Scotchguard Water Repellant Treatment for Top

[CVCashmere]

T-Birders

I had just finished rewashing and doing a quick bleach job last week when I realized that I have NO Raggtop Protectant left (yes.. note good planning on this one).

However, I did have have some Scotchguard water repellant treatment we use for our ski clothes. So... I tried it. So far, no major issues. Seems to repell water without leaving any type of residue.

The only problem is that Schotchguard is a bear to get off of the windows... so cover them up before treatment.

This might be a low-cost alternative to the Raggtop Protectant.

Anyone have any more details or opinions?

thanks!

[JAB02LHS]

Re: Scotchguard Water Repellant Treatment for Top

FROM AUTOPIA

Scotchgard and convertible top
Help!

I was reading through my owner's manual for my 2006 Chrysler Seabring Touring recently, and it stated I should apply Scotchgard to my top to help maintain it from the elements. Well, I applied it Saturday, and it has COMPLETELY discolored the top...it looks absolutely horrible

Just talked to a Q.A. rep at 3M....apparently they are trying to get their name brand (ScotchGard) pulled from Daimler-Chrysler's manuals, as they've had instances of this before

Now I'm just waiting to hear back from the manufacturer of the TwillFast top (Haartz) to see if they are aware of any issues or know how to get this stuff out.

Yup...and I did not realize this at first

The Chrysler manual specifically states to use ScotchGardâ„¢, so I did, and it was a booboo I won't make again. You can find the manual here. Select 2006, Seabring Convertible.

I spoke with a rep @ Haartz, and I cannot use alcohol on the top as it could permanently damage it. So, I can either use a non-detergent dishsoap and scrub, or try the Raggtopp cleaner, which I think I'll try the latter.

Oy vey...such an ordeal...starting to wonder if it was worth this headache....then again....I should have done more research before just jumping in as well.

Thanks for the efforts

[TEB]

Re: Scotchguard Water Repellant Treatment for Top

I'm certainly not an expert on convertibles, having only owned one for a few weeks (man, these cars are fun), but I have been building custom sails and boat covers for 29 years and spend most of my time these days building fancy replica sails for antique sailing canoes. Before that, I worked on hot-air balloons and before that and owned part of a chain of backpacking stores, so I've been around the block a few times when it comes to outdoor fabrics.

It's probably not a great idea to reach blindly for top treatments, even though many of them might work to some extent. The outer shell of the convertible top on our new-to-us T-Bird would seem to be acrylic canvas. I can feel some sort of laminated liner layer on its inside, which would indicate that it has a coating, vinyl layer or something similar, inside the acrylic as a final water barrier (though acrylic by itself is pretty good if regularly treated). I'm assuming that we haven't yet progressed to Gore-Tex convertible tops that breathe, but give them time and some crazy person is bound to come up with one .

Anyway, almost all acrylic canvas is treated at the manufacturer with a fluorocarbon compound for water resistance, as well as UV protection. The water protection will slowly wear away over time. As it does, the acrylic starts to absorb more moisture and as it penetrates deeper, it can wash dirt down deeper into the cloth, where it becomes harder to remove. The UV blockers also diminish with time. Fabric UV blockers convert UV to heat, allowing it to dissipate into the atmosphere before damaging the fabric. These little "blocker bits" sacrifice their lives to protect your top - and they don't grow back. So, periodic re-treatment with the proper stuff will help renew the water (and dirt) resistance and also supply a new brigade of UV blocker bits.

The problem with many of the common spray treatments is that most of them contain silicone. It can certainly repel water and can be fortified with UV blockers, but it isn't really very compatible with fluorocarbon treatments - which is most likely what was originally used on your top. The result, though not earth-shaking, may be spotty coverage as these two differing systems fight for position. The old, worn treatment with its worn-out UV blockers may repel the new treatment and its fresh blockers (if it has any) and you might wind up with some areas with much better protection than others.

The hands-down favorite and industry standard for home-applied water and UV treatments for acrylic canvas is 303 Fabric Guard from 303 Products. It is a fluorocarbon pump spray and is as close as you can get to the original treatment that came on your top. It is what the fabric manufacturers suggest folks use for retreating their acrylic awnings, boat covers, etc. (by the way, this type of fluorocarbon treatment is not the same thing that burns holes in the ozone and fries penguins in Antarctica, so don't feel guilty when treating your T-Bird top).

Though T-Bird top fabric is made by Hartz, the most widely-used acrylic canvas on the planet is Sunbrella from Glen Raven Mills. They happen to have a very good info page on their website for cleaning Sunbrella and the same information would apply to Hartz fabric and other brands of acrylic and/or polyester outdoor canvas.

http://www.sunbrella.com/na/care_cleaning.php

Note that it is possible to use bleach on acrylic canvas for mildew or bad stains - HOWEVER - in our case, I think it would be a last resort. You don't just take a T-Bird top and dunk it in a tub of water for a nice rinse and we also have to consider that our acrylic is laminated to other layers. Controlling a bleach solution to be sure it didn't get on other surfaces is not something that I would feel confident in trying. I'll stick with the mild soap, a good rinse, thorough drying and an occasional fresh 303 treatment.

I'd hang around here more this afternoon - but the sun is out after a few days of rain and gloom which is scheduled to return tomorrow, so I'm going for a ride.

Todd Bradshaw

[darsinewman]

Re: Scotchguard Water Repellant Treatment for Top

Very well-written, Todd! Thanks for the info!

[BJHEN]

Re: Scotchguard Water Repellant Treatment for Top

This subject has been discussed a number of times on TBN. This thread covers the subject very well:

http://www.thunderbirdnest.com/forum...t=top+cleaning

Todd obviously knows a lot about materials and provided a nice write-up on the subject. I spoke with Mr. Doug Haartz about using bleach on our T-Bird tops and the proper cleaning method. If you'd like to read his response see post #55 in above thread.

Cliff

[steelblue5505]

Re: Scotchguard Water Repellant Treatment for Top

Myself, I'll stick with the products recomended by Haartz since Haartz is the manufacturor of the Bird's soft top.

[MidNiteRiders]

Re: Scotchguard Water Repellant Treatment for Top

I've been using the 303 fabric guard for the T-Bird top and 303 Protectent for inside. I also us 303 Protectent for the hot tub cover. I know a lot of people here like Ragtopp too. I like the 303 for the added UV protection and because it is easier to apply as a spray rather than the Ragtopp
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