Currently waiting for a flat bed truck to recover my CT.

[BoutTime]

A few hours ago I had to brake fairly sharp to a standstill on a country road. Nothing major. No skid, no anti lock brakes triggering.

Went to pull away and engine kicks in but sounded awful. Seemed to lack power and there was a clunking noise.

I've pulled up and called Lexis assist. AA turn up 90 minutes later and I asked him how much he knew about these cars. He said he never sees them as they don't break down.

He replicated the fault and greed with me it seems to be transmission. Awful vibration with engine running.

Just waiting for a flatbed to put the car in overnight storage and delivery to Lexus in the morning. Another 90 minute wait.

I explained to the dealers I scoured the internet to identify a car that was reliable and great on fuel, nice looking and nice to drive. With a great dealer network. Everything pointed to the Lexus CT. So this is massively disappointing.

[royoftherovers]

Hi Ricky, so sorry to learn of your problem.

Rest assured that we will all be disappointed too.

We eagerly await the diagnosis.

In the meantime, can you share the background to the car please?

Date of purchase by you ?

Bought from Dealer or privately ?

No of miles on odometer ?

Full service history ?

Last serviced when and by whom ?

Do you have Lexus Warranty of any kind?

 

and we will all try to assist you to expedite matters smoothly.

[BoutTime]

12 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Hi Ricky, so sorry to learn of your problem.

Rest assured that we will all be disappointed too.

We eagerly await the diagnosis.

In the meantime, can you share the background to the car please?

Date of purchase by you ?

Bought from Dealer or privately ?

No of miles on odometer ?

Full service history ?

Last serviced when and by whom ?

Do you have Lexus Warranty of any kind?

 

and we will all try to assist you to expedite matters smoothly.

Hi thanks for the reply. Jan 2016 CT bought in September 2019 from Lexus Poole with full service history and full 12 months Lexus Used Approved warranty But it had missed the 30k service and had the Full 40 done at the same dealer at 37k miles. I bought the car just after with about 38k on the clock. It's got just over 43k miles on the clock now. It will be with Lexus Bristol in the morning.

Thanks again.

[ColinBarber]

Sorry to hear this, but the warranty should take care of this, and you should be getting a loan whilst it is out of action.

[BoutTime]

8 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

Sorry to hear this, but the warranty should take care of this, and you should be getting a loan whilst it is out of action.

Thanks. I certainly hope so. The AA are obligated to provide a car for the first three days but I can make do without for three days.

But Im obviously very interested to find out what's gone wrong as everything I'd read before and since suggests these cars are bullet proof. Time to find out how good Lexus customer service really is.

[royoftherovers]

Why the need to brake sharply Ricky ?

The cars are bullet proof Ricky, but we need to discover the diagnosis and then the prognosis will follow.

Lots of members will be following this thread as the last time something as momentous as this happened, it was 65 million years ago and a whole race was wiped out. 

[BoutTime]

1 minute ago, royoftherovers said:

Why the need to brake sharply Ricky ?

The cars are bullet proof Ricky, but we need to discover the diagnosis and then the prognosis will follow.

Lots of members will be following this thread as the last time something as momentous as this happened, it was 65 million years ago and a whole race was wiped out. 

I was driving over a small bridge and a van had stopped on the other side. So I braked from around 20mph to a stand still.

No drama. No skid. Just sharp braking. I've been driving for almost 30 years and braked harder in my driving test to be honest. If braking like that can cause something to fail on the CT then I'll be selling it. Just for info too this is completely out of the blue. No prior warning.

[ColinBarber]

10 minutes ago, BoutTime said:

If braking like that can cause something to fail on the CT then I'll be selling it. Just for info too this is completely out of the blue. No prior warning.

Not the norm otherwise Lexus wouldn't be one of the most reliable manufacturers, but things can fail. Sounds like you have been unlucky. 

[BoutTime]

4 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

Not the norm otherwise Lexus wouldn't be one of the most reliable manufacturers, but things can fail. Sounds like you have been unlucky. 

Keep thinking it must be something trivial but it didn't sound like it. It's bizarre.

[ColinBarber]

29 minutes ago, BoutTime said:

Keep thinking it must be something trivial but it didn't sound like it. It's bizarre.

It sounds serious, like an engine mount failure, or something in the transmission but don't understand why unless previous work has been carried out incorrectly - like failing to tighten something.

Certainly worth asking the question as to why it happened once you know what the issue is. Never heard of anything like this here, or on the Auris or Prius which share many of the same components.

[BoutTime]

2 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

It sounds serious, like an engine mount failure, or something in the transmission but don't understand why unless previous work has been carried out incorrectly - like failing to tighten something.

Certainly worth asking the question as to why it happened once you know what the issue is. Never heard of anything like this here, or on the Auris or Prius which share many of the same components.

AA man checked engine mounts and reported all good. It's not even as if went over a bump. So it's got me thinking is this something from before I bought the car. I looked all over the internet whilst waiting for the AA. Checked for Prius and Lexus. Nothing apart from clunking on a cold start but I've never had that issue. I've already asked Lexus Bristol to have a good look at the car when they get it Just glad I bought it from a Lexus main dealership with a warranty.

[para999]

26 minutes ago, BoutTime said:

AA man checked engine mounts and reported all good. It's not even as if went over a bump. So it's got me thinking is this something from before I bought the car. I looked all over the internet whilst waiting for the AA. Checked for Prius and Lexus. Nothing apart from clunking on a cold start but I've never had that issue. I've already asked Lexus Bristol to have a good look at the car when they get it Just glad I bought it from a Lexus main dealership with a warranty.

I have recently retired after working for the AA for 10 years and I can confirm that what the AA guy said is correct in all my 10 years service I have only picked up one lexus.can't remember the model but it was an older model and it only had a puncture.very reliable so hopefully when it's in Bristol they have a good look. onto something slightly different it annoyed me somewhat that they sent out RSS ( mechanic) to vehicle with a fault like this knowing that this vehicle cannot be flat towed.

curious to know what was wrong eventually but it does sound like a drive train fault. possibly drive shaft, but only guessing  on what you've described.

[BoutTime]

1 minute ago, para999 said:

I have recently retired after working for the AA for 10 years and I can confirm that what the AA guy said is correct in all my 10 years service I have only picked up one lexus.can't remember the model but it was an older model and it only had a puncture.very reliable so I would suggest if you bought it from Bristol they have a good look. onto something slightly different it annoyed me somewhat that they sent out RSS ( mechanic) to vehicle with a fault like this knowing that this vehicle cannot be flat towed or front lifted without some serious ( taking to bits).

curious to know what was wrong eventually but it does sound like a drive train fault. possibly drive shaft, but only guessing  on what you've described.

Yeah that annoyed me too. The first guy explained they will always send out a van before a flatbed.

Transmission or driveshaft would be puzzling to say the least even though it sounds like it could be the issue. I just can't see how it can just fail. I bought the car from Poole but it's going in to Bristol as that's who I intend to use for servicing. Plus I'd prefer it not to go back to where I bought it from so I I'll get impartial and unbiased feedback.

[para999]

1 minute ago, BoutTime said:

Yeah that annoyed me too. The first guy explained they will always send out a van before a flatbed.

Transmission or driveshaft would be puzzling to say the least even though it sounds like it could be the issue. I just can't see how it can just fail. I bought the car from Poole but it's going in to Bristol as that's who I intend to use for servicing. Plus I'd prefer it not to go back to where I bought it from so I I'll get impartial and unbiased feedback.

yes I was a recovery driver( flatbed) and this sending out mechanics first used to end up people waiting for upto ?? hours I won't tell you how long and as a second resource it was us that used to get the grief. as much as we complained to them upstairs they wouldn't have it.i've been to Bristol lexus and found them very good my nearest is Swindon.where my new car will be arriving april time.let us know how you get on.

[BoutTime]

2 minutes ago, para999 said:

yes I was a recovery driver( flatbed) and this sending out mechanics first used to end up people waiting for upto ?? hours I won't tell you how long and as a second resource it was us that used to get the grief. as much as we complained to them upstairs they wouldn't have it.i've been to Bristol lexus and found them very good my nearest is Swindon.where my new car will be arriving april time.let us know how you get on.

Thanks. I'll keep this thread up to date. It was a toss up between Bristol and Swindon as I live pretty much equal distance from both.

[royoftherovers]

1 hour ago, BoutTime said:

Thanks. I'll keep this thread up to date. It was a toss up between Bristol and Swindon as I live pretty much equal distance from both.

As I said earlier, we must await the diagnosis, but this might just be the first failure of a Lexus ECVT box, this side of Epsilon Bootes !

[NemesisUK]

7 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

As I said earlier, we must await the diagnosis, but this might just be the first failure of a Lexus ECVT box, this side of Epsilon Bootes !

Can't imagine how it might fail, except perhaps electrical as the eCVT is very simple mechanically? Constantly meshed gears rotating in an oil bath. But the electronic control side? Maybe a loose connection? All speculation and guesswork. 

We all wait with baited breath to be updated..

[olliesgrandad]

10 hours ago, para999 said:

yes I was a recovery driver( flatbed) and this sending out mechanics first used to end up people waiting for upto ?? hours I won't tell you how long and as a second resource it was us that used to get the grief. as much as we complained to them upstairs they wouldn't have it.i've been to Bristol lexus and found them very good my nearest is Swindon.where my new car will be arriving april time.let us know how you get on.

I was involved in an accident 3 years ago and my IS300h needed recovery. Despite Lexus Desk at the AA knowing this a van was sent and it took just under 5 hours on the road side in the middle of nowhere before a flatbed arrived. 

[BoutTime]

21 minutes ago, olliesgrandad said:

I was involved in an accident 3 years ago and my IS300h needed recovery. Despite Lexus Desk at the AA knowing this a van was sent and it took just under 5 hours on the road side in the middle of nowhere before a flatbed arrived. 

Only 3.5 hours for me so maybe I'm lucky.

[para999]

1 hour ago, BoutTime said:

Only 3.5 hours for me so maybe I'm lucky.

you were.some have had to wait 8-9 hours.the ones that were really grumpy were ones that broke down on the motorway.they would send us to recover the car plus passengers to a "place of safety" even if it was just a flat tyre,this was usually the next motorway services.people then had to wait for a RSS ( mechanic) to attend. unless it was something simple they then had to wait for a few more hours for a recovery vehicle.as a recovery patrol we were not allowed to change wheels or other things apart from taking somebody to a petrol station to refuel.so when the advert says we will reach you in ...... minutes ?  yes but not necessarily the right vehicle.unfortunately like other jobs it's all about figures.time from call to arrive.the vans do have a unit in the back that folds out to front lift a vehicle (CRT unit) but it takes so long to assemble and can only recover certain vehicles and faults that it doesn't get used that much.as for RTC's because of damage very rarely do they get used for that.

[colin79666]

Not sure why a CT would require a flatbed recovery? As long as it’s on one of those trailer things that fold out the back of the van to lift the front wheels off the ground then it should be good to go as the CT is fully fwd. 

Will be interesting to hear what went wrong here as has been said, drivetrain wise at least they are the most reliable thing on the road. 
 

OP have you had a look at the cars history on the owners section of the Lexus website? If it has happened before it might be noted in the service and maintenance history. 

[BoutTime]

11 minutes ago, colin79666 said:

Not sure why a CT would require a flatbed recovery? As long as it’s on one of those trailer things that fold out the back of the van to lift the front wheels off the ground then it should be good to go as the CT is fully fwd. 

Will be interesting to hear what went wrong here as has been said, drivetrain wise at least they are the most reliable thing on the road. 
 

OP have you had a look at the cars history on the owners section of the Lexus website? If it has happened before it might be noted in the service and maintenance history. 

Just spoken to Lexus Bristol. They have the car but their Master Tech won't be able to look at it until Monday. The guy in servicing (very nice guy) drove the car into the workshop. He said the engine fired up and everything appeared normal. So this is really strange.

The only thing I noticed in the history when I bought it was one maybe two shock absorbers replaced and one wheel slightly different colour to the others. Wheel alignment was off centre too. I've never had a shock absorber replaced in my life but he tells me he knows of atleast two CTs in the past year that had new shocks fitted.

The above could be related for sure but the car hasn't skipped a beat in the 5 months I've had it.

[royoftherovers]

5 minutes ago, BoutTime said:

Just spoken to Lexus Bristol. They have the car but their Master Tech won't be able to look at it until Monday. The guy in servicing (very nice guy) drove the car into the workshop. He said the engine fired up and everything appeared normal. So this is really strange.

The only thing I noticed in the history when I bought it was one maybe two shock absorbers replaced and one wheel slightly different colour to the others. Wheel alignment was off centre too. I've never had a shock absorber replaced in my life but he tells me he knows of atleast two CTs in the past year that had new shocks fitted.

The above could be related for sure but the car hasn't skipped a beat in the 5 months I've had it.

Curiouser and curiouser !

[steve2006]

14 hours ago, para999 said:

I have recently retired after working for the AA for 10 years and I can confirm that what the AA guy said is correct in all my 10 years service I have only picked up one lexus.can't remember the model but it was an older model and it only had a puncture.very reliable so hopefully when it's in Bristol they have a good look. onto something slightly different it annoyed me somewhat that they sent out RSS ( mechanic) to vehicle with a fault like this knowing that this vehicle cannot be flat towed.

curious to know what was wrong eventually but it does sound like a drive train fault. possibly drive shaft, but only guessing  on what you've described.

Here’s mine to add to the AA recovery list, in my case whilst parked at the airport hotel for a fortnight one of the rear springs broke. With it being a Lexus it did break down in a safe place and not whilst being driven. The AA guy struggled to get it on the lift with the wide tyres but got us home safely. The reason for the failure was suspected as being the amount of the wife’s excess luggage on the way to the airport!

[olliesgrandad]

N

On 2/15/2020 at 11:00 AM, colin79666 said:

Not sure why a CT would require a flatbed recovery? As long as it’s on one of those trailer things that fold out the back of the van to lift the front wheels off the ground then it should be good to go as the CT is fully fwd. 

 

 

Yes but surely there are generators in the brakes. 

As I understand it all hybrids need a total lift to recover. 

When many moons ago I was in the police Austin Allegros needed a total lift for a different reason. 

If towed they bent in the middle 🍌