303 Fabric Guard

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christian900se

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I have been using Raggtop fabric protectant for a while but I was never a fan of the aerosol application since it got into every nook and cranny other than the fabric it was intended for.

Anyways, I decided to try 303 Fabric Guard for the black convertible top on my 1996 Saab 900. I sprayed it on liberally about 12 inches from the edges of the top to avoid the majority of overspray. I then got a small paint brush and brushed it into the rest of the top, including into the folds of the fabric.

I let it dry overnight and came to a nice, pitch black top! I immediately went to try out its water repellency and was absolutely amazed. I hosed the top down and it was dry since not a single drop of water was allowed to get into the fabric. I have never seen beading like that, although I won't have a durability report for a while since the car never sees rain and is always garaged.

Pros:

-somewhat easy to use
-top notch protection
-looks great, restores some color to darker tops
-amazing water repellency

Cons:

-make sure you have some time to let it dry
-wipe it off immediately if it gets on your paint, windows, or trim
-a little time consuming to apply with a brush into the smaller areas

Conclusion:

I am very happy I switched to 303 Fabric Guard, having been very happy with their protectant for a long time!
 
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Great review! Thank you- I too hate that aerosol. I have to tape off with garbage bags my entire Skybaby before I can spray her top. I love 303 as well and already bought some of the fabric gaurd for the top. I am going to finish off the raggtop container first though... One more application and then I can move onto the non-aerosol 303.
Can you post an update to this a few months from now to let us know how it hold up? That would be great. :props:
 
Sure thing, I will add some pictures of the top and beading this weekend I think.
 
303 Fabric Guard is the only product I use, for cloth tops.
And I just used it on my new sneakers :xyxthumbs:
 
If your using 303 FG for interior seats, wear a long sleeve shirt and a respirator wouldn't hurt either. The overspray in a cabin will get you. The chemicals in 303 will burn your skin.
 
Rsurfer said:
If your using 303 FG for interior seats, wear a long sleeve shirt and a respirator wouldn't hurt either. The overspray in a cabin will get you. The chemicals in 303 will burn your skin.
Click to expand...

You know, after reading reviews I was expecting a lot more of a 'solvent' smell but it wasn't bad. Then again I did apply it in the garage, I applied it in one medium coat to see how it did. When it was dry, it had no smell what-so-ever which I was happy about!
 
christian900se said:
You know, after reading reviews I was expecting a lot more of a 'solvent' smell but it wasn't bad. Then again I did apply it in the garage, I applied it in one medium coat to see how it did. When it was dry, it had no smell what-so-ever which I was happy about!
Click to expand...
Yeah, the smell is pretty mild, but the fine mist in the interior will get to you. Using it on a rag top should not pose any problems.
 
Thanks for the heads up. I was never planning on using it on the interior simply because it doesn't get alot of use.

Does it really make a difference if you apply it to a carpet as far as ease of cleaning is concerned?
 
Ok, I snapped some pictures of the kind of protection this stuff has. The car went through some nasty rain storms this week and I haven't cleaned the roof off yet. The interesting thing about these pictures is that the reason why all my pictures are in the same spot is because if I applied any water elsewhere, it would just fall right off the roof!

Photo0470.jpg

Photo0471.jpg

Photo0472.jpg

Photo0474.jpg


FYI; This was after one layer (I laid it down pretty heavy, dried quickly though) and seeing the results I think I will do one more. I'm not sure how long the durability is so maybe someone with more experience can chime in?
 
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Excellent! Thanks for the info and the pictures!
 
No problem man, any time! I haven't been this amused by beading in a long time. If the roof isn't perfectly flat, it will roll off at the slightest prompt.
 
I have a lighter color top that was beginning to show some spotting from exposure w/o treatment since I bought the car in Sep.2005. It's a 2005 Ford Thunderbird Limited 50th Anniversary "Cashmere" Edition. Light soft top, white leather seats, you get the picture.:help:

The first time I took the hard top off the TBird just a couple months after I broght it home, I saw black marks (later were identified as mildew).

Naturally I was horrified. :eek:
So I just kept my foot in the fuel injectors so no one would notice.....:hotrod2:

Anyway. Enter 303 Fabric Convertible Miracles in-a-couple-of Bottles!

Amazing stuff!!! Blew (what's left of) my mind:idea:!

I have to tell you that I never experienced the REAL color of my soft-top!
Now I figure it is easier to add more than to try to undo too much of a treatment, so I applied and rinsed my top fully 4 times (yep a whole bottle) :autowash:and it looks factory fresh. I wish I had taken before/after shots, it was that dramatic.:Picture:
After treating it with the Fabric Guard twice, I feel real confident that I can put the hard top on for the winter and not meet up with the mildew beasties come Spring!:bat:
And water will not prevail!
Morning dew even beads.
Bird poop "runs".......at the sight of my top!:hungry:

I'm a raving :bowdown:303 fabric convertible top kit fan! The 303 Aerospace product is excellent too. But don't use it on anything you need a strudy grip on. Floormats/pedals will slip around dangerously underfoot:buffing:. Otherwise it's pretty awesome on leather...just squeaky.:xyxthumbs:

All in all, 303 for the fabric top? A WINNER!:props:

Good night!
 
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