Soft top and car washes with brushes - any damage?

[ShrimpHappens]

FYI, owner's manual in three or four locations says, "Do not run a fabric top through an automatic car wash. Window scratches and wax build up may result."

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[HopSlammer]

I have the OEM soft bed tonneau cover and Bestop Sunrider. On occasion, I’ve ran it through touchless automatic car wash places that I’m very familiar with. No problems to report but I’ve always been careful, only going with touchless and getting the basic wash without wax etc.

 

[gunsnrods]

My 2022 Glad goes through a high quality monster car wash during the rotten weather months here in W Idaho. Foam cannon and bucket in my driveway rest of the time. I treat my fabric top with the Bestop spray about once a month in the winter, seems to do a good job. I think, by smell, it’s the same product as 303 Protectant.
Pic is recent driveway job.

 

[Joe_G]

Appreciate all the replies. I picked up a new twill top locally for a great price on Facebook Marketplace and installed it yesterday, so easy. Jeep did a nice job engineering that top I think. Took it to the car wash today which is a pretty high end one and turns out they have a "convertible" button that disables the top scrubber. Still did a good job on the car so I'm happy with that. When I lived in Miami I always hand washed and still do with my Corvette, but in the winter it's not not an option in St. Louis.

 

[Jakygolden]

Hey dear,
Some soft top owners have used car washes with brushes and high-pressure rinse without issues while others encountered leaks. Securely fasten your top consider water repellent and inspect for wear. Touchless or manual washing are safer options....

 

[redriderjf87]

I stopped going to the auto washes (even with hard top) just because of all the water spots that show up by the time I get home. I'm not uppity on most things, but water spots are a pet peeve of mine.

I end up just hand washing and drying at home, and with the glass coat it really only takes a rinse most of the time.

 

[MattHamilton]

Which foam cannon and soaps do you guys use? I've been looking at middle of the road electric pressure washers (1850 psi or so) and they all seem to get "meh" reviews. Maybe I'm not even looking at the right product.

 

[Joe_G]

Hey dear,
Some soft top owners have used car washes with brushes and high-pressure rinse without issues while others encountered leaks. Securely fasten your top consider water repellent and inspect for wear. Touchless or manual washing are safer options....

On the note of protectant, I learned an expensive lesson with convertible top protectant (303 and others) on my Corvette that I'll share.

Wait a day to let the top completely dry before you use such a product. Though my top seemed dry, it wasn't and my top developed mold under the protectant. No way to clean it and get that out. he place that replaced the top told me she saw that fairly often from Vette owners, not letting the top dry 100% before putting on a protectant.

 

[Jakygolden]

On the note of protectant, I learned an expensive lesson with convertible top protectant (303 and others) on my Corvette that I'll share.

Wait a day to let the top completely dry before you use such a product. Though my top seemed dry, it wasn't and my top developed mold under the protectant. No way to clean it and get that out. he place that replaced the top told me she saw that fairly often from Vette owners, not letting the top dry 100% before putting on a protectant. visit https://signaturedetailers.com/ services and more information,

Hey,
just wanted to share a lesson I learned with convertible top protectant on my Corvette. Make sure you let the top fully dry for a day before using any protectant like 303. Even if it seems dry, there could still be moisture trapped, leading to mold growth under the protectant. I had this happen, and it's tough to clean once it's there. A shop that replaced my top said this is common among Vette owners. So, remember, patience and a completely dry top are key before applying any protectant.

Take care,

 

[Jeep-of-Eli]

No automatic car wash for me either due to scratches on plastic window and deforming of the frames - speaking from my past experience.

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