How to make the soft top bright n clean??

[marcusus]

I can only remember them using the one product on the roof, and I think it was the "Natural Shine".

Really? Why do I remember two products being used? Can anyone else that was there confirm whether both of those products I've mentioned got used on the roof?

The Cloth & Trim cleaner does specifically mention it cleans vinyl too.

Had a brief look at the roof just then. It does look cleaner than when I usually clean it, but not by much. I can see the checker pattern a bit more clearly too now, although that might just be a figment of my imagination since I haven't washed the car for about 6 weeks

I suppose I'll just need to do a bit more washing of the roof with the product and see whether consistent use brings back the colour of the roof slowly.

[emexv]

I use a 3M Marine cleaner and protectant. I first used it on my boat canopy that had not been cleaned in two years. It brought it up like new.

I used some on the 5 yesterday and was very happy with the result.

[DaleZ]

bought the Meguiar Natural Shine.... just tried it today.... the result is amazing.... the result is not because it is not dried up.... it stays that way..... brings out the black on the soft top again.... pretty happy with it....

[drifter]

Is the Natural Shine silicon free?

[marcusus]

Is the Natural Shine silicon free?

The bottle doesn't say.

Meanwhile, I used both the trim cleaner and the natural shine on a fair bit of the interior yesterday. It brings that stuff up just as well as it does the soft top.

As for the top itself, it's definitely holding it's blackness longer. Usually after I do a wash and wax, the top is black for the time being, but during the week it tends to revert back it's old dull self. With the Meguiar's stuff, it looks like the colour is a bit blacker during the week. Might just be psychological, but as long as I think it looks better that's all that matters right?

Either way, I'm gonna keep using this stuff on basically everything and see whether it restores it all.

[Thriceisalways]

Right so i have decided that broken hill is no longer a part of this country...
My car is COVERED in red dust... so i washed and polished...
Bought the car 2 weeks ago... in immaculate condition... roof was black as night... beautifuil...
NOW! its red... i could use a few horible words none of which would remove the colour...
after reading through the post in this thread i will most likely go with the 303...
will this remove the red dirt stains?

[hks_kansei]

probably not.

303 is a protectant, NOT a cleaner.

get a soft brush and some soap (the same stuff you use for teh paint should be fine)

just wet the top, mix some soapy water, and scrub it lightly.

you can buy some special "Convertible top cleaner", but from the one I've used (Mother's brand) it's only soap in a spray bottle so not worth the money.

[Muzz01]

Like a lot of other people i used 303 protectant , but it never lasted long. So i tried liquid shoe polish , which had a lot of wax in it. The result was excellent and now i have a terrific looking roof that retains the look for ages -

[de Bounce]

303 is a protectant, NOT a cleaner.

I recently purchased a 303 Protectant Pack
It included a spray bottle of Cleaner and a spray bottle of Protector

I think the 303 cleaner may clean up some of the engrained dust, hopefully without any nasty sided effects.

[Tony]

Gidday all,

I may as well chime in here; although I'm sure there are plenty of other products that will give a similar or better result.

I bought my MX5 a couple of weeks ago and from a detailing perspective had been pretty much neglected. The roof had ingrained dust and dirt that a sponge and car wash couldn't remove. It was almost white/grey looking.

So I tried the Megs Cloth and Trim cleaner and I scrubbed it in with a Swissvax leather brush (similar to a nail brush you'd have in the bathroom!). I wiped it off with a clean microfibre towel; it's only then do you realise how much crap is in the material.

I also tried the same technique using Swissvax Leather Cleaner then washed off both areas. Once the roof was dry I compared the results side by side and to my eye the Swissvax gave a slightly better result. So I cleaned the remainder of the roof using the Swissvax Leather Cleaner and brush.

I then applied Swissvax Leather Milk using a hand held foam polishing pad. I worked the product well into the roof and then let it "soak in" in the shade. I was surprised that leather conditioner would soak into the vinyl the way it did. None seemed to wash off either.

So it may be worth trying some leather cleaner and conditioner if you have some in your detailing cupboard.

FYI, I get all my detailing supplies from Dave at Waxit (http://www.waxit.com.au/). I have no affiliation, other than being a satisfied customer.

Regards...

[wun911]

Does anyone have a mo hair roof what do they use to clean it??
Also does your mo hair roof have flat spots and crease marks from folding the roof up and down??
Is it suposed to loos hair and fluff off, I've only had it a few months or so.

[Mr Morlock]

The world of business always suggests wonder products and uses amazing descriptions many of which are just a little overblown. I have a book on how to detail cars and it is prob about 15 yrs old. For soft tops it has the amazing suggestion that you use a smallish scrubbing brush and a detergent or soap to get the ingrained dust out of the graining. It is really surprising just how well this works. 303 is fine as a finisher. There are many basic products that clean well without having to spend too much on the new magic solution.

[Benny]

To get ingrained dirt or red dust, off the soft top, you HAVE to use a soft brush, prefferably with some water and a mild detergent.
Nothing else will scrub the dirt out, as it is caught up in the grain of the vinyl and it must be physically removed, otherwise, you can cover it up, but it will eventualy come back to haunt you.

The protectors etc just put on a shiny layer on the surface, but will do nothing to get rid of the ingrained dirt.

Don't use a harsh or abrasive cleaner, as this will just remove all the plasticiser out of the vinyl, and then it will go brittle and crack apart.

[Muzz01]

Hi all,
After using 303 on the vinyl roof - which was good for a while but did not last - i tried liquid shoe polish. I cannot believe how well the roof now looks , and it is STILL good after a month. I used a premium Kiwi brand , which has wax in it. Apply with a sponge.

[greenMachine]

Shoe polish

In the old days (sigh), this was regarded as a definite no-no. One of the contents of shoe polish was reputed to attack the vinyl in the roof, and I was shown one roof destroyed allegedly by using shoe polish .

Can someone with relevant expertise put this to bed one way or the other - is there ANY incompatibility between the chemicals in shoe polish and a vinyl roof? Please ...