a lot of dealer has the practice of cutting off the label so you might not find it anymore in the unit you look at so you have to go for the 3rd option. If the label is cut, then you'll have to exercise caution and should at least follow step 1 above.

3. If you can't find the seat belt label and don't have the means to check the chassis number on the spot, the next option is to look at the toolbox cover. At the left side of the boot, there is a plastic toolbox cover. See this photo for the location of the toolbox cover.


Remove that toolbox cover, flip it over you will find some dots in a table layout. The left column shows the year, the top row shows the month while the dots in the cell shows the week. Therefore you can tell from the imprint which week in which month in which year that it is manufactured. In the photo below, it shows that this unit is manufactured on the 1st week of July 2005.


During my search for my giant, I realized a lot of dealers doesn't know about this little "secret" until I show it to them. Do realized that some unscrupulous dealer might swap the toolbox cover (very rare since they are also not aware of this fact) so do check out item 1 and 2 first before you rely on the toolbox cover for the age of the car.

If you cannot use any of the option above to ascertain the year of the car, my advise is to walk away, and find another unit that does.

So far my experience tell me that the chassis number is the best way to verify the year of the car. If you can verify the year on the seat belt it is also very accurate. The toolbox cover date is also very accurate unless the dealer did a swap.

Why it is important to ascertain the year of the car?

Due to the way Approve Permit (AP) work in this country, imported cars cannot exceed 5 years from the date of manufacture. For example, any car imported this year (2009) must be at least manufactured in 2004 and above. Because some cars maybe manufactured in end 2003 and registered in 2004 in Japan. When it is sold oversea, the dealer using the AP will have to pay the duty for year 2004 and yet the car will have the year 2003 printed everywhere. So effectively you might be paying the price of a year 2004 car when in reality it is a year 2003 car.

I have actually seen several units that is manufactured in 2002 but sold as 2004 model by one dealer. Buyer of these cars will lose out on the second hand value when they want to let go of their car in future.

In the next blog, I will briefly cover how to identify a pre-facelifted and facelifted model.

Edit: I have also since found out that on NFL model, the chassis number is also printed on a face-plate on the left column of the passenger door. Below is a faceplate of the chassis number on a NFL model. The chassis number is the alphanumeral starting with ANH10 (MNH10 for 3.0L model). It also shows the engine variant (2AZ-FE) which is a 2.4L model, with U241E transmission and 2-wheel drive (02A). The colour of the car is white (042), trim (FB03) and manufactured in plant C32. I hope to find out more about the trim number.

Learn More About Toyota Alphard

Before I write more on the features available on my giant, I do get a few private queries from interested buyers on where can they get more information about this car, specifically from local used car dealer.

Since Toyota Alphard is a product of the Land of the Rising Sun, almost all information on this car is in Japanese. Most non-Japanese speaker will find it hard to extract the relevant information from the Toyota official website. Also, most enthusiasts of this car in Japan will be blogging about their beloved giant in (naturally) Japanese so a non-Japanese speaking reader will find it hard to understand what has been blogged.

So where do one find out more about this car if they are interested to buy one unit?

A typical buyer would like to start with the official Toyota Japan website. However it is in Japanese and even if you do read Japanese, they only publish information about the current model (May 2008, aka 2nd generation Alphard). As of the writing of this blog, most of the Toyota Alphard we get in here are year 2007 or below. Fortunately the official Toyota website do kept the catalogs of the 1st generation Alphard.

I managed to find these catalogs during one of my search on that website and you car get them from the links below.

Alphard-G
Pre-facelift - manufactured 2003/7 onward - http://web-cache.stream.ne.jp/www09/toyota-catalog/pdf/alphardg-1/alphardg-1_200307.pdf
Minor facelift - manufactured 2005/5 onward- http://web-cache.stream.ne.jp/www09/toyota-catalog/pdf/alphardg-1/alphardg-1_200504.pdf
NFL model - manufactured 2007/6 onward - http://web-cache.stream.ne.jp/www09/toyota-catalog/pdf/alphardg-1/alphardg-1_200706.pdf

Alphard-V
Pre-facelift - manufactured 2003/7 onward - http://web-cache.stream.ne.jp/www09/toyota-catalog/pdf/alphardv-1/alphardv-1_200307.pdf
Minor facelift - manufactureed 2005/5 onward- http://web-cache.stream.ne.jp/www09/toyota-catalog/pdf/alphardv-1/alphardv-1_200504.pdf
NFL model - manufactured 2007/6 onward - http://web-cache.stream.ne.jp/www09/toyota-catalog/pdf/alphardv-1/alphardv-1_200706.pdf

Note: I intend to blog about the difference between the G and V model in future post.

By downloading these catalogs, you can compare the various features between the pre-facelifted and facelifted model. Again, these catalogs are all in Japanese so you might not understands all the wordings. However, they do have a lot of pictures that highlights most of the important features.

Now that you have an understanding what features are available in which model, you want to know which dealers carry these cars. There are several local sources of advertisement for these cars. The most popular one is The Star Classified section of The Star Newspaper. The other is the weekly Motor Trader magazine. Both also has the equivalent online version of the classified ad. I prefer to use The Star Classified online because it is much easier to search than the online version of the Motor Trader . The advantage of the Motor Trader online search that you can do more granular search (by year etc) and each of the ad normally comes with a photo of the car.

So you took down the details of the ad and visited the dealer on the model you are interested in. After you check out the car, test drive it, you brought home some further details of the cars you are interested in but you wanted a 2nd opinion. You start to look for online forum wanting to post your questions but you are not sure which forum to post because there are hardly any forums on Alphard at that time.

As of the end of last year, this car is heavily discussed in the Motor Trader forum. They have a section dedicated to discussion on Toyota MPV . Prior to end of last year, most of the enthusiasts or owners of this car will gathered at that forum. Topics on Toyota Alphard is very active so there is lot to learn from some of the more experienced owners/enthusiasts. However since that forum is on Toyota MPVs many other threads on other Toyota model will also be discussed so one has to constantly follow the Alphard thread to read the up-to-date discussions. Also, once a thread has gone beyond certain (I think 24/25) pages, a new thread will be created so it is not easy to keep track of the active topics. Fortunately the old threads are archived so whoever new to the topic can always refer to the archived thread. You can still post your questions to that forum but most of the active Alphard members have already move on to another forum so your questions might not be answered. The other issue with the Motor Trader forum is that it doesn't support photo attachment.

I used to frequent that forum and learn a lot from there. Toward the end of last years, a bunch of very active members decided to create a dedicated forum for Alphard. Through the initiative of one of the member, a group of Alphard owners from KL as well as some owners from JB come up to KL during the 1st week of Jan'09 to have a mini TT (TT stands for Teh Tarik - the unofficial slang for group gathering, drinking tea [the the teh tarik part] while chit-chatting). After that mini-TT, the group decided to create a dedicated forum for Malaysia Alphard owners. Through the generosity of one of the forum member who hosted a website, the forum called "Alphard Asia Owner Club" (AOC) was born. A lot of the Alphard owners/enthusiasts who used to frequent the Motor Trader Toyota MPV forum now have moved over to AOC forum. I now frequent that forum to share what I have learned so far about my giant.

If anyone is interested to learn more about Alphard, do visit AOC, registered as a member and joined in the discussions. You don't have to own an Alphard to be a member.

Hopefully after you join AOC and gotten all your answers you can made your final decision and become an Alphard owner. Congratulation and welcome to the club.