What is the best thing to treat your vinyl top with?

[bill henry]

it looks dry and a little faded

[Walter Youshock]

NEVER use Armor-All--it'll wash off and cover your windows and trim with a hazy garbage.

Turtle Wax Vinyl Top Wax was always my favorite.  It hasn't been made since 1996.  Once in awhile, a bottle will pop up on ebay.  The nice thing about it is that it actually dried and you could buff it out to a satiny finish.  I've also heard of people using Mop-n-Glo or other floor products.  I wouldn't try it...

There is something out that is somewhat comparable to the Turtle Wax a friend of mine was using.  I'll find out what it is.

[Chris Conklin]

I haven't used this item, but I use Griot's products and all perform better than advertised.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/p2p/searchResults.do?method=view&search=basic&keyword=vinyl+top&sortby=newArrivals&page=1

[EAM 17806]

I would think "MEGUIARS" or "MOTHERS" auto products should be one of the best you can use for all treatment to our cars, in and out.   A little expensive but of high quality.  EAM

[eldo59]

I've been told this stuff is really good but haven't tried it yet.

303 Aerospace Protectant

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

Actually, Turtle Wax vinyl top was was a long time favorite of mine as well.  However,
it's long gone as a previous poster stated.

What this stuff actually was is the same as the liquid floor waxes made for vinyl floors.
It's an acrylic polymer in water solution (for those that need / want to know).

First, clean the top with a mild detergent.  Purchase an inexpensive vinyl floor wax (K-Mart
brand works well).  Next, use a clean piece of terry cloth saturated with the liquid and wipe
evenly over the top. Inexpensive is best, since the high priced brands contain too much
polymer and can actually build up and dull your top.

Allow to dry.  That's it!!  No polishing needed.

I've used this for over 20 years on my '73 Eldorado top and people constantly ask at
shows how I keep it "like new".

Note that my top is in good condition, not dried out and cracked.  If it's really that bad
I don't know of any product that will bring it back to 100%.

HTH,

Mike

[Walter Youshock]

I did try the floor wax thing once.  The following morning, with a little dew on the car, the wax kind of cracked and started to peel off.

Wish I could find a case of the Turtle Wax--or maybe reproduce it....

[collector]

I know its pricey but ZYMOL if you go on line has a very special vinyl top restore and it took a pink faded top and put it back to the original red color and the shine was the exact as it was originally. You dont have to use much and it last and doesnt run down your paint when you wash your car. I think you sit the car in the sun, get the top nice and warm (after you have washed it) then apply with the special applicator. You will be more than pleased. You can only find it on the Zymol web sight. Their products are by far the finest in existance. Some of their waxes cost thousands.

[David #19063]

I did try the floor wax thing once.  The following morning, with a little dew on the car, the wax kind of cracked and started to peel off.

My experience as well with my '68 CDV.  It got dry and flakey and ended up looking nasty.  Then it was (*&% near impossible to remove the remaining wax that stuck like glue.  It took main scrubbing with detergent to remove the residue.

And I learned the hard way about Armor All and vinyl tops...LOL!

[DinoBob]

303 Aerospace Protectant is very good. I use it on the convertible top of my Chrysler Sebring GTC and it holds up much better than Armor All.

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

I'm quite frankly surprised about the negative comments about the "floor wax" trick I
mentioned.

I've never had that happen in over 20 years of using it.  However, a few caveats:
-- the top must be throughly cleaned and old wax, armor all, etc removed.
-- I've washed my car after application and never had an issue with flacking / cracking
-- However, I keep my car garaged and under a cover -- I do not park it outside!

If you have to "strip" this off, using a little ammonia along with the detergent will do the
trick.

Mike

[bill henry]

thanks for all the replies i used the turtle wax stuff till it finally ran out will definatly have to try something else

[J]

Whats a good way to clean a top (white)?

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

Whatever you do, don't use anything abrasive such as cleanser or anything with chlorine
such as soft-scrub.  Both are "death" to vinyl.

First question -- how badly discolored is your top? 

Westley's Bleech-White that's sold for whitewall tires is about as strong as you can go
without harming the top.  However, this I would use as a "one time" cleaner.  It's  also
quite strong (alkaline).  Continued, repeated use will tend to dry the vinyl out and make it
more likely to crack.

If the top is just lightly soiled, I would recommend a product called "Tuff Stuff" which is a
spray cleaner for vinyl made by STP Corp.  It works very well and can be used for continued
maintenance.  It's easy to use and also works on vinyl interior.

Moral of the story -- if a couple initial applications with Westley's don't work, you need
to get your top redyed or replaced.  However, in 90% of the cases it will work.  Use a
protective wax to keep it clean and prevent staining after this treatment.

HTH,

Mike