WATER REPELLANCY - A PRODUCT COMPARISON
I am often asked  to compare  my products to others…  the "is your product better than this" question frequently crops up! In general I try and refrain from comparing products  with which  I have little personal experience. However I recently  had to detail a 1969 MG-B  for a customer  and the roof presented  a bit of a problem.  It had faded quite badly  and was showing the signs of scuff marks etc.

I firstly cleaned to roof with 303 Fabric Cleaner  to remove any oil and dirt and then let it dry. As the 303  has no dye in it  I elected to use the customers  Renovo fabric restorer  to treat the roof.  I applied it as directed and left it to dry overnight. The roof colour was improved   however  the ‘shiny' scuff marks  were still obvious in the daylight.

I then decided to check the water repellency and quite frankly  was disappointed!  The material  hardly repelled the water as expected and  water soon soaked in to the surface as shown on the lower  picture above.  I have no doubt that the roof was water repellent  but I also noticed that wiping it with a damp cloth  made the cloth ‘grey’ so some of the treatment was ‘washing off” already.

I then decided to treat the renovated top with 303  High Tech Fabric Guard and applied a light coat of it to the roof and allowed it to dry for a short time.  The results (see image top right)  speak for themselves.  The water now beaded on the roof and hardly marked the material at all. Indeed I had a hard time getting the water to stay on the roof  to take the photo’s, the wind just kept blowing it off !

So!  when it comes to restoring the water repellency of your convertible top AND  improving the soil resistance as well as  preventing further UV induced fade...... 303  was a hands down winner.

303  do two kits  for both vinyl and fabric  convertible tops  which  are ready to use and include pre-diluted cleaner and either 303 Protectant for Vinyl  and 303 Fabric Guard for Cloth or Fabric roofs.  The kits  are available from our on line store.

303 High tech fabric guard  can also be used  on:
• Interior cloth seats and cloth and or velour trim
• Goretex and other 'breathable' fabrics  such as motorcycle  suits
• Sunbrella fabrics and awnings  such as spray hoods on boats
• Patio furniture cushions and umbrellas
• Silk and fine leather  items
• Suede (not man made).

If you have any other special uses for 303 HTFG  please let us know and send us a photo.....

Mike

SUMMARY
Your soft top can provide many years of beautiful service, but only if you give it the proper care and handling.  Keep your top clean, and protect it as needed.  When water stops beading on your canvas top, its protection from the sun and water are gone.  Vinyl tops need more frequent protecting, as often as once a month.

Regular use of , and , will ensure a long life for your fabric or vinyl top. Keep it in perfect condition with our or .