[LagunaSol]

So I have a 303 protectant/cleaner kit for the cloth soft top (purchased months before the car arrived ). Car is brand new. Do I go ahead and treat the cloth top now with 303? On their website, the company seemed to imply that factory treatment is sufficient but will wear off over time (1 year?), and at that time using 303 protectant would be beneficial.

So should I wait a year to treat the top, assuming the factory provided a good level of protection to start? Or should I go ahead with the 303 now? Is the second layer of product (303) counterproductive to the still-fresh factory protectant, or at the very least unnecessary?

I'm sure 303 is great stuff, and will gladly use it when needed, but I don't really buy into the hysteria that products from the factory (i.e. upholstery or soft tops) have absolutely no protection whatsoever, and will quickly stain, mold, fade, and decompose into a pile of steaming goo if they're not immediately attacked with X product from Y Corporation. I'm sure these protectant companies want us to believe this, but I find it unlikely a car company (i.e. MINI) would release a car to the world without giving the seat and/or top fabric some sort of treatment.

So treat now? Or enjoy now, wait for factory treatment to fade, then attack with 303?

And how about my Space Gray cloth seats? Same question: treat now? Wait and treat later? I don't eat/drink in my car. A funny thing though: driving back from the dealership, I found myself in the middle of a butterfly migration of biblical proportions. Not only was the front of my car and windsheld covered in yellow bug innards, but one managed to get over the top of the windsheld and back into the passenger compartment, where it exploded on the top of the rear seatback, leaving a nice yellow spot. I'll have to figure out the best way to take that on. That's record time for me for getting a fabric stain in a new vehicle.

Thanks.

[indimini]

Personally, I didn't notice any factory protectant. The water certainly didn't bead up on the soft top during its first wash like it does now with the 303 protectant. I detailed the car within the first week of ownership (claybar, Zaino, 303 on the softtop) and couldn't be happier.

[dancefreak]

My roof also didn't bead up until after I sprayed to top. Before I added it, all the water was just soaking into the canvas.

[MadisonMini]

Quote: Originally Posted by dancefreak

My roof also didn't bead up until after I sprayed to top. Before I added it, all the water was just soaking into the canvas.

That's funny...I've applied the 303 twice now to my top in the last week and let it dry. When it rains, the water *starts* to bead, but after about 15 minutes, the water appears to soak in.

So for those who've applied it, does the rain continue to bead no matter how hard it's raining?

[Cherry2005]

Try Raggtop.

I applied two coats of the product and the water still beads up after two months of washing every-other-day or so. These pictures were taken this afternoon after it had been raining all day.

[too cool blue!]

It's recommended to use the 303 fabric guard for our roofs after a necessary cleaning, not the protectant.

http://www.303products.com/main.php?infopage=products

After 5 months of sitting outside with the fabric guard, it still beads some after a light rain or a light hosing, but there is no beading after a downpour and it does look saturated. I can pat it down with a drying cloth and it looks dry again....so I guess there is still some waterproofing working. I hope the UV protection is too.

On page 116 of the mini manual it say to use a waterproofing agent after 3 to 5 cleanings.

Get some 3M Scotchguard for the seats. That's about all you can do to protect the cloth besides keeping the roof up and who wants to do that?

[gaminicool]

The manual says owners should wash the soft top 3 to five times before applying any protectant. You should use a brush to rub the nap on the top. I got ragtopp and plan to try it after the fourth or fifth washing

I found that after washing my car the water beads for a few minutes then settles in - I doubt there's any protectant on there.

Wash on

[zhigadum]

With what and how do you wash your top?

[too cool blue!]

Quote: Originally Posted by gaminicool

The manual says owners should wash the soft top 3 to five times before applying any protectant.

This doesn't read right. You can use the 303 fabric guard anytime. It says to respray after the 3 to 5 washings with a cleaner.
Use the 303 fabric cleaner if it doesn't rinse off clean or it is stained. http://www.303products.com/main.php?...=fabriccleaner

[gaminicool]

Quote: Originally Posted by too cool blue!

This doesn't read right. You can use the 303 fabric guard anytime. It says to respray after the 3 to 5 washings with a cleaner.
Use the 303 fabric cleaner if it doesn't rinse off clean or it is stained. http://www.303products.com/main.php?...=fabriccleaner

If 303 fabric guard is a waterproofing agent for the top - I would wait.

Here's the quote from the manual to clarify - *note the bold*

"CARING FOR YOUR VEHICLE
If the convertible top is very dirty, it is recommended
that it be cleaned with a special
convertible top cleaning agent. Your
MINI Dealer will be glad to advise you.
Clean the convertible top as follows:
>Spray the convertible top with an
approved convertible top cleaning agent
>Then scrub the convertible top with a
wet sponge using circular motions
>Afterward, finish cleaning the vehicle in
a car wash or rinse the convertible top
thoroughly with plenty of water.
After washing the convertible top three to
five times, it should be treated with a
waterproofing agent."

[too cool blue!]

Why wait? There is no adverse reaction to using the fabric guard...and after drying, the water beads, which doesn’t happen with the factory "treated" roof and you get UV protection too.

[gaminicool]

I'm not sure of the reason for the wait - It would be nice to know

I just figure if the Mini folks put that info in the manual - there must be a reason - I'll give them a call to find out and report back

[gaminicool]

Just spoke to the Ask Mini line and they said the purpose of waiting for 3-5 washes is because the top needs to be extra clean before applying any protectant or waterproofing agent. If it's not really clean the Mini people say caught dirt particles in the top will adversely affect waterproofing.

So I guess if the top is really clean - you have nothing to worry about

[gaminicool]

Quote: Originally Posted by zhigadum

With what and how do you wash your top?

Check out Autopia.org and go to the Convertible top section. It's loaded with info

[too cool blue!]

Washing the roof 5 times in a row will make it really clean, but that’s not going to happen and that’s not what the manual is saying.

Recommending to apply any water protection after washing the roof 3 to 5 times is to replace any protection that has been washed or scrubbed away. The sun and rain will also degrade the protection over time anyway so why wait to apply a better product that shows beading more than the factory stuff.

Starting with a clean roof is the way to go. 303 says to clean if the roof is dirty or stained before application...so the fabric guard won’t lock the dirt or stain in.

Besides going to autopia, do a search on the forum for 303.

[dancefreak]

I used ragtop and the beaded water just rolls off the roof