A VW Beetle cabriolet in for roof clean, rubber conditioning and drain flush. The roof had some chemical staining from a car wash using strong alkaline products -- Gary explains why those marks can be permanent. All rubbers done, drains cleared, AutoGlym three-month wax on the outside.
A VW Beetle cabriolet in for a hood clean and reproof. The roof has green growth in places and dirt packed down into the fabric -- but there is also a more concerning issue: some chemical staining on the metalwork from a car wash that used strong alkaline products. Those stains are sometimes permanent. We can often improve them, but if the chemical has already etched into the metal, there is a limit to what is recoverable.
Why You Clean a Roof -- the Real Reason
Most people think cleaning a convertible roof is about how it looks. That matters, but it is not the main reason. Think of a leather shoe wearing out -- it wears because it is flexing, moving, and picking up grit from the ground. The same thing happens to a convertible roof. Every time it folds, any grit and dirt in the fabric is grinding against itself. Over enough cycles that abrasion wears through the fabric, first creating striping, then eventually holes. Gary calls it stone-washing your own roof. A clean roof, re-coated so it sheds water and stays cleaner, lasts years longer than one that is left to accumulate.
The green growth is a symptom of the same problem -- it is growing on the dirt and organic matter in the fibres. Remove the dirt; the growth has nothing to anchor to.
The Treatment
Full roof clean, all rubbers treated with a rubber conditioning product to restore suppleness, all drain channels flushed. The drains run down the A-pillars and out through the base of the car; when they block, water backs up and eventually finds a way in. Most owners do not know they exist until they have a leak. The car also had AutoGlym three-month wax on the outside as part of a special offer running at the time.
Looking After It Going Forward
After the roof is clean and re-waterproofed, check it after rain: if it feels mostly dry, the coating is holding. If it is sopping wet, it needs re-waterproofing. A good waterproof coating also has anti-fungal properties that slow regrowth.
On pressure washers: do not use one. A pressure washer puts out less water than a hosepipe -- it compensates with higher pressure, which is exactly what damages fabric. You want volume, not pressure. A hosepipe to flush and rinse; brushwork to clean. If you use a pressure washer at all, keep it at least three feet from the fabric. See our convertible roof cleaning and restoration service.
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