I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: General advice on soft top maintenance - honestly looks like too much faffing about to me but I’ve looked at dozens of RFs and they all seem to be not that well kept (because RF buyers aren’t ‘genuine MX5 people’ as a majority?) - soft tops on the other hand seem to be a great deal better value for money but the soft top maintenance really puts me off, seems to be so difficult! Could someone please tell me genuinely how much work needs doing on a regular basis for a daily driver car which will get driven in every weather and will always be parked outside.
My car (NA) hasn’t been on the road in a while, it’s parked outside though under cover, however the roof still gets subjected to algae growth, dust and paw prints from the local cats (they like sleeping on it).
The best thing I ever found was when I thought it needed cleaning, couldn’t find the cleaners, and used fairy liquid and a soft nail brush - barely any effort required and it came up so amazingly clean I wondered why we bother with expensive cleaners - stayed amazingly clean for ages too
(wouldn’t recommend it for paintwork mind).
I know you’re really after an RF from your other thread, I presume MX-5 City don’t have a waiting list you could get on since they’re in your area?
Regular cleaning, I use a baby shampoo gently scrub and rinse, in the summer I’ll give it a clean, then apply a coat or two of Renovo, when its dried I’ll then use Fabsil gold to seal and protect it.
This was done last year, rained earlier today.
It may be that ‘RF buyers aren’t genuine MX5 people’ in some cases, just as it could doubtless be said that ‘some MX5 buyers aren’t genuine MX5 people.’ I can assure you that this particular RF owner is most definitely a true appreciator of the MX5. I will certainly agree that a soft-top ND is truly a thing of beauty but an RF is lovely in the winter and less of a worry when parking in towns, and so on. I live near the seaside and when parking outside can sometimes be reminded of the voracious appetites of seagulls. I’ve no idea how I’d keep a soft top’s top clean here. No such probs with the RF. I use my RF as my main car (my wife has a sensible car which I can use when I need the capacity) and the RF suits me well for that, as well as being an absolute joy as are all MX5s.
Im also very close to the coast and regularly have eight seagulls on our roof! I wipe seagull shite off the cars most days. It wouldn’t stop me buying a softtop but my tin roof is easier to clean I’m guessing….
The folding roof is a marvel and very reliable apparently. But a one-handed operation of the soft top is a marvel too. Well done Mazda!
Ensure roof drain filters are checked/cleaned if permanently left outdoors, particularly if parked up near trees or if there’s the likelihood of other airborne debris. Consider vacuuming before washing roof fabric. Dilute Milton steriliser is used by many to eliminate any green algae developing. The fabric roof itself is waterproof, but as already mentioned by Squibnocket, Fabsil Gold is easy to apply on an already cleaned roof and water beads off ‘like magic.’
That actually sounds quite good and fairly easy to keep on top of… I do like the RF A LOT! …but I must admit, a soft top SE is very appealing due to its simplicity
I see your point and your statement is probably more accurate - I do love the idea of an RF, and to be fair, I’m not a convertible car guy, I usually only had it down in my previous RF when the other was in passenger seat, but now I will be driving this MX-5 a lot more on my own - like over 90% of the time on my own, meaning the roof will most always be up, meaning an RF makes so much more sense…
I still find a soft top SE really really appealing because of its simplicity though…
My ND1 was kept outside for 7 years with minimal issue. Whenever I cleaned the car, I used a special gentle setting on the jetwash and went over the roof, then dried it with an old bath towel. Twice a year it would get shampoo’d, brushed and proofed, after a few years I’d get the odd of green I treated at proofing time with a bit of dilute bleach and an old toothbrush.
My ND2 had issues with the roof leading edge rubbing on the bottom of the rollover hoop trim, easily fixed with a couple of plastic wedges from Paul Kent.
I’d get the soft top, reportedly a lot less buffeting at speed with the roof down vs the RF, plus you can easily raise and lower it at 30 mph which you can’t in the RF. I don’t believe the RF is much quieter roof up, obviously a bit more secure though.
This is the roof on my 2019 car after a quick clean and reproof, AFAIK it’s been outside all its life
With proper protection applied one a year, and the drains inspected similarly, there’s no reason the soft top won’t last the life of the car when kept outside. You could also get a soft top cover by firms like UK Custom Covers specifically for that part of the car but the cleaning and protection products are so good now you may not even need that.
Thank you very much - that does put things into perspective a bit, certainly not a lot of work/maintenance involved.
I do like the RF A LOT, and I didn’t find any wind noise to be intrusive personally when I had mine but it’s so hard to find a decent RF for a reasonable price. Where as decent soft tops seem to be everywhere you look!
