Soft top mould, how to tackle?
Discussion
No, I found the AG stuff wasn't much use either, and I've tried the Meguiars stuff as well without much extra success. I've been washing mine with Milton sterilising tablets to try to kill off the mould, if I ever get rid of all of it, I am told the good stuff to use to seal it is Fabsil tent sealant.
My problem is that it seems to be lovely and clean until it dries off, then the white spots are back just like I hadn't washed it. I'd drop it into a local valet company but I think they'd just do the same thing and charge me £40 for it.
NOTE: The above is for my TT with cloth roof, not sure what car you have so might well be different and the above might be harmful. Check on the Detailing World web site for more ideas, there's also stuff about using white vinegar to kill off the mould. If you find anything that works well, post it here please.
My problem is that it seems to be lovely and clean until it dries off, then the white spots are back just like I hadn't washed it. I'd drop it into a local valet company but I think they'd just do the same thing and charge me £40 for it.
NOTE: The above is for my TT with cloth roof, not sure what car you have so might well be different and the above might be harmful. Check on the Detailing World web site for more ideas, there's also stuff about using white vinegar to kill off the mould. If you find anything that works well, post it here please.
droopsnoot said:
No, I found the AG stuff wasn't much use either, and I've tried the Meguiars stuff as well without much extra success. I've been washing mine with Milton sterilising tablets to try to kill off the mould, if I ever get rid of all of it, I am told the good stuff to use to seal it is Fabsil tent sealant.
My problem is that it seems to be lovely and clean until it dries off, then the white spots are back just like I hadn't washed it. I'd drop it into a local valet company but I think they'd just do the same thing and charge me £40 for it.
NOTE: The above is for my TT with cloth roof, not sure what car you have so might well be different and the above might be harmful. Check on the Detailing World web site for more ideas, there's also stuff about using white vinegar to kill off the mould. If you find anything that works well, post it here please.
I can't talk to the mould problem really, but in terms of waterproofing, Fabsil is really excellent. (Elise S1 experience)My problem is that it seems to be lovely and clean until it dries off, then the white spots are back just like I hadn't washed it. I'd drop it into a local valet company but I think they'd just do the same thing and charge me £40 for it.
NOTE: The above is for my TT with cloth roof, not sure what car you have so might well be different and the above might be harmful. Check on the Detailing World web site for more ideas, there's also stuff about using white vinegar to kill off the mould. If you find anything that works well, post it here please.
C
On the OUTSIDE ?
That must be something to do with where you are parking.
I've owned MX5s with cloth hoods for 15yrs and leave them outside and have never had the problem.
If mine starts going green (as it's washed infrequently) I use a tent cleaner with a nail brush then jet wash it off.
That must be something to do with where you are parking.
I've owned MX5s with cloth hoods for 15yrs and leave them outside and have never had the problem.
If mine starts going green (as it's washed infrequently) I use a tent cleaner with a nail brush then jet wash it off.
VXR8 - yep, it's from wor lass having to park under a willow tree at work last year. I try to keep on top of it, but it's caused the once blue Boxster hood to go murky blue!
Have considered jetwash, but I'm scared to chance it - the Boxster hood uses a membrane in the middle, and if i puncture it I'd be a tad dis-chuffed! Autoglym kit gets the top of the weave, but leaves the "gaps" between the weave of the fabrig with green, which spreads. I belive strong UV / any bleach / weedkiller etc would kill off the green, but would it also discolour the blue?
I'll give it a go with nail brush / toothbrush as reccomended above, but that might not be till spring now - the roof is currently waterproofed and I'm not sure I can be spending the last sunny day of the year (there must be 1 more, right?) with my hands in cold hose water!
Have considered jetwash, but I'm scared to chance it - the Boxster hood uses a membrane in the middle, and if i puncture it I'd be a tad dis-chuffed! Autoglym kit gets the top of the weave, but leaves the "gaps" between the weave of the fabrig with green, which spreads. I belive strong UV / any bleach / weedkiller etc would kill off the green, but would it also discolour the blue?
I'll give it a go with nail brush / toothbrush as reccomended above, but that might not be till spring now - the roof is currently waterproofed and I'm not sure I can be spending the last sunny day of the year (there must be 1 more, right?) with my hands in cold hose water!
A normal jet wash at an angle (ie not aimed a straight 90 degrees to the hood) and held at least 6" away won't affect anything except it might cause it to temporarily sag a bit more (which goes when it dries out)
I fail to believe an OEM 2002 MX5 hood is better made than a Boxster one and mine gets done every year.
I fail to believe an OEM 2002 MX5 hood is better made than a Boxster one and mine gets done every year.
Seen this video befor and am waiting to try myself, but looks promising
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=01_0a1tQY9k&des...
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=01_0a1tQY9k&des...
To clarify, my mould is on the outside as well. I don't park it under trees generally - it's usually in one of two or three different places and none of those are under a tree.
The key apparently is to keep cleaning it until all the mould spores are gone, then let it dry and apply sealant. I've always been scared to seal mine in case it makes it worse. I printed a forum topic from one of the detailing sites about a 968 with a green mouldy hood and he cured it, but seemed to just do so by cleaning it three or four times.
If I could just get it properly clean once, I'd get the sealant on and hopefully that would be that. I love the idea of the sterilising tablets because they're 89p for about 40. I've recently started trying them on a much stronger concentration, but that hasn't helped much, though maybe I'm not rinsing it enough.
The key apparently is to keep cleaning it until all the mould spores are gone, then let it dry and apply sealant. I've always been scared to seal mine in case it makes it worse. I printed a forum topic from one of the detailing sites about a 968 with a green mouldy hood and he cured it, but seemed to just do so by cleaning it three or four times.
If I could just get it properly clean once, I'd get the sealant on and hopefully that would be that. I love the idea of the sterilising tablets because they're 89p for about 40. I've recently started trying them on a much stronger concentration, but that hasn't helped much, though maybe I'm not rinsing it enough.
To all - Green stuff is NOT mould. It's algae and in extreme cases, moss.
If you create the right habitat for algae or mould it will grow asap after removing. A nice humid top that stays that way for a while, in a cool, moderately shady spot, hmmm, just perfect. Park in the sun? If at all possible.
Perhaps some diluted algicide will work, leaving it inside the fabric. With any luck it will be totally harmless to the top itself. Some patio cleaners if not most will have loads of additives etc perhaps finding out the algicidal active ingredient and obtaining that will be the way to go?
If you create the right habitat for algae or mould it will grow asap after removing. A nice humid top that stays that way for a while, in a cool, moderately shady spot, hmmm, just perfect. Park in the sun? If at all possible.
Perhaps some diluted algicide will work, leaving it inside the fabric. With any luck it will be totally harmless to the top itself. Some patio cleaners if not most will have loads of additives etc perhaps finding out the algicidal active ingredient and obtaining that will be the way to go?
ihad exact same problem,i have saab and i had all green spots everywhere.i first tried heguains from halfords,no good,then i tried autoglyn,the weather proofer was good but the treatment shampoo didnt touch the algae,then my missus gave me a bit of solution she made in the kitchen,its mr muscle toilet power,its a limescale remover,she watered it down and i scrubed on,it contains no bleach.it has worked a treat,100 times better than the autoglyn and for less than 2 quid,all the green spots have vanished,now she has the i did it look lol+-*
roberttepp said:
ihad exact same problem,i have saab and i had all green spots everywhere.i first tried heguains from halfords,no good,then i tried autoglyn,the weather proofer was good but the treatment shampoo didnt touch the algae,then my missus gave me a bit of solution she made in the kitchen,its mr muscle toilet power,its a limescale remover,she watered it down and i scrubed on,it contains no bleach.it has worked a treat,100 times better than the autoglyn and for less than 2 quid,all the green spots have vanished,now she has the i did it look lol+-*
To revive an old thread, I'd been looking at lots of discussions as my roof had a few spots of green on it. I have used an awning cleaner previously which worked OK but didn't get the algae out recently (I'd left the roof too long before trying a thorough clean I guess) so wanted something else. Based on this comment I tried limescale remover (Ecover brand) yesterday and it has removed almost all traces of green - I did scrub the hood after spraying it on and then rinsed very thoroughly. It looks much better this morning so will get it sealed with Fabsil as soon as possible. Thanks for the recommendation - not only has limescale remover worked, it is a lot cheaper than any of the other things I have used previously!Gassing Station | Bodywork & Detailing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff