# Cabriolet Hood Sealant?



## A3 Sport (Oct 23, 2010)

Ive just bought myself a new car, its only two weeks old (On Sunday). 

I want to make sure that the roof is always sealed to stop it discolouring and staining - we have another cabriolet in our household and the roof gets stained on that one! Theres more growing on there than a garden centre has available. 

Can anyone suggest a cabriolet roof sealant? Ive read good stuff about Fabsil?

:thumb:


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## Bigbruno71 (Sep 28, 2010)

303 fabric guard is the best


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

G Techniq I1. I used it the other day and the roof is beading like mad.
303 fabric guard is also good.


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## Defined Reflections (Jun 4, 2009)

Gtechniq as above


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## Bigbruno71 (Sep 28, 2010)

I'd rate 303 over gtechniq, less product for the same results.


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Another vote for Gtech I1 :thumb:


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## crazysnakeman (Oct 12, 2011)

I use I1 on my A4 cab, not used 303 so can't comment on that, but I1 does work well.

A work mate asked me why my roof was acting like the boss's brand new Merc when his didn't. He's a got BMW but it's 3 years newer than mine.

I would say it works better if you don't use the sprayer though, I poured it on and used a shoe brush to spread it about. You do use more this way though.


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## Waltsinhull (Jan 22, 2011)

I haven't any expereince of the other products recommended but this is how I handled a similar problem.

I had a 10 year old Audi TT with a fabric hood that when I got it was very grey and green in places.

I painstakingly cleaned it with a mixture of Johnsons baby bath in water and a bristle nail brush to remove all the crud and mould - wiped it down and put it in the garage to dry.

The next day I masked all the trim and adjacent bodywork with masking tape and then applied a heavy coat and then a thinner coat of Fabsil (it comes in a tin) with a 2-3" brush I let it dry and then gently wiped with a microfibre to take off the residue and then put it back in the garage to dry.

(Fabsil shouldn't damage your paintwork or trim but it is sticky and so I decided that masking it would just save me another job!)

The next day I brought it out and not only did it look absolutely fantastic and uniformly black it didn't absorb water for months and kept looking great til I got rid of it.

Not the best pic but as I don't have the car any more its the best that i can do!


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## RedUntilDead (Feb 10, 2009)

Only ever used Fabsil spray, without problems.
To clean green crud you need to kill the algae for which I use miltons steri tablets, diluted to my own ratios ( trial and error) starting mild first.


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## Johnr32 (Apr 25, 2010)

I've also used fabsil with great success, for the price its extremely good and I would highly recommend it.


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## RedUntilDead (Feb 10, 2009)

One thing to note, Hood must be clean of all cleaning products and any previous coating or you could end up with a strange reaction.
Chance of this happening in your case is very slim but keep it in mind for the future. I read a long thread somewhere about a guy trying to restore an old roof. He used that many different products (probably incorrectly) he basically ruined his roof.


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## robtech (Jan 17, 2011)

having used autoglym kit which was ok but wouldnt bead,i tried fabsil which was a bit better and now i swear by fenwicks stuff from halfords

Fenwicks 1 Ltr Awning Re-Proofer

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_165060_langId_-1_categoryId_165576

had this happily beading for 6 months in scottish rain which is every day.

on the pack it would suggest half the bottle but i found 2 applications on 2 different days was best.and use a brush or sponge to apply as spraying on it goes everywhere ,and mind was up any runs spills from the body works asap.


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## Mike k (Oct 14, 2011)

I wonder if such a product is what had ruined the glass on my car. When i bought it , it had like major dried on water as if a liquid had poured down the screen. I ended up going through my insurance for a new screen, which was incidently done by autoglass this morning!


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## A3 Sport (Oct 23, 2010)

Hi guys, 

Following this thread, I ended up using th Autoglym kit just because of convenience, but Im not convinced its any good, Ive never had any beading from the roof really.. the water just seems to soak in! 

Would G Techniq I1 be a better bet? 

Dan


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

when i had a convertible i always used fabsil, the key is to ensure that you clean the roof really well, i used G101, good scrub with a nail brush then rinse, repeat 2-3 times to ensure it was really clean. 

Leave to dry then apply fabsil carefully not getting it on the paint/glass/trim.

Never used any other product so cant make any sort of comparison.


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## Rayner (Aug 16, 2012)

Haven't used anything other than 303 but I was extremely disappointed with it, I tried it on a few un waterproof thing and got wet, tried it on a coat that had started leaking a little and got soaked! No idea how it made it less waterproof?!? 

I'm going to try Gtech's offering as I'm not confident with this type of product now, if the i1 is good I may splash out for the carpro one but not holding out much hope as sooo many people like 303 but I found it absolutely useless.

Whether I'm using it on the wrong material I'm not sure but it did bead for all of 5 minutes before getting through it and then through everywhere in the coat. That particular coat's material feels quite similar to the feel of a soft top so...


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

I've just got soe gtechniq i1 after seeing a video on YouTube. Search for i1 beading and you will want some. Haven't used it yet as i got it from the other halfs mum for Christmas. I've always used autoglym roof kit and then more events tried meguires. I found the meguires cleaned well but didn't like the sealant very well, the AG was better in that respect. Ill treat it with i1 when the weather starts to pick up as I believe you can't use it in the wet. 

In terms of cost. Yes gtechniq products cost a lot but for very good reason. They last a hell f a long time... Besides the 500ml of i1 I've just got was only about £15 quid from elite car care. Although ill just check that now.


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

Here you go fella, the video I was talking about is on here.
It's £15.99

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/gtechniq-i1-smart-fabric-ultimate-protection-500ml.php?cPath=26_33


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## jimbo4591 (Feb 17, 2012)

I'm thinking about purchasing some I1 for my fabric roof (1 series convertible) but how much should I buy? I know people are getting a lot of uses out of Gtechniq products such as G1, is 500ml recommended to cover the entire roof? And should it have 2 coats? AND one final question is there a recommended fabric good cleaner out there not after anything expensive as its not exactly dirty but should be cleaned properly before protection.


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## RaceGlazer (Jan 10, 2007)

If we're looking for the lowest cost product for the job, and made for the job only, then Renovo Fabric Ultraproofer is £13.25 for 500ml - we stock it here: http://www.morethanpolish.com/renovo.asp

A 2 seater sports car will only use 250ml and last about a year. Just paint it on and mop up any runs. I did my roof in about 15 minds, then came back 20 mins later to check and mop up. Sorted. 
That was a year ago, still beads like crazy.


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