I’ve never had a car with a vinyl top before, so I need some care advice. Years ago my upholstery guy always told me to put on a special wax product for a vinyl top. And, after a washing, the first thing on the car that you dried off was the vinyl top so the water would not soak in and rust the metal underneath. So what is everyone using for a wax or sealer?

I'm sure someone here will disagree but I use Lemon Pledge on both of mine...

I spray it on a rag and then wipe it into the top...

I never just spray it on the top...

It does make some mess to clean up if you get caught out in the rain but that rarely happens...

I just realized these pics are 10 years old but neither car looks any different today...

I use 303 products exclusively. I’m very pleased with all of their products.

The shop that installed my convertible top and did all my upholstery work 18 months ago told me to use "LA's Totally Awesome" cleaner. It says it works on vinyl so it should work on your top. You can buy it at the Dollar Tree store. The guy has been in business for over 30 years and is used by several restoration shops around town. So I would think he would know what he is saying.

I've owned two cars with original vinyl tops and putting stuff on them only appears to have sped up the deterioration factor. I even put clear boot grease on one car and it did a great job at sealing the water out and not looking too shiny, however the top did dry up and split eventually.

For cleaning them if we are talking about just dust I'd be tempted to just brush the top off with a soft bristle paint brush. You could even vacuum a vinyl top clean with a brush attachment if you were careful not to drag the hose on the side of the car.

I would contact the people who make the fabrics and get their two cents on what is safe to put on the top. Products with petroleum distillates are said to be capable of attacking items made from rubber and vinyl so the potential to do more harm than good is real depending on the product chemistry.

https://www.haartz.com/vintage-restorers-guide/current-options-top-materials

I too have been using 303 products. My vinyl top has been on my car since 1996, with no signs of it deteriorating. The car has been in Phoenix AZ and also spent 10 years in the Seattle area.

My brother tipped me off to something - whenever he washes his Challenger he takes a leaf blower to the vinyl top and especially the front & back windshield moldings - it's unreal how much water flies out when you do this!

Interesting.

This car spent its life in a garage as a family car but was used as a daily driver for maybe 8 years. The dad that bought it new, died in 72. Then the son who lived in the same house used it going to college. After that it spent some time as a day two hot rod and had limited use. However, it was still kept in the garage. It was parked and covered in the garage because of a mechanical problem in 1980 with 65,000 miles. I bought it in 2007 and it’s been in storage/ restoration mode till now but always inside. This is a picture of the top. It had some whites stains on it ever since I bought it. They are hard to get off. I am using a cleaner called Solves-it and a tooth brush to clean all the crevices. The odd thing is the middle section of the top must have been from a different dye lot and it’s a slightly different green. There is no rust under the top anywhere.