About a month ago I cleaned the hood and treated it with Fabsil, I was so impressed with what people had to say about it that I thought I’d give it a go.
What a mistake.
It looked good as it was drying, unfortunately it never really finished drying. I was left with a sticky hood.
After a couple of days I gave up waiting and re-cleaned it and treated it with Renovo. It was definitely better but still slightly sticky.
Today I decided to really try to remove the stickiness. I used Fabsil’s cleaner, Autoglym hood cleaner and Renovo hood cleaner, one after another.
Result: still got a sticky hood, not as bad as before but still sticky.
Out of desperation I tried a Dettol multi purpose cleaner we had in the cupboard as it’s supposed to shift grease.
It didn’t do any harm but hood is still slighty sticky.
I’m now out of ideas, has anyone else had a similar issue with Fabsil or a silicone based waterproofer and how did you fix it?
I done mine with Fabsil a month ago, with no problem . Was yours completely dry when you put it on with a brush and did you let it dry in a garage so the mornng dew didn’t settle on it
As above, sounds like a reaction with something previously used. Now with added renovo. If it were mine I’d try a light scrubbing brush with a biological laundry liquid. Followed by a lot of rinsing. But I’ve never tried it, so the risk is all yours. Failing that, a good going over with IPA. Again untried, but I’d want it as clean as possible before putting anything else on it.
It’s possible you may have damaged the mohair fibres or as others said, it may be a reaction to other chemicals you’ve used. As I noted in another thread, mohair works by wicking moisture away so shouldn’t really be treated with stuff like Fabsil. Hope you manage to resolve the problem but in future, I’d steer clear of anything like Fabsil.
Unfortunately the wicking effect causes problems with worn roofs - splashing inside the cabin and rotted stitching.
Fabsil is a well know treatment that has been successfully used on MX5 mohair roofs by a many owners. There are generally no issues and the restorative effects can last for years if the job is done properly.
I have experimented extensively with products and cleaning techniques on my Mohair roof
Regular vacuuming of the roof keeps it cleaner and as new for longer…I never wash it when I clean the car
Initial cleaning should be done with a Wet/Dry cleaner, which sucks out the dirt…This makes the nap of the mohair stand up and aids the repellancy…It will also make it look new again
(Some say dont use anything more…I disagree)
So called Fabric Waterproofers dont work as well as Fabsil or Renovo on Mohair IMO…simply because they are designed to proof regular fabric and/or carpets…even though they say you can do roofs with them
To answer the OP question…I would wash it with a solution of Degreaser (APC and an anti bacrerial solution to kill and prevent algae) and then use awet vacuum to suck out the moisture.
Leave it to dry well for at least 24 hours in the sun and/or a hair drier…It MUST be totally dry before applying some Fabsil with a2/3" paint brush …then lightly wipe off with MF towel
Leave it to dry again for another 24 hours or longer without getting water or rain on the hood at all
Hope this helps
A picture of mine (water beading) after completing the above description with Fabsil
If you’ve got water getting inside the cabin then you’re probably at the point of needing a new roof. IMHO better to replace than using the ‘sticking plaster’ approach. There’s a cost issue obviously, but eventually even Fabsil won’t stop water getting in if the material is that worn.
Thanks for the replies, I have finally got the ‘stickiness’ out of the hood and re-treated it with Renovo.
Got to say that following that experience I won’t be using Fabsil again. Apart from using it on the shed roof to use the tin up.
To clarify, when washing the car I tend to leave the hood dry so the waterproofer doesn’t get washed out, and I vacuum the hood to get the loose debris off.
When reproofing I wash the hood down with the cleaner, rinse with an open hose until no more soap comes out and then leave overnight to dry off in the garage, or longer if necessary.
Then I use the waterproofer following the instructions given, Autoglym, Renovo and Fabsil all have different ways to apply.
This is the first problem I’ve had with a waterproofer. I used to use it on motorcycle gear years ago and have had no problem with Autoglym or Renovo on the MX.
I think it may take another good clean to get it back to how it was before but it’s pretty much there now.
How much hairy animal Mo is actually in the “Mohair”.
Is it not a play of words for a man made canvass type fabric?
If so, what are these fibres? Polymer?
If so, it would open up other solutions (pardon the pun) to eradicating the OP’s issue?
It’s difficult to believe there are enough Hair of the Mo beasties supplying millions of sweaters, scarves etc never mind hundreds of thousands of vehicle tops including 5’s.
WIKIPEADIA The term mohair is sometimes used to describe a type of material used for the folding roof on convertible cars. In this instance, mohair refers to a form of denim-like canvas. Mohair should not be confused with the fur from the angora rabbit, which is called angora wool.
In our case its a synthetic polymer fabric design to mimic the real thing
I’ve used Fabsil on mine for the last 4 years with no problems such as you describe. The Autoglym hood cleaner gets it out a every reproof/clean with no issues.
The only thing I can think of that gives stickiness is tree sap, from parking under trees about this time of year.
