Tips for Renovo Soft Top Reviver?

N

nfc

Member
 Sydney, Australia
Hi Everyone,

I have just bought a 1L bottle of Renovo Soft Top Reviver and was hoping someone has already used it an can provide some tips!

My roof isn't in bad condition at all but has dulled and the fold marks seem to be getting more persistent..

Thanks in advance for any tips!

Cheers,

Nelson.
 
Personally I wouldn't use it on a roof that you describe as 'isn't in bad condition at all'

Stick to either BMW's own or Ragtopps 2 part cleaner and protector. Both have tremendous ratings and are really the only correct products to apply to the Zed roof that is in fact a composite structure of fibres and butyl liner underneath.

One thing to note is the 'canvas' is not waterproof and not designed to be.


FYI - something I researched and posted before about waterproofing:

(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.
 
You will not need a reviver if the roof is in good condition as said above.

Re Renovo i used the AG kit for my Z roof in the first year i had the car and survived the winter OK even when i was in OZ/NZ for 4 weeks sitting outside in snow and rain no probs.

Late last year i decided to try the Renovo protection and not a good result after another snow/rain winter got mildew all over the roof and connot shift it :cry: :cry: doing my head in :cry: :cry: :x
 
Thanks for the replies!

Let me explain a little more - the roof is in good condition, by that I mean there is no mildew / patches / stains. What I am noticing is that after I have cleaned the car and it's sitting there all shiny, the roof looks out of place in that it seems dull rather than the out of the factory vibrant black. The crease / fold marks seem to be more visible now (the car is driven roof down most of the time, but always parked roof up in the garage).

I only wash the roof with the BMW product and have recently treated it with their impregnating agent. This leaves the roof clean, no doubt about it, but it's still rather dull and looks out of place on the glossy black body..

I certainly don't want to damage the roof by using the Renovo, but thought it was the right stuff to bring back some of the lustre.

Like everything - I should have asked these questions BEFORE spending AUD$200 on the products!! :oops:

A quick side question GAZA62 - did you use the Reviver or the Proofer from Renovo?

Cheers,

Nelson.
 
nfc said:
Thanks for the replies!

Let me explain a little more - the roof is in good condition, by that I mean there is no mildew / patches / stains. What I am noticing is that after I have cleaned the car and it's sitting there all shiny, the roof looks out of place in that it seems dull rather than the out of the factory vibrant black. The crease / fold marks seem to be more visible now (the car is driven roof down most of the time, but always parked roof up in the garage).

I only wash the roof with the BMW product and have recently treated it with their impregnating agent. This leaves the roof clean, no doubt about it, but it's still rather dull and looks out of place on the glossy black body..

I certainly don't want to damage the roof by using the Renovo, but thought it was the right stuff to bring back some of the lustre.

Like everything - I should have asked these questions BEFORE spending AUD$200 on the products!! :oops:

A quick side question GAZA62 - did you use the Reviver or the Proofer from Renovo?



Cheers,

Nelson.
Click to expand...

Proofer
 
I used Renovo UltraProofer several times on my Z4.

The water would bead on the roof as if it was a polished body panel.
I didn't have any problems with algae, mildew or anything else during my ownership of the car - and I used UltraProofer for almost 2 years. I was on my third bottle by the time I sold the car, and the UltraProofer went with the car.
 
I think I will give the Reviver a go - from what I have read and asked about, it can't damage the roof.. I will be careful to mask the rear window and report back with pictures of before and after..

Cheers,

Nelson..
 
Nice one Nelson,

Can't decide between buying Renovo that gets a good thumbs up on Detailing World or the AG kit that seems more popular on here.

Look forward to your results :thumbsup:
 
Hi Guys,

Quick update - I have applied one coat of the Renovo Reviver to the roof and it is drying as I type this.. The bottle says around a 3hr drying time depending on conditions.. It's a fairly cool autumn day here in Sydney, about 21 celsius and bright blue skies... will wait and see how long it takes to dry..

First impressions - pretty easy to do - masking up the rear window and masking off the top of the windscreen was probably the most time consuming part. I then gave the roof a quick vacuum to get rid of any stray dust. I had already given the car a complete wash / polish / wax yesterday, including using BMW's soft top cleaner. Once I started painting the reviver on it took about 30 mins or so to cover the whole roof. I bought the 1L bottle and have used less than a half of it.

The odd splatter that made it onto the side windows was easily wiped off with a damp cloth after I'd finished, and just for good measure gave the glass a good clean and then used Megs Ultimate Quick Detailer on the body to make sure there were no spots left anywhere.

I'll post the before and after shots tomorrow once it's had some time to dry.

Cheers,

Nelson.
 
Here are the before shots of the roof:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_zoo/4611098412/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_zoo/4610489149/in/photostream/

I will throw up the after shots shortly, but the roof is now darker, with no fold marks - though I expect once I drop the roof a couple of times they will reappear!!

Cheers,

Nelson.
 
nfc - I use quite hot water to clean my roof especially the crease marks. Acts a bit like a steam iron and whilst not removing every crease mark certainly makes a big difference. Now in my 6th year of ownership and no detrimental effects, by way of wear of any signs of damage, by doing it this way.
 
Hi AlanJ,

I have also used hot water to reduce the crease marks - what I was hoping for with the Reviver was to darken the colour of the roof. It seems to have done that - looks better now for sure. All I have to do know is reproof it using either the BMW Imprgenating solution I have left over or the new Renovo Proofer..

Cheers,

Nelson.
 
Hi guys

I have never used any products on my roof in all the four years that I have owned the car apart from when I wash it with the power washer and foam from the lance goes over it. but I make sure that when I rinse it off again there is absolutley no soap in the material at all, and also make sure that the ''guttering'' around the body is always kept clean, I also have not had any problem with mildew at all and I live in scotland, lastly the creases are removed as well when it has been powerwashed, remember after all it is a ''ragtop'' and should look like one as well.
maybe just maybe applying all this sealer /renovator is adding to the mildew problem by locking moisture in, i dont know but at least it can breath and dry out naturally with the wind/rain.

thanks for posting all the info but I think on reflection I will just carry on as before.

john :D
 
Interesting - I was looking at the Autoglym roof cleaner kits in Halfords the other day - they're doing a 3 for 2 offer and at 20quid it's a reasonable saving.

Doesn't sound like they're recommended though, so glad I gave it a miss I think :\
 
i use the AG kit from halfrauds and its pretty decent...

removed bird s**t, tree sap and all manner of other s**t and looks black and new again..

The protector doesnt last v long however so im gonna only use that every few months if that..
 
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