Gen7 Celica Restoration

June 8, 2013

Hi guys

First time poster as i have just inherited a 2001 lagoon blue VVti. She has done 119,000 miles but has full service history and drives like a dream. The only drawback is that the frontend bodywork is a bit messed up! (see pics) Great body, ugly face if you know what i mean :laughing:

Anyhoo, i have decided to document my attempts at restoring her to her former glory and where better to do that than here. Its many for my own pleasure but if others can get some useful information then all the better.

So i started small and tackled the headlights first (after a wash and wax of course!). A friend recommended Meguiars Headlight restoration kit (http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/meguiars/headlight-restoration-kit.aspx) so i went for some of that.

I cleaned the headlights with warm soapy water and let them dry. Grabbed the thicker masking tape and made sure the surrounding bodywork was fully protected. Take your time with this and make sure even the smallest amount of paintwork is covered.

The Restoration Kit comes with a pad that directly attaches to a drill. Cordless or otherwise. I added a small amount of the liquid to the pad and started buffering slowly at first and then gradually increased the speed moving all over the headlight. Once the liquid started to thin out, i grabbed a clean microfibre towel and started circular buffing to remove the remaining.

First time round i was pleasantly surprised at how well it had worked but to be on the safeside I repeated the process. Finally I grabbed another clean microfibre cloth and applied a small amount of the liquid (roughly the size of a pea) and started to work that over the headlight. After I got my eyesight back after being blinded about how shiny the headlight was :clap: