CT 200h Model (2011-2017)

E46CT CT200h Diary (w/ pictures)

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Old 10-25-19, 10:39 AM
  #91  
E46CT
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one other tip.. if you do decide to go with denso ballasts, you can get them on ebay. there's a seller that sells just those who gets them off wrecked cars. they're half of what an online "HID store" would cost you.

here's a write up i did on the prius. basically the same exact job. just on the prius.

the parts are the exact same on the prius. even the projectors are the same. wiring.. everything same.




https://priuschat.com/threads/prius-...-denso.156821/
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Old 10-25-19, 10:53 AM
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Also since the projectors are a bolt on, you'd align them just like you would stock lights. you just turn the screw with a screwdriver. very little fuss.
Old 10-25-19, 07:13 PM
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Originally Posted by E46CT





I Love the new look of your car with the blacked out mirrors. Have you considered doing the door handles like they did on the Crafted Line ES350?

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Old 10-27-19, 09:28 AM
  #94  
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Originally Posted by E46CT
Also since the projectors are a bolt on, you'd align them just like you would stock lights. you just turn the screw with a screwdriver. very little fuss.
okay that’s great to hear I just realigned mine when I did the high beams. I noticed it said those bulbs were h11’s but aren’t the high beams h9? Seems to be working perfectly.

Only weird thing I noticed after installing the high beams was when the CT starts up and the low beams which are stock and when they turn on, they have about 1 second where they are slightly dimmer than normal, then they go to normal brightness - high beams not running. Have you noticed that?

i am replacing the hikari’s for another pair today cause one had a whining noise like the fan was having issues. So maybe that’s it.
Old 10-28-19, 09:21 AM
  #95  
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Originally Posted by gamma742
I Love the new look of your car with the blacked out mirrors. Have you considered doing the door handles like they did on the Crafted Line ES350?

https://youtu.be/BTyRzPm4gqQ
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Thanks. I am not a fan of the blacked out door handles cause it creates attention where none is wanted. It breaks up the body line of the car and makes the car appear smaller. Gives the side less visual weight. Which is what you don't want on a small car. It may work better on bigger cars.

There's lots of considerations when it comes to drawing the eye. size of car, type of car, what you are trying to accomplish, etc.

Originally Posted by poppe
okay that’s great to hear I just realigned mine when I did the high beams. I noticed it said those bulbs were h11’s but aren’t the high beams h9? Seems to be working perfectly.

Only weird thing I noticed after installing the high beams was when the CT starts up and the low beams which are stock and when they turn on, they have about 1 second where they are slightly dimmer than normal, then they go to normal brightness - high beams not running. Have you noticed that?

i am replacing the hikari’s for another pair today cause one had a whining noise like the fan was having issues. So maybe that’s it.
Hmm sorry you experienced that. No my LED high beams do not turn on at all when the car starts up. You sure you aren't seeing the DRLs and mistaking them for the high beam bulbs?
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Old 10-28-19, 09:23 AM
  #96  
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Blacked out my windshield post trim w/ gloss black vinyl. massive improvement and only took me 3 minutes per side.

Old 10-28-19, 09:33 AM
  #97  
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I installed the LED rear reflectors also these were necessary to tap the wires

Pull the bumper off and tap 3 wires per side. ground, parking, brake (black, yellow, red) your car may be different so test before you put the bumper back.

Bumper comes off like cake. Two 10mm screws on the back under the hatch lid, remove the plastic caps first. then two 8mm screws, one on each side by the wheel well/tire. Then just lay down under the bumper and remove all the plastic caps using a flat tap screw driver around the perimeter. there's probably 6 or 8 of them. Then unlatch the bumper on both sides by the tire. Carefully lift/pull away from the sides (the bumper clips in by press fit clips) and once both sides are "popped" out using your hands, then pull the bumper away. have a large cloth for the bumper to sit on.

Then just simply tap three wires per side as mentioned above. You have to remove the tail lights. PUT TAPE on your quarter panel where the tail light sits next to so you don't scratch your paint. removing the tail lights takes a bit of force to pop them free, so you may scratch your paint if you've never done it before. Use a rag to pull the tail light out cause the edges are kind of sharp. Two 10mm screws per side per tail light under the plastic caps. Then the tail light pulls directly rearward. There's a plastic clip that has to pop so this is why its so tight.

I had to cut away some of the extra stock insulation/tape on the wiring loom to make space for the wire taps.

Another tip, but tape on the corners/edges of your bumper so they don't scratch. the bumper is big and awkward so you will bump into things. as you move it around. do not scratch your car!



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Old 10-28-19, 09:36 AM
  #98  
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Originally Posted by E46CT

Hmm sorry you experienced that. No my LED high beams do not turn on at all when the car starts up. You sure you aren't seeing the DRLs and mistaking them for the high beam bulbs?
Sorry my last post was unclear. Was writing on mobile. My standard halogen bulbs (low beams) upon startup, starts at like 75% brightness for about 3 seconds, and then goes into it's normal low beam brightness upon startup of the vehicle (when it's dark). I hadn't noticed it since before I did the high beam swap, so I wanted to see if you had noticed anything like that.
Old 10-28-19, 12:07 PM
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that's normal. if i'm not mistaken my HIDs do that too. The car is running off 12V (closer to around 11.7-11.9V) with the ignition off then once you switch the car on and the car runs its hybrid wizardry and juices up to around 14-14.4V. About what a normal car does when you run the engine and spins up the alternator. has nothing to with the bulbs.
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Old 10-28-19, 12:16 PM
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Originally Posted by E46CT
that's normal. if i'm not mistaken my HIDs do that too. The car is running off 12V (closer to around 11.7-11.9V) with the ignition off then once you switch the car on and the car runs its hybrid wizardry and juices up to around 14-14.4V. About what a normal car does when you run the engine and spins up the alternator. has nothing to with the bulbs.
Okay perfect. Thank you, I really can't tell you enough how much I appreciate you updating us on your updates. Really helpful on trying to get my car up and going to something like yours (but in black).
Old 10-28-19, 12:18 PM
  #101  
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nice no problem. post some pics!

now that i think about it, my HIDs definitely do the brightness step up too. They turn on sort of dim then go full brightness after 2-3 seconds. Maybe i'll take a quick video and turn it into a gif tonight.
Old 11-18-19, 12:12 PM
  #102  
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I cleaned and conditioned *with proper seal conditioner* all rubber seals to all doors, hatch, and sunroof. I also cleaned and lubricated the track to the sunroof as well as the metal to where the sunroof glass/rubber seats against the roof panel. Also cleaned and condition all door hinges, strikers, and latches including lubrication where necessary. Quite a time consuming process. But it should be good for a number of years =)
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Old 12-26-19, 08:14 AM
  #103  
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Took it up to the mountains. No hiccups to report.


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Old 12-26-19, 01:20 PM
  #104  
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Originally Posted by E46CT
Took it up to the mountains. No hiccups to report.

Puurty...

I'm trying to join the club if you could check my thread, it would be appreciated
Old 02-05-20, 08:04 PM
  #105  
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Originally Posted by E46CT
I installed the LED rear reflectors also these were necessary to tap the wires

Pull the bumper off and tap 3 wires per side. ground, parking, brake (black, yellow, red) your car may be different so test before you put the bumper back.

Bumper comes off like cake. Two 10mm screws on the back under the hatch lid, remove the plastic caps first. then two 8mm screws, one on each side by the wheel well/tire. Then just lay down under the bumper and remove all the plastic caps using a flat tap screw driver around the perimeter. there's probably 6 or 8 of them. Then unlatch the bumper on both sides by the tire. Carefully lift/pull away from the sides (the bumper clips in by press fit clips) and once both sides are "popped" out using your hands, then pull the bumper away. have a large cloth for the bumper to sit on.

Then just simply tap three wires per side as mentioned above. You have to remove the tail lights. PUT TAPE on your quarter panel where the tail light sits next to so you don't scratch your paint. removing the tail lights takes a bit of force to pop them free, so you may scratch your paint if you've never done it before. Use a rag to pull the tail light out cause the edges are kind of sharp. Two 10mm screws per side per tail light under the plastic caps. Then the tail light pulls directly rearward. There's a plastic clip that has to pop so this is why its so tight.

I had to cut away some of the extra stock insulation/tape on the wiring loom to make space for the wire taps.

Another tip, but tape on the corners/edges of your bumper so they don't scratch. the bumper is big and awkward so you will bump into things. as you move it around. do not scratch your car!




where did you get this part? I’m looking at ebay but I think it only fits older CT’s. I have same one as your. 2016


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