Cloth convertible tops

L

LightngSVT

New member
Is it OK to use a car with a cloth top as a daily driver? Not that I would but I was curious considering the sun, UV, rain, dew, etc?



Also what are good products to gently clean and protect a cloth top? Ive heard of using the 303 fabric gaurd on them after they are clean? And should a cloth top be washed everytime the vehicle is, or only when its "dirty"? Ive been around alot of convertibles, but they've always had vynil tops.
 
Chuck,



I highly recommend the RAGGTOPP cleaner and protectant. I have a Saab 93 and just did my my top with those products.



The water beads and moves right off. It also has UV protection and most important it's endorsed by HAARTZ, the biggest maker of convertible tops.



As far as a daily driver, as long as you take care of it I don't see why you can't use it as a daily driver.



Steve
 
Chuck,

I would have to agree with Steve on this. I just did a 98 Corvette convertible that belongs to my brother in law. It is a garage queen for the most part. If he can't drive it with the top down, it usually stays in. His top was in pretty average shape, at best. After reading here, I decided to try the Raggtopp cleaner and the protectant. The cleaner worked well. Last night I sprayed the top with the protectant. I could not believe the results. There were spots where the top did not look good.....corners, etc that apparently rub a little in storage. Those areas did not change with the cleaner, but they went away after the protectant. I have not seen the top get wet since the application, but it looks like new now. It is very black with no signs of the "rubbed" areas noticed before. I have applied two coats of protectant, and am contemplating a third, before he picks it up.
 
LightngSVT said:
Is it OK to use a car with a cloth top as a daily driver?...
Click to expand...
It depends on what you mean by OK.



They are what they are, automobile tops. They are made to do what a car top does and live where the car lives.



Does that mean they will last as long as a steel or fiberglass top? No. It just means that it will perform it's function for some length of time. As has been pointed out, diligent maintenance will extend service life and appearance. They do tend to last much longer and always look much better than vinyl tops.



The one area that pretty consistently fails first in any soft top is a soft plastic rear window. If your window can be easily replaced a cloth top will probably outlast several of them. If you have a real glass window you have it made. If you are looking at getting a new top for a car and glass is available get it. The extra cost is usually substantial but well worth it.





PC.
 
I just inquired w/Bestop (THE best Jeep soft tops) on how to protect my new $750 top. They said they ONLY recommend 303 products. So I picked up a 303 convertible top kit (cleaner and fabric guard) from Autogeek when I put in for the free samples. Anyway, IMO you don't need the cleaner, just the Fabric Guard. I just used a spray bottle w/car wash in it and a nylon wheel brush and went over the whole top and rinsed it well. Then once it dried, I sprayed the Fabric Guard over the entire top and let it dry. Now it just beads, is pretty cool, and couldn't have been easier.
 
I had great results with the 303 Duo for cloth tops.





Once protected, you only have to spray it down to clean. If really dirty I use a sponge to insure no linting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top