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When you wash a convertible, do you wash the soft top the same way you wash the paintwork? Just wondering if it’s advisable to wash soft tops all over with a soapy solution and hose them down or whether its case of just washing specific areas when they become soiled.
I wash mine over with the soapy water I use to do the rest of the car,(usually a turtle wax product) and then hose it off. Every now and again when I give the car a good going over I use the Autoglym hood cleaner and renovator and it comes up a treat, the water beads on it a treat.
Couple of videos linked below. I particularly like the the american chap's video, he gives a lot of good advice like vacuum first while the hood is still dry. It makes sense to get rid of loose particles before you start, just was you would before taking a wash mitt to your paintwork, and to prevent the water just washing particles into the fabric. Also concentrating on the seams, etc. It's the best video of the three in my opinion.
If you have a garage or car port, park the car in it with the roof up when your not actually driving it, summer and winter. Rain, sunlight, mould and salt are your fabric hoods biggest enemies. Being in a garage lets it dry properly to prevent mould, keeps the rain off it and keeps it in the shade.
In the winter wash & rinse your car and hood once a week if you are using it every day, or after use if it's only occasional, to get the road salt off.
Thanks all, that's very helpful. By the way, the link to the American's guy's video didn't work for me, I had to use the following instead: http://youtu.be/n4Q996A-Pig
Thanks all. So from what I can tell, the AutoGlym treatment seems to be a fabric cleaning and re-proofing procedure that's carried out every once in a while. For regular cleaning it seems the recommended procedure is a good rinse (with a hose), a wash (using a non wax based shampoo and a soft bristled brush), another good rinse (with a hose) and finally a dry (using a microfiber cloth).
Fabric cleaning and re-proofing once (or twice) a year using something like the AutoGlym kit seems a pretty standard procedure on which most people seem to agree, what's not so clear however is the regular washing procedure. Some say use a non-wax based shampoo or soapy solution, while other's say just rinse with water. According to the mini handbook a soft top cleaner should be used in the case of heavy soiling and the soft top should be treated with a proofing agent once a year. There's is no mention of regular washing so I think I will go with just rinsing using a hose for the time being. By the way, is the rear window plastic or glass?
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