Convertible top cleaning and waterproofing with Aerospace Fabric Guard

Decided to give my top a fresh look, first by cleaning with the Raggtop foaming cleaner. After letting it dry, used Aerospace Fabric Guard to protect and revitalize. The after pictures don't really show any big difference so I am not posting those, but in person the top looks really good. Not to mention the camera was on some weird old-time parchment setting so when I downloaded the pictures to my PC they look very brownish. My beautiful Florida day was tainted by technology!

I made use of all the old sheets that I have saved to mask off the other areas, that way I can simply spray it on and not worry about any overspray. Some folks roll it on to avoid overspray.

This stuff works great and makes the top a deep black again, along with waterproofing and giving UV protection. I can't take all the credit for discovering it as I picked this up on the recommendation from whatheheck on the M5 board.

http://www.amazon.com/303-Fabric-Gua...3+fabric+guard

Thanks for the write up. I always use the package soft top care from BMW. So now I have another option.

My dealer told me this week that the cleaner is still available but the BMW waterproofer has
been discontinued?

Originally Posted by colink

My dealer told me this week that the cleaner is still available but the BMW waterproofer has
been discontinued?

Mine dealer they still have them. Have you look it up on eBay or Amazon? I'm using the package for Z4 soft top right now. Work great and smell good. Just overpriced I believe.

I love the idea of using sheets to protect the non-roof areas, I think it would be much faster to setup vs the masking tape with newspaper method I've been using.

I use 303 Aerospace Protectant on the interior vinyl and the stuff is amazing. Leaves a long lasting satin finish plus UV protection.

How do you like the 303 Fabric Guard vs RaggTopp protectant?

That pic is so funny it looks like a giant air bag deployed in the car!!!

Good idea to use the sheets I will do the same when applying!! Thanks for sharing!!

I used that same method and products on my last two verts. They looked great years after.

Originally Posted by Yorgi

I love the idea of using sheets to protect the non-roof areas, I think it would be much faster to setup vs the masking tape with newspaper method I've been using.

I use 303 Aerospace Protectant on the interior vinyl and the stuff is amazing. Leaves a long lasting satin finish plus UV protection.

How do you like the 303 Fabric Guard vs RaggTopp protectant?

I am a Raggtop fan, but I was out of that one. Being a big fan of the Aerospace 303 like yourself I decided to try this product instead, plus it was recommended on another site.

Originally Posted by Nitrogen

That pic is so funny it looks like a giant air bag deployed in the car!!!

Good idea to use the sheets I will do the same when applying!! Thanks for sharing!!

Haha, that would be one BIG airbag.

Originally Posted by TopDownInFL

I used that same method and products on my last two verts. They looked great years after.

A drive-by from Nick, I hope all is well!

Thanks for posting this. I've been looking for a product to clean my soft top and will have to give this a try (or at least have a detailer use it!). Thanks again.

Originally Posted by Patton63

Thanks for posting this. I've been looking for a product to clean my soft top and will have to give this a try (or at least have a detailer use it!). Thanks again.

Keep in mind that this is a waterproof/protectant only. To clean it you would need to use any one of a number of soft top Fabric Cleaners that are available. I use Raggtop cleaner for no other reason than I had it left over from my porsche convertible, I spray it on and then use a light bristle brush to loosen up the dirt and grease. Then wipe off using a towel. Once that is clean and dry then you can put on the protectant.

I checked on Amazon and read some reviews and find out Raggtop and 303 both have their own set for cleaner and protection. Seems like 303 does better for both pricing an quality. I think I'll try out the 303 set first. Will leave a review later. I'm going to clean my top this weekend.

P.S: tampamark, do you have any suggestion for leather care product too?