I have the origional vinyl top on
my Malibu and it is in good shape.
It is dry- weither I use the
dreaded Armor All or a Vinyl
Dressing, after 10 minutes it has
that dry look again.

Question- I have heard of people
using baby oil on their vinyl
tops. Is this true? Pros/Cons??

Question #2- What is the best way
to clean the vinyl top before
adding the protector of choice,
plain old soap and water?

MOEMAN, I would stay away from the baby oil thing myself as I would think that when it rains or gets wet it will probably run down onto your paint. You need to find a company in you area that sells professional detailing products to the car dealers and detail shops in your area and ask them for a vinyl top dressing. There are a lot of companies out there who make products just for vinyl tops. Do not let them try to sell you tire dressing, sure it might look good for a couple of days but the first time it gets wet it will do the same thing as the baby oil will or the sun will just dry it out. A lot of commercial tire dressings are kerosine based products with silicone added the more the silicone the more the shine. Also vinyl top dressings are almost always a little to a lot thicker in consistency than normal vinyl and tire dressings. I would also ask about a good all purpose vinyl cleaner and a nylon brush when you hook up with that company. To clean your top the way a professional shop would this is what you do:
1. Get the entire car wet and keep it wet during the whole scrubbing process. Do not do this on a top that is hot or has been setting in the sun for any length of time.
2. When you are looking for the all purpose cleaner I mentioned make sure you tell them you are using this on a vinyl top and you want something that will not stain your paint job, buffing out chemical stains from a paint job can really suck and on some colors they don't come out all the way; that's the biggest reason I want you to keep the entire car wet during the scrubbing as the water thats already there will help delute out any over spray etc. Anyway, once the car is wet, spray the all purpose cleaner on the top on 1/2 the roof. Use the medium bristle nylon bush to srubb it from one end to the other.Then take a wash mit and regular car soap and mit that side of the roof, and then rinse it off and check it for dirt streaks. You might have to do this process 3 or 4 times to get your top clean.It takes a lot of elbow grease so be prepared to scrub it hard with quite a bit of pressure. Also go in all different directions: side to side and up and down like a + sign and also like an X and even in a circular motion. Make sure to outline scrub things like around the windows etc. Sometimes emblems are just held in by pegs and you can remove them easily to scrub under them, if not just spray the emblem area a little more and scrub it good. Always keep the top wet, don't let it dry out at all when you're cleaning it, just mit it if its drying out. Then rinse it off(If you can, pressure wash it off with hot water that's even better.)Then wash the whole car like normal and dry it off. Then apply that killer vinyl top dressing you got and you will probably have a top that looks pretty close to brand new. That's how and what a good detail shop would do. By the way I think the thicker stuff lasts longer than the thin stuff, but as long as they are for use on vinyl tops either one should do the job! I worked in a detail shop once that used MOP&GLO on tops for the first year or so they were in business and people were really impressed by the shine and how long it lasted until some time went by and the wax started peeling off the top and turning yellow from the sun and turning milky white from the rain. He had a ton of insurance claims and it gave him a bad reputation that took years to get past. A lot of people got new tops out of the deal. The lesson here is baby oil is for baby butts vinyl top dressing is for vinyl tops. Hope this helps, sorry to be so long winded. Dave.

Good Advise Dave- Thanks!

I use warm,soapy water and Pledge.

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1970 Chevelle SS396/L78/M21/4.10
1969 Corvette L46/M21/4.11
1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass 350 Olds,Th350(daily driver)
"Be aware of the possible ramifications of the potential outcome"

When we bought a vinyl tonneau cover for our truck the instructions on cleaning suggested mild soap and water and to stay away from the vinyl cleaners and such specifically mention was ArmorAll as an example of what to stay away from. I believe Skip Cain once mentioned an old lady with an old Chevelle with a like new vinyl top and she used baby oil.

Thanks Keith, I know I have heard the baby oil stories before, but I've always been afraid to try it.

MoeMan, I just wanted to let you know that I have worked as a professional detailer for over 18 years. I have documented over 21,000 used car details under my belt. I have over 7,000 new car deliveries to my credit. I have worked the INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW for here in Seattle for 11 years representing Such auto makers as Lexus, Mercedes Benz, Acura, Toyota, and Nissan. If your top goes dry after using "Armorall" you need real vinyl top dressing. Pledge is not going to moisturize your top and that is what it needs. Pledge can make a top that has been taken care of all of it's life shine I will agree with this, but when a top is starved for moisture for a prolonged period of time it needs a lot more help. Baby oil will give it some moisture, but it cannot stand up to ultraviolet rays or heat and that is one of the main reasons vinyl tops go dry. I have to deal with this stuff on a daily basis, it's how I make my living. Thanks again Dave.

David,

Thank you for the notification on care of Vinyl tops but, I am still perplexed on WHAT to use. The prep advice is tops and sound. Pledge could work, and I have used baby oil. The baby oil dries out blotchy and I do not recommend it. Maybe a light coat of vaseline or some other thick application. Perhaps "Oil of Oley" eh? http://www.chevelles.com/forum/wink.gif

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Joe G.
ChicagoChevelle68
Any car past 1972 is just simply transportation.
josephguzman@yahoo.com (http://josephguzman@yahoo.com)

David- I don't question your advise at all. As a matter of fact, I thank you for it. I am just listening to suggestions, I have a real question, and before I can bring myself to do something very dfferent, I am going to ask and listen.
Thanks for taking the time to give me a detailed message of what to do.
Sounds like you know your stuff.
At the same time, thanks to everyone else who replied, that's why this place works so good! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif