OK, I attached this at the bottom of an existing thread already. But, let me try again. Copy/paste ...
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Several weeks ago, I cleaned and treated my roof with the RaggTopp Kit. I followed the directions precisely, except I applied 4 or 5 light coats instead of the 2 or 3 they recommend.
Today it rained here. I didn't get to examine the car until the rain was over. The rear end, which is nearly vertical, beaded the rain off almost perfectly. There were some beaded droplets still clinging to the fabric, but it was essentially dry.
The top portion, which is nearly horizontal, was a different matter. I saw very little beaded water there and the surface appeared to be wet. Is this normal, and should I be concerned? Perhaps RaggTopp isn't the best for waterproofing.
To date, I have seen no evidence of water leaking through the roof to the interior.
Oh, since this thread is about cabrio care, I'll attach another question. As others have noticed, the interior surface of my roof has some discoloration ... which is increasing with time. Is there an easy way to maybe dye the interior fabric, so it at least won't show the discoloration? I'm thinking dark grey to match my interior.
NCC - I too want to extend the life of the canvas top. Right from the dealer after washing at your local do it yourself car wash and after some rain showers I noticed that the flat horizontal surfaces appear to get water logged and soaked, but nothing leaks through. I purchased RaggTopp and cleaned and sealed as you have. The same results occurred. I remember as a kid that canvas tents would appear to get drenched, but would not leak. I want to also prevent fading by UV rays, thus regular applications of RaggTopp several times a year.
Last edited by kdfcogwheel; 06-30-2009 at 05:51 AM.
The beading is a good sign, it means the water is'nt getting into the canvas, but even if it does'nt bead as long as it does'nt leak through then all is good.
My roadster soft top is now 5 years old and looks like new, and I have only treated the canvas once, so there is no need to overdo it, but my car is in a garage, so if your is outside I would do it more often.
Ellis
The beading is a good sign, it means the water is'nt getting into the canvas, but even if it does'nt bead as long as it does'nt leak through then all is good.
My roadster soft top is now 5 years old and looks like new, and I have only treated the canvas once, so there is no need to overdo it, but my car is in a garage, so if your is outside I would do it more often.
Ellis
A Garage in England
He is in FL where the sun is a bit harder on things.
Keep it protected, you will apreciate it in the long run.
He is in FL where the sun is a bit harder on things.
Keep it protected, you will apreciate it in the long run.
Ahhhh, the sun, we had that once here too, back in the heatwave of 1984, it was visible behind a layer of light cloud for 15 minutes, pheeeewww what a scorcher that was
That is interesting. I bought Betty back in May and have not treated it with anything, nor cleaned it with anything but water. It has and still does bead in the heaviest of rain.
I am going to buy the Cabrio top cleaner kit from Smart and treat the top twice a year, after summer and winter. But for now it seems to be just fine. Maybe I'm just lucky.
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smart - aka Smurf
2010 Smart 
big green mean machine
Roddy
Suzi
1 - LT N FLFY
2 - Forests ride
3 - Little Blue
4 - Big Red
Betty Boop
Today
Linear Mode
