Restoration Report: Flood-affected Toyota Etios

adneeraj · 25th August 2016, 13:58

Inspiring thread Vigsom.
The grit you had to get this car back on the road is amazing. Your thread portrays steps in an easy manner but I'm sure this was a herculean task!
Although I'm not a big fan of the Etios siblings, the way the car held even after 8 months of idle is amazing. That and the anti corrosion treatment done at manufacturing level shows the kind of quality Toyota must be using.

Great account! Wish you many happy miles with your car.

aveemashfaq · 25th August 2016, 15:55

Congrats on the restoration. I too did the same thing (almost similar) to a petrol car. You are lucky to get a flood damaged but running car. Toyota and Honda have such an engineering team and design so that no parts fail that restoring those car is a piece of cake (no offense). You just have to clean the whole car and get it working. For me, with Hyundai, the ECU bust out and the electrics too were not so well. I had to sort out the wiring, clean all the connectors as well as some relays. I had to get a new speedo too. My efforts are posted here.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ndai-getz.html

One simple question: You have posted that you spent close to 4 lakhs to restore it. Does it include the cost of purchase. I simply cannot understand why it was so expensive.

coolmel · 25th August 2016, 17:07

Top read and great work sir. Take a bow. Respect for Toyota increased by more notches!!

Sankar · 25th August 2016, 17:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by vigsom

By the way , I managed to get a tow hook so my project is now officially 100% complete.

Saw a 2014 Amaze AT , 2014 Swift vxi AT , 2012 Innova GX , 2014 Eon Magna plus , all in operation post flood.The Swift floorpan was also quite clean.Attachment 1546899

Glad that you finally sourced a tow hook. Is it possible to order the towhook from Toyota? The complete tool kit is availabke in order. Not sure about just the tow hook.

How about the floor pans of Amaze and Eon?

vigsom · 25th August 2016, 17:44

Thank You adneeraj, aveemashfaq and coolmel.

I got into this project like a man possessed , and my focus was restoration to my standards. It wasn't easy as I had to inspect every sq.cm of the car.

Bringing these new gen cars back to pre flood state can be quite a nightmare.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sankar

The complete tool kit is availabke in order. Not sure about just the tow hook.

How about the floor pans of Amaze and Eon?

You are right , Sankar.The tool kit can be ordered from Toyota but I was quite confident of sourcing the stuff from outside .

Couldn't see the floor pans of the Eon and the Amaze as the carpets were well fixed ; will keep the forum posted as I get to see 'em.

unBound · 26th August 2016, 11:32

I read your report with utter fascination Vigsom, your efforts in restoring a flood hit car are laudable, and as you mention, the quality of metal work and engineering on the Toyota really shine through.

A couple of questions (newbie, please excuse):
1. The seats, seat covers all tend to retain water - did you not have any issues with moisture / smell from these? Or did they just dry out once the car was out of the water?
2. Water tends to seep into cabling connector joints, hydraulics and some ball joints in the suspension when the vehicle is immersed stays in the water. Remarkably you have mentioned that the ECU connectors and the ABS connectors were clean and undamaged. Again, was it a result of the water drying out once the vehicle was out of the water (and possibly kept without starting / being used) for a long time?

Thanks in advance!

vigsom · 26th August 2016, 15:19

^^ Thank You unbound

The seats were dry but as a sample, I had covers in the front two bottom parts removed , inspected the seats for moisture and dirt.Those covers were chaffed so discarded them.No smell in the seats.

The axles were free of water.The ABS module and the ECU couplers are designed to be water free.They have a gasket kind of arrangement with a snap buckle .That possibly keeps the water away.

Hydraulics - unaffected.

Sankar · 26th August 2016, 15:32

Have you done the brakes? If not i would suggest flushing the brake lines completely and filling up with fresh fluid. As you may already know brake fluid is hygroscopic and the car being submerged will let some amount of moisture to seep in through the seals. This may not pose an immediate problem but in the long run the moisture in the circuit will cause corrosion internally.

vigsom · 26th August 2016, 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sankar

Have you done the brakes?

Changed the brake fluid on Day2 of restoration , Sankar.

Used one liter of DOT4 and ensured that all the old fluid was out from all the brake lines plus the clutch line.

Sankar · 26th August 2016, 16:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by vigsom

Changed the brake fluid on Day2 of restoration , Sankar.

Used one liter of DOT4 and ensured that all the old fluid was out from all the brake lines plus the clutch line.

I missed it as it was not in the opening post along with the list. But never mind I found it now in post #5

swiftnfurious · 26th August 2016, 18:22

That's a great job there!

After watching the below video, am kind of sure your Toyota wasn't all that difficult to be "re-started".

(Please watch from 1:50 onwards).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWKz7Cthkk

sgiitk · 29th August 2016, 11:01

Great job. Thanks for pointing me to it.

Folks, he had done a great job at fixing the AC Compressor on his Corolla AT. I am happy in having diagnosed the issue almost at the outset.

vigsom · 12th October 2016, 16:03

The last bit viz.engine oil was changed today.

I could have let the old oil go on for another 3000kms but finally decided to let the engine enjoy some fresh brew.

The new oil is Shell Helix HX5 15w40 API CH-4 which is a way higher spec than the recommended API CF.

Here is a shot of the old oil which was in the car even when it was water affected - not a drop of water in it.

vigsom · 27th January 2017, 21:54

A few updates to the report :

1.Changed 3 relays on the BCM as a preventive ( which is integrated with the Speedo assembly) as one of the relays viz.the ECU relay malfunctioned one day and as a result the car started , stalled and didn't start till the relay was replaced.

2.Changed the right front strut assembly to control part of the boat ride.The total cost of a Monroe assembly was 3.2k.

3.Error in judgement while reversing caused the rear right taillamp assembly to crack on impact with our building's gate.The bumper suffered a dent but I could bring it back to shape in a jiffy.Replaced the taillamp assembly.

The car left for her final home 2 and a half months back and seems to be doing well.

It was a great experience helping this machine regain some of its lost glory !!!!

25th August 2016, 13:58	#16
adneeraj BHPian Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Pune Posts: 175 Thanked: 386 Times	Re: Restoration Report: Flood-affected Toyota Etios Inspiring thread Vigsom. The grit you had to get this car back on the road is amazing. Your thread portrays steps in an easy manner but I'm sure this was a herculean task! Although I'm not a big fan of the Etios siblings, the way the car held even after 8 months of idle is amazing. That and the anti corrosion treatment done at manufacturing level shows the kind of quality Toyota must be using. Great account! Wish you many happy miles with your car.
	(1) Thanks

25th August 2016, 15:55	#17
aveemashfaq BHPian Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: warangal Posts: 144 Thanked: 433 Times	Re: Restoration Report: Flood-affected Toyota Etios Congrats on the restoration. I too did the same thing (almost similar) to a petrol car. You are lucky to get a flood damaged but running car. Toyota and Honda have such an engineering team and design so that no parts fail that restoring those car is a piece of cake (no offense). You just have to clean the whole car and get it working. For me, with Hyundai, the ECU bust out and the electrics too were not so well. I had to sort out the wiring, clean all the connectors as well as some relays. I had to get a new speedo too. My efforts are posted here. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ndai-getz.html One simple question: You have posted that you spent close to 4 lakhs to restore it. Does it include the cost of purchase. I simply cannot understand why it was so expensive.
	() Thanks

25th August 2016, 17:07	#18
coolmel BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 606 Thanked: 358 Times	Re: Restoration Report: Flood-affected Toyota Etios Top read and great work sir. Take a bow. Respect for Toyota increased by more notches!!
	() Thanks

26th August 2016, 11:32	#21
unBound Newbie Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Bangalore Posts: 8 Thanked: 7 Times	Re: Restoration Report: Flood-affected Toyota Etios I read your report with utter fascination Vigsom, your efforts in restoring a flood hit car are laudable, and as you mention, the quality of metal work and engineering on the Toyota really shine through. A couple of questions (newbie, please excuse): 1. The seats, seat covers all tend to retain water - did you not have any issues with moisture / smell from these? Or did they just dry out once the car was out of the water? 2. Water tends to seep into cabling connector joints, hydraulics and some ball joints in the suspension when the vehicle is immersed stays in the water. Remarkably you have mentioned that the ECU connectors and the ABS connectors were clean and undamaged. Again, was it a result of the water drying out once the vehicle was out of the water (and possibly kept without starting / being used) for a long time? Thanks in advance!
	() Thanks

26th August 2016, 15:19	#22
vigsom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NSEW Posts: 3,768 Thanked: 25,496 Times	Re: Restoration Report: Flood-affected Toyota Etios ^^ Thank You unbound The seats were dry but as a sample, I had covers in the front two bottom parts removed , inspected the seats for moisture and dirt.Those covers were chaffed so discarded them.No smell in the seats. The axles were free of water.The ABS module and the ECU couplers are designed to be water free.They have a gasket kind of arrangement with a snap buckle .That possibly keeps the water away. Hydraulics - unaffected. Last edited by vigsom : 26th August 2016 at 15:21. Reason: Addition
	() Thanks

26th August 2016, 15:32	#23
Sankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Location Posts: 5,766 Thanked: 9,054 Times	Re: Restoration Report: Flood-affected Toyota Etios Have you done the brakes? If not i would suggest flushing the brake lines completely and filling up with fresh fluid. As you may already know brake fluid is hygroscopic and the car being submerged will let some amount of moisture to seep in through the seals. This may not pose an immediate problem but in the long run the moisture in the circuit will cause corrosion internally.
	() Thanks

29th August 2016, 11:01	#27
sgiitk BANNED Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Gurugram Posts: 7,969 Thanked: 4,788 Times	Re: Restoration Report: Flood-affected Toyota Etios Great job. Thanks for pointing me to it. Folks, he had done a great job at fixing the AC Compressor on his Corolla AT. I am happy in having diagnosed the issue almost at the outset.
	(1) Thanks

12th October 2016, 16:03	#28
vigsom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NSEW Posts: 3,768 Thanked: 25,496 Times	Re: Restoration Report: Flood-affected Toyota Etios The last bit viz.engine oil was changed today. I could have let the old oil go on for another 3000kms but finally decided to let the engine enjoy some fresh brew. The new oil is Shell Helix HX5 15w40 API CH-4 which is a way higher spec than the recommended API CF. Here is a shot of the old oil which was in the car even when it was water affected - not a drop of water in it. Attached Thumbnails
	(4) Thanks

27th January 2017, 21:54	#29
vigsom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NSEW Posts: 3,768 Thanked: 25,496 Times	Re: Restoration Report: Flood-affected Toyota Etios A few updates to the report : 1.Changed 3 relays on the BCM as a preventive ( which is integrated with the Speedo assembly) as one of the relays viz.the ECU relay malfunctioned one day and as a result the car started , stalled and didn't start till the relay was replaced. 2.Changed the right front strut assembly to control part of the boat ride.The total cost of a Monroe assembly was 3.2k. 3.Error in judgement while reversing caused the rear right taillamp assembly to crack on impact with our building's gate.The bumper suffered a dent but I could bring it back to shape in a jiffy.Replaced the taillamp assembly. The car left for her final home 2 and a half months back and seems to be doing well. It was a great experience helping this machine regain some of its lost glory !!!!
	(4) Thanks