Maintaining the cloth soft top

[butek]

I have no experience maintaining a cloth top, particularly the light-colored one on our new Pacific Coast Roadster. I know something about canvas tops - my 90 Miata still has its original top - but I don't know anything about cloth tops.

Any insight about things to do? things not to do?

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[loochie]

oooohhhh, a PCR - you have good taste! I'm not sure about the lighter color, I have the standard black.. I wash it once in awhile , but when drying, use only a chamois, as towels tend to leave ALOT of lint. If it collects dust or lint after a couple days, I use a lint roller on it to "clean it up" without actually washing it. There are some protectants out there to apply, but I haven't researched them out yet. I'm sure with the lighter top, you'll have to clean it a little more than us black toppers. Good luck!

Kathe

 

[Quickdraw]

Are cloth & canvas tops different? I assumed they were just different names for the same thing. I can't vouch of these people but they seem to not favor one manufacturers products. You probably also can't go far wrong following the Ford top care advice.

http://store.*********/classic-motoring/besprodforcl.html

Could you post a photo of your PCR? If you don't mind - I assume you had to pay a premium over MSRP?

 

[butek]

I guess rather than canvas, I should have called it vinyl. It isn't nearly as soft as the Thunderbird top. Since the T-Bird's top is so soft, I'd worry that my cleaning/conditioning stuff that's fine for vinyl might be hard on the cloth. That link you gave me looks promising. They distinguish between cloth and vinyl and say what works on one vs the other.

I've got some pics that we tried taking, but this is a tricky color. Depending on the light, it looks anything from silver to green. (That's one of the reasons we bought this one - it's a chameleon.) So far I only have bright sunshine silver pics. If I can get a pic that shows the green better, I'll post it.

We actually didn't have to pay premium for this one. I work for a company that has an arrangement with Ford; its employees get a discounted price on Ford cars, called the X-plan, but that price is at the dealer's discretion. Here in Austin, TX, there was only one dealer that was getting the Pacific Coast Roadster and they refused to honor the X-plan price. They had gotten MSRP + $5000 for the 007 model. Capitalism at work, I guess, but they didn't get my business! I hunted around and found a dealer in Houston that honored the X-plan price. We had to drive 3+ hours away, but it was worth it.

 

[AZ Yellowbird]

I would consider driving it home 3 1/2 hours a bonus. I live in central AZ and bought mine in Montana. I flew up there and drove her home - 1400 miles! You can see some pictures of the trip at: http://members.*******/2002yellowbird/helena.htm

 

[butek]

Yow! 1400 miles! That's real dedication to a cause. I'll keep quiet about our measely 3.5 hours.

Quickdraw wanted me to post a picture of our Pacific Coast Roadster. For some reason the forum isn't letting me do that, but if you folks are willing to suffer through some pics intended for family (since it's for family you'll see more than the car: my wife and I and some verbage surrounding the whole purchase event - this was a Valentine's day gift for my wife), go to the link below and enter the guest password: valentine

http://www.photoisland.com/servlet/GuestLogin?USERNAME=butek

If that doesn't work, go to http://www.photoisland.com and log in to the album with the following info:

Log-in ID: butek
Guest Password: valentine

Cheers.

 

[Quickdraw]

Very nice Butek,

That’s some valentines present for Lucy! Is the hardtop white or is that just the way the sun hits it? As you said, its hard to tell the true color from the photos, in some photos it even looks like the 2002 blue. Sure looks nice though...

 

[butek]

The hard top is a light grey. Ash metallic, the Ford pages call it. No blue in it, really, just a hint of green. It's almost exactly the same color as the soft top, and the last photo gives you a truer idea of the color of that. Our camera, in the bright light, for some reason gave everything a slight touch of blue.

I should have posted the link to my pics in a new thread - we've sorta gotten off topic here. Anyone else have any advice for maintaining the soft top? Has anyone actually used the Ford products listed in the owner's manual?

I want to keep this car forever, and I don't want to be replacing the top every 5 years. (Someone once told me that's the average life of a soft top. I don't believe it's that short; I've gotten my Miata top to last 14 years and counting, but I HAVE taken good care of it.)

 

[flairbird]

soft top care

Butek,

I rarely wash my soft top...it is black. When I do, I use no soap and a soft bristle bush.

Most of the time when it gets wet from washing the car I just blot the top dry using cotton towels, never rubbing them across the top.

I will also take the upholstery brush on my house vacuum and clean the top as well. I too have used the lint roller method when the neighbor's cat has welcomed himself into the garage and made the roof his perch.

Flair

 

[loochie]

We are fortunate in having black tops, since the dirt really doesn't show. I think, Butek, you'll just have to see how the top performs for you in that respect. Having a lighter top very well may need more washings/care than our tops. I haven't used the products recommended by Ford, but I think if I was lucky enough to have a PCR, I would pay more attention to the care of the top, and follow their instructions. That way, if there is a problem down the road, and it may possibly still be under warranty, it's their problem, not yours.

One thing I highly recommend, is making sure the top is totally moisture free before putting it down, and especially before putting the hardtop on for extended periods, as there have been reports by some owners of some sort of "stain" on the soft tops after being "stored" under the hardtop for a period of time. This problem could be caused by either the soft top still being damp, or possibly a leak in the hardtop seal. I would also recommend periodically removing the hardtop when it's on for extended periods, and checking the soft top to be sure there is no "staining" damage. Of course, the less the car is exposed to rain/washings during these periods, the less chance there is of this problem occuring.

 

[Brad]

I recently had my Hardtop off of my daily driver, and some of the road salt had seeped onto the soft top. Also I used the 303 Covertible top protectant. I DO NOT advise using this product. The overspray took hours and hours to remove from my paint. Also I think it cause the top to have some almost shiny areas where the folds are. (or I just use it too much)

 

[Sophia]

Thanks for sharing the photos AZ Yellowbird and Butek.

Butek, I thought we were family!!

 

[butek]

Sophia, we are now!

 

[Sophia]

GOOD ! !

 

[tbird2003]

I heard/read somewhere that the softtop is impregnated with a mildew resistant chemical. I only wash the softop with a soft cloth and carwash water.

I also use the lint roller to pickup dust from the top and the boot cover.

We had a brief respite in the weather here is Northeast Ohio, so I’ve taken the Bird out of hibernation early (at least until the snow returns). She currently has on her hardtop and I thought what the hell, I paid money for the hardtop, why not use it.

 

[Sophia]

By carwash water, do you mean just plain water, or does it have their soap in it. I haven't seen my soft top yet, but the black should be a little easier to keep clean.

 

[Quickdraw]

Tbird2003,

03 Torch Red with Perf. White Top and Full Red Accent

Ahhh... one of only 92 made like that.....

 

[tbird2003]

Originally posted by Sophia
By carwash water, do you mean just plain water, or does it have their soap in it. I haven't seen my soft top yet, but the black should be a little easier to keep clean.

I mean water with car wash soap. I use Zanio Brother cash washing stuff.

 

[tbird2003]

Originally posted by Quickdraw
Tbird2003,



Ahhh... one of only 92 made like that.....

Ya, I wouldn't have it any other way. I get more thumbs-up than you can count.