95 FWB Vinyl Top Cleaning

[RubberCarrot]

Hello People.

I searched but did not find. I hope I am not repeating a previous topic.

My car is a 1995 Fleetwood Brougham. White with a white vinyl top.

The sheet metal is near perfect. Paint is excellent. The top is in darn near perfect condition. The problem is black dots in the grain that gives areas a dark tinge. I suspect mildew or something of the sort. The car is sometimes garaged but for the most part sits outside. I am in the SE so I would think the sun would burn off mildew but this seems persistent. In the 2 years I have owned the car, the situation has not changed.

I would like to get the top as nice as the paint. What do you recommend for cleaning it. My wife was wondering about either a steamer tool or an oxyclean paste and a tooth brush. I tend to think steam isn't the answer and oxyclean too harsh but I am more suited for under hood activities rather than fussing around the body. :-)

What do you guys suggest? I imagine the same strategy would apply to all roofs but for the record, this is the thick soft and kind of puffy roof.

As usual, thanks for all the help you have been in the past. I really enjoy this car and given the fact it is almost 20 yrs. old, am impressed with the reliability and the fact that I can actually devote a lot of the time spent on it to actually improving it rather than just keeping it running!

Thanks folks!

[KHE]

I would not use any type of harsh chemicals on the vinyl top such as bleach, oxyclean, etc. They might eat into the top and cause it to degrade.

303 makes a vinyl top cleaner for tonneau covers and convertable tops. That might work well for your situation.

[winterset]

If it's mold, you might want to try hydrogen peroxide on a small spec. Do not do this in the sun, and rinse with soap and water when done.

[Texas Jim]

I had a white '84 Fleetwood Brougham with the padded white vinyl top that would get the same way.

I bought it new in the Fall of 1983 and kept it till the Summer of 2001.

It was mostly parked outside and sometimes under the big oak tree that shaded the driveway.

I usually used a combination of Windex and Dawn dish washing liquid.

I would wet a small area with the Windex then add a few drops of the Dawn... then I would gently scrub it with a brush similar to this...

.

Then after I had it cleaned well, I would use Johnson's Baby Oil to treat it.

I would squirt a little of the Johnson's Baby Oil on a small area and using the palm of my hand, would spread it out and rub it in real good.

I think that keeping the top treated with baby oil contributed to the tops long life... and I KNOW it made it easier to clean.

It still looked almost new when I sold it.

[RubberCarrot]

Thanks for the confirmation of my thoughts about Oxyclean. That put that to rest.

I think I will give Texas Jim's idea a shot as it seems most gentle. If that doesn't do it I will try Winterset's plan. Hydrogen Peroxide scares me. But the top is already white! hahaha.

Thanks folks. I will report back when I have tried it. Could be a while. I have too many cars and this weekend is brakes and universals on my 4WD RAM. That will probably about kill me. I'm getting too old for this stuff but keep doing it! LOL.

RC

[Texas Jim]

Thanks for the confirmation of my thoughts about Oxyclean. That put that to rest.

I think I will give Texas Jim's idea a shot as it seems most gentle. If that doesn't do it I will try Winterset's plan. Hydrogen Peroxide scares me. But the top is already white! hahaha.

Thanks folks. I will report back when I have tried it. Could be a while. I have too many cars and this weekend is brakes and universals on my 4WD RAM. That will probably about kill me. I'm getting too old for this stuff but keep doing it! LOL.

RC

I look at it this way... Leather used to be skin... I have skin... I will not use anything on leather I wouldn't use on my own skin.

Vinyl is kinda imitation leather, so I treat it the same way...

[KHE]

Jim,

Did the baby oil run off on the windows when it rains? That was the problem with Armour All. I have a can of Vinyl Top Wax from Turtle Wax that Ranger (on this forum) gave me a few years ago. When it's gone, I need to find something else to use as the Turtle Wax product has not been available for many years now.

[Texas Jim]

Jim,

Did the baby oil run off on the windows when it rains? That was the problem with Armour All. I have a can of Vinyl Top Wax from Turtle Wax that Ranger (on this forum) gave me a few years ago. When it's gone, I need to find something else to use as the Turtle Wax product has not been available for many years now.

No it did not run off onto the windows...at least it didn't the way I did it.

If you just slop a bunch of it on there, I reckon it would run off, but I applied a little at a time and used the palm of my hand to rub it into the vinyl.

[KHE]

Jim,

Did the baby oil run off on the windows when it rains? That was the problem with Armour All. I have a can of Vinyl Top Wax from Turtle Wax that Ranger (on this forum) gave me a few years ago. When it's gone, I need to find something else to use as the Turtle Wax product has not been available for many years now.

No it did not run off onto the windows...at least it didn't the way I did it.

If you just slop a bunch of it on there, I reckon it would run off, but I applied a little at a time and used the palm of my hand to rub it into the vinyl.

I meant if it were applied per your method and soaked in, would it create a film on the windows when rain hit the top?

[Texas Jim]

Jim,

Did the baby oil run off on the windows when it rains? That was the problem with Armour All. I have a can of Vinyl Top Wax from Turtle Wax that Ranger (on this forum) gave me a few years ago. When it's gone, I need to find something else to use as the Turtle Wax product has not been available for many years now.

No it did not run off onto the windows...at least it didn't the way I did it.

If you just slop a bunch of it on there, I reckon it would run off, but I applied a little at a time and used the palm of my hand to rub it into the vinyl.

I meant if it were applied per your method and soaked in, would it create a film on the windows when rain hit the top?

Mine never did make a film on the windows... If it had, I would have found another way to keep the top looking good.