# Auto Glym Cabrio cleaner



## keiron99 (Nov 7, 2009)

I bought some AG Cabrio Fabric Hood Cleaner for the black hood on my Jaguar XKR (2001) which I got a few months ago. The hood was not in a bad state.

I followed the instructions to the letter. I applied the first part - the cleaning fluid - and in fact used quite a bit more than half the bottle. I dabbed it dry, and left it for a few hours for good measure. 

I then applied the second part, which I understand seals and protects.

Nearly 24 hours later, the hood looks a bit streaky/patchy. Also, some spray from the hose got on the roof while I was cleaning the bodywork, and the water just soaked in. I was under the impression it should bead and roll off?

Have i done something wrong, or am I just expecting too much from the AG (which ain't cheap by the way!).


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

If it is streaky and patchy that would suggest that you didint get all the muck out.

When i cleaned mine it took 3 attempts of using APC and a ticff brush.

also the cleaner needs rinsing very thouroughly probably for a good 5 - 10 minutes to get all the soap out of it.


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## Strothow (Oct 29, 2009)

This stuff does need a lot of rinsing out...


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## keiron99 (Nov 7, 2009)

OK so it seems I haven't cleaned it properly. Dammit. I don't really want to cough up another £15 on a pack of stuff, can I just use some all purpose cleaner (I guess that's what APC is?).

I still don't understand why the sealer hasn't worked?


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## glymauto (Feb 29, 2008)

Hi keiron99,

I wouldnt just use APC. It would be like washing your clothes in Fairy Liquid - it will work....but wont give the best results (if you get my drift)

You need to set aside an afternoon (at least!) for this job. I usually set aside a whole day for my soft top and follow a step by step process.

1. Vacum the hood with a soft bristle attachment - like this









2. Rinse the hood *gently* with a watering can or a spray attachment - like this








We want to get the roof wet. We dont want to see any beading whatsover. But we dont want the fibres sodden or water logged.

3. Pad the roof with a couple of large waffle weave towels so the roof is slightly wet...but not soaking.

4. Apply the cleaning fluid. (start with a couple of squirts in an area about 1 foot square) and begin brushing with the applicator. If it doesnt foam, add another squirt and keep brushing *gently*. Continue around the roof ensuring the cleaning fluid doesnt dry. You can give it another squirt of water from the hose or water can to keep it moist.

5. If you have a Hozelock type fitting for your hosepipe I would give the whole roof a 'fine mist' spray at this point point to keep it moist. You dont want the cleaner to dry onto the roof and you dont want to wash it off just yet.

6. Get a toothbrush and start working those corners *gently* - this is where the moss and gunk alway build up.

7. Try and keep and even pressure while cleaning the entire roof. *Dont* stretch and *Dont * rub one spot. I use an old beer crate to stand on, so I'm not leaning or stretching too much.

8. Rinse the roof using the watering can or the Hozelock fitting (much better) on 'spray'
Be generous with the water. Start from the middle of the roof and 'sweep' over the roof washing away suds. Keep going until you are satisfied *all *of the cleaning is gone. There will still be cleaning fluid in the hood after the suds have been rinsed off, so you want to give it another few passes of water. Our aim now is to remove *all* of the cleaning fluid.

9. Pat the roof with your waffle weave towels until its almost dry. *DO NOT* rub the towels. Pat them gently onto the roof.

_How does it look?...are we happy with the cleaning process?_

_If its still grubby, you can follow steps 1 - 7 again, and this time, leave the cleaning on the roof. Cover it with some plastic (to keep it moist) and go and have a cup of tea. Keep checking on the roof to ensure its still damp. After a couple of hours (they reckon you can leave it on for 24 hours - but I couldnt keep it damp that long) rinse and continue...
_

10. Spray the sealer onto the roof. Ensure you apply it *evenly* over the entire roof. You can be quite generous with the sealer.

11. Get the cleaner and sealer off your glass and bodywork *NOW!*
It can be mighty hard to shift this stuff if its left to dry onto paintwork or glass. I usually give my glass and bodywork a thorough soaking with water before I start and several times during the process to wash off the worst of it. We could start talking about 'masking up' .....but thats a whole new ballgame.

Thats what I do anyway. It works, but it does take some time to get the best results.

How about a couple of pictures to show us what you're dealing with?


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## glymauto (Feb 29, 2008)

keiron99 said:


> OK so it seems I haven't cleaned it properly. Dammit. I don't really want to cough up another £15 on a pack of stuff, can I just use some all purpose cleaner (I guess that's what APC is?).
> 
> I still don't understand why the sealer hasn't worked?


1. You havent rinsed the cleaning fluid out.
2. You didnt apply the sealer evenly.
3. The roof was too wet
4. The roof was too dry
5. A combination of any of the above


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## keiron99 (Nov 7, 2009)

Many thanks for the detailed guide, glymauto.

I will need to free up some time in the next couple of weekends to have a proper go at it. It all seemed a little too effortless...!


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## glymauto (Feb 29, 2008)

keiron99 said:


> Many thanks for the detailed guide, glymauto.
> 
> I will need to free up some time in the next couple of weekends to have a proper go at it. It all seemed a little too effortless...!


You're welcome :thumb:

lol...they do make it sound effortless when you read the packaging.

Just in case you dont know about the waffle weave towels, heres a picture - 









Lots of firms on here sell them at good prices. You want at least two for your soft top. I dont use my soft top towels for anything else.

Best of luck mate...and dont forget to keep us posted.


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## callum2000 (Mar 6, 2010)

i had the same problem mate with my last car . a saab 93 conv .i emailed autoglym telling them i wasnt happy with the results and was lookin for an alternative as like you said its not cheap , sent one back askin for my contact details and a guy rang 2 days later and said he would look at my car so he came to work and cleaned and did it again ..... worked a treat , but in my defence it doesnt say on the instructions to work the protector into the fabric with a brush , but thats what the autoglym guy did !!!!!!
and he said it needs to be added to instructions .... give it a try you never know


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## glymauto (Feb 29, 2008)

Now thats news to me! I've always left the sealer to dry naturally. 

I'll give this a go next time.

What did he use to 'work in' the sealer?


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## callum2000 (Mar 6, 2010)

it just looked like a sort of nail scrubing brush but soft bristles. he said if u can run the brush over the back of your hand and it doesnt leave marks its fine to use on a convert roof... so i got one for cleaning it when i washed it


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## callum2000 (Mar 6, 2010)




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## callum2000 (Mar 6, 2010)

havin trouble loadin picture of beadin on roof lol
cant remember how to do it


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## glymauto (Feb 29, 2008)

Sorry for all the questions callum2000,

My hood is due a clean (after this long hard winter) I'll try this method and post photos of before/during/after if you can give me a bit more info of what he did.

Did he follow any particular direction - _(left to right/front to back)_?

Did he follow the nap or go against it? _(the 'nap' natural tendency for the fabric to go one way more than the other...like a snooker table) _

I'm really interested in this method and would love to give it a go. I want to make sure I'm following the AG rep's complete process.

They know their products better than anyone. If this is what they do, then I want to copy it exactly.


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## callum2000 (Mar 6, 2010)

sorry mate not much help here as he did it whilst i was at work so didnt see much .... sprayed on as normal but brushed into fabric in long movements from back to front as far as i can remember he did use the glass cleanin creme to get the over spray off the car afterwards  and then did my front wing with the high def wax .....well impressed so went and got some off ebay 

was a top bloke really


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## glymauto (Feb 29, 2008)

No problem.

I'll have a chat to my AG rep as he's due this week.

I'll get a full rundown on what they do with the soft tops and post up their info and my results.

I've already got the HD wax and cleaning creme and must say I was pretty impressed for the money.

I need a better camera


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## callum2000 (Mar 6, 2010)

indeed so was i 
it made the saab look stunning and i did it again the day i part ex'd it
havin been offered 7k against a volvo i got 7.9k against my current car .
when i only paid 8.3k for it 6 months earlier


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## ade33 (Jun 4, 2008)

@ glymauto, that's a great post mate, should be a sticky how-to somewhere..... :thumb:


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## glymauto (Feb 29, 2008)

Cheers ade33,

I think we could do with a dedicated *Soft Top* section.

Theres a lot of different materials like Vinyl/canvas/mohair and in a variety of colours.

Theres lots of cleaning methods like quick tidy up/general maintenace/big clean/wet vaccing/interior roof lining cleaning etc etc etc...

Thers loads of products like sealers/cleaners/protectorants etc etc etc..and not forgetting recolouring your soft top.

Then theres SMART repairs when the little darlings decide to slash your roof. And maybe buying and fitting a brand new soft top (I've heard this can be done as a DIY)

These soft tops require a fair degree of maintenance and upkeep!!

Theres a fair few of us 'soft toppers' on here and nobody seems quite sure where to put the question to get the best advice.

I did suggest a soft top forum to a mod. I'm sure they'll let me know what they decide.


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## SteveOC (May 26, 2007)

callum2000 said:


> havin trouble loadin picture of beadin on roof lol
> cant remember how to do it












Steve O.


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## SteveOC (May 26, 2007)

glymauto said:


> You're welcome :thumb:
> 
> lol...they do make it sound effortless when you read the packaging.
> 
> ...


They look like the Eurow towels (?) on offer at Costco in packs of 2. They have those pockets for your hands too.

Steve O.


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## glymauto (Feb 29, 2008)

You wouldnt know how much would you?


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## Strothow (Oct 29, 2009)

glymauto said:


> You wouldnt know how much would you?


£6 something from costco i think


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## glymauto (Feb 29, 2008)

Thats not bad.

I'm going to have to get me a Costco card.


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## Kevin OB (Feb 5, 2010)

I got some from cosco also MF towels 36 For About £10 carn't go wrong


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## glymauto (Feb 29, 2008)

Kevin OB said:


> I got some from cosco also MF towels 36 For About £10 carn't go wrong


Mirror Finish very kindly offered to pick me up a pack of MF's from Costco and drop them off as he's in my area on Sunday.

Must admit, I like the Teamwork and spirit of DW and its members.

This place is brilliant :thumb:


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