Title says it all, I'm looking for the best fabric sealant for the price that protects well, lasts long, and looks good. It would he great if it also worked on interior carpets and cloth seats. I'm considering Wolf's textile sealant, anybody ever use that on a convertible top? Any others I should look into? I have 303 Fabric Guard, haven't used it on a top though. Suggestions and tips are welcome and appreciated! The specific car in question is a 911 cab, if that changes anything.
I use this for convertible tops works great. http://www.detailersdomain.com/RAGGTOPP-Fabric-Protectant_p_137.html http://www.detailersdomain.com/RAGGTOPP-Vinyl-Protectant_p_138.html
It is called Ragg Top made by the Haartz company out of Germany. It comes in a spray can. They also sell a Convertible Top spray cleaner that works really well. I have used these 2 products on numerous tops, from MINI, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, etc., and they have never failed to really clean and make the top, regardless of color, look really rich. The protection is outstanding and of course, will last longer if the prep cleaning is done well. My process is to wash the car, and if possible carefully pressure wash the top to help get water into and out of the fabric, hopefully dislodging as much embedded stuff as possible. Then, spray the Top Cleaner all over the top and brush it in carefully so as to not damage the fabric or cause it to come loose. I then rinse if off a lot, because its fabric and it tends to hold a lot of water, so you need to get it really rinsed well to remove all the cleaner and junk it cleaned out. I next get my Mytee HP60 Spyder Extractor and extract as much moisture out of the top very carefully, so that I do not create any type of pattern that might show up later when it dries I guess a shop vac could do this also if you wanted to try it.. The idea is to get as much moisture out and let it dry, so the Sealant that comes next will be going down and into the dry fibers of the top.. Then get the Sealer out, shake it up and carefully Paint the entire top, sides, and around the back glass very carefully and thoroughly Allow to dry and you will be amazed at how good it looks. Your Client's top will be protected for a good season, the water will fly off the top when it gets wet... Now, exactly where you put this top maintenance in your Detailing schedule is up to you. I have done it at the beginning of the Detail and also at the end of the Detail which means you have to drag out all the equipment twice. But it saves on possibly getting any type of polish, etc., on the nicely perfectly cleaned and conditioned top, right, so pick your place where you think it will work out best for your needs. Good luck with this ! Dan F
Awesome, thanks for the replies! And thanks for the walk-thru of your process. About how long does it take? My plan was to clean it during the wash process, hand dry (I has no extractor), and let dry while I polish the car. Then apply the protectant at the end. The owner drives his Porsche during the winter, so if he decides to have me seal it, I want it to last.
The Ragg Top Fabric Sealant will need I believe 15-30 mins to dry, but less in warm weather. I like to spray a couple of coats on it letting it dry in between. You are not painting the top and using a lot of product, you are sealing the top and it will be just a little wet after you spray the 1st coat and then it will dry quickly. It will be plenty dry by the time you are done with the Paintwork Detailing process. You are picking a good starting point too, as all the Overspray will be cleaned off the rest of the vehicle as you go. When I do it at the beginning, I make sure to run a layer of tape stuck to paper around the bottom edge of the top where it meets paintwork, so I dont accidentally get something white colored, etc., embedded in my freshly cleaned and conditioned top! Another reason to like the darker colored compounds and polishes vs the bright white ones.. Be careful what you hand dry the top with, as most cotton towels will leave cotton fabric embedded in tops. You might want to consider using something that is darker colored just in case, or for sure anything but a white microfiber, etc., when drying the top. This is why I like to totally extract or vacuum out the water and not touch the top with any kind of fabric that might Lint on the freshly cleaned cloth.. A Porsche top is very small compared to a Bimmer, etc., so you will be fine. It's going to turn out great ! Just read the directions on the can/s you will be buying and it will be fine. If this top is really old and brittle, it may not respond as good, but sounds like its been a GQueen so the top is probably not killed off really bad by constant sun, etc... When you are cleaning it especially, you may have to raise it up partway to get the areas in the cavity that resides behind the back seats that are never ever cleaned unless you take the time to stop the top at different points as its being raised, to clean and vacuum in there, etc.. Dan F
Good point on hand drying with a towel. I use Uber's giant fluffy drying towel. If I'm gentle I don't think it will leave any lint, I just want to get the bulk of the water off. And I'll definitely mask and cover up the top while I'm polishing, don't wanna get any dust in there! The car is a 2006, so the top should be in good condition still, although the top was down when I came by to look the car over and give my recommendation/estimate for the paint work. Now I just need to sell him the top job and get the product here before next weekend! Thanks again Dan, I appreciate your help a lot!!
There's a brand new fabric sealant out I haven't gotten to test it out yet but looks awesome. Carpro's fabric/leather sealant.
GTechnique I1. I saw a video of it being used and it looked good. I have a bottle but I don't have a convertible to test it on so it's being used for my interior.
Well, I thought I had both Wolf's and Ragg Topp in my cart, but I guess I didn't add the Ragg Topp and I already paid so I guess we'll see how Wolf's works out! I will grab some Ragg Topp with my next order.
Just call in to which ever place you ordered from an have it added before being shipped out Better to have both at once
