which dressing to apply?????

[Nickshades]

I have a job on an older mercury grand marquis that has those like leather looking tops to it. I`ve never detailed a car like this and was wondering if some of the pros can lend their advice. I was either gonna just leave it after washing and apply a 303 protectant/repellent or should I use a dressing as if i`m doing the black trim? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[ZaneO]

I would just use the 303, but who knows...

[chris0626]

Nickshades, I`m not really sure what you mean by "those like leather looking tops." Are you talking about a vinyl roof or what?



On my old (`75 cars, as well as the `93) cars, I`ve had good results with Mothers Preserve and Meguiar`s Trim Detailer,when confronted with that greyed-out rubber/vinyl. Neither has mind-boggling longevity, but they both bring some zip back into faded/greyed-out trim.



I get good protection from 303 too, like ZaneO said, but it doesn`t do much for me to restore old, neglected trim.



Is this what you`re after??

[Nickshades]

The top is almost like a leather, I was told what the material is, but forgot. It starts with an "L". If you can bring up a pic of an 89` Mercury Grand Marquis you can see what I`m talking about. Sorry I couldn`t be more informative. I don`t think its much to worry about considering not many cars have it. Thanks for the post.

[chris0626]

Nickshades, you might want to take a look at my gallery. When I needed to restore an old, neglected vinyl roof, I used "Black Again." It did an awesome job in the short term. In the longer-term, I needed to give it a steady diet of products like 303, MOthers Preserve, Meguiar`s Trim Detailer. I`m no expert, but the conclusion I drew from that experience is that once those vinyl tops are "dead," nothing will really "restore" them; you just have to keep slathering-on the high-quality conditioning products. But I surely don`t have the experience of some of the pros here; that`s just my amateur take on the subject.

[Anthony O.]

"L" as in "Leatherette"?



You need to first clean it thoroughly.......and safely:)



many times a good cleaning does wonders in restoring some color.



What color is the top?



Most dressing will just wash off with the next rain or washing so if the color is faded then you should only expect a temporary fix unless you wish to re-dye it and only if the client is willing to pay for it.



Anthony

[Nickshades]

it`s not leatherette. I will find out because its bothering me now. Thanks for all your help anyway

[MPG96SS]

Landau Top? (http://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=landau+top&btnG=Search)

[Nickshades]

YES THAT`S IT!!!!!!! What are u suppose to use on that?

[Lenny]

Originally posted by Nickshades

YES THAT`S IT!!!!!!! What are u suppose to use on that?



The material may be vinyl, or a vinyl covered cloth or fiberglass.



"Landau Top" usually refered to a style of vinyl tops, usually the rear half or rear quarter of the roof being covered with vinyl.



If the material feels like vinyl, most any of the vinyl/plastic/rubber protectants can be used on them, although most of them won`t last nearly as long as the was or sealant you use on the paint. Lynn put it best - nothing seems to have "mind-boggling longevity" on those tops.

[Nickshades]

sounds good.....thanks for your help. I`m sure there`s not too many of those that I`ll be coming across, but good to know.

[chris0626]

Originally posted by Nickshades

sounds good.....thanks for your help. I`m sure there`s not too many of those that I`ll be coming across, but good to know.

Not sure how many landau tops are still out there. But with my `75 Jag and vinyl top, I can tell you that the vinyl tops are not dead. We can still offer you tips. Who is this guy saying these tops are gone????

[Nickshades]

Originally posted by Lynn

Not sure how many landau tops are still out there. But with my `75 Jag and vinyl top, I can tell you that the vinyl tops are not dead. We can still offer you tips. Who is this guy saying these tops are gone????



Never said those tops were gone, just that I probably won`t come across too many of the landau material. it`s a different material than the vinyl top, but are u saying that the same product is to be used on that too. All I did for that car was apply some 303 water and stain repellent. I could of done more with the top, but was inexperienced with that material. Can u use the vinyl protectant for convertible tops or is something else recommended. Thanks for the help

[Matt M, PA]

Landau material? It`s style of top...there were full vinyl tops (meaning covering the whole roof) and landau tops that only cover the rear half of the roof.



We`re not talking about a fake convertible top, or "roadster" top are we? They were made witha fibreglass form underneath..then a bizarre canvas type material.

[Nickshades]

it was almost like a leather looking type of material on the landau roof.