Hi folks,

I was wondering if anyone has experience with cloth convertible tops. Before you reply, this is not for my car, but for another car. I'm curious if I should really even wash the top as it doesn't appear as waterproof as our vinyl tops. My plan is to use a convertible top cleaner as supposed to washing it the rest of the car.

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

 

I don't have a ton of experience, but done a few MBs with the cloth tops. Raggtop is the "preferred" cleaner/protectant by the manufacturer of the MB tops (they make most of the cloth tops). I've used 303 products with them, though.

Straight water may be preferrable unless there's obvious dirt and stains. I've used the 303 cleaner with decent success (no bad stains) and their fabric protector, which makes water bead on the fabric (cool! like the paint!).

From what I understand, most fabric tops are actually waterproof, but it's a 3-layer product with the fabric on the outside, a waterproof barrier in the middle, then the inner liner. Doesn't hurt to keep the water out of the fabric, though.

[QUOTE]Fabric tops, such as the top on this Porsche Boxster, should be washed using a soft brush and a soap that does not contain detergents or conditioners.