Poundy

First off and as posted elsewhere was the uncleaned (since ownership) engine bay. Courtesy of a small paint brush a microfibre rag and a bottle of Maguire's Engine Dressing at a cost of around £12ish

So having decided we will keep my wifes 10yr old Ct200h (Top Cat) with no intention of ever selling it, plus the factit is low mileage ultra reliable, was sold in limited numbers in the UK and also being one of the early Hybrid offerings, which will hopefully mean it retains a certain amount of interest in years to come. The project is now in full swing to get it back to as near new, condition as possible. I will post some Photos and costs along the way. I have done several much older projects in the past and usually performed 90% of the work myself, sadly time and age no longer allows me to be as hands on. Even so the work performed will have to be top class so I won't necessarily be looking for the cheapest option 😉

Ah well! that was an interesting development. The wheel man called me after stripping the wheels back and finding underneath the silver paint lies a set of diamond cut wheels. Pic of as we bought it and with paint stripped off.

On our 2nd service contract now the first was 2As and a B and this one 2B's and a A. Saves money and the price is fixed for the 3 years so avoids any increases in that period.

Car going in for a wheel refurb tomorrow, very light kerb rash on 2 of them but on one of the rears there appears to be a bit of paint fade. So they will be dipped and stripped, repaired, powder coated and baked. I was thinking of changing the colour to anthracite but have decided to keep it stock silver but perhaps a bit more vibrant. When I get it back and if it ever stops raining I will attempt to freshen up the finish on the brake caliper's. I will probably also ceramic coat the wheels to make them easier for hosing off any brake dust. Did the XF R-Sport before I sold it on.

Make sure they fit the Ct200h is 57mm where most Lexus models are 62mm. Mine are going in on Tuesday for a refurb and I was contemplating Anthracite grey, but as I can only find aftermarket grey Lexus caps in 62mm I have decided to stay with OE silver wheels. Of course the CT sport came with Black wheels so I suppose that is the other option with black 57mm caps available.

Looks like I will be keeping it rather than living with the regret lol! It's still looking great and only 44,000 miles on the clock. So I have decided to concentrate on getting it back to looking as new. It's been a while since my last project but at least it's a lot newer than my previous project cars and will only involve cosmetics. Apart from getting an underbody protection done considering it is coming up to 10yrs old. Which brings up the question, I presume they are treated from new but with what and what are the better after market options?

Not too fussed about the range as it is unlikely to be pushed to it's 260 range ( it that's to be believed) as it's only about a 3,000 mile per year car so a weekly top up should suffice. It's the Jaguar reliability compared with the Ct that I am struggling with. I have had 8 different models over the years all of which have had some sort of electrical gremlin at some stage, mostly being the hard to diagnose and fix easily ones. They were all nice eye candy though and a delight to drive when running properly hence the attraction. I feel I owe the 2014 CT some loyalty though having never missed a beat since we bought it over 5 years ago. Apart from losing the rear heat shield a few weeks ago after it fell off on holiday. Probably caused after going over some road kill a few weeks before lol! Even then a call to Lexus had the new part ordered in, car picked up and delivered, heat shield fitted car washed and cleaned for around £100 thank you very much.😀

Not many Jaguars I haven't owned over many years of motoring to my peril 😅 I have recently taken a bit of a shine to the all electric Jaguar I Pace as a possible replacement for my wife's CT (not that's she's bothered what she drives as long as it is clean and always starts lol!) There are some nice low mileage I Pace 2019 models out there now for around £25k, but every time I make my mind up to look at changing the CT, I come across an article like this and put it on the backburner again. Most reliable family cars =1. Lexus CT (2011-2021) Reliability rating 99.3% What went wrong? Suspension 6% Only 6% of CT 200h owners needed to call the garage to fix a problem, and the only area concerned was the suspension. All remedial work was carried out for free, even on cars that were outside the initial three-year warranty period, and all issues were resolved in a day or less. Owner's view “The best things about owning a CT are its build quality and the care from my Lexus dealership”

That's going to hurt 😖

Less risky option here, for what he wants for it IMO. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1094577644266532/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=2141063852951234&__cft__[0]=AZU63rPgwQdbHRoPO8eRLPtAtIZmeqqm_j-8XXaybHfRLj6KTJ3NBk_iiDiBBKK051t13vgvyUcx9tzA6X78Ke6cSkBlZNStXYETIFxUwsMnI-Gpxvtx4OiViZX06x8iyV3x7wXoN8HkEu6G7MDGxErWUzsD1_dcnI83fEVmYQtgUQ&__tn__=-UC%2CP-R

To be fair compared to my other vehicles, and not really being big on driving for economy. I did get a feel good feeling when seeing a likely range in excess of 500mls, after filling the CT fuel tank up to the first shut off, on a recent trip down South 😍

Ah well! I think I am completely off it now, better the Devil I know 😄

It's equipped with a 3cyl 1.5 lt engine now and states 134bhp which I think is a step up from the CT200h. It is also about 70kg lighter so doubt it will be as roomy as the CT Dunno!

I believe they also offer a purchasable 10-15yr warranty on expiry of the free current Relax warranty. Makes for good business to get regular vehicle servicing in exchange for a warranty on a car that never breaks down 😄

I fitted a Nextbase Duo to the Ct when we first bought the car and it's been trouble free with the exception of in very hot weather the screen sucker would constantly cause it to fall off the screen. They gave me an upgraded replacement which never solved the problem, but eventually I purchased the stick on one that installers for some reason refuse to fit anymore. Eureka no probs for the last 4 years lol!

Certainly looks to have solved any minor niggles of the CT with more power, ride comfort, more battery range and higher battery speed, upgrade in electrical bling etc. I was surprised to find they are staying with the old style Nickle-hydride battery unit in preference to a Lithium-ion option but it does seem they are doing so as a suitability preference rather than a performance or cost saving reason. Visually, for me it's a step up from the CT & the UX, and holds it's own against the other top brands. The negatives for me is the current CT whilst reasonably adequate in front driver and passenger comfort and rarely used with more than 2 onboard anyway. Is still just about on the bottom line of having the total interior/boot space available I require. A crossover estate could be an option 😅 Plus a £35k price tag for a car doing around 3,000 mls a year to replace our ultra reliable/immaculate " Top Cat " ( wife not me) Ct needs consideration. Perhaps a test drive could be in order, never say never.

Hard to hang on to naked bike @ 180 mph plus 😉

Nice, I had a 78 750/4 K2 took it over to Australia in 89 and rode it over there for many years. Then let it go and bought the 1100 Blackbird. I should have kept it as they are fetching good money in top condition.

Nice, 1960 190sl at a guess. I met a guy in Tasmania with one at a Mercedes SL Pink Ribbon event, out shines mine by 32 years

It's the first car in a long, long, list of vehicles we have owned that has shown no depreciation to speak of in five years. In comparison a very low mileage immaculate 2015 Jaguar XF R-Sport that we also owned from 2017 for only 2 1/2 yrs lost half it's value. Still, I guess most of my cars are not bought with my head 😄apart from the 1992 Sl which just increases in value year on year.

Comforting to know that low mileage Ct's with full history are still being advertised for the same price as we paid for ours 5 years ago. I think ours is a keeper and I will probably get a professional paint correction done on the exterior later this year. The rest apart from a very slight kerb rash is pretty much spot on.

Ours is the same 2 to 3k a year, even so if you knock off the good value for money roadside x 2years = £310, 3 x mots say £150, plus the free included yearly Hybrid battery test to qualify for the 15yr battery warranty, depending if it's 2 major and I minor or the other way round the total service plan comes down by around £500 or so. Also worth remembering that lack of usage can often mean servicing is more advisable than on a daily runner. I'm ok with that as the car has never missed a beat and B'ham always pick it up and return it at the door a saving of 2hr for a double trip with another driver for me, and usually wave the Pick up and drop of charge. I also like the filmed health cheque that keeps me up to speed on the overhaul car condition for future reference. Probably not as important on your 2014 but without the lexus service's being performed I believe you lose the Relax 10 year free car warranty.

Cannot fault any of my lexus dealings.

One of my Dad bits of advice in my early night clubbing days was..... " if you are aiming to get lucky tonight, try and choose an older woman, she will make you a cup of tea afterwards " 😄