Hood Cleaning

[holeshot]

I know this has been discussed before but this is my first ever soft top so be gentle.

I've ordered a Renovo hood cleaner + ultraproofer after trawling through previous threads.

The hood is in pretty good condition but has a build up off green snot below the rear screen and particularlly along the edge where it goes into the boot.

Would it be ok to drop the hood part way and use the cleaner/proofer in this area and I was thinking will I be able to rinse in this area or perhaps use the wet Vax machine with small attachment.

Hope the above makes sense, your thoughts and experiences please.

Cheers

[cj10jeeper]

Many threads on what to use to clean and seal so we'll leave that one alone.

It makes sense to part drop the roof then you can clean the green line off where it joins the bodywork. Also wipe the rubber seal as that gets slime on it. Don't pour too much water down the hood when it's part lowered and ensure it is draining out else you'll flood the motor housing...

[holeshot]

Thanks cj, that's exactly what i thought, too much water equals bad news so that's why I thought about rinsing with a household spray gun then using the wet vax machine.

One saving grace is that the motor was changed last year by previous owner at Cobham BMW.

[Aliv6]

Detailing is always moving on and new products found, so disagree with the post above...

Re. the Cleaning and Sealing! 303 Hood cleaned and Nanolex Fabriq guard is an excellent combination.

[ZED_NOT_ZEE]

RAGGTOPP is a good product too. It's only the product endorsed by HAARTZ Corp (the company that makes our soft-tops), and it is the product our car came with from the factory.

Intructions on how to use RAGGTOPP here:
http://www.youtube.com/v/n4Q996A-Pig&hl=en_US

[inkey$]

Good question re: that particular section. Mine's all dusty and needs some tlc too. Got the Autoglym kit and was planning to use this weekend, but it looks as though the thunder gods may have somehting to say about that.

[prod1]

Another area that requires a lot of care to get things right, Renovo is a product that most know of,the cleaner is very good when used in conjunction with a stiff brush and the hood dye is very good if a little messy!!, where things have changed massively is in the last couple of years is the re proofing and protection of the hood, for this you cant beat the Nanolex products IMHO the very best !

If anyone would like a more detailed post on the best way to treat their hood let me know.


D

[Cyscrofer]

Try the auto glym soft top cleaner and sealer, then use fabsil to seal out for life.

The auto glym cleaner cleaned a soft top that had been stood out 10 years under a tree striaght back to ject black!
the sealer keeps it black, I then spray fabsil on top as a guranteed water sealer already done my hood and black as the ace of spades, been in heavy rain a few times and it just runs off.

Well recommended and you cant go wrong with it unless you drink it!

Cysty

[cj10jeeper]

Try the auto glym soft top cleaner and sealer, then use fabsil to seal out for life.

The auto glym cleaner cleaned a soft top that had been stood out 10 years under a tree striaght back to ject black!
the sealer keeps it black, I then spray fabsil on top as a guranteed water sealer already done my hood and black as the ace of spades, been in heavy rain a few times and it just runs off.

Well recommended and you cant go wrong with it unless you drink it!

Cysty

Cysty,

Fabsil is a sealer and water proofer designed for the like of tents. It has no place on the roof of a Zed that's a complex 3 layer structure. The top layer should not be sealed and should indeed be porous. Water is designed to seep through to the butyl middle layer and drain from there. The inner being insulatation and cosmetic.

Sealing the top layer will over time lead to damage of the fibres as they flex.

For sure use it on yours, but I flag this up as a caution to others and suggest sticking to the proper protective products made by BMW or Ragtopp.