Summer is already here and there’s nothing quite like driving along the summer streets in a convertible car and letting the slipstream and wind cool you in the heat rather than waiting for the AC. A breath of fresh air washes over you as you drive around with your convertible car, perhaps with some music on so that other people on the road might be able to hear too.
Open-driving driving is truly pleasant and a lot of fun allowed you’re one with the wind in your hair. Summer is truly an amazing season for driving. Likewise, as the temperatures go up, convertible tops come down and convertible car owners enjoy the open-air experience over again.
Now that the convertible is no longer stored in the garage, how would you get your convertibles car ready for summer? Just think about it, the body is made of metal under layers of protective coatings and a hard plastic paint finish. Mouldings are made of aluminium and plastic or are covered with chrome. The glass is, indeed, glass. Each surface requires proper care and attention. Still, those materials are really durable.
Your car’s convertible top is dependent upon the same harsh conditions as each and every other surface, yet it isn’t nearly so tough. The material is definitely more delicate than acrylic clear coats or steel panels. If it is possible to cause harm to those hard surfaces through inappropriate hand washing at home, how much more so might you harm that convertible top?
If it is crucial to protect those hard surfaces with waxes and polymer sealants, how much more so might the convertible top need the care to get it ready for summer? Furthermore, if it is necessary that you clean your car’s underbody to protect it against dirt, sludge, and debris from causing corrosion, wouldn’t you have to address the effects of contaminants on your convertible top as well?
Actually, your convertible top is really durable. Perhaps not to the same level as other vehicle surfaces, but it is surprising just how tough that collapsible roof can be. But it still needs proper care to get it ready for summer, different from that of the rest of your car. That care differs depending on what kind of convertible top your car has, whether vinyl or cloth.
Initially made to replicate the look of leather, vinyl car tops have a shiny appearance compared to the muted matte of cloth convertible tops. A vinyl convertible top is smoother, durable, and easier to clean than cloth. However, if a vinyl top weakens or gets damaged, it should be replaced – it isn’t repairable easily. A cloth convertible top, while more likely to contamination and staining, it is much easier to repair. Both experience the effects of sunlight: vinyl can crack, fade, and shrink; cloth can shrink and fade. Both require consideration – to clean it and get it ready for summer. Here are a few tips to get your convertibles car ready for summer-:
Clean it rapidly
Probably the most effective way to allow environmental contaminants to wreck your convertible top is to allow them to sit on and soak into the material. A cloth top is particularly defenceless to contaminants becoming embedded in the texture. However, both vinyl and fabric tops ought to be cleaned when you notice bird droppings, bug build-up, sap, or different impurities. Check your convertible top regularly for indications of soiling, and treat the issue quickly, before it has time to set in.
Avoid the Sun
The bright rays of the sun can cause harm to any surface on your vehicle, not the least of which is your convertible top. The sun could make for a great day to get your vehicle cleaned; however, it doesn’t help with the process. A car should never be washed in direct sunlight. Car wash soap and other cleaning products (and protective coatings) dry extremely quickly on a hot surface in direct sunlight. Your convertible top should always be cleaned and conditioned in the shade or indoors.
Bring on the brushes
Any professional car repair technician will tell you that it is crucial to own a variety of vehicle wash brushes to clean the inside and outside of a vehicle appropriately. That guidance turns out as expected for your convertible top. Not any old brush will do to keep it clean. Your wheels need a different brush in comparison to the tires; the convertible top requires a different brush in comparison to the wheels. A delicate bristle brush (made of Nylex or horsehair, for instance) is delicate on the fabric and won’t damage the pattern on a vinyl convertible top.
Draw out the debris
Dirt and debris become caught along the seams, around the back window, and under the bottom edge of a convertible top. Before getting the convertible top wet for washing, it should be passed over and brushed. A vacuum with a brush attachment can likewise assist with eliminating dirt and debris. Cloth convertible tops particularly are affected by dirt and dust that subsides into the weave of the fabric and acts as an abrasive.
Be gentle
Whether you are dusting off or vacuuming the dirt or convertible top cleaner, or even drying with a microfiber towel, you should be gentle. No surface on a car can bear aggressive and abrasive buffeting with brushes and towels. For that reason, whenever you are cleaning your convertibles car you should be gentle and make sure that you aren’t scrubbing hard the top.
Driving a convertible car with the top down is a summer favourite for all convertible owners, but without proper care and preparation, the fun experience will not last long. If you’re in need of convertible top repair, you should contact a professional service or technician that can repair your top before summer. With proper preparation, you would be ready to enjoy the summer with your convertible car.