Fabric soft tops fade, grey and can grow mould. Owners' usual routine is a cleaner followed by a proofer, which also restores some water repellence. This page lists what they used. The thread reports are personal results from 2010 to 2014 and the products may have changed.
Cleaning
- Dedicated soft top cleaners were the most recommended, mainly Autoglym and Renovo. One owner who used the Autoglym cleaner and protector kit (about £20 at the time) spent a couple of hours getting a red top close to as-new.
- Cheaper options: Meguiar's all purpose cleaner followed by Fabsil was said to work as well as the Autoglym kit and cost a bit less. Cheap Halfords cleaner and proofer, under £20 in all, worked well on a greying top with dark and light patches.
- Washing-up liquid: one owner poured it neat onto a grey, mouldy top, scrubbed with a brush and hosed it off, and it came up well. This is one owner's method, not a recommendation from a product maker.
- Fabric, not vinyl: check that the product is for canvas/fabric hoods. One owner confirmed the Renovo canvas products apply to the VX220's fabric top.
Proofing
- Fabsil was the most mentioned proofer. A large tin was about £15 and one owner's was still half full after 2 years. Re-proofing roughly every 6 months was suggested for leaks (see Soft top sagging and leaks). It has a smell that fades.
- Other owners used the Renovo Ultra Proofer and the Autoglym proofer. One suggested diluted Nikwax tent proofer after cleaning. Treated tops bead water well.
- Cleaning and proofing also tightened a saggy top for one owner.
Inside the hood
Treating the outside is normally enough. One owner whose top had mould and mildew inside (the car had stood outside a scrapyard with a window open over winter) cleaned the inside with Autoglym cleaner and then proofed it to prevent it coming back. Another also cleaned the inside with the cleaner.
Coloured tops
Two owners with a silver car and a red roof asked whether the usual products would affect the colour. One said all soft top cleaning products are fine and used Autoglym FTR. A third contacted Renovo, who said their Canvas Cleaner followed by Ultra Proofer is fine on a red roof because the products are water-based and colour neutral. That is the manufacturer's statement to one owner, passed on, and isn't independent confirmation.
Recolouring
- Renovo reviver is a dye. Two owners used the black on faded black tops and said it did a brilliant job, with one saying it took a few coats. A third used the dark blue on a blue top and it came up really well.
- Changing colour (for example blue to black): nobody in the thread had done it. One owner was worried about dyeing over blue. Another suggested swapping tops with another owner, or having a local upholsterer fit new black fabric, which is cheap.
- Renovo also makes a non-dyeing cleaner, and a three-stage kit of cleaner, colour and re-proofer.