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MG MGF Technical - Mould on inside of hood...

I've discovered what looks like mould on the inside of the hood. Round white 'blooms' a bit like you find on out of date milk chocolate. I'm a bit concerned that any treatment might affect the waterproofing on the outside.

A quick search on the archive found nothing but I assume I'm not the only one to have experienced this. Has anyone found a solution?
Phil Thorne

> like mould on the inside of the hood. Round white 'blooms'

I'm afraid, sounds like an upcoming mushroom farm.

Would say: Go to any paint shop and get a chlorine product for removal of mould from walls. Don't ask me how to apply and wash off from inside the softtop.

Anyone ?

Regards
Dieter
PS. find the reason for the moisture in the car, immidiatly.
Dieter K.

Thanks Dieter, sadly the source of the damp is all too obvious - British weather!
Phil Thorne

Chlorine-based products might work, but a fungicide would be kinder to the hood materials and to you. You really need some dry weather to spray the stuff on, allow to dry then wipe off the mould. once the roof is thouroughly dry you should think about reproofing the hood with any of the agents sold by Halfords, BMW, etc.

Chris
Chris

Mould or mildew? (chalky or fuzzy?)
You could also try white vinegar, give it a good soaking. This will usually kills mould and mildew on fabrics and is less likely to bleach the hood. Chlorine bleach can really rot things if it isn't rinsed out quickly.
Sarah

Most soft tops will suffer this eventually. It's a result of the fabric waterproofing wearing off. I've cleaned and re-proofed mine with Renovo products. http://www.renovointernational.com/

Clean the roof inside and out this the dry cleaner, re-colour the inside and outside of the fabric and then re-waterproof. Renovo do Kits, bit pricey (£40ish) but will be enough to clean and re-proof the car at least a couple of times. You should do it every 6 months and at least every year.

Autoglym also do a product for a bit less money but they don't so the re-colouring solution.

Good tip from Sarah though.

Tim
tim woolcott

Tim,

One of the CSMGF Group recently used Renovo to colour and reproof his hood. He was very pleased with it but tells me that it ran everywhere and he had to spend quite a while cleaning it off the car. Any tips on how to use it and would it be worth taking the hood off? I hope to use it on my own car come the Spring.

David
David Clelland

Interested as well.
I think removing the hood is not the best idea. Fabric slacken around and if it dries it may not fit right back until it gets wet again?

Anyone tried to cover the rest of the car with tape and plastic foil ? I mean in the manner you cover when doing any respray repair ?
Dieter K.

Er, covering would be valid for roof proving OUTSIDE only, of course.
Dieter K.

Tim, Im the guy from the CSMGF group who used Renovo. As far as I can remember it is also for use on the inside of the hood, even if only to enhance colour and lessen the chance of water seeping through.
It was a bit of a nightmare to remove as it is very watery and ran down all the drainage channels. All the same its worth the hassle. I suggest removing the hood !!!!! I have pictures of before and after, and even indication on how I masked the car up prior to application. If anyone would like to see these pics I will gladly email them.
D Jamieson

Dieter....you have email !
D Jamieson

Great, soon upload,
but at first another glass o wine ;)

Cheers
Dieter K.

I reproofed my hood with Renovo. Undo the catches in the hoodwell and lift the hood at the back enough to slide a sheet under it and then redo the catches so the sheet is trapped. Do similar at the front so that a sheet is trapped by the side windows and the front catches. Wear old clothes and brush on the liquid very carefully to prevent splashing. It runs off the hood very readily so be prepared to catch the runs with the brush and re spread.

Happy New Year all

Bruce
Bruce Caldwell

Ok, here we go. *hecks*

Had a nice dinner, wine was great :)
Some italian 13.5 'volt'. err forgot the name, though bottle is empty in any way.
zzzZZ !

Zis iz zhe vry lazt webzite site thiz jear.
Promizd

http://www.mgfcar.de/softtop/hood.html

Cheers, Skol, Prost !
Zee you 2003
;)
Dieter K.

Nice layout Dieter :-) !!
Keep up the good work in 2003 and have a Great New Year.
D Jamieson

Good input results almost in useful 'output'. Thank you again for the pix, even if you're not finally pleased with the process of using the stuff.
:)
Base fore more discussions when the regular guys and gals get back.

Looks currently like a advert site for one product only. I know there are more.
I.e. 3M does a special hood cleaner.
I spotted while searching with Google for Renovo.

Not closed story ! I'll try to collect the manufacturers, not usual the final suppliers on the webside.

Cheers
Dieter <-- cleaned rooms from empty bottles ;), head aches going.
Dieter K.

i also have white blotches.i have just bought autoglym hood cleaner and proofer,just waiting for weather to dry up then i can use it.does anyone recomend autoglym for this purpose.
scott

Scott
Autoglym make it for that purpose and recommend it, many people on this site recommend it (search archive), many people recommend Renovo.

I've used both: Autoglym cleaned and proofed, Renovo made it black again and proofed.

You pays your money ....

Would be interested in hearing your comments after you've used the Autoglym: would you then recommend it etc
JohnP

How much is the Autoglym Fabric Hood Maintenance Kit approximately ?
I put it to the site.

Any more ?
Dieter K.

Dieter, I'll try to get the Autoglym price later today when somewhere is open.

Only idiots like me get to work while it is still dark and pouring with rain. Glad I bought a MS shower cap! Wish he would make one with a clear panel in the front so that I could see to drive without removing it.
JohnP

Dieter,

Happy New Year, the Autoglym Fabric Hood Maintenance Kit is about £18 in the UK. It comprises two bottles and one foam applicator. One bottle of cleaner and one bottle of proofer.

Bruce
Bruce Caldwell

I've only used Autoglym Fabric Hood Maintenance Kit- for the last 3.5 years... and the car is not normally garaged overnight. The trick is you MUST remember to do it TWICE a year. All year, any rain always forms perfect "beads" of water droplets... So it seems very good to me. But...

1a) you really must keep the roof "clean" throughout year...

1b) and regularly vaccume roof too.

2) Wait until warm/ dry weekend. Thoroughly wash roof before applying Autoglym. Brush very thoroughly with Autoglym detergent. When tired and rinsing off, retire and use a "Jet Wash" (but never use the Jet Wash "soap"). The Autoglym detergent creates an embarrassing amount of bubbles. Keep washing until no bubbles.

3) Apply Autoglym sealant when roof is evenly damp (after washing above).

4) Apply 2/3 (or more) of a bottle of spray... ie if roof really aborbs spray keep spraying... slowly, evenly gently.

5) Wipe off "drops" from rear screen and paintwork as and when they happen. Do NOT wait until later!

6) The roof piping (at edges above doors) can absorb quite alot of sealant.

7) Allow to dry evenly... and MUST keep roof out of rain/damp/frost until fully dry. The product is pretty oderless too.


The only problem is that Autogltm won't stop the occasional "green mould" on the oustide... however... periodic normal washing and brushing removes this... and once the weather is less damp the mould stays away. I've never had mould inside the car.

Best wishes and Happy New Year
Francis




Francis

Thanks for everybodies input, I haven't been able to get online for a couple of days. Happy new year to everybody too.

Firstly an update on the damp itself, two 5mm symetrical holes in the hood just behind/above each seat back which probably explains the amount of damp. Is there anything that can be done to seal/repair

Secondly, I'm still a bit confused about the advice. Are these products for the outside or inside? My problem is on the inside andd going by Sarah's comments I'd have to guess at mildew.

Many thanks
Phil
Phil Thorne

Phil,

All these products can be used both inside and outside.

Tim
tim woolcott

TWICE a year???? Uh-oh...

Time to get some re-proofing kits...
Rob Bell

Another update, called my dealer and they recommended a company called the Crystal Palace Sunroof Centre (020 8771 1315) to fix the holes.

Spoke to the chap, £30 to get the holes repaired at their workshop or around £70 if the come to me. They've also got a recon for £250ish. Seems alright to me, anybody else had anything like this done?

They also reckon the proofing has gone but weren't too impressed with the over the counter products. has anybody had a reproofing done at a dealeership, any idea of costs or alternatives that will last longer then 6-12 months (the original has lasted 4.5 years after all!)

Cheers
Phil
Phil Thorne

"They also reckon the proofing has gone but weren't too impressed with the over the counter products."
Mmmmmm....does it last proportionally longer....?

Renovo is recommended by Saab dealerships so must be OK stuff.

Tim
tim woolcott

Tim

There is a Saab dealership 45 m from my office window. Having observed them over the past 4 years I cannot accept that "Renovo is recommended by Saab dealerships so must be OK stuff"

(tongue firmly in cheek)
JohnP

This thread was discussed between 30/12/2002 and 06/01/2003

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