Spending the winter outside...
- Thread starter louie12
- Start date
though being used as regularly as possible. What tips for best soft-top treatment / protection plus any other must-do's for the rest of the car?If its a second car then you could look into buying a full cover. Some members report that they can mark the paintwork, while others swear by them. I used a half cover on mine last winter to help protect the soft top, but now that its our daily drive I've invested in an hardtop for the winter months.
You can buy products that will help protect the soft top, I use BMW soft top treatment but Autoglym do one that's very popular on here.
You can buy products that will help protect the soft top, I use BMW soft top treatment but Autoglym do one that's very popular on here.
Mine is a daily driver and spends all year out in the elements.
Since i have owned it i have used the autoglym softtop kit to clean and protect it and find its worked ok. Water beads off it to start with but does eventually soaks in (it may be that i didn't use sufficient protector?)
Like Marlon I did also buy a hardtop on ebay last autumn ready for the winter mainly to protect the motor though.
I did consider a cover but as i would be using it every day, the taking off and storing it wet put me off.
Since i have owned it i have used the autoglym softtop kit to clean and protect it and find its worked ok. Water beads off it to start with but does eventually soaks in (it may be that i didn't use sufficient protector?)
Like Marlon I did also buy a hardtop on ebay last autumn ready for the winter mainly to protect the motor though.
I did consider a cover but as i would be using it every day, the taking off and storing it wet put me off.
Mine was stored outside for a couple of months whilst my garage was built. A few things I did:
- I would wash it regularly to remove road salt etc. *
- Get a good cover. Always put it on a clean car, not a dirty car - when mine was outside it was clean with a cover on and I received no scratches. Don't put it on a wet car, especially if frost is due.
- Put a dehumidifier in the car to keep moisture down.
- A trickle charger if you store it for weeks at a time.
- Remove snow before it re-freezes
*Don't get the roof wet if it's really cold - I'm always worried about ice crystals forming in a fabric roof.
- I would wash it regularly to remove road salt etc. *
- Get a good cover. Always put it on a clean car, not a dirty car - when mine was outside it was clean with a cover on and I received no scratches. Don't put it on a wet car, especially if frost is due.
- Put a dehumidifier in the car to keep moisture down.
- A trickle charger if you store it for weeks at a time.
- Remove snow before it re-freezes
*Don't get the roof wet if it's really cold - I'm always worried about ice crystals forming in a fabric roof.
I started with half cover but changed to full cover last autumn, mainly to keep leaves off the car.
Changed back to half cover in the spring but quickly changed back to full cover again once I realised how much dust was settling on the car. Ive had no issues with either of them marking the paintwork but the car is always washed and dried before it goes back on!
Changed back to half cover in the spring but quickly changed back to full cover again once I realised how much dust was settling on the car. Ive had no issues with either of them marking the paintwork but the car is always washed and dried before it goes back on!
louie12 said:
The roof is in 3 layers - the outer layer (that a lot of us spent time water-proofing
) is actually meant to be porous. The water proof membrane is in the middle and directs the water down to the drains. The 3rd layer is the roof lining inside the car.I've used three half covers over the years and now use a full cover - prefer the full cover so far - less marking of the paint.