Help a noob purchase a CT200H

deemi786 · February 26

Hi there all, wondering if there's a buyers guide to a used CT200h, got roughly about 7-8k for one and all the ones i have seen so far have allot of miles on them, for example i saw a 2014 plate advance with 118k miles on it with FSH from Lexus (just stamps in the book), looked in decent nick but on the inside there was mold on the seatbelt, tyre pressure warnings, and some corrosion to the wiper blades (which is common i think), dealer says that allegedly the car had been sitting in the court for some time and hence the mold but to me that surley meant a leak somewhere? hpi checks and other stuff came back fine (vcheck) , the dealer was a bit hesistant about telling me the status of the Battery and just generally wasnt helpful so called the lexus dealer where it was serviced at, who said, the Battery is part of the service checks and its either a "yes the Battery is good" or "no its not", there arent any reports on it. I would have thought there is some indication to the life expectancy or capacity left on the Battery? I suppose my question is, is my budget going to get me anything decent and second, how many miles does one get out of the Battery, i read somewhere it was 150k which would do me fine, since i only do 6 miles a day, driving in London.

ColinBarber · February 26

41 minutes ago, deemi786 said:

the dealer was a bit hesistant about telling me the status of the battery and just generally wasnt helpful so called the lexus dealer where it was serviced at, who said, the battery is part of the service checks and its either a "yes the battery is good" or "no its not", there arent any reports on it. I would have thought there is some indication to the life expectancy or capacity left on the battery?

They are correct - It either has a fault and throws up an error on the dashboard or it is fine - there isn't any health status like a smart phone unfortunately. As part of a dealer service there is a hybrid health check which will warrant the Battery for 12 months / 10k miles (whichever happens first). Even if you don't purchase from the Lexus dealer, or doesn't have full Lexus history, get a HHC done as part of the sale and your Battery will be covered, which you can renew yearly until the vehicle is 15 years old.

https://mag.lexus.co.uk/lexus-hybrid-health-check-2/

Not much else to look out for - if it's been sitting on a forecourt for a while the 12v Battery may need replacing. High oil consumption due to cylinder wear - difficult to check for when just viewing a vehicle. If you purchase one then consider getting the EGR valve cleaned to avoid any future head gasket issues.

deemi786 · February 26

What about the mold? Dealer insists that it's due to condensation. His exact words were "No not due to leaks is just due to the car condensation and not driven for some time will be cleaned and won't see it ever again. I can show you a few more car with the same issue this happened when cars are locked with no air and humidity levels react with bacteria on the seat belt "

ColinBarber · February 26

47 minutes ago, deemi786 said:

What about the mold?

I wouldn't expect that. I'd check the carpets, front and rear, as well as the boot well for any damp/water. It could be a blocked door or sunroof drain rather than just condensation.

CT200NI · March 11

On 2/26/2024 at 6:38 PM, deemi786 said:

What about the mold? Dealer insists that it's due to condensation. His exact words were "No not due to leaks is just due to the car condensation and not driven for some time will be cleaned and won't see it ever again. I can show you a few more car with the same issue this happened when cars are locked with no air and humidity levels react with bacteria on the seat belt "

When I looked at my CT in January (been sitting over a year at the dealer - NON LEXUS) it had mould over the seats / seatbelts - minor. I had my doubts as well, but they cleaned it up and it hasn't come back since. Seems to be normal when cars are sitting for a few months.

LenT · March 11

On 2/26/2024 at 4:55 PM, deemi786 said:

since i only do 6 miles a day, driving in London.

In which case it will probably benefit from a weekly drive out into the country to get the engine, exhaust system and transmission up to an efficient working temperature once a week.

And speaking as a north London lad myself, I always looked forward to getting away at weekends. And what country pub car park wouldn’t be enhanced by the arrival of a nice Lexus?