How do I take care of my soft top?
 

Well I'm a new S2K owner and I was wondering how to take care of my soft top, like what you guys use to protect it, what products you use to wash it or clean it

you can wash the top with your car wash and gently brush it if needed or you can use a vinyl plastic cleaner as well.

1Z einszett Deep Plastic Cleaner

follow up by protecting with a vinyl dressing.

303 Aerospace works

Raggtopp Vinyl Top Protectant

Original owner 2003 with the original top on it. I don't do anything special to wash it. It gets washed with the same soap and water as the car. I do use 303 protectant on it twice per year. The biggest thing that will keep a top looking good is to keep it out of the sun. My car is primarily a weekend car that is garaged during the week and stored for 6 months during the winter.

I use 303 Fabric Guard for my soft top. I applied it after cleaning the top with a horse hair brush and a mild soap+water mix. Whenever the car is not being driven, I keep the car cover on the top to prevent from the unsightly "white dust" marks you get from the car being in the garage.

I asked a similar question a little while back... Here's the thread in case it contains some information you could use...

https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/113...-for-soft-top/

I happen to be a big fan of the Ragtop product. No residue.

In addition, check some of the threads here for information on some top frame issues that can wear holes in the top. There can be sharp edges that were not properly addressed by Honda at the factory. You can feel along the tubes with your hands to see if any areas need some work to make smooth. Some folks (me included) have added extra pieces of material at those high wear locations.

Also check out these elastic straps from Modfry, they are $20 and easy to install.
http://www.modifry.com/index.php?rou...&product_id=86

Thanks a lot guys!!!

I ordered the 303 fabric guard, I was reading the reviews and most of the people mention they use it on their canvas top, but I think mine is vinyl, so would thus product work on my top or do I need to get a specific type of 303 fabric guard?

My understanding is that there are two relevant products for convertible soft tops... A general protectant (for vinyl, plastic and rubber), and a fabric protectant...

If you have a vinyl soft top (the OEM soft top is vinyl), then the standard 303 protectant is probably what you want... The fabric protectant may work on vinyl... Others that have experience may want to chime in here...

While I am posting, here are a few comments from my experience:

1. Look at the photo in the link I provided above... I simply sliced up some kitchen garbage bags and used blue painter's tape to mask around my soft top...and then used the same material and tucked it in to mask the window.

2. I watched a few YouTube videos on the proper application of the 303 protectant, and most of them instructed to apply by misting directly onto the soft top with the spray nozzle around 6"-10" from the roof and let it dry for 20 minutes or so... It was very tempting when you see the spray droplets sitting on the roof to use some applicator to rub it into the roof... I didn't do it... Not saying whether I am right or wrong... I was simply following the application instructions that I saw online... I did 3 coats to ensure good coverage.

3. The lint roller is absolutely key in the preparation of your roof before treating it...

4. According to Vanishing Point's post in my thread link above, after your final application is dry, you should do a dry wipe down of the roof with a microfiber towel to reduce/eliminate the milky run off issue that some have reported.

Good Luck!

You should use the product for the type of top you have. If you have the OEM top, it is vinyl even though it looks like a fabric. Speaking for Raggtop, they are the only brand of top car listed by top manufacturers. They make specific products for either cloth or vinyl. I probably will try 303 at some point when I use up my Raggtop so I can use it elsewhere (my Hobie Cat)

When I spray it on I just take a piece of cardboard to keep any spray off the windows and paint. No big deal. Fast and easy.