just had my new 500c delivered today - black with ivory soft top and wondered if anyone has any tips on caring for/maintaining soft top as i have never had one before and haven't a clue! Any suggestions welcome

Best of posting in the car care section.

jconstable said:

just had my new 500c delivered today - black with ivory soft top and wondered if anyone has any tips on caring for/maintaining soft top as i have never had one before and haven't a clue! Any suggestions welcome

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Congratulations jconstable on new 500c and welcome to the forum.

I know nothing about how to care for a soft top (I thought I did ) but I will leave that to other members of the FF who have 500c like yourself.

Congrats on the C and good luck trying to care for the ivory roof.

From personal experience this became the bane of my life! Autoglym cabriolet roof cleaner and treatment is good stuff, however the window area (especially in the winter) gets terribly dirty and the more you clean the ivory roof the more you can see the colour fade. Also if you live anywhere near someone with a open fire pray to god that the soot doesn't settle on your roof. It stains and the cleaner won't touch it.

The autoglym set comes with a sponge, but if used too often in can ruin the look of the fabric. The spray on protectant is very good, but it will (no matter how hard you try) run onto the paintwork and it will leave streaks, only removable with polishing.

Sorry to be so pessimistic but is is from first hand experience.

Steve

oh dear - well thanks TechHouseC - hope i don't live to regret my colour choice! I don't live near anyone with an open fire so i suppose that's one good thing! I've heard of the autoglym product but wondered if you actually have to use a specialised product or is it ok to simply wash with car shampoo and water!?

Car shampoo and a sponge is not a good idea, IMHO. the roof is not supposed to be saturated, hence the protectant spray.

Simply spray on the Autoglym cleaner (with the roof dry - you may have to vacuum it first) use the supplied sponge and then rinse off. Pat it dry with a chamois and then spray on the protectant.

I really hope you enjoy everyday of you C ownership, but for me the constant grooming of my dirty roof (plus a few other niggles) mared my experience.

Think of it as like owning a black, four wheeled Italian horse. Just as much grooming required ;-)

Steve

TechHouseC said:

Car shampoo and a sponge is not a good idea, IMHO. the roof is not supposed to be saturated, hence the protectant spray.

Simply spray on the Autoglym cleaner (with the roof dry - you may have to vacuum it first) use the supplied sponge and then rinse off. Pat it dry with a chamois and then spray on the protectant.

I really hope you enjoy everyday of you C ownership, but for me the constant grooming of my dirty roof (plus a few other niggles) mared my experience.

Think of it as like owning a black, four wheeled Italian horse. Just as much grooming required ;-)

Steve

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That's some excellent advice that I can pass on to my sister-in-law who hoses down her soft top.
How long do you reckon the soft top on say a 500c would last if it was outdoors verus being in a garage ?

loveshandbags said:

How long do you reckon the soft top on say a 500c would last if it was outdoors verus being in a garage ?

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Anything made from waterproofed fabric is vulnerable if stored outside long-term; UV degradation in summer & fungal attack during the winter will both take their toll. Personally, I'd only contemplate a ragtop if I had somewhere to keep it under cover.

As has already been said, using detergent is a no-no; these kinds of materials must be cleaned using a soap-based product & then reproofed afterwards. You can also get a whole range of fabric cleaners & proofers from specialist camping suppliers if you fancy 'thinking laterally' and some of these offer excellent protection against UV & fungal attack. Check anything you contemplate using on an inconspicuous area first, as the proofers in particular are well-known for changing the colour of the underlying fabric.

jrkitching said:

Anything made from waterproofed fabric is vulnerable if stored outside long-term; UV degradation in summer & fungal attack during the winter will both take their toll. Personally, I'd only contemplate a ragtop if I had somewhere to keep it under cover.

As has already been said, using detergent is a no-no; these kinds of materials must be cleaned using a soap-based product & then reproofed afterwards. You can also get a whole range of fabric cleaners & proofers from specialist camping suppliers if you fancy 'thinking laterally' and some of these offer excellent protection against UV & fungal attack. Check anything you contemplate using on an inconspicuous area first, as the proofers in particular are well-known for changing the colour of the underlying fabric.

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Thanks for the input JR. I suppose the ideal environment for 'long life' for a soft top is where it is under a raised cover (a dark one) but still open at the 'front' without having to go to the expense of a de-humidified garage.

Thanks for some useful advice here - i don't want to get too paranoid about it & spoil the enjoyment! I'll prob go for the Autoglym - have read advice from others re: masking paintwork & glass from overspray with tape & newspaper. Hopefully a common sense approach to cleaning/maintenance will be ok. It will be stored outside () so may invest in some kind of cover to protect it during extreme winter weather!

I know your pain. I haven't even made my first payment, and already I regret my purchase, because of the top. My dealer took it through their car wash and already caused some minor fraying along the seam at the back. They also managed to put some lot rash on it, which was only revealed after a detailing took off the hiding glaze they use to cover their f*** ups.

You can never take this car through any kind of car wash. Ever. The soaps will embed in the top and attract dirt. They will also deteriorate the stitching and fabric. Hand wash the car with soft top safe soap only, Spray off with a garden hose.

You can vacuum with a furniture fabric attachment, but I would only do that if noticeably dirty. You can also blow dust off. Very light touch here.

To wash, you must wet it first, then apply special soap. Use a horse hair brush with gentle strokes. Rise off with hose, not high pressure car wash, until no more soap appears.

Pat dry with Chamois, never rub it. When completely bone dry, mask off the rest of your car, and apply the spray with even strokes.

You only need do the sealant once or twice a year. I would only do the full wash if the top appears to need it. Other wise, just lightly vacuum or rinse it off.

I had a detailer do an initial wash & seal to get me started. They did a great job, masked the car, and nothing got on my paint. Or they effectively cleaned it off.

I got the leather too. :bang: As if I didn't have enough to do now. If I could get out of it, I would, but I've made my bed. Probably trade it as soon as I can. I'll try not to think too much about it, and enjoy it as much as I can in the meantime.

Minis are definitely better cars, and I can see myself in one in a few years. Fiat will be laughed back to Italy by then. Chryslers abominable service after the sale will see to that. They don't really seem to even know anything about the cars, or how to take care of them. And next year, Fiat will be raising their prices. Mini will crush them if they do that.

I did my deal to escape an unreliable 2012 VW Golf, but I didn't put enough thought into the situation I was jumping into, and now it's worse. At least I got payoff for my VW, and I got 0% interest on the Fiat, so every dime goes to pay it off. It's my only consolation.

And you can saturate it without damaging it, but I wouldn't leave it to dry from soaking wet. Pat it dry. And the soap needs to be put on after soaking the top, not dry.

This will be helpful: Mike Phillips demonstrates how to properly protect your canvas or vinyl convertible top. - Search on YouTube for video.