mjw930

On the 986 and 981 I just used a drop cloth over the trunk and windex on the glass but on the Spyder I’ll probably tape off around the top and use the thin, disposable plastic stuff you can buy at Lowe’s / Home Depot that you would use to protect your furniture when you paint. It’s cheap, easy to work with and a lot easier to tape off then cleaning up overspray.

TXshaggy

Perfect, I was thinking the same. Since mine is a fair weather only car probably only doing it every couple years.

Westcoast

I use a plastic drop sheet, cut and taped around the fabric portion of the roof to catch and prevent overspray when applying 303 Fabric Gaurd on a yearly basis.

As for the plastic rear window, I believe that less is more, a gentle rinse before a gentle wipe with a very soapy microfiber mitt at the beginning of a wash to guarantee no contaminants, even with this careful routine I only wash it every once and awhile only rinsing it during the regular wash. The top itself gets washed maybe every 5-6th time, never scrubbing and only in the direction of the fabric, like the rear window most times it just gets a rinse.

I have been using this process sucessfully for the past 15 years on the Porsche's in my care.

GT3ED

IMHO, the best thing you can do for soft top longevity is to make sure it’s clean before putting it down. Dirt and road vibrations will abrade the sections of the top that nest together when folded.

n4v4nod

Additionally use a roller sticky tape lint brush to remove any loose debris/dust between washed. Only works when dry.

hf1

For 15 years of owning Boxsters I’ve cleaned, protected the roof 1x/year. Full detail of car 1x/year. Then just touchless carwashes followed by 5min quick detail/protection, in between, as needed. Has worked like a charm with minimal hassle, and we have rain here in the NE too. The less you touch and fondle both the top and the car while keeping them clean, the better. More time left for driving, too.

Not sure how the 981/718 Spyder top would handle a touchless carwash. The 987 Spyder top couldn’t.

Have used both the Porsche top cleaner and protectant and Raggtop. Haven’t noticed a difference. Both work well.

2PUTT

Nanolex products are awesome!!
https://www.detailersdomain.com/coll...le-top-sealant

LexVan

The OE supplier to Porsche for the cabriolet top coatings is Wolfsteins. Wolfsteins is the parent company that owns the brand RaggTopp. The Porsche protectant is just re-branded RaggTopp.

RennlistTomE

For the Porsche-branded spray:
IMHO take your time. Tape / mask off very carefully. Do not get overspray or drift on any surrounding surfaces. Not paint. Not glass, plastics or seals.
Follow the instructions. Even strokes at about 1 ft/sec. Slight overlap. One can is good for a full application on two tops. And do not breathe the VOCs. Nasty stuff.
I'm a big 303 fan. But I'd only use that product after the spray has been on for a while.
Beyond that - horsehair brush. I got two Foloda brand - Amazon. Perfect.

CDACH

I used the 303 fabric guard applied with a 4" paint roller. I taped off around the windows and wing areas first with blue painters tape. I bought the gallon size on Amazon.

halfmonkey

Bumping the thread since I have my car and it's due for it's first wash.

I reread through all of the posts and I noticed many people are saying to use a soft brush and basically just water to "wash" the convertible top if you get something like bird poop on it. Does anybody have a specific soft brush they can recommend? Is there one that is specifically used for convertible tops that I don't know about?

Just ordered a bunch of stuff from Griot's Garage but can't say that I saw anything for a convertible top brush but at the same time, I didn't know to look for one.

Update: I found these brushes. Any opinions on them?

boars' hair brush and horse hair brush

CDACH

I used roller brush to apply two coats of 303. When I wash I don't put any soap on it but when I rinse I make sure to give it a quick once over with water. When I dry I just drag my drying towel over it once and it's done. Comes out great with minimal touching of the fabric. I would avoid brushing.

StilettoPat

I used 303 on my 986S Boxster top for years - had purchased the car used and it had been neglected... 303 did a marvelous job restoring the canvas to a like new condition. I had used it for years on my sailboat canvas with great results - will probably continue to use it on the Spyder - when it arrives.

Merlotsj

search Griot’s and/or Sky’s the Limit for “interior brush”. I swear I saw a synthetic fiber brush the other day for this, but can’t find it now. Their argument was that it doesn’t shed like horse or boar’s hair will. That said, here is my current convertible top care kit

Bob Z.

Ditto. No matter what one uses just be gentle when cleaning it and just use water or something like ONR. I use one of the old-fashioned lint brushes that are Red, which one can get at Walmart or even the Dollar Tree.