SB3

I had a 2006 Prius before my 2017 CT.

The Prius had a much smoother ride and was more economical. The Satnav had barely changed, apart from being DVD based in the Prius to a hard drive that only Lexus can update, for a large fee. I did get a much cheaper update on a USB stick eventually. The biggest irritation with the SatNav (I have the rotating knob control) is that you rotate clockwise to zoom OUT and anti-clockwise to zoom IN on the map. It is so unintuitive. Add to that it still can't find an address from the full postcode and it's difficult to see how Toyota improved it in 11 years.

And don't get me started on the stupid heated seat controls!

Nice looking car, but no wonder they discontinued it.

34 minutes ago, CorkVilla said:

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/lexus-ct-2015-1-8-auto-hybrid-luxury-sport-extras/33963002?campaign=23

 

Thinking of going to have a look at this. Any advice? 

Don't know what prices are like in Ireland, but it seems a bit expensive for what it is. I'd want full Lexus service history for that price and mileage.

Take it for a test drive and thoroughly try all the controls and systems. There's no way it will return 120km/gallon, as the details state.

It's not "LED lamps all round" either.

Got in the CT200h today, adjusted the clock and remembered the SatNav clock setting is not where you'd expect to find it so looked elsewhere. Found it without having to find my notes and switched on Daylight Saving. Clock was then right.

So why does the car have two clocks that are not linked to each other, and neither is capable of automatically adjusting for daylight saving, like so many other gadgets have done for years? The car is only the "Luxury" spec, so maybe I'm expecting too much!

Rant over (for 6 months anyway). 🙂

Well, I left it parked for 4 weeks, unlocked as it was in a locked garage, and it started just as normal when I returned.

Don't know if leaving it unlocked, and therefore the alarm was not active, made any difference, but it was nice to come back to a car ready to go, something my old Prius never managed!

11 minutes ago, RadicalCoupe-Fuji said:

If you look at the inside of the fuse box lid ,theres a map of the fuses & relays. It should say DC CUT on one of them or looking at a picture, in this cars case i think its the SHORT PIN fuse, thats the white one thats bigger than the rest. 

 

 

Thanks. Mine in that position is indeed labeled SHORT PIN. Think as NemesisUK says, removing it might not be the best idea. Will be switching off as many electrical outlets as possible when I go away, so don't really want to leave a charger of any type plugged in.

Could take that fuse out one day and see what happens I suppose...

49 minutes ago, NemesisUK said:

 

Just be aware there are numerous systems that would need re-initialisation when you replace the DC CUT fuse, including the seat ECU, TPMS and the parking assist monitor system. 

Think I might just get the Battery as fully charged as possible and leave it!

My old Prius went through a few 12V batteries in its life, all I had to reset after changing one was the auto open/close window setting. That had the camera based parking assistant, but no TPMS and nothing else needed sorting out. My Lexus has manual seats, so no worries there.

The TPMS has already given me a false alarm on the Lexus and I (eventually) found the reset button for that.

Where is this DC CUT fuse, should I wish to try that option?

Thanks for your help. 🙂

11 hours ago, RadicalCoupe-Fuji said:

Couldnt you take the DC CUT fuse out, its what the manufacturers do while the car is sitting on a yard for months or at sea for weeks. it cuts off all the parasitic drains on the 12 volt battery. 

That sounds like a sensible idea for my circumstances. But where is this fuse or link?

If I just disconnect the 12V Battery in the boot and close the tailgate, will it latch itself and not open without power? In the garage, where the car will be, there is just enough room to open the driver's door and squeeze in. Wouldn't really be possible to crawl into the back and get at the Battery even with the rear seatbacks folded down.

Would connecting another 12V Battery (or the charger) to the "exclusive" jump starting terminal be enough to open the tailgate with the switch?

19 minutes ago, NemesisUK said:

What make of charger do you have?

A maintenance charger such as the CTEK can be left connected for the duration without issue

A very old Halfords 6V/12V trickle or full charge model, from about the 1970's, when I had a 6V Battery on my motorbike! 😉

Maybe I should look at getting a new charger?

On 12/31/2022 at 9:10 PM, CorkVilla said:

Hi,

 

I am looking around at cars at the moment and am currently considering buying a CT200h. Just wondering how people on here find them.

I currently drive a 2008 Volvo C30 2.0 diesel. I have never owned a hybrid or a Lexus before although my wife does own a Toyota CHR hybrid.

I like the look of the CT200h and for a premium brand it's not outrageously expensive. 

Just wondering if anyone else has one and come from driving something like a manual diesel? In particular I'd be keen to hear from any Irish owners. Especially as I hear the Lexus doesn't fare well on rough roads. My C30 would have quite a harsh ride also, so that would be something I might be used to. 

I'd like one with a sunroof and heated seats although I read that sunroof models don't come with a spare wheel? That is something that would really annoy me! 

Go for the post 2014 model as they improved the ride quality. Haven't driven the earlier model, but my 2017 one still has a little firmer ride than the 2006 Prius it replaced.

They have Toyota reliability, and styling that appeals to many. I don't have a sunroof, so do have a spare. Never needed to use it, but it's comforting to have it there. The infotainment system and general controls are unintuitive and disappointing for a "luxury" car. The Satnav on mine is HDD based, and can only be updated by Lexus at great expense, although I did manage to buy an update on USB for £60 online, and it has loaded up just fine. It doesn't have screen mirroring that works either, so you can't easily just use your mobile phone for navigation. The Bluetooth link to the phone is good and works well for calls.

The heated seats are nice in the winter and something I consider essential with leather. However, the controls for them are a joke - two tiny spring loaded buttons so close to each other that only one can be raised at a time if you are to rotate it, which you have to do to switch it on or off. Simply pushing the button doesn't do that. And don't get me onto the "mouse type" knob for controlling the system. When you are in navigation and want to zoom in, which way do you turn it? Clockwise zooms OUT and anti-clockwise zooms IN!

It is quite a pleasant car to drive though, even if I wouldn't buy another. They've stopped producing it anyway...

I'll be leaving my CT200h in a locked garage for 4 weeks. Based on my previous experience with a Prius, I'll probably come back to a flat Battery, so a few questions members may be able to answer...

Is it worth trickle charging the Battery overnight before leaving it? My thoughts there are that as my mechanic says the Battery is always relatively low (12 to 13V) when he checks it, and he feels the system doesn't charge it up as much as it would a normal Battery that has to turn a starter motor, so maybe trickle charging it will boost the voltage and give it a better chance of lasting?

Is it worth leaving the car unlocked? Maybe then, the alarm won't be active, so a lower drain on the Battery? The car will not be accessible to anyone, so no worries there.

I will have my Battery charger ready for when I return, and will check that the mechanical key works OK, but will be happier if the 12V Battery has enough juice left in it to get into Ready mode!

Thanks, but the Clock option is not there. I did eventually find it though...

It's under Setup, Navigation, System Time, where you can set the timezone and daylight savings on/off.

Not where the manual says it is, and not where intuition says you would look, but so little is intuitive about that "infotainment" system, that I'm not really surprised. Written it down now, so that in 6 months time I won't be scratching my head again - except to say where did I save those instructions? 😉

The clock in the navigation saystem in my 2017 CT200h Luxury hasn't adjusted with the time change. I manually adjusted the car's clock.

It appears from the manual there should be a Clock option in the Settings, General menu but there isn't. The first item is Language. I don't recall having this problem 6 months ago!

Surely it must be something simple I'm overlooking. Can anyone help me out?

On 5/12/2021 at 9:24 AM, Thackeray said:

There was a thread a couple of years ago where someone else also had "no signal" for DAB radio. This was on an IS300h so it may not be the same. But just in case it's any help here's a link to the thread. Scroll down to the sixth post for my explanation of the problem.

 

Thanks! Found this thread while wondering why my 2017 CT200h has always said "No signal" on the DAB radio. Don't listen to the radio anyway, but was curious why it didn't work. It does work now, but what a performance to tune it. The whole infotainment system on that car was presumably designed (for want of a word) by a committee!

1 hour ago, Moleman said:

Just in case!!! Does your destination page when setting a destination offer two pages? Full post code option is on the second page. 🙂

Well that made me go and double check! But no, you can't select the last two characters of the postcode, but must enter the street name from the valid ones within the postal area you have given so far.

1 minute ago, Moleman said:

Are you sure about the Sat Nav? Mine takes full post code!

Currently getting 55+ to the gallon (usual for winter), see 60+ over the summer. We have very different experiences of the same car.

Absolutely on the SatNav. Was the first thing I checked when looking at the car, but sadly didn't let it put me off. Yours is two years younger than mine, so maybe they finally updated it.

On short runs, the engine has to warm up before it starts switching off, which in short winter trips (typically only a few miles or less) means it is running most of the time. On longer trips of 10 miles or more, it will return better economy.

I had a 2006 gen 2 Prius T-Spirit before my CT200h, and I miss it!

The CT200h is a bit smaller inside, closer to the ground and doesn't have such a smooth ride. The SatNav has barely changed. Still doesn't take the full postcode when entering a destination. The infotainment system, controlled by a knob in the centre console, rather than a touch screen, is incredibly unintuitive. Nothing is where you might expect to find it. For example, you want to zoom in on the map, so insinctively rotate the knob clockwise, and it zooms out! Counterclockwise to zoom in. You want to update the map, but sorry it's HDD based so Lexus will do it for the best part of £200, and the update you'll get will be at least 12 months out of date. Could buy a DVD for the Prius on a well known auction site for much less.

Fuel economy, with mostly short local runs, is in the low 40's. Used to get around 50 in the Prius, but of course we've got E10 fuel now, which may not help.

Hard to believe it is 11 years younger than the Prius it replaced. They've put a Lexus body on the Prius and charged more for it, but seem to have made few technical steps forward in over a decade.

On a more positive note, the automatic lights are nice, and it's relatively pleasant to drive.

I had a 2006 Prius before my Lexus. It had the 10 year warranty on the hybrid drive & Battery. At 11 years old the Battery failed.

Toyota dealer said he'd only ever seen about 6 fail, but could still get me a new one for £1600 the next day! It does seem I was unlucky though, but shudder to think what Lexus charge for the same unit.

I know what you mean. I think a dealer can turn it off.

I had a Prius that did it before my CT200h. Got used to it in the end. Does seem pointless, as people outside the car can't hear it, only those inside, and the driver tends to have an idea which direction he is going in!

There is a thread on here that claims to have the way to turn it off back 2012, so might apply. Haven't tried it though:

https://www.ct200hforum.com/threads/fix-the-reverse-beeps.119570/