# Roadster hood cleaning



## black9146 (Jul 3, 2014)

My hood had been gradually been getting covered in algae spots lately. Decided at the beginning of the week to do something about it. Tried the usual cleaning products. Milton followed by baby shampoo - no difference. Then Autoglym cleaner - bit better but still pretty dirty. I had some Innotec detergent and mixed it up approx 50:1 and wet the hood, sprayed it on, left it for half an hour and then scrubbed it with a nail brush. The hood started to run green with the algae being removed. You can see in the photos the difference it had made. Not perfect but will give it another go tomorrow and then put some Fabsil on. Photos in wrong order, should be the other way round - doh !
















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## droopsnoot (Sep 5, 2002)

Mine has a few spots like that, last weekend I tried cleaning it with some white vinegar that I'd bought years ago to try to clean it. It has helped, I have to try a few more times to get it clean enough to see if it's worth sealing. But I had some quite noticeable green spots which have toned down a lot.


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## black9146 (Jul 3, 2014)

Hi Droopsnoot, yes they have almost disappeared but not completely. Will have another go tomorrow. I am toying with buying some Renovo black to see if that will get rid of the green spots. Have heard varying stories about it but have still got some Fabsil left that I will probably use. I think the problem is that the green spots are under a layer of all the other protective treatments that have been applied over the years so this must be removed to get to the staining ? Will stick some pics up when I am finished.


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## WaynoTTV6 (Apr 9, 2015)

Dude, have a look at Renovo hood cleaner. Its a 3 part system. 
Used it on my wife's old rag top beemer and it was brilliant. 
Hers was on route to looking like yours.

Sent from TimBuckToo


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## TTorBust (Mar 8, 2018)

Hi fellow soft toppers. I too have green spots so when I saw Car SOS jet wash a roof I thought that might be the solution, haven't tried it myself yet but wondered if anyone on this site has?


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## droopsnoot (Sep 5, 2002)

I've tried all sorts of things over the years I've had the car, without any real success. I've never got it to a point where I felt it was clean enough to seal it. I don't want to use one of the "blacking" kits because all that does is cover up the mouldy spots - it's like painting over rust in my mind, the rust is still there, and still festering underneath, and will break out again at some point.

If you have a look around the forum (might be in the knowledgebase) there are a few tips and tricks on cleaning the hood. Also I joined "Detailingworld" as they have some threads on cleaning really green mouldy soft-tops.

So far I've tried: Milton sterilising tablets, Autoglym hood cleaning kit, another unbranded hood cleaner I got from a car show, a general detergent, normal car shampoo, Autoglym "Clean All" (or a similar name, I was given some to try out by an Autogylm rep at a show), white vinegar, and probably something else. Still have sufficient blobs of mould that I don't feel I should seal it yet. I put some sealant on the section around the rear window in case that would kill the mouldy spots, but it didn't.

ETA - whatever I use, it always looks like it is doing a great job while it's wet, then when it dries the marks are still there. I am encouraged by the white vinegar, though, as the spots have gone from very noticeable to hardly there.


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## Pukmeister (Dec 27, 2017)

SurfexHD by Bilt-Hamber.

Its brilliant.

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## black9146 (Jul 3, 2014)

TTorBust said:


> Hi fellow soft toppers. I too have green spots so when I saw Car SOS jet wash a roof I thought that might be the solution, haven't tried it myself yet but wondered if anyone on this site has?


Personally I wouldn't jet wash a canvas hood. It leaves lines on it that never come off. Better scrubbing it with a soft bristle brush.


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## kam88 (Jul 8, 2018)

I have a similar problem , what dilution rate did you use Surfex hd at pukmeister ?


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## Pukmeister (Dec 27, 2017)

kam88 said:


> I have a similar problem , what dilution rate did you use Surfex hd at pukmeister ?


Not done a soft top with it ( I have a coupe) but folk on detailing forums have cleaned fabric roofs with it. Have a google and see what folks say.

Always start well diluted first, it's a powerful cleaner even when in weak solution at 1%, I typically use at about 5% to clean carpets and upholstery. Maybe try 10 to 15% for heavy soiling. I wouldn't use it neat !

Always rinse after cleaning to remove any residue.

Like I said earlier, we tried everything to get the salt water staining out of the light grey velour cloth seat bolsters in my old VW Polo Dune (after my son and his mates went to the local beach, swam in the sea then drove home soaking) and nothing worked, the water stains had literally gone black after drying.

Then I read about SurfexHD as a general purpose cleaner on the detailing world forums (so thought I had nothing left to lose) and bought a 5 litre jug online for about £20 delivered......Instant result, staining gone!

We had ran out of carpet shampoo and had a food spill on the lounge carpet indoors, I tried SurfexHD instead of shampoo in the wife's Bissell carpet machine and it worked better than our carpet shampoo and way cheaper too.

I have found so many uses for it, including degreasing parts, it's brilliant (like all Bilt-Hamber stuff).

Milton sterilising fluid or tablets sounds a good idea for killing mould spores but it is a type of mild bleach, so if used consider using it sparingly.

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## droopsnoot (Sep 5, 2002)

Pukmeister said:


> Milton sterilising fluid or tablets sounds a good idea for killing mould spores but it is a type of mild bleach, so if used consider using it sparingly.


Yes, there's a very slight bleachy smell to it, which has put me off trying stronger recipes.

I might have a go with this Surfex stuff myself, especially as it's multi-purpose too. Nothing worse than shelling out £25+ on a specific cleaner for hoods only to find it makes no difference, and isn't any use for anything else. Although I suspect most of them are similar generic cleaners and _could_ be used for other things, it's just a case of being sure.


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Worth a read -

https://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... &t=1853093

The company that actually manufactures the convertible top for Audi recommends steam cleaning.


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