How to make the soft top bright n clean??

[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.

[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.

[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 ...

[Mr Morlock]

Shoe polish was used by some in the good old days when no one had any money. I think there are products easier to apply and not likely to rub off say on clothes. If it is important Kiwi probably has an info line and will advise if application on to vinyl is harmful. Lets be clear and most of you guys will know this- miracle products are everywhere but few will pass the Vatican test- like polish for the paintwork it has to be done from time to time. Benny was right earlier in this post about how to clean the tops- old fashioned but like washing ones hands we still employ old methods.