[Nicaf]

Does anyone have any tips for cleaning and maintaining the appearance of the soft top?

If so can they recommend any specific cleaning products please

[davidplatt]

I got my MCC last Wednesday and my brother told me to come over on Sunday morning and we would wax the car.

We washed the car with Zymol car wash, used the Zymol HD-Cleanser, used Zymol Carbon wax on the car and treated the black trim and tires with protectant. Took a total of 1 hour and 25 minutes.

I asked him about the top and he immediately said 303 products. They make a kit that consists of a fabric convertible top cleaner and convertible top guard. I ordered it over the internet. Can't say first hand how good it is, but my brother is rarely wrong when it comes to car care.

[Nicaf]

Thanks for that. Do you know if their products are available in the UK. Can you provide me with details of their website so I can make some enquiries

Ta

[Mickey690]

So far i have cleaned my hood twice. My car was supagard at the dealers and that pack came with a fabric hood cleaner. Just sprays on and then you get a special sponge with it just give it a rub then rinse with water. Only takes a matter of minutes. You can buy the stuff on line. http://www.supagard.co.uk/soft_top.htm £24.95

[Carolynn]

I spoke to my dealers about this last week and at the moment they are recommending the BMW fabric roof stuff - theres a shampoo and also a wax and is approx a total of £19 for both. My dealers had sold out but going to try some when they get it back in, although they did say MINI should be bringing out their own branded range soon.

[Geoff & Gill]

We used Fabseel on our BMW Z3 hood. It is about £12 for 2.5 litres from Millets (yes - the camping place). One application once a year and the hood was as good as new after 6 years. 2.5 litres should last almost as long!
Water just beads and rolls off.
Will do the Mini when winter comes........
G

[davidplatt]

Quote: Originally Posted by Nicaf

Thanks for that. Do you know if their products are available in the UK. Can you provide me with details of their website so I can make some enquiries

Ta

The 303 website listed a couple of companies in the UK that sell 303. One of them is:

The Polishing Company
Diss Norfolk IP22 4EG

phone
01379 640208

fax 01379 642209

info@thepolishingcompany.com

http://www.thepolishingcompany.com

They list the fabric convertible care kit:

Fabric Top Cleaning Kit
Specifically designed for fabric used in convertible tops and awnings. The kit comprises a unique colloidal cleaner to safely clean the vinyl and leave it residue free, plus 303 Fabic Guard to restore lost water repellency prevent stains and provide UV protectoin. 303 HTFG is powerfull enough for the harshest environment yet safe on the finest fabrics.
Approved by Sunbrella
Price £19.95

[ftbt]

I have applied the 303 convertible top protectant to my MCSC. First off, 303 actually sells 2 different pre-packaged convertible top cleaning kits: They both contain a cleaner. However, the protectant on one kit is designed for vinyl/plastic convertible tops (Ithe package is labeled with a #1on it) and the other kit is designed for cloth/canvas tops (the package is labeled with a #2 on it). You are not supposed to use the vinyl/plastic top protectant (or for that matter the regular 303 Protectant product) on a cloth/canvas top.

I applied the cloth/canvas protectant to the top of my MCSC, and it is supposed to provide enhanced UV and water protection. Since I live in California (where it rarely rains) the only water protection that I can attest to is when I washed the top. From what I have seen so far, yes, it seems to offer some degree of water protection (but the top is brand new and one would expect that it would be water resistant for an extended period of time "right out of the box" ... so it is difficult to tell.)

The application of the protectant made the top color, in my opinion, just a bit darker and it also gave it just a slight amount of shine or sparkle.

What you have to watch out for is getting any of the protectant on the windows or the body/paint. While it is easily removed from the body/paint with a damp rag while it is still wet, the protectant is very difficult to remove from the windows (glass or plastic) if it dries!!

Once it dries, it leaves a stubborn film on the glass and plastic that requires some degree of rubbing to remove. Unfortunately, the instructions do not mention any of that.

ftbt

2005 MCS Convertible, Dark Silver, Black Top, White Bonnet Stripes, Premium, Sport & Cold Weather Packages, Clear Bra -w- Dinan CAI kit and JCW kit to follow, Calif. License No. "JCW CAB."

2002 Works Cooper S, Sn. 1165, DS/W; Sport + Premium + UNIChip + Alta CAI + H Sport Springs, Competition Front & Rear Sway Bars, Rear Camber Control Arms + 17" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1's; 215-45-17 Kumho MX's + AP Racing Formula Big Brakes, XDrilled Rotors, Goodridge SS Lines + Clear Bra + Cobra Daytonas + Schroth Harnesses and a full tank of 100 octane ... life is good!

2002 Cooper CVT LY/W

The 303 brand protectant for cloth-canvas tops can be purchased at any marine supply store.