Convertible Top non messy cleaners
 

I was wondering if anyone knows of a convertible top cleaner that isn’t messy and is good for quick use. I know many of you use the 303 cleaner, but from what I read, everyone says that you should cover your windows etc because it can be messy. Are there any alternative cleaners that would not require covering up the windows and would be not messy and quick?

1. Adhesive tear-off Lint Roller. <-- best bang for the buck and gets 90%+ of the dirt.

2. I've used Adams car shampoo with reasonable success, but it is not a fabric cleaner so it will take a bit of rinsing. Dilute it BELOW the recommended concentration and DO NOT use foam-cannon concentrations or you'll regret it. My top is coated with 303 Fabric Guard so it really doesn't absorb water/dirt. See also #1.

3. Prior to installing the 303 fabric guard the first and only time in 2017 (car was brand new) I used the 303 cleaner (from the 2 bottle kit) after rinsing out the Adams shampoo. Follow the directions.

During a recent wash. 303 still going strong after four and a half years.

Came here looking for details on the 303 products that I recalled reading about earlier this spring or summer. With my car set to arrive in the next week or two I wanted to make sure I ordered the right stuff, so thank you for posting a direct link!

And that photo of water beading off your top after 4.5 years is amazing. Only one application in that entire time? May I ask how often you drive it and how many miles? I was expecting this to be a 1-2x per year type of application.

Yes. Same original application from 2017.

I followed the cleaning/prep directions in the kit. I used the 303 cleaner from the kit after I did a soap-n-water wash. That and a good lint-rollering before the wash and again before applying the 303.

I used a mini paint roller kit ($8 Walmart variety) and rolled it on. Lint roller is huge as the 303 sealer will glue down/seal in anything you leave on or in the fabric. Links in this thread. The one bottle will do two coats on the top. Whatever you do, don't spray it. It's like clear coat paint and will be a huge pita to get off the paint. Keep a microfiber towel handy to catch drips down the windows, etc.

The Mistress is a show/weekend/cruise-in car. 9k miles. Not driven in rain unless I get caught out (which has been only 4 times in 4 years). Top is only up when it's garaged or parked so it doesn't see weather. So I'm at the far right end of the "DD <-- --> garage queen" spectrum.

If you daily-drive your vert and park in the sun, you might need to reapply every 6-12mo. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

:happy0180: