Recommendation on getting soft top reconditioned please

Technical Area Cleaning & Detailing
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  1. My model of MX-5 is: 2005 NB
  2. I’m based near: Bury St Edmunds
  3. I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: Getting my soft-top reconditioned. Can anyone recommend somewhere to get my son top cleaned and reconditioned, please?
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Vacuum clean first. Clean with a soft brush using a solution of water with baby shampoo and a tablespoon of Milton fluid. Then you can re-colour using Renovo (available on line) and when dry waterproof with Fabsil Gold. Protect glass and paintwork when colouring and waterproofing.

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depends on whether vinyl or mohair. If vinyl, clean, shampoo, scrub, use vinyl reconditioned. If mohair, as above, but beware using pressure washer as it can damage the weave of the mohair - gentle scrubbing brush is better. Work especially on any green areas, they take along while to come out properly. Then recolour and protect as discussed.

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I think by 2005 all hoods were mohair (could be wrong) and I did not suggest using a pressure washer.

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Autoglym soft top care kit, very easy to do yourself.

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Any car valeting company should have the means to do the job. Plenty of those companies around.
Vinyl or mohair?
Out of the two vinyl should be the easiest to clean and protect although once cleaned correctly mohair is easily kept looking good.

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Telepathy :thinking: :ghost:

By Coincidence I Also Have an 2005 NB and Looking for Recommendations re Soft Top AND Polish and Carpet Cleaning

So I’ve written down the advice already given

I Had Her Professionally Fully Valeted in 2016 and it cost me £100.00 [How Much !!!] but she was in a Sorry State Then

Was About to Go Searching EBay & Amazon for Cleaning Products so Like Wise Any Advice on the Polish & Carpet Cleaning Appreciated

Thanks [Apologies for Hijacking Thread but Linked Topic ?]

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Mine came with Mohair and after some Horrid Person slashed the Top in 2019 I claimed on insurance and replaced it with Mohair…[Maybe wrong but have vague memory there was a choice of vinyl at the time ?]

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Seems a bit harsh.
I used to put my son in a wee baby bath with nice soft Johnsons Bubbly Baby stuffs.
Please avoid Karchering the poor wee chap. Dry skin? Poor Boys Carnuba works well and creates a nice shine on wee rosy cheeks. On the facial ones.
Hope this helps.

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Thank you all for your helpful advice and comments. However, I was less after “how” to refurbish the soft top, and more “where” - I’m in the Bury St Edmunds area.

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Johnson’s Baby Bath? A bit posh, don’t you think? What’s wrong with Matey - clean kids, clean bath, clean fun?

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DOH…Apologies…Guess We’ve All Wrongly Assumed ‘DIY’ :upside_down_face:

[But I’m Grateful to Posters for ‘Autoglym’ & ‘Renovo’ & ‘Fabsil’] :+1:

Hope Some Member Able to Assist You Properly :smiley:

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I would never use a pressure washer full force on my soft top. But what I have tried, some pressure washers have a soft stream when the trigger (or whatever it’s called in English, English is not my native language :slight_smile: ) is not pushed. I have tried it from some distance and when that went ok tried it a bit closer, around 20-30 centimeters - no damage or messed up weaves or whatever. It’s certainly not enough to clean the top on itself, I use it more for spraying off the soft top cleaner I use.

Of course, try at your own risk. The soft spray certainly did not feel harsh on my hands, no stinging or whatever that I do feel when I use the pressure washer on full force.

Besides this, I use a toothbrush for any green spots on seams/joints, espcecially directly above/behind the doors.

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I use brake cleaner. As a bonus, usually breaks any resistance pretty much instantly.

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For a second there I thought you cleaned the soft-top with brake cleaner. I was about to fire-off a harsh reply when I realised you were only talking about the children.

I am so relieved…I assume you apply a thin coat of WD40 or Duck Oil, afterwards?

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Did you find someone to do this for you?
If not I suggest you look up Car detailers in Yell or on google.
There used to be a separate forum section on car detailing but seems to have gone.
Any car detailer will be able to assist you with this. It is a specialist job, so not necessarily any connection with a garage.

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I think the general advice has been that the ‘where’ should be on your own driveway, with the ‘how’ as the means to achieve that…

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I Concur with Xcentric re ‘Own Driveway’ as many Mobile Operators about

Had Bullits’ [NB 2.5] new Mohair fitted at home plus previous Full Valet [he made a reasonable job of ‘restoring’ old Mohair but it wasn’t well] plus 4 new tyres …all done on the Driveway [10% Discount as Club Member]…Indeed when I tried to go local for tyres they said I had to book in myself on-line anyway and then drive all the way back to them !!

Best

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I don’t think the Cleaning & Detailing forum has gone has it? Although this topic has been moved into and back out of it for some reason.

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and back in as logically that seems to make the most sense.

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