This Golf sits outside permanently -- and it shows. The canvas roof had gone fully green, the rubbers were mouldy, and the drains were blocked. Here is what we did about it.
This VW Golf Cabriolet came in for a hood clean and reproof. The owner told us it lives outside permanently, which explained the state of it. The bodywork was dirty but manageable; the roof was another matter -- fully green with algae and moss, with dirt and mould packed into every seam and gap. The rubbers around the windows had gone green too. Left long enough, algae works into the fabric itself; the hydrophobic coating wears off, the roof stays wet after every shower, and that moisture is all the algae needs to keep growing.
What the job involved
As well as the roof clean and two-year Fireball superhydrophobic coating, the drains were flushed -- blocked convertible drains are a common cause of water finding its way into the cabin, so we check and flush them as a matter of course on every soft-top job. The door and roof rubbers were treated with our rubber conditioner; they had gone green along with everything else and needed bringing back before the coating went on.
After the clean, the roof was back to the black it should be. A couple of wear marks remained -- these are caused when the roof is folded while dirty. Grit trapped in the fabric acts like sandpaper against itself every time the hood goes up or down, which is why keeping a soft top clean and waterproofed matters more than most owners realise. The customer came to pick it up; hopefully she was happy with it.
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