Toyota Echo Hatchback (Vitz) 2001 Story | Restoration | DIY's

[Hassan1991]

You can have real time data of all that.

[ahmedstudio]

Bad intake manifold also contributed to system too lean

[ahmedstudio]

Clean job
Share the photos of installed wiring

[humayun.chughtai.7]

Let's continue with the wiring part. So after clearing all the wiring mess in the engine bay. It was time to look for the reason why ACC. fuse was failing frequently.
Though wiring was all stock & clean behind the dash but I had to figure out the issue so removed the top cover of dash.

All the interior bits removed & placed securely.

Found out the culprit after a bit of fiddling with DMM here n there and it was a wire whose insulation stripped off & was touching the metal.

Cleaned up all the dust behind the dash with a leaf blower & installed everything back in.

[humayun.chughtai.7]

Next I power washed the seats as they were grimy & full of dust. Used a mix of Shampoo, APC & Fabric cleaner to revive them.

Front

Rear

[humayun.chughtai.7]

After 2 weeks, the car again went to painter's place for wet sanding & compound-polishing.

Sanding process started

After

Though the sanding & polishing job was not perfect & you might notice a lot of swirls & imperfections. Still I was pretty happy with the results.

[humayun.chughtai.7]

After getting the car back from painter, its time to re-install all the exterior trims, monograms, air press, door mouldings etc.

I gave it a good wash first,

Got my hands on a silicone based double tape locally & believe me, it is of very good quality, very happy with its results.
p.s. its not a 'kutta tape'

Took me a good time in taking measurements & markings, for perfect Installation.

Air press, mouldings, door handles, side mirrors DONE.

[humayun.chughtai.7]

Done with the other side as well.
p.s. ignore my neglected indus as all my attention was on vitz.

[humayun.chughtai.7]

Again, markings done for emblem installation

Here you go

For the sake of my mind

Wiper & trunk lock installed as well. Took her out for a ride, that's why she is dusty. At this stage, car is almost ready.
p.s. neglected indus finally got a wash.

[humayun.chughtai.7]

Seats, door cards & everything in interior is installed as well as detailed.

[humayun.chughtai.7]

Only thing left on the exterior was side skirts installation, so did it as well.

[humayun.chughtai.7]

Here is how she looks.

[humayun.chughtai.7]

There were alot of swirls & a good detailing session was needed for the exterior.

Here comes to the rescue, a very respectable & good friend of mine @effaf27. He's very good at detailing knowledge & I consider him a pro-detailer and enthusiast.
So, we did a good 10 hour long detailing session at his place & man o man he did his magic to the paint finish.

He started with a good pressure wash, followed by a iron remover & clay job.

[effaf27]

time for the magic reveal when we did a side by side

[humayun.chughtai.7]

Tomorrow Insha Allah

[humayun.chughtai.7]

So after the required masking, Effaf bhai started the job.

50-50 comparison below the door handle area

[humayun.chughtai.7]

And here begins the magic. 50/50 shot on the bonnet. Previously, I was not so happy with the haziness on this part but then things changed altogether by @effaf27

Bonnet, Fender & Front door done here.

Plz make sure to watch the videos on 1080p HD

[humayun.chughtai.7]

[humayun.chughtai.7]

loving the wet looks & reflections ...

p.s. All these pics are taken screenshots from video clips, that's why picture quality is not at par & might feel a bit shaky.

[humayun.chughtai.7]

Some of you guys might feel very minor swirls, its because we did not opt for any protection or ceramic coating, so Effaf bhai didn't want to cut most of the clear coat for the sake of perfection only & that too without any coating. We only applied a quality wax to add cherry on the top, nothing else.