Some of you may be aware of the problem I had when my 06 cab was trucked from Denver to OC last month. The car was on the low level of an open truck carrier, and after 1000 miles of winter roads, my car arrived with a soiled top as well as some stains that apparently resulted from oily drips from the car that had been stored on top of mine. Well, I had the top cleaned at a local detail shop, using a hot water vacuum to flush the oily dirt out. The top now looks like new. Here are before and after photos. Note that the "before" photo was "enhanced" in iPhoto to accent the spots. They were not as obvious to the naked eye, but were definitely there. The top was also very soiled, and the cleaning fixed that too. The trucking company was gracious and paid for the cleaning, since the soft topped car shouldn't have been under another car, or should have been protected better.

I thought this story would show cab owners that it is possible to clean a dirty top, if done properly.

 

glad u got it cleaned. you should spray it with protective coating to protect it from water, stain and UV.

always have it shipped on top. it's usually a little higher in cost but mandatory.

 

what cleaning product did you use, if i might ask....

 

I put 303 fabric protectant on tonight. I assumed the truck driver would do the right thing (like use his head). But the company paid for the repair, so didn't make any money on the shipping. I expect they'll pay more attention next time.

 

No chemical cleaners were used. Just hot water I think.

 

The question is, will it re appear in the future? Otherwise it looks great.

 

+1 for the 303 Aerospace Protectant and 303 Fabric Guard! This stuff is great. http://www.303products.com/
My neighbor is in the boat business & has fabric,leather & vinyl samples that have been treated with about every product that has been sold. Some of his test samples are over 12 years old. The Aero 303 samples are always the ones that look brand new even after spending years in the Florida sun & rain.

 

A little off topic.
I have always had a Cab and carry in my trunk a club soda or perrier in the event of Bird droppings. If you come back and find droppings on the top the club soda neutralizes the droppings and prevents it from staining. Esp important on hot days....When you get home a quick washing gets rid of the spots completely . this has saved my top many times. Once I didnt have any soda and it was a huge amount of work to get rid of the white stain.

 

Nice work Ken.......car looks BRAND NEW!

Stacy

 

Im loving the Navy top... I hate cleaning the top of the cab, somthings always getting stuck to it... Im glad the tops can be cleaned if stained...

 

thanks.....

 

Ken, is the hot water steam cleaning something that any detail shop would have in their arsenal or did you have to look around to find a shop that had it?

 

Ken,
Congrats again on your new car! Do you miss the targa yet? I am glad you got the top fixed and the rest of the car is awesome! How about some pics??!!

Jen

 

I didn't talk to many detailers, and I don't know how many have this equipment. But when this guy described his proposed approach, I felt comfortable he knew what he was doing, and I liked the fact that he was avoiding the use of chemical cleaners unless his proposed method didn't work. He's been in the business for 30 years and does a lot of high end cars.

I miss the Targa a little, mainly due to the quieter interior. And it was a sweet car. But I love this one too.
I posted some photos earlier this month. See following link.
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...-cab-last.html

 

thanks for the tip