how good should my soft top be?

[paulr]

Hey guys,

I have a reasonable soft top on my lovely car and am going to treat myself to a new one, top that is.. What I want to know is this:-
Should I expect it to be completely waterproof like an umbrella or should I expect some staining on the inside?
My current one does let water through the actual fabric causing ugly stains. It isn't that old and I have treated it to RENOVO soft top water proofing liquid but still the water comes through. It hasn't really rained on it that much and the weather has not really been that bad this winter.
Am I expecting too much?

Your thoughts please.

I have just come across this site which you might find useful and has sort of answered my question, it appears to be about adequate waterproofing....unless you know differently......

http://autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/80227-convertible-top-care.html
http://www.raggtopp.com/raggtopp/DistributorFrameSet.asp

by the way, davidb whose post it is has posted over 5000 posts! Talk about idle hands.....

paulr
lovely 1970 280 SL

[J. Huber]

Hey Paul. I can only speak from vague experience. There was a time when I drove my car in the elements and I don't think my soft-top ever leaked. This was not daily driving in rain, however -- just once in a while things got wet. I'd say a newer top should not leak --although keeping them "impregnated" is important no matter how old.

James
63 230SL

[Douglas]

I found that the top would only hold water in the heaviest of downpours. Usually, it retarded water just fine. (And my last SL had its original soft top, so the age of the top shouldn't be an issue in how well it resists water.)

I also found that Wolfstein's "Raggtopp" worked marvelously to keep the top clean and water-resistent.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA