Anyone with experience on rag tops (Convertibles)? (Page 1/2)
blackrams APR 09, 07:39 AM
A couple of questions.

Are automatic car washes with the spinning flappers damaging the fabric of convertible tops?
Do convertible tops (Fabric) need to be protected from ultra-violate rays (the sun) and if so, what products are best?

Currently, I'm either hand washing my Solstice or taking it to a touch-free car wash but, that touch-free car wash is quite a ways away and to be honest, I'm not real crazy about hand-washing. I have used my pressure washer on the car, makes it a lot faster and easier but, one has to be careful and not get the wand too close, it can peal the paint if you get that nozzle too close. I suspect that those flapping/spinning towels/things could damage the edges of the fabric but, up to this point have avoided going through one of those car washes.

So, anyone have any experience with those automatic car washes and convertibles?

Rams

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 04-09-2022).]

olejoedad APR 09, 12:16 PM
Hand washing is definitely the way to go to protect the top and the paint.
MidEngineManiac APR 09, 02:11 PM
If the guy is still round, ask Arn.

Mine ended up in his garage for free. 96 Firebird. That and the damn Lambo door hinges.

Meh, seemed like a good idea at the time.

It wasn't.

Come to think of it, Sue in it wasnt such a bright idea either.

[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 04-09-2022).]

IMSA GT APR 09, 02:21 PM
First off:
For fabric tops and it protects from UV rays.
https://www.amazon.com/Chem...ectant/dp/B00UZE80N0
Next, the car wash. My biggest concern would be whether the spinning brushes, which weight a ton, would peel back the edges of the roof at the windows as it was dumping 100 gallons of water on the car causing a flood of the interior. I don't know the design of the Solstice roof so I really can't talk. I would just use the pressure washer idea but stand back from the car.

[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 04-09-2022).]

Raydar APR 09, 05:32 PM
I'm not very keen on hand washing either, but I found a decent compromise. I bought a brush on an extendable pole, made specifically for car washing.
Looks a bit like a narrow push broom, but you can hook a hose to it, and pump water through it, and out through the brush.
I don't do that. I just dunk it in a bucket of soapy water and use it to scrub the car. Then I hose it off with a spray nozzle.
I start at the top and work my way down. I use a separate brush (and usually different soap, depending) for the wheels and tires.
Be sure to rinse the brushes out well, to remove any leftover grit. Change your soap and water out if it gets nasty.
blackrams APR 09, 07:11 PM

quote
Originally posted by Raydar:

I'm not very keen on hand washing either, but I found a decent compromise. I bought a brush on an extendable pole, made specifically for car washing.
Looks a bit like a narrow push broom, but you can hook a hose to it, and pump water through it, and out through the brush.
I don't do that. I just dunk it in a bucket of soapy water and use it to scrub the car. Then I hose it off with a spray nozzle.
I start at the top and work my way down. I use a separate brush (and usually different soap, depending) for the wheels and tires.
Be sure to rinse the brushes out well, to remove any leftover grit. Change your soap and water out if it gets nasty.




I have one of those brushes. Bought it to wash my RV Toyhauler. Didn't like using it on the toy hauler but, it might be alright on the Solstice. The Toy Hauler was just too damn big to wash by hand. Ended up using my pressure washer to get it done. I'm not a fan for hand washing and then waxing.

Reference the fabric top, it only goes up when I pressure wash the car, let it dry and then put it back in the trunk. I've never driven this car with the top up. Don't intend to unless we get caught in an Un-forecasted rain squall. Regardless, just wondering about those kind of things I might want to think about. It rarely hurts to ask silly questions.

Rams
82-T/A [At Work] APR 11, 10:23 AM

quote
Originally posted by blackrams:

A couple of questions.

Are automatic car washes with the spinning flappers damaging the fabric of convertible tops?
Do convertible tops (Fabric) need to be protected from ultra-violate rays (the sun) and if so, what products are best?

Currently, I'm either hand washing my Solstice or taking it to a touch-free car wash but, that touch-free car wash is quite a ways away and to be honest, I'm not real crazy about hand-washing. I have used my pressure washer on the car, makes it a lot faster and easier but, one has to be careful and not get the wand too close, it can peal the paint if you get that nozzle too close. I suspect that those flapping/spinning towels/things could damage the edges of the fabric but, up to this point have avoided going through one of those car washes.

So, anyone have any experience with those automatic car washes and convertibles?

Rams





Is this for your Solstice?

Yeah, you definitely do not want to use an automatic car wash for that car. Also, your hood and decklid are aluminum. You want to be very careful... even in how you shut the hood and trunk lid. The auto car-wash stations will damage your roof absolutely. Recommend you only use one of those car wash bays where you wash the car yourself.


Finally, YES... the UV rays of the outside will destroy your roof. If you're thinking about leaving your car outside... might as well buy a new convertible roof NOW while they are still available, and just keep it in storage.

One thing you're going to eventually have to deal with is the rear window breaking away. This happens after a while of being left out in the sun, and you'll need to re-attach it. It usually starts to separate near the top. It's not hard to fix, and GM sells the original adhesive that you can use to re-attach the glass.

Another problem is that the roof will begin to stretch.

Your roof will eventually begin to stretch and sag, which while driving will make the roof poof out (and exacerbate this situation). Pontiac offered two roof options. They both had the same outer roof, but one came with additional interior padding that helped deaden the sound. One of the options to help solve this problem is to re-adjust the velcro and straps that hold the roof to the bars. It's been a long time since I owned a Solstice, but you should be able to adjust it and minimize it from getting worse.
82-T/A [At Work] APR 11, 10:27 AM

quote
Originally posted by blackrams:

I have one of those brushes. Bought it to wash my RV Toyhauler. Didn't like using it on the toy hauler but, it might be alright on the Solstice. The Toy Hauler was just too damn big to wash by hand. Ended up using my pressure washer to get it done. I'm not a fan for hand washing and then waxing.

Reference the fabric top, it only goes up when I pressure wash the car, let it dry and then put it back in the trunk. I've never driven this car with the top up. Don't intend to unless we get caught in an Un-forecasted rain squall. Regardless, just wondering about those kind of things I might want to think about. It rarely hurts to ask silly questions.

Rams




Long-term... you never want to leave your convertible top in the trunk. When the car is parked in the garage... e.g. you are leaving it for more than a day, you want to leave the top up.

Ideally, you don't want to latch it, but you do want to pull the roof over and then lower the trunk lid. You can leave the "b-pillars" retracted.


I'm sure you drive it a lot, but if the car ever sits for a long time and you expect / hope to keep this car *forever* there's things you typically want to do to extend the life of everything. But definitely don't leave it collapsed in the trunk for longer than a day or so... it will eventually harm the roof by creating permanent creases in the fabric.
blackrams APR 11, 11:25 AM

quote
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
Is this for your Solstice?

Yeah, you definitely do not want to use an automatic car wash for that car. Also, your hood and decklid are aluminum. You want to be very careful... even in how you shut the hood and trunk lid. The auto car-wash stations will damage your roof absolutely. Recommend you only use one of those car wash bays where you wash the car yourself.


Finally, YES... the UV rays of the outside will destroy your roof. If you're thinking about leaving your car outside... might as well buy a new convertible roof NOW while they are still available, and just keep it in storage.

One thing you're going to eventually have to deal with is the rear window breaking away. This happens after a while of being left out in the sun, and you'll need to re-attach it. It usually starts to separate near the top. It's not hard to fix, and GM sells the original adhesive that you can use to re-attach the glass.

Another problem is that the roof will begin to stretch.

Your roof will eventually begin to stretch and sag, which while driving will make the roof poof out (and exacerbate this situation). Pontiac offered two roof options. They both had the same outer roof, but one came with additional interior padding that helped deaden the sound. One of the options to help solve this problem is to re-adjust the velcro and straps that hold the roof to the bars. It's been a long time since I owned a Solstice, but you should be able to adjust it and minimize it from getting worse.


As I said to someone previously, what I asked may be a silly question (thought I already knew the answers) but, failure to ask can result in some bad conclusions and results. So, that's why I asked.

Been told several different responses but, the majority say don't run the car through the automated car washes but more for paint issues than rag top issues. Guess I'll keep using that pressure washer at home and avoid spraying to rag top.

quote
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
Long-term... you never want to leave your convertible top in the trunk. When the car is parked in the garage... e.g. you are leaving it for more than a day, you want to leave the top up.

Ideally, you don't want to latch it, but you do want to pull the roof over and then lower the trunk lid. You can leave the "b-pillars" retracted.


I'm sure you drive it a lot, but if the car ever sits for a long time and you expect / hope to keep this car *forever* there's things you typically want to do to extend the life of everything. But definitely don't leave it collapsed in the trunk for longer than a day or so... it will eventually harm the roof by creating permanent creases in the fabric.



Well, this is gonna be a problem. At least for me. I'll take/accept the blame if the top goes bad from being stored in the trunk. I plan on keeping this car and passing it on to one of my kids so, it's gonna be their problem if the top develops creases. Haven't driven the car with it up yet, I park it in it's own spot in the garage and do drive it at every opportunity.

Seriously considering taking it to DDMwerks or PAW for a turbo or supercharger upgrade. I'm told I can safely get close to 350 horses without endangering the internals of the engine.
Anything close to that would definitely increase the fun factor. Won't be cheap but, since I'm spending my kids inheritance, why not.

Rams
82-T/A [At Work] APR 11, 11:51 AM

quote
Originally posted by blackrams:

As I said to someone previously, what I asked may be a silly question (thought I already knew the answers) but, failure to ask can result in some bad conclusions and results. So, that's why I asked.

Been told several different responses but, the majority say don't run the car through the automated car washes but more for paint issues than rag top issues. Guess I'll keep using that pressure washer at home and avoid spraying to rag top.


...snip


Well, this is gonna be a problem. At least for me. I'll take/accept the blame if the top goes bad from being stored in the trunk. I plan on keeping this car and passing it on to one of my kids so, it's gonna be their problem if the top develops creases. Haven't driven the car with it up yet, I park it in it's own spot in the garage and do drive it at every opportunity.

Seriously considering taking it to DDMwerks or PAW for a turbo or supercharger upgrade. I'm told I can safely get close to 350 horses without endangering the internals of the engine.
Anything close to that would definitely increase the fun factor. Won't be cheap but, since I'm spending my kids inheritance, why not.

Rams




Yeah, I hope it didn't come off like I was insulting you. I had to ask the same questions when I owned my Solstice. I went to Solsticeforum.com or Solsticeforums.com, whichever the real one was. The bottom line for me was that the top is fabric... and it does wear. There are "touchless" car washes, which are good. But the ones with the beater bar (with the rubber fingers) can wear away at the top.

Paint has a clearcoat, though the Solstices paint is actually quite thin (unfortunately)... but that's why it was only a ~$21,000 car when new!

But as the convertible top wears, it loses it's ability to be repellent, and this can exacerbate that wear. It won't destroy your top if you do it now and then, but if you're looking to do it every weekend, you're going to have problems.

When you say "pressure washer" ... are you talking about a 2400 PSI pressure washer or the pressure gun at one of those wash bays?


As for the creasing... yeah... you really do not want to leave the top down or longer than a day or two. This will be a problem, and it will absolutely shorten the life of your convertible top... like, extensively. When it's in the down and compressed position, you are basically folding the cover over. It's not a natural fiber, but a plastic, and eventually it will start to stay that way. Then when you do put it back up, it's significantly more stress on the fabric, and more likely to split.

If at all possible, you should be putting the top up every time you park it in the garage for the night.


Like you, I drove the car with the top down everywhere I went... all the time. Even when I would drive to work, which was only a few miles away.

But you'll want to put it up when the car is not in use.


EDIT: Think of the top like you would tires. It's OK to make the top come up and down lots of times... but it's bad to let it stay down.

It would be like if you had a classic car sitting in the garage. If the car is driven regularly, the tires will last. If you let the tires go FLAT... the tires will eventually remain that way permanently. You can fill them up again, but they will never be the same (this is like keeping the top down in the trunk). Alternately, you can keep the roof raised when not in use where it can remain stretched and crease-free (as if you had a classic car with most of the weight of the tires on stands).

[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 04-11-2022).]