Recently, a company came and painted our apartment complex and managed to get paint speckled on my soft top. It looks like little white specs (like the paint they sprayed on was almost powdery) are in the little grooves that are in the vinyl. They are acting as though they will be cooperative in geting me whatever I need to get the top cleaned up. The only thing is I'm not sure what to get.

Is there a difference between the 303 Convertible Top Cleaner and the 303 Fabric and Vinyl Cleaner?

Do you think either of these products would do the trick?

Thanks for any tips you can give me!

 

do you know whether its a water based paint or not?

if so, just about any car shampoo will do, along with a top brush (most car detailing brushes will do)- imo, the brush is the secret to this fix.

if not, it might be a more difficult task- do the speckles come off with your finernails? (if so, thats a good sign that its not oil based paint)

oil based paint can be a pia - my fingers are crossed that its water based.


once you have the top looking good, you will need the regular 303 or any other vinyl protectant to protect the top... and make removal of stuff like this easier in the future.

 

Thanks, wanabe. I'm going to order those products so I have them for the future. I called the paint company and I didn't get a chance to find out what type of paint they use, but they are going to call a detailer they've been using for years that will come and get the paint out of the top. So, I guess that's good news!

 

I use 303's Convertible Top Cleaner and like it a lot. It's definitely stronger than regular car wash soap, but very safe for our tops as well. Does a good job getting stubborn dirt and stains out of the vinyl

 

The 303 convertible top cleaner is just a diluted form of the fabric/vinyl cleaner. You can use the fabric/vinyl cleaner full strength, but there is almost no point. It should be used with at least some water, since it's water activated. When I use it, I simply spray it on a wet top and then scrub it.

Make sure that detailer guy knows we have a vinyl top, and that he knows what he's doing with vinyl. Don't take it for granted. It's easy to screw up the vinyl....