How to wash your soft top and with what?, help me clean and protect my top

I'm so new to having a soft top! Can someone forward me a link on how to???
I heard different things so what is the best way!

Wash it with a wash mitt as part of washing the car. Protect it with a vinyl protectant like 303 or Raggtopp.

wow, the hottest convert car club forum on the net, and no "how-to" thread on top care...

will get back to this and we will get one up!!

here ya go:

wash the top with a good brush (shouldnt need heavy pressure) and car shampoo is fine for most jobs.
dry the top completely.

soak a rag away from the car with a vinyl protectant (303, vinylex, raggtopp for vinyl are some of the "top" choices!)- rub the protectant into the top... get lotsa product on it and rub in well. let it sit awhile- i do the rest of the car at this point. then, with a clean dry rag, buff off the top. get another clean dry rag and buff it again.

my top lives under the boot, and for any other tops like this it is best to put rags, or other soft material, inside the "window deck" (i have a "muz mat" there), and one on the outside of the rear window (especially with plastic windows).

proper top care will protect the top from uv rays and will keep it looking new.

I used a soft brush with a long handle and carwash soap, then used 303 on mine. worked well for me!!

I believe our tops are vinyl and Raggtopp makes a vinyl top cleaner and protectant. I found a website which lists all convertibles both domestic and foreign and it states that the S2000 tops are vinyl and then recommends the best product and procedures for cleaning and reconditioning them. Am I correct in assuming our tops are vinyl?

Raggtop and protector is phenomenal!!

http://www.detailcity.com/raggtopp-convert...CFQ4JPQod3zapkA

yes you are correct- our tops are vinyl.

and thank goodness- the best fabric protectant is raggtopp for fabric and it is a real pia to use. you have to mask the rest of the car and spray it on- its like a scotch guard product...

vinyl is much easier to deal with!!

anyone used the honda vinyl protectant?

I'll be giving this a try here soon

can one not spray raggtopp directly? is the fear that it will get on other parts of the car, or is there another reason to soak a rag away from the car?

I don't spray directly to the top. I spray it on a applicant sponge, work it into the top especially at the vinyl where the metal bars put pressure on. And buff it off. I use vinylex and it's amazing... go from a faded black to a freshly new looking top

Did you try using the search tool here?

It's pretty straightforward. I use 303's cleaner and a brush & follow up with their protectant. The label instructions are pretty sufficient IMO. I'd just avoid directly spraying the protectant on your top, as has already been mentioned in this thread.

303 does as well.
303 Convertible Top Cleaner
303 Aerospace Protectant
I'd definitely recommend 303's cleaner and protectant but Raggtop's products are also good.

You don't want the protectant on your glass, paint, etc. Well, I don't anyway. I guess YMMV.

This post has been edited by takeshi on Aug 25 2008, 06:28 AM

It sprays all over and its hard to get a uniform coat on the top if you apply it directly.

i got wax on my top and cant get it off tried everything

any ideas?

Here's my question, do you guys wash the inside of the top, and do you use any protectant inside? I really need to dedicate some time to the inside of my soft top as it has quite a bit of dirt inside. It's going to take like an hour of straight cleaning and I never get around to it.

do i need to use the 303 top cleaner? or is the protectant good enough?

I use 303 cleaner and vinylex vinyl protectant. It works well for me. I can see water beads on the top when i wash my car. I recomment using 303 cleaner

Vacuum it using the brush attachment, using very light pressure. You could try wiping the inside on the top with Meguiar's quick interior wipes!!

303 vinyl/cloth cleaner says to have the softtop wet before working on it. does everyone else work when the top is dry? I did my top last week and it still looks very faded. I need to find agood conditioner to keep the top looking/feeling new.

hmmm- we all missed this post!!

i dry my top before preserving it. i wonder if maybe you are using the cleaner instead of the protectant? with the cleaner you would want the top wet before using it.
with the protectant you want it clean and dry. the trick is to get lotsa product on the dry clean top and work it in good. let it sit then buff off well. if its not black, something else is going on.