What do people do with their rag tops to keep them ship shape? I hear no soap when washing. Some use water proofing, etc. Curious

 

Everyone swears by RaggTop

This is a good video by AutoGeek

 

No soap.

Sticky tape roller, often.

RaggTopp every other year.

Avoid tree sap.

Clean bird bombs immediately or ASAP.

Don't fold when wet/damp.

Easy peasy.

 

I do raggtop twice a year, no soap any other time. Roller brush helps, but also always putting the top up when you park is supposed to minimize "THE DREADED CREASING"

My top looks like ***, (not in the good way) so I leave it down most of the time. But if/whenever I replace it, I'll probably be more diligent with the upkeep.

 

I like what is mentioned in this video.

https://youtu.be/vmrKCKXx9FM

In general - like he says- touch it as little as possible. No grinding, no rubbing. Just a sponge etc.

I treat mine with water repellant spray for cab tops after washing/drying just to avoid dirty water to soak in later on. Water will soak in eventually but normally dirt then is removed just by rinsing.

I also always carry a box of baby wipes (wet) if the odd seagull should decide to drop something on the canvas or the paint.

I do one thorough cleaning per year. In between I only use the vacuum cleaner with a soft brush. Vacuuming,or as mentioned above, sticky roller will remove most loose dirt.

 

Fold regularly. As long as it isn't so wet that it is much heavier I don't think that matters much. Obviously you should under no circumstances leave a wet folded top folded. Unfold after driving.

Even if the car allows it, avoid folding the top when the car is in motion. Jolts send through the car on uneven ground are poison both for the mechanics and for the fabric. Exceptions can apply such as the approach to your well-known parking spots.

Regularly read codes from the OBD-2 port. Convertible tops always throw random codes that are not important enough for the check-engine light, still are available for reading for a while.

Try to always have both good battery charge and engine running when moving the top. Uneven power is very bad when it affects smooth movement. If your read codes you will see power code pop up regularly if you went with battery only. Batteries suck.

 

From the contrarian....

I put 197K miles on my Boxster top and it looked fantastic after all that time. I did have it under a hardtop for about 4 months a year (it is not winter that damages this stuff, it is actually sun) and my plastic window looked really really good too! No yellowing or cracks.... some minor clouding from micro scratches but I could get that out using the Porsche polish, but it was a pain.

I used soap.... about every other week/wash (edit: as my memory improves, I don't think I washed it that often, at least not after treating with 303) ... My belief is that I wanted to get the darn thing clean! I kept the car outside in an open carport for about 9 years of its life in Center City Philly and it got dirty. I didn't want to grind in the particulates into the material. For whatever odd reason, I purchased the Porsche top soap, then when that was used up, I used whatever..... Dawn.... whatever..... for about 13 years. I also used a roller... quite often.

For treatment, I wanted a good UV protector so I used 303 a common product used by boaters.... classic marine product. I gave the top a good coat about twice a year.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Here is a pic at 197K miles...... the engine is dead and it is sitting at my indy's place. I totally forgot about the darkening at the window folds but these were not cracks..... The top shows some fold abrasions but again, no tears and it was really fantastic shape after 197K miles... and yes, there was quite a bit of soap washes in its 13 year life.

 

How bad is it if I've never washed my cab top... I wipe off anything that falls on it, don't fold when wet, generally keep it up when not driving (except when I put the hard top on here and there for a couple weeks at a time)...But I don't otherwise wet it or wash it down. Still looks ok to me.... Guess I should at least treat it occasionally? (Car is not a daily and is garage parked, so the top rarely if ever sees much sun --- if I'm out on a sunny day, the top is down!)

 

One quick and easy test is; does it still bead/shed water? If yes, don't worry. If not, treat a very clean top with RaggTopp or the 303 product, or the Porsche product (just repackaged RT).

 

Ragtop wash followed by two cans of Ragtop protectant applied in a crisis cross pattern. Apply once a year. Top always looks great.....

 

Your Boxster top looks amazing at that age my rear window (being plastic like yours) went south after 5 years.

Do you practice 'The Karate Chop on rear window' when you put the top down?

 

The rear window, plastic or not, should probably get a coating with Opti gloss coat or a similar product. They work well on plastic and lower UV significantly.

I would also like to point out that the fabric that you see does nothing to keep rain out. The rain is held by a plastic layer below it. The fabric is for looks and to protect the plastic from damage. Totally waterproofing the fabric might lead to oddities, I could imagine you could build water pockets that prevent evaporation.

The most important item is the Gummipflegestift that you use on the seals.
https://www.amazon.com/nextzett-9148...s=gummi+pflege

Do not expose the visible rubber seals to UV for long periods.