Ct Renovation project

[Poundy]

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  😉

[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

 

[Poundy]

After noticing a little paint fade on the silver painted alloys and some minor kerb rash on a couple I decided to refurb the wheels.

Apparently the fade was due to the original diamond cut wheels previously having a low budget spray coating or two applied.

Even so I decided to stay with the Silver finish in preference to the original Diamond cut finish so the wheels went in for the full monty, cleaned, completely stripped, powder coated, high temp oven baked and finished in Silver sparkle at a negotiated price down to £60 per wheel, £240 the set, well chuffed.

I have since taken delivery of some Anthracite grey caliper paint and White Lexus stickers and will also replace the rusting locking nuts at the same time Think the paint kit and stickers came in at around £20 all up. A job for finer weather lol!

 

[Poundy]

Car back tomorrow from exterior paint correction etc

[Poundy]

I did a complete interior freshen up before taking it in for exterior detailing. The photo doesn't do it justice as it looks great after methodically going through the interior with an application of Meguire's Ultimate Black Plastic & Trim restorer @ around £14. I may get some new front mats for summer use and put the current ones back in for use at winter time.

Detailer's finished and informed me he did a freebie on the interior seating clean and spray on protectant, to finish the interior off. My kind of guy lol! 

[Sled Driver]

Very nice work so far Norman! Where did you get your alloys refurbished and detailing done please? I'm in North Birmingham. Anyplace nearby?

[Poundy]

34 minutes ago, Sled Driver said:

Very nice work so far Norman! Where did you get your alloys refurbished and detailing done please? I'm in North Birmingham. Anyplace nearby?

Wheels were done by Longbridge Tyres near the old Austin works, he used to farm them out but started getting bad service, so invested in all the good gear himself. Recently added a £50k lathe machine to enable the skimming of Diamond Cut wheels that many refurbishes don't do. 

The Detailer was a by chance find when I drove past his premises on another errand. He is based on Enfield Industrial estate nr Redditch. Enfield detailing and Body Wrapping. some nice pics on his Facebook Page. Not Crazy prices like many of the others like to charge, so will give a verdict on the exterior later today.

[Poundy]

So I have the car back and am really impressed with the results, the finish is really slick and completely free from all the bird droppings damage and the numerous clear coat scratches that were accumulated over the years.

It was raining when I arrived to collect it but the rain was just sheeting straight off the car. On arriving home and when the rain stopped I took the opportunity to get my large microfiber towel out and and slowly dry off any remaining spots. I find using this method soon highlights any imperfections in the paintwork, but none were evident 😀

The process I decided on was a full stage1 clear coat correction which consisted of all the paint work having any marks polished out at a cost of £100 

This was followed by another polishing procedure to enhance the shine and enhance the colour and highlight the gold fleck in the paint. at a cost of £100.

Having gone this far I decided to go with the Diamond Brite 3 year warranty paint protection system. at an additional cost of £100.

Having had a ceramic coating on the XF R-Sport I am a great fan of wash only car coatings and not one for "wax on wax off" 😉

I also have a supply of nano coating alkaline "Reset Shampoo" and some "Reload top up coating" left over from the Jag which should help to keep it looking smart.

 

 

[Poundy]

So to summarise so far I am very pleased with the work performed so far.

Especially as the detailer did more than I was expecting with the additional upholstery protection and all the interior boot lid door steps rubbers etc etc. for £300 all in.

  

[Poundy]

He has also given me a quote of £160 to clean, treat and do the under body seal protection. With a choice of Clear Lanoline, gold coloured' lanoline or the Waxoyl

As I am away and then he is away it won't happen for about six weeks but I will get some pics off him on the finished job when done.

I will just add to this thread with any trials or tribulation we have with the car as we go along. lol!

[Spacewagon52]

It looks really good. Basically the cost of a Lexus service! Well worth it in my opinion.

[Poundy]

Hmmm! I own this but it's not been assigned to any vehicle yet.

But If You Know You Know 🤔

royoftherovers would have been all over it like a rash 😄RIP John

 

[Sled Driver]

Thanks for the update Norman. That red colour is stunning! 🙂

[Poundy]

So today I gave it a layer of Car Pro Reload which is an inorganic Silica spray mainly for use on unwaxed, contaminate free and Ceramic coated paintwork. This adds an extra layer of protection and makes the car a little bit slicker and more repellent of rain, bugs bird dropping etc. It also prevents brake dust sticking to the wheels and the car should look good with just a wash and hose down and no need for any future polish or waxes applied. As this car is kept outdoors, I will apply the reload perhaps every 3-4 months to keep it looking sweet and well protected.

Sat watching the rain slide off as we speak 😄

[Sled Driver]

7 hours ago, Poundy said:

So today I gave it a layer of Car Pro Reload which is an inorganic Silica spray mainly for use on unwaxed, contaminate free and Ceramic coated paintwork. This adds an extra layer of protection and makes the car a little bit slicker and more repellent of rain, bugs bird dropping etc. It also prevents brake dust sticking to the wheels and the car should look good with just a wash and hose down and no need for any future polish or waxes applied. As this car is kept outdoors, I will apply the reload perhaps every 3-4 months to keep it looking sweet and well protected.

Sat watching the rain slide off as we speak 😄

Does the Car Pro Reload give much of a "beading" effect when water is on the surface?

I have been using GTechniq C2V3 spray sealant every 3mths or so as a topper after I had my CT ceramic coated back in 2020. I'm soon going to finish the bottle and thought of maybe trying something else.

[Poundy]

21 hours ago, Sled Driver said:

Does the Car Pro Reload give much of a "beading" effect when water is on the surface?

I have been using GTechniq C2V3 spray sealant every 3mths or so as a topper after I had my CT ceramic coated back in 2020. I'm soon going to finish the bottle and thought of maybe trying something else.

Hi Kish, not used GTechniq  but viewed as a top brand, the Jag was done in SiRamik coating and i used their SC15mist for quite sometime then changed to the Car Pro range, mainly Reset for washing as this also adds a slight film when hosed off, Reload is so easy to use compared with some others that can leave a haze. I just use a light spray onto a cloth and smear it over 1 panel at a time then buff it off with hardly any pressure, with another clean cloth. Their Bug and Tar remover is amazing for the front panel, spray it on leave for a few minutes and it just wipes off with a wet cloth or hose. Having said that where have all the bugs gone I hardly use it now lol!

Managed to show some beading but had to be quick before it all slid off.😄

[Sled Driver]

I think Car Pro will now be in my shopping basket 😃!

[Poundy]

 

 

So today I gave it a wash with Reset car wash and dried it off using the contactless hose method to see what the previous application of Reload had done.

Hard to do one handed when taking a vid but I'm sure you get the gist lol! Very little to dab off when finished and no water stains when dry. Not Sure if the vid will load but here it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sled Driver]

That looks great! Good results Norman!👍🏽🙂

[Poundy]

2 hours ago, Sled Driver said:

That looks great! Good results Norman!👍🏽🙂

I must admit to being impressed with the performance of the DiamondBrite coating they applied, when comparing the cost with the Jags Ceramic coating I had done.

It also appears that the top up products designated mainly for Ceramic coatings appear to work even better with the standard Diamondbrite finish. My thinking is, that perhaps being a slightly softer finish it is holding the top up coats better than the harder ceramic coatings and making for an even slicker finish.

Of course ceramic has a longer warranty period and should perform better for longer in the bang a scrape departments with less attention. But from a visual point of view I think the diamondbrite is edging it for me.

Plus I have a new aid in the fight for a car that stays dry in the rain😅 Car pro Hydro2, It's applied as a light mist to a wet car after washing then power washed off. Something causes a reaction that bonds it to the panel, don't ask lol!

[Poundy]

So today was brake calipers painting day, as the alloy finish was starting to look rather tired.

I decided that as the Ct's calipers were rather inept looking when compared with most of the larger sporting car models that look good with the fire red, bright yellows etc, I would attempt a reverse psychology and make them try and disappear lol!

I decided to use the Anthracite grey paint but rejected the Lexus caliper stickers. I am happy with the outcome as I feel the alloy wheel is more prominent and looks less cluttered behind it.

Application was very easy in situ with use of a wire brush. Plus the paint kit also came with a brake cleaning spray and small paint brush, so once the wheels are off it only takes a few minutes per wheel. I also took the opportunity to clean and treat the plastic arch liners with the Ultimate Black.

Before and after pics.

 

 

 

 

 

[Poundy]

The Ct is an all weather outside car but still looking tops and running flawlessly at present and with the coming winter and looming snow, rain and salt on our roads I felt it a good time to add another layer of rust protection.

I have booked the CT in with Adam at Enfield Detail & Wrap for Tuesday. He will be cleaning off the chassis and associated parts and Spray coating with Lanoguard clear. He offered me the choice of that or Waxoyl but I opted for the Lanoguard.

Cost quoted £160, which I considered fair value when comparing it to me lying on my back doing it as a DIY plus material costs. Hoping for a couple of before and after pics to post. 😉

[Poundy]

I picked the car up today after having the underside, inner wheel arches etc cleaned of and treated with Lanoguard clear. Came up ok considering it's a 10 year old all weather car, albeit a low miler, with full Lexus service history. Most of the boxes ticked now, I still have to paint rear brake calipers,  get new front mats and replace the tarnished locking wheel nuts. They might wait until after the winter months now.

They only other item is if I put my Aston Villans - number plate on AS10VLS 🤔

Couple of before and after Lanoguard pics total cost £160 

[Poundy]

[Moleman]

looks good