How often do you protect your roof?
- Thread starter andysat
- Start date
The BMW roof is not 'proofed' as such the outer layer is supposed to be permeable, the lower is some sort of rubberised material. I use BMW's products being the cleaner and separate conditioner which are not too pricey given the amount you use. I apply the cleaner & gently spray wash the roof when I wash the car to get grit and dirt off, use a soft brush for stubborn bits let it dry properly before lowering it to avoid the mouldy spots. It's an easy roof to keep nice.
-cheers guys,i must admit i only do mine every 4 months or so,i tend to hoover mine a lot tho.Oh nooooo i had no intention of starting that debate up!Adamski said:I used tent sealer when I bought my car, made the roof totally waterproof so that no water gets through - highly recommended:roll:
On a serious note... I do mine twice a year, but then my hardtop is on over the winter
I do mine every 2-3 months. I hoover it before every wash though, it's a magnet for dust, fluff, dandelion seeds etc. If I didn't hoover it I'd eventually have to mow it!
It'll be like cell division as people divide into factions. Those who waterproof and don't wash. Those that proof and wash. Those that don't wash and do proof, and those that neither wash nor proof. (and lo it came to pass that those that neither washed nor proofed were called hippies and shunned by the shiny ones of the forum)
The first proofer I used on the Z3s hood was Autoglyms which lasted about 2 years 
BUT do not get it on the paintwork 
I then moved onto Renevos proofer which I really thought was pants, complete waste of time. Then moved onto gtechniq smartfabric which is quite good which has lasted well over 12 months. I've never treated the hood more than once a year but always hoover it after a wash. Have to say I much prefer my E89s roof Some pics from my zroadster.net journal.
Tim.
Condition of hood prior to re-proofing
I used an old clean washing up bowl to pour the proofer into which was handy to rest ontop on the doors and to catch any drips along with a 50mm paintbrush.
Starting in the centre of the hood I worked towards me and diagnally following the line of fabric twill. Make sure you don't load too much proofer on the brush and found dragging the brush the best method to avoid flicking the proofer everywhere :lol:
Its a little daunting at first as the hood readily soaks up the proofer but once you get going it gets easier. I would say its nowhere near as easy as using the spray however you can far more accurate and able to get the proofer to the edges of the hood far easier.
End results, the hood looks a little better and more uniform in colour.
Total time was around 75 mins whereas using the spray would be around 10 mins. Will definitely use this method in future and no proofer all over the rest of the Zed.
After re-proofing the hood last September with Renevo hood proofer and being dissapointed in its protective properties I decided to give Gtechniq I1 Smart Fabric a go, applied it today which with it being a spray rather than painting the proofer on as with the Renevo was so much easier.
There is a great video on the link below showing how well this stuff works on a fabric hood.........well I'm hoping it does :lol:
http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/gtechniq/i1-smartfabric-coat-500ml.aspx
After the disaster of not covering the Zed up properly when using Autoglyms proofer a few years back I made doubley sure it was
BUT do not get it on the paintwork I then moved onto Renevos proofer which I really thought was pants, complete waste of time. Then moved onto gtechniq smartfabric which is quite good which has lasted well over 12 months. I've never treated the hood more than once a year but always hoover it after a wash. Have to say I much prefer my E89s roof Some pics from my zroadster.net journal.Tim.
Condition of hood prior to re-proofing
I used an old clean washing up bowl to pour the proofer into which was handy to rest ontop on the doors and to catch any drips along with a 50mm paintbrush.
Starting in the centre of the hood I worked towards me and diagnally following the line of fabric twill. Make sure you don't load too much proofer on the brush and found dragging the brush the best method to avoid flicking the proofer everywhere :lol:
Its a little daunting at first as the hood readily soaks up the proofer but once you get going it gets easier. I would say its nowhere near as easy as using the spray however you can far more accurate and able to get the proofer to the edges of the hood far easier.
End results, the hood looks a little better and more uniform in colour.
Total time was around 75 mins whereas using the spray would be around 10 mins. Will definitely use this method in future and no proofer all over the rest of the Zed.
After re-proofing the hood last September with Renevo hood proofer and being dissapointed in its protective properties I decided to give Gtechniq I1 Smart Fabric a go, applied it today which with it being a spray rather than painting the proofer on as with the Renevo was so much easier.
There is a great video on the link below showing how well this stuff works on a fabric hood.........well I'm hoping it does :lol:
http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/gtechniq/i1-smartfabric-coat-500ml.aspx
After the disaster of not covering the Zed up properly when using Autoglyms proofer a few years back I made doubley sure it was