Hi all My wife recently bought a soft top car and I wondered if anyone would care to share their wisdom with cleaning and waterproofing techniques? This is the first soft top car we've owned and while the top is in great condition there are a few dark marks on it and following rain the fabric is completely soaked with no water beading at all. After reading numerous web pages a lot of people use 'Johnsons Baby Bath' in the blue bottle followed by waterproofing using a product called 'Fabsil' (essentially a canvas tent product) instead of using any of the commercial cleaning kit products available. I suspect the top has never been treated since new (2011) and would like to do what I can to keep it in the best possible condition. However I'm a little apprehensive on the best method to follow. The top is a fabric material type and is red in colour. If anyone is able to recommend any of the products they use I would be very grateful. Ps I'm based in the UK and appreciate not all products are available worldwide. Cheers Matt
Well, according to the logic of one or two weirdos who have posted here, you should store your car in the garage and never drive it.
Don't want to be overly pessimistic, but my last Saab convertible (2008) was "ticket me" red with a tan top that matched the seats. I knew it was going to be tough to keep it stain free. I tried just about everything, from the OEM cleaner to sail preserver from West Marine. Nothing worked. Ultimately, the issue was not so much the rain and weather. It was fold marks from raising and lowering the top. There was rubbing from this normal wear and tear and it took about a year for the color differences to start to show. The dealer was nice enough to do a full cleaning for me under warranty, but the discoloration soon returned. Never really saved any pictures of the car and three years later both the car and the company that built it were gone. gatorcpa
I use 303 Convertible Top Cleaner. Follow it up with 303 Fabric Guard (for a canvas top) or 303 Aerospace Protectant (for a vinyl top). You can buy both parts as a kit- just make sure that you get the one with the right protectant.
Fading wasn't the problem. Quite the opposite, dark streaking that followed where the frame was underneath the top was the issue. Only way to re-dye the top correctly would be to pull the canvas off the frame. Lots of labor means very expensive for a cosmetic problem that was almost certain to return. You learn to get over it. I also tried to find a picture of a car like mine out on the web. I suspect that by this time, any used ones have had the tops replaced with the standard black. If I ever buy another ragtop, it has to be either black or navy blue canvas. gatorcpa
The first thing to determine is what kind of soft top is it? Is it a vinyl or fabric soft top? I have used Raggtopp convertible top care kits to clean and maintain my convertible, just make sure that you buy the right product for the material top you have.