Hello everyone this is my very first post on this forum so please go easy. but i have been working for body shops as a detailer for the last 8 years. i know what most of your opinions are about body shop detailers, but believe me i have spent several hours on this and many forums learning about all the things i used to do wrong. however i still have some questions. i was wondering how you guys restore and protect vinyl decals on cars like the new mustangs and camaro's. i was also wondering about the process for cleaning and protecting cloth convertible tops. if anyone can lend and wisdom or get me pointed in the right direction i would really appreciate it. thank you Sean.
No worries, everyone has to start somewhere, at least you care enough to want to learn how to do it the right way. I'm not too familiar with restoring vinyl but as far as protecting it any good paint sealant will do the job like BFWD, Power Lock, CG JetSeal, RejeX. Collinite 845 is a wax and it has the durability of a sealant. For soft tops I just use a good car wash shampoo that doesn't have any wax/glossing agents. If its really dirty you could use a dedicated soft top cleaner, carpet cleaner or an APC. Use a soft bristle brush or horse hair brush to agitate. For protecting I always use 303 Fabric Guard, it beads water like crazy and has pretty good durability also. Make sure your top is totally clean and dry before you apply though. Here's a video of the 303 beading: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTNa8YnJNoQ
This is what I use and love this stuff works great. http://www.detailersdomain.com/RAGGTOPP-Cleaner-and-Fabric-Protectant-Kit_p_139.html
thanks to both of you guys for the info. and if anyone knows how to restore the look and color back to faded vinyl stripes that would be great to know. we had a customer come into the shop looking for a detail on his 2008 white mustang with red racing stripes. i could make the paint look great but i hated telling the customer that i did not know how to make the faded red strips look as good as the paint.
well, depending on the ACTUAL material of the vinyl, I have just taped it off correctly, and used a light polish and it worked fine, the main concern with them I have is just making sure you cant peel it off with the machine! and of course being careful to not rip it or anything. I do not know if this is the best method, so attempt at your own risk, but with proper precaution, I have successfully restored some shine to several vinyls before.
I have vinyl on my car you can use wax or Adam's VRT it works great. I would only do everything by hand.
