Many soft-top Bronco owners are usually concerned about if it is possible to take their soft-top convertible through a car wash. This is no surprise as it is an extremely important question and matter of concern among soft-top owners.
Driving a soft-top Bronco gives a perfect feeling especially when you are driving on a windy day. Unfortunately, owning this type of vehicle becomes stressful and tiring when you need to clean them due to their type of design.
To answer the above question, most soft-top convertibles can be taken through a car-wash. To further answer, you can take your soft-top Bronco through a car wash – both touch and touchless – if you think it is extremely necessary.
Taking your soft-top Bronco through a car wash will not damage or leak the canvas but you should be aware that some other potential problems can arise such as left-over soap residue, broken antennas and broken side mirrors.
This article covers some of the important information you need to know about taking your soft-top Bronco through a car wash. So, keep reading for more information.
Is It Safe To Take A Soft-Top Bronco Through A Car Wash?
As stated above, almost every soft-top convertible can go through a car wash without getting damaged and a soft-top Bronco is on this list. Most soft-top owners tend to wonder if taking their vehicles through a car wash is the right decision to make as some automotive experts do not recommend taking soft-top convertibles through a car wash.
This is because the canvasses in the cars are not strong compared to most which makes it difficult for them to withstand the water pressure in the tunnel of the car wash. Luckily, soft-top Broncos can be taken through car washes and according to research, it is much better to go for a touch wash if you are considering taking your soft-top Bronco through a car wash.
When the soft-top Bronco was taken through a touch car wash, the end results were pretty good. During the wash, the sounds coming from the machine hitting the soft-top were hard and a little worrisome. But after the wash, the canvas material of the soft-top Bronco was in good shape and pretty strong enough. Since the canvas materials of soft-top Broncos are durable enough, taking them through car washes is advisable.
As stated above, a damaged or leaked canvas is not the only problem that can happen when you take your soft-top Bronco through a car wash. There could be problems of a damaged side mirror, a broken antenna and left-over soap residue. Here are some of the ways you could avoid these problems to ensure a smooth car wash process.
- Damaged Side Mirrors
If your decision is to take your soft-top Bronco through a touch car wash, it is advisable to always fold your side mirrors in before you take the vehicle through the wash. If not, you will be risking potential problems of a damaged side mirror. If you are unlucky, both of your side mirrors could get damaged or broken during the wash process.
- Broken Antennas
Having a broken antenna is another problem that you may deal with when you take your soft-top Bronco through a car wash. Luckily, this problem can be easily avoided. The long antenna on a soft-top Bronco needs to be removed before the vehicle is taken through a car wash, especially if it is a touch wash.
You could either choose to remove the antenna completely or get a stubby antenna which is like a lower version of an antenna. To remove your Bronco’s antenna, simply twist its base loose till it comes off. If that method does not work, you can use gentle pliers or rubberised pliers – something that will not damage the plastic surface.
Once you are done taking your antenna off, you can take your Bronco through the car wash.
- Left-Over Soap Residue
This is another problem of taking your soft-top Bronco through a car wash. This is a problem that often happens and while it cannot be prevented, it can be fixed. Sometimes, you can find left-over soap under the canvas of all four doors or it could be only on the passenger and driver’s side.
The best way to get rid of left-over soap residue is to wash the Bronco’s soft top once you get home. Make use of clean water to wash off the left-over soap residue and use a blower afterwards to air dry.
How To Clean A Soft-Top Roof
If you decide that taking your soft-top Bronco through a car wash is not the best option for you, you can choose to clean the roof yourself. Also, you should know that taking your Bronco through a car wash does not do all of the work as there are still some cleaning methods that should be done after that. So, here is how to clean a soft-top roof.
The way you clean the soft-top roof of your Bronco depends on the kind of material it is – either fabric or vinyl. If it is the former material, you should make use of a fabric top cleaner and ensure you do not use any household cleaning product to clean your soft-top. The first thing you should do is to clean the dirt using a brush then rinse it off to clean any residue. Lastly, dry the soft-top with microfiber towels.
If it is the latter material, you should make use of a vinyl cleaner and follow the same steps written above.
Conclusion
So, when next a Bronco owner asks if it is advisable to take a soft-top Bronco through a car wash, direct them to this article as it answers almost every possible question. Taking your soft-top Bronco through a drive-through car wash is not a bad idea, but it is important to consider potential problems and prevent them from happening.
