Hood Cleaning
- Thread starter Puggsley
- Start date
Easy... Auto Glym do a roof kit with a cleaner, sponge and protector 
Cabriolet Fabric Hood - Maintenance Kit
"Autoglym have developed an easy to use two part maintenance kit to clean and preserve fabric car hoods.
Fabric Hood Cleaner – Cleans, freshens and revives appearance by removing soiling, stains and atmospheric contamination from natural and synthetic fabrics.
Fabric Hood Protector – Reproofs, protects and preserves the surface from the effects of water absorption and surface soiling. "
A lot of others on here use this as well.
Meguiars sell a cleaner and protector - despite using them for everything else I have tried this, mostly because AG works!
Also, when you do it worth cleaning the black rubber strip on the bodywork. I just use a cloth dampened with the usual cleaner.
Cabriolet Fabric Hood - Maintenance Kit
"Autoglym have developed an easy to use two part maintenance kit to clean and preserve fabric car hoods.
Fabric Hood Cleaner – Cleans, freshens and revives appearance by removing soiling, stains and atmospheric contamination from natural and synthetic fabrics.
Fabric Hood Protector – Reproofs, protects and preserves the surface from the effects of water absorption and surface soiling. "
A lot of others on here use this as well.
Meguiars sell a cleaner and protector - despite using them for everything else I have tried this, mostly because AG works!
Also, when you do it worth cleaning the black rubber strip on the bodywork. I just use a cloth dampened with the usual cleaner.
I used the Autoglym kit earlier this year with good results.
When washing the car I use a microfibre towel with warm water - no shampoo or anything - on the fabric roof. Certainly works for me, but then my Z4's holed up in the garage whenever it's not being driven so the roof stays pretty clean anyway.
When washing the car I use a microfibre towel with warm water - no shampoo or anything - on the fabric roof. Certainly works for me, but then my Z4's holed up in the garage whenever it's not being driven so the roof stays pretty clean anyway.
x2PawnSacrifice said:Easy... Auto Glym do a roof kit with a cleaner, sponge and protector
Cabriolet Fabric Hood - Maintenance Kit
"Autoglym have developed an easy to use two part maintenance kit to clean and preserve fabric car hoods.
Fabric Hood Cleaner – Cleans, freshens and revives appearance by removing soiling, stains and atmospheric contamination from natural and synthetic fabrics.
Fabric Hood Protector – Reproofs, protects and preserves the surface from the effects of water absorption and surface soiling. "
A lot of others on here use this as well.
Meguiars sell a cleaner and protector - despite using them for everything else I have tried this, mostly because AG works!
Also, when you do it worth cleaning the black rubber strip on the bodywork. I just use a cloth dampened with the usual cleaner.
The AG does a great job. And make sure you have access to a hosepipe as it takes ages to rinse the cleaner off with a watering can :!:
A
Anonymous
Guest
x3i4n said:
I used it a few weeks ago for the first time.
You dont have to spray on too much of the shampoo stuff! I put too much on and spent 10 mins (no joke) washing the soap out with a hose.
It still looks great now
AG kit as said above is fine used it twice.
Make sure you mask of some of the bodywork around the bottom of the hood and the glass as it will leave small marks but do not worry if you get any they are easily removed with AG SRP including the glass.
Make sure as said to rinse well after using the shampoo then apply the protection.
The one prob i had both times with mine and i am not alone with this prob the spray nozzles seem to clog up halfway through so the second time i applied the protection i used a small piece of sponge.
The only thing i will say against the AG i find it stops beading well after two months.
Trying Renovo next http://www.renovointernational.com/ just waiting for a break in the weather .
When it comes to regular washing of the car i just give the top a good rinse with the hose never use any sort of shampoo.
Make sure you mask of some of the bodywork around the bottom of the hood and the glass as it will leave small marks but do not worry if you get any they are easily removed with AG SRP including the glass.
Make sure as said to rinse well after using the shampoo then apply the protection.
The one prob i had both times with mine and i am not alone with this prob the spray nozzles seem to clog up halfway through so the second time i applied the protection i used a small piece of sponge.
The only thing i will say against the AG i find it stops beading well after two months.
Trying Renovo next http://www.renovointernational.com/ just waiting for a break in the weather .
When it comes to regular washing of the car i just give the top a good rinse with the hose never use any sort of shampoo.
I've used the BMW kit with excellent results. As I have mentioned in another 'thread' I use reasonably hand hot water to apply and rinse which has the effect of removing the creases caused by lowering and raising - bit like steaming the creases out of a suit. Have also heard of good results with RAGGTOP http://www.autogeek.net/rafacl.html which I will try once the BMW supplies are exhausted.
AND Puggsley what's the meaning of having a Zed for 2 years and only just joining this forum.....
AND Puggsley what's the meaning of having a Zed for 2 years and only just joining this forum.....
Puggsley said:
You'll get alsorts of product recommendations from those mentioned to Raggtop (which I use) and BMW's own product.
One thing to note is the 'canvas' is not waterproof and not designed to be.
(I refer only to the automatic roof as the manual roof is an uninsulated construction):
The roof is actually 3 layers. The outer layer is itself 3 layers of poly-acryoniltrite fibres, polyethylene fibres and butyl rubber. Underneath that is a 15mm layer of insulating polyester (sound proof and warmth) and the final inner layer of polyurethane foam and polyethersulfone, for inside finish and insulation. Pretty complex for a folding bit of canvas
My interpretation of this is that water should actually permeate the outer layer and rely on the butyl to be the waterproof layer, so your not really waterproofing it but removing dirt from the outer fibres and protecting them. For this reason I'd be very careful of any detergent and what I used, no scrubbing and use a proper product.
Roman Clogs
Member
Has anyone used both the Autoglym product and the proper BMW one and can say which is best? I read a comment somewhere that the BMW one keeps the rain beading off for a year.
Roman Clogs said:
I hav'nt used any yet but I did get a BMW cleaning kit with the car and that has the cleaning and restorer stuff in it.Its obviously been used but I dont know when it was last treated, but I bought the car last November and every time it rains it just beads on the roof still.
Looks as though it will last a good while.
I used the AutoGlym (AG) Hood Maintenance kit - Cleaner and Protector, recently, and I just wanted to report that I got really good results. Note, I am a fussy owner, and researched this for a while, using The Forum and online. I wanted to clean and protect the roof as a course of maintaining the roof. I agree that the Cleaner foams up alot (when you agitate with the hard sponge provided), and so you do have to let the hose run on it for a while, to wash the suds out. When using the second step, the Protector, it was ever so slightly windy outside, so I noticed I had to hold the spray bottle a little lower and closer to the hood, and pointing it into the wind, so that the breeze 'carried' the spray onto the hood.
All in all, first time was straightforward to use. For the next time I use this, will bear in mind GAZA62's comment about the nozzles clogging up.
All in all, first time was straightforward to use. For the next time I use this, will bear in mind GAZA62's comment about the nozzles clogging up.
Well just had ago with the BMW kit and after 3 attempts on the same area of the top the fucking mildew is still looking back at me laughing :x :x 
gave up and went for a drive and now have a burnt head
Really dont know what to do now when i first bought the car after a few months of ownership used the AG kit and top was fine six months later used the AG kit again no probs with top apart from the odd little bit of mildew at the base easily removed.
Renovo protection was next popped it on straight over the AG product went on a lot better than AG left no mess and a better finish and seemed to work well all through the winter beading well but come spring time i now have this mildew prob which AG or BMW cleaner cannot shift and cannot find nothing on the net about any pro boys that sort hoods as they may have products and equipment that can do a better job 
gave up and went for a drive and now have a burnt head Really dont know what to do now when i first bought the car after a few months of ownership used the AG kit and top was fine six months later used the AG kit again no probs with top apart from the odd little bit of mildew at the base easily removed.
Renovo protection was next popped it on straight over the AG product went on a lot better than AG left no mess and a better finish and seemed to work well all through the winter beading well but come spring time i now have this mildew prob
which AG or BMW cleaner cannot shift and cannot find nothing on the net about any pro boys that sort hoods as they may have products and equipment that can do a better job Tryed the AG cleaner with AG sponge last week no joy.
Have used a soft brush and worked in but still not great it does look very slightly better may be a case of clean let it dry clean again let it dry and keep going like that a section at a time thats if the weather holds as if it rains i have no protection on there hope this will not cause more mildew
Heads now getting a bit warm
The joy of soft top motoring mildew and sunburn
Have used a soft brush and worked in but still not great it does look very slightly better may be a case of clean let it dry clean again let it dry and keep going like that a section at a time thats if the weather holds as if it rains i have no protection on there hope this will not cause more mildew
Heads now getting a bit warm
The joy of soft top motoring mildew and sunburn
GAZA62 - what about using some warm water with the AG and the sponge / soft brush - maybe some warmer water will work on the mildew more??. :?
And oh, I reckon you should get yourself down to Waitrose / Boots and buy some sunscreen
!! Too late now, but for future sun once your head's peeled
And oh, I reckon you should get yourself down to Waitrose / Boots and buy some sunscreen
!! Too late now, but for future sun once your head's peeled I've read on here a few people use hot water to "steam" the creases out of the hood. Has anyone used a steam cleaner on the roof? I have a small household Karcher steam cleaner and wondered if it was a good idea to use it on the roof, or whether it might damage it. It's this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kärcher-15122130-SC1020-Steam-Cleaner/dp/B004ISZDQG
Also, I have the AG roof cleaning kit but I've never used it before. How are you masking up the bodywork to protect it from the cleaner? I have an old bead sheet I can drape over the windscreen, but I'm not sure how I can cover up all the rear body panels. Does it matter if the rinsed product gets in contact with the bodywork when I'm hosing it off?
EDIT: This guy uses a steam cleaner on the roof: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=2824306 Might give it a go.
Also, I have the AG roof cleaning kit but I've never used it before. How are you masking up the bodywork to protect it from the cleaner? I have an old bead sheet I can drape over the windscreen, but I'm not sure how I can cover up all the rear body panels. Does it matter if the rinsed product gets in contact with the bodywork when I'm hosing it off?
EDIT: This guy uses a steam cleaner on the roof: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=2824306 Might give it a go.