Cleaning the Top

[rc74racer]

I know there was a thread on this but it seems to be missing now. Can someone tell me what the name of the top cleaner was? Thanks.

[sjgreen6]

I refreshed a report I did a while back for you so it should show on your screen now. If you want to see older posts go to Display Options at the bottom of your screen when you are on a forum main screen. Then go to From The and change the option to whatever length (last year) then hit Show Threads and you will see all of the postings that have gone dormant.

Hope this helps.

Steve

[rc74racer]

Thanks a lot I have what I need.

[99ss405]

name of product used ? Mine gets a lil dingy white , from the cover being on it

[sjgreen6]

Here is a repost of my experience with Ragg Topp cleaner and protectant. Regardless of what you use be sure it is gentle on the fabric. There are a lot of products that are too harsh and will result in damage over time. Better to clean two or three times with something that is gentle in my opinion.

RaggTopp Protectant Report (from 2011)
Finally got around to going through the process of cleaning and treating my cloth top last weekend. I bought the RaggTopp kit (cleaner and protectant). Was going to wash the car anyway so seemed like a good time to do the top.

I've got a tan (neutral) top so stains and dirt definitely show. The cleaner seemed to work well. Wet the top then spray on the cleaner, brush with a soft brush and let sit for a few minutes before rinsing off. I realized afterward when I was drying the car that I should have opened the trunk at some point to get the 6 inches of cloth that is covered by the front of the trunk lid. There was a bit of dirt there that I cleaned off later with a brush before treating it.

The protectant is another thing entirely. The label tells you to spray the top and wipe off any excess overspray before it dries. I did the spraying in the garage to avoid wind, I also went ahead and covered the glass immediately near the top with paper. I even popped the top loose so that I could get a good spray under the front edge of the top. The directions recommend two to three coats of spray. I did two and it feels like the can might just barely have two more in it. There seems to be plenty of cleaner for several more cleanings. I presume that this cleaner will not remove the protectant. Will have to try a few washings to confirm.

Now for the fun. First the overspray goes everywhere. It sprays in a very fine mist and any breeze at all will move it where you don't want it. Second I'm not sure that it is possible to wipe off the overspray before it dries as it seems to dry in about 10 seconds on your glass. Once it is dry on the glass have fun getting it off. It creates a nearly impenetrable glaze on the glass that was not fun to remove. I tried glass cleaner, then Simple Green, finally tried denatured alcohol and that seemed to do the trick but I had to follow up with the glass cleaner one more time to remvoe the streaks. The little overspray that made it down to the paint (mostly in the trunk area) seemed to come off easily enough with detailer. I think the good coat of wax clearly helped there.

Now that it is done, the top looks a little cleaner and brighter and seems to have very good water replellancy. I will see how long it lasts as I wash it (car doesn't go out in the rain if I can help it).

Next time I do it I will make sure I do the following:
1) be sure to clean the top canvas that goes down below the front edge of the trunk lid
2) give the car a good drying then lay down a coat of wax and not buff it off to provde a protective layer on the paint before spraying
3) mask the hell out of all glass areas to save time cleaning the glass afterwards

Cheers!

[99ss405]

ty very informative , A lot of people don't understand you have to treat the top to keep it from drying out and cracking after cleaning


Seen a guy put white shoe polish on his vert top at a carshow to hide stains .. I was like WOW

[35th-ANV-SS]

Not surprising lol