Soft top in need of cleaning/refurbishment - 2010

Area Discussion South Wales
1

Hi all,

My 2010 20th Anniversary Edition is in desperate need for the soft top being professionally cleaned or refurbished. It has stains from algae/moss from outside storage. Off the shelf cleaning products are not touching it. Any recommendations please?

Thanks,
Matt

2

Hi Matt68

Have you tried ‘Autoglym’

Soft Top Clean and Protect Complete Kit

Folk on here have also recommended ‘Milton’ [yep the baby stuff]

But by the sounds of it you may need to replace the soft top if it’s too far gone ??

3

PS

Member TerryM1 previously posted a link to a TV programme called ‘Car SOS’ which he found on Cable and I found on Sky

It was on an NB but it includes a section on restoring a soft top which was as bad as yours sounds

Hope you can find the link on the site as I’m not tech savvy enough to send you a link

4

Do you have a photo of the hood to share? We might be able to share some process if you want to have another go yourself, to see if the results are any better. A wet & dry vacuum can also be really useful, if you have one or can borrow one.

This is a pretty good approach video from the Forensic Detailing channel on YouTube which might be of interest:

5

Hi Bullit2005,
Thanks for the response. I’ve tried the Autoglym product and wasn’t effective. I’ll give the Milton a go.
regards,
Matt

6

Cheers

7

Thanks, I’ll take a look.

8

There are 3 basic steps to hopefully getting your hood back to an acceptable condition plus one more to improve the final result.
Step 1 -wet the hood thoroughly using a low pressure hose., then apply dilute milton using a spray bottle, at the % shown on the bottle, to all the areas with algae or other contamination. Work this in with a soft nail brush or tooth brush for the awkward areas . Leave for a coulpe of hours but don’t let it dry out, and rinse off. Repeat for any areas which remain contaminated.

Step 2 -using a mild detergent such as Sainsburys delicates ( or equivalent) work this into the fabric again using a soft nail brush or tooth brush. Repeat for any local problems. A wet vac or a carpet cleaner with a hand held applicator helps here.

Step 3 - Thoroughly rinse the hood using clean water or a pressure washer on a low setting at about 1m ( don’t be tempted to use a spinning jet as this will damage the fabric beyond repair), to remove any dirt and debris from the weave in the material. Make sure the water runs clear. Leave to dry completly, again a wet vac will speed up this process or a microfibre cloth will help.

If, at this stage, you can still see areas of damage or dirt it’s probably not worth going any further and you have to decide to live with it, get a new hood or go for a full colour restore , which may not work anyway.
Once your hood is clean and dry then you can restore some of the original beading using something like Fabsil or equivalent but its important that your hood is now totally dry and clean because if it’s not then the results may not have been worth the additional effort.

2 Likes
9

Thanks!