cleaning blue hood

[supracat]

Hi,
anyone recommend a good cleaner for an elan with the blue mohair hood??

Cheers

[speed-demon]

A good fat warm soapy sponge and hose (repeat process) is all you'll need! In my opinion all the hood cleaners are a waste of time. Maybe people will disagree but my last four cars have been soft tops and I've found nothing better than the above. Even the maufacturers say the same.
If you find the hood is faded once you've cleaned all the muck out, then you can by a blue dye from RENOVO... Get a paint brush and brush it on. Easy as that.

[tomac1975]

Hi,

The Auto Glym hood cleaner kit is excellent.

Tom

[speed-demon]

I genuinly don't think you need those kits. It's like the wheel cleaners. I don't believe in those either. But that's just me... One thing I will say for blue hoods though is that they do fade earlier than black hoods. And show the crease lines far more easily.
Maybe a brush with blue renovo would be just what you need.

[MPx]

My hood has never been "bad" since I replaced it a few years ago so not sure how this would work as a restoration technique....but I rarely wash mine, mostly all I do is use a vacuum cleaner with the small creviss brush implement attached and the hood comes up lovely and black with the pile properly groomed. Renovo on the back window is definitely magic however!

[tigerdog]

I'm a fan of the soapy sponge + hose but I use one extra step: after rinsing with clean water, I use a wet-or-dry shop vacuum to extract as much of the water from the top as possible. This way, any dissolved mung is pulled from the fabric instead of left to dry deep within. I use this technique on carpets and cloth upholstery also.

[supracat]

great. Thanks folks - will give these ideas a go.

[Simon_P]

A hose pipe and my hand! no sponge as it can leave bits and no detergent.

I used the Auto Glym kit when I first got the car and used about 1/4 of the contents every 2 years - I have found this makes it easy to clean.

For the rear screen very light wipe with a sponge it is easy to scratch - use lots and lots of water. Polished once a year with Auto Glym Silicone Resin Polish - polish very lightly, take your time and it will be fantastic!

Use lots of water and don't forget to put towels on the seats!

Simon