WakingUpMy97

I'd like to restore my convertible top, but I'm not sure how to go about it. I plan on getting a new one in the future, but for now I'd like to make this one look better (yay temp fixes!).

It's black sail cloth from the factory. The guy who had it kept it outdoors in the woods on a dirt road and never deep cleaned it, so it's got light brown dirt ingrained in the fibers. I've tried to clean the dirt off with a garden hose + spray nozzle (which does nothing) and even went so far as to try to clean it with Goo-gone on a small inconspicuous spot since the dirt seems kind of oily/greasy. It seems to help at first but now the dirt is still there, greasy, but black and looks just as bad on that spot.

What can I use to get all the dirt out? Sounds easy but that stuff is in there good!

rv93

have you tried carpet stain remover? or even just wet the top down, then rub some car wash soap into it.

WakingUpMy97

Good suggestions, I'll try both!

WakingUpMy97

Okay so I tried carpet cleaner and it worked to some degree. It got rid of the brown dirt, but there are black geasy areas too. What would be safe to try there? I'm thinking engine degreaser but I don't want to bleach out the black dye. What do you guys think would be safe but strong enough to break up the greasy areas? I'm talking spots so thick with grease you can scratch it with a fingernail and get some under your nail.

TD95Z

Maybe some sort of citrus-based degreaser would work. I had a can sitting around and decided to try it on my propane grill; I was impressed with its ability to get the grease off. As always, test in a hidden spot first. I think the citrus degreaser and a nylon brush to work it into the material would do the trick.

rv93

try dishwashing soap, then citrus degreaser. dish soap is really good with grease.

WakingUpMy97

Good suggestions all, thanks guys! I ended up getting the best results from foaming carpet cleaner.

I kind of think that the smooth spots that seem greasy are actually the nylon cloth fibers getting worn and compressed together... I can scrape some off with my fingernail and it SEEMS kinda greasy, but looking at it, I really think it's just old and compressed. IF that's even possible lol. NOTHING was able to get out these spots and they only appear where the canvas folds or squishes together when the top is down. I tried degreaser, carb cleaner, Dawn, carpet cleaner, and all with a stiff nylon brush, to no avail.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with flattened out fibers? Is this even a plausible explanation?

rv93

if its nylon, it seems plausible enough. heat may have helped it along too.

blackblur1996z28

I have the same exact problem. Nothing gets it out. I've tried cnvt top cleaner by blue magic but it only came back when the top got dirty again. You will most likely have to save up and get a new top like I eventually will.

Brangeta

This isn't directed entirely at the topic starter, but I do really think it's odd that more people don't just vacuum things on their car and then just use a lot of soapy water. On all of our cars, I just vacuum the engine bays before I try cleaning them. I would think that could have solved a lot of your problem with the convertible top before you got it covered with chemicals, and then you could have just tried soap. What does the owner's manual say about cleaning convertible tops? I know there's a section in the manual.

WakingUpMy97

Too bad none of us thought to vacuum our old tops before we tried to restore them.

Thanks for your valuable input, Brangeta, and for treating me like an idiot.

WakingUpMy97

Here are a couple pics, a close-up of the odd black spots and of the difference with regular dirt (from a dust storm yesterday) compared to the black areas near the driver's side window, respectively:

Brangeta

LOL! I'm sorry.

I just think it's weird that when it comes to cars, people don't (for example) vacuum the leaves out of the engine bay and etc. like they would carpet. The solution is always to spray something on it and then pressure wash.

At this point, I'd probably try dawn dish washing soap to remove any grease and then rinse it really well and see how it turns out.

WakingUpMy97

It's all good, I'm sorry if I was overly defensive. The first thing I did when I got my car home was vacuum the rat sh*t off the intake... I agree that getting rid of the big stuff before deep-cleaning is integral. What really got the dirt out was light duty carpet cleaner. I'll take 90% improvement over nothing lol. I really think the greasy looking spots are just worn down cloth now. Next thing to try is replacing the old vinyl window with a new glass one. Fun... lol