Hi All just after a bit of advice really from anybody who has used the above stuff.
I treated my NC mohair hood when I first purchased the car in June with the Autoglym stuff which worked really well but only lasted a few months. I tried cleaning and treating again a few weeks ago with the other half of the bottle but I don’t have anywhere near as good beading going on. I suspect some of it may have been washed off in an overnight light rainfall as unfortunately I have nowhere to shelter the car after treatment.
Looking at a few posts on here the GTechniq i1 product seems to get good reviews so I’d though I’d give it a go but as I’ve already spent a few quid I thought I’d try and get a bit of advice before using.
Does it have to be left overnight to dry as with Autoglym (The instructions on the bottle just state “leave to dry”)?
Do I have to protect the glass and paintwork before treament?
As I only cleaned and treated a few weeks ago (poor result) will I need to clean again before treating to get rid of the other product?
Is it bad for the life of the hoods to use so many treatments over a short period of time?
Any thoughts and advice would be much appreciated.
Hi Ian,
Have just used Gtechniq Smart Fabric for the first time and, after a false start, am well impressed. To answer your questions -
You need to clean the roof really well before you start. I used Renovo cleaner. Then the roof must be really, really dry before you apply the Smart Fabric. To get a good even cover I used a new 2" paintbrush. Yes you have to then leave it to dry so you need at least 12 hours without rain unless you have a garage.
You are supposed to protect the glass and paintwork but I found that any product taht did go were it was not supposed to soon wiped off.
3-4. As I said I had a bit of a disaster the first time I used this (I think the roof was simply not 100% dry before applying) so ended up, on Gtechic’s advice, simply reapplying on a dry roof. Effectively the roof was treated twice in a week with no issues. If it was me I would be inclined to re-clean to get rid of the old product before trying Smart Fabric if only because it’s rather expensive and you want to get it right first time.
Hope this helps.
If in any doubt then contact Gtechnic Customer Service.
I think I’ll try your plan with a brush rather than using the trigger spray that comes with the bottle - tends to go everywhere when you have to use it outside. Lets hope I can get a couple of dry days in the near future to get it sorted.
JGG,
Sorry I don’t know if new hoods come pre-treated, might be worth asking the chaps that fitted it for you.
Hi Ian - We have had a lot of rain over the last 24 hours and the water just runs straight off the hood treated with the Smart Fabric. Looks very impressive.
Rod
I use Renovo Ultraproofer. Costs about 10-11 quid on Amazon. Easy to apply with a clean brush. Rain beads afterwards. I try to use it twice a year or a minimum of once per year. No problems with it. I have an NC with a black mohair hood. Also clean the drain holes with my trumpet cleaner at the same time.
I bought a bottle of GTechniq i1 just a couple of weeks ago. They recommend the hood be very dry before application, the video says dry for 3 days. Ever since the postman delivered it, it’s been raining. I have a relatively new roof (may this year) and the rain is still beading a little at the moment. It’s beginning to look like I won’t be able to use this stuff until next spring. I just can’t imagine getting a dry 4 days before then. Dew alone is keeping the roof damp every night.
Its great stuff but does need to be applied correctly. Word of caution, if you decide against protecting the paintwork and glass work then make sure you wipe any drips away straight away. Because of its chemical make up it has a tendency to leave marks and are hard to get rid of if not dealt with straight away. I’ll admit, I don’t cover anything up. I probably should but I have seen marks on windows (the first time I used it) which have been near on impossible to remove manually (machine needed).