So it rained today, and when I was at lunch I thought I would gently rub my hand under the inside of the convetible top...just to make sure there was no dampness.

After just a few, gentle passes...my fingertips came back black and lighly oily (like graphite, not like motor oil).

Has anyone else with a fabric top seen this? Could it be the 303 fabric protectant I put on there a year ago (even though I would think the liner in between the outside and the inside would have blocked that)?

 

I just vacuumed my inside top the other day because I was cleaning the interior and noticed it had a lot of road dust on it, I guess from when the top is down on dusty/dirt roads. I did not see any oil spots on the fabric nor did any get on the vacuum brush. I wonder if you have a hydraulic fluid leak. If its not hydraulic fluid the only other thing I can think of is do you were a lot of moose in your hair

 

When you drive with the top down, the inside lining gets filthy after a while. In my case it looked almost white because of all the fine dust and sand here. I'm guessing the black soot you got is the same thing, just with a bit of Atlanta pollution. A vacuum cleaner should remove it easily.

 

Thank you...that made me laugh!

 

I fiinally made the next tier of member!

 

Did you ever find out what the stuff was on your lining?

 

I have no idea...it may be the 303 protectant just saturated the inside fabric as well as the outside.

It certainly is not dust or dirt.

I was really just wondering if anyone else had experienced it.

 

I have the black vinyl top so I could not tell ya.... However, I was NOT impressed by the vinyl top protectant from 303. I followed the instructions to a "T" and whenever I took my top down, it would leave white crease marks on the top and when I would wash the car, the runoff would leave a "film" on the windows. Spoke to 303 and they suggested using less, but even just a mist and wipe down would cause problems.... Wish it would have worked, I am looking for a good protectant.

 

I had the same problem with my 303 so now what I do is wash the top first, then 303 it according to directions and I let it sit while I wash my wheels. Then when I wash the car I wash the top too and I never had any more streaking down the sides with this method. I know your probably thinking that's stupid your washing the 303 right off but really all I am doing is getting all the excess washed off. Once its dry the top looks great and if you wet it it repels water very well so I know its working.

 

Thanks, I'll try it next time... Did you have BOTH the problem with the creasing and the film on the windows? Just wondering...

 

I don't remember the creasing you described but it's been a while since I did it the "old way". I will say I tried ragg topp first because a lot of people recommended it and not only did it have the same streaking issues but it also clumped up so bad in the bottle that it wouldn't spray. It looked like chunky milk I don't know if I got a bad bottle or if its all like that but I will never spend my money on it again. Ive never had that problem with the 303.

 

I use Ragg Topp with no problems whatsoever. I guess it depends on how you apply and store a product. I spray RT on a soft cloth and wipe it on, let it dry, then wipe it down with a clean cloth. I always store car care products in the house to prevent temp variations from messing up the product.