The answer to this question will depend upon what material your convertible top is made out of. Convertible tops are either made using vinyl, a type of plastic, or canvas, a type of cotton.

Vinyl Convertible Tops

The frequency in which you treat your vinyl top will depend on how your car is used. A car that is driven daily is exposed to greater wear and tear than a car that is only driven occasionally on sunny days with the top folded down and away from exposure to UV rays, dirt and dust, air-airborne pollution and fallout, etc.

If your car is driven daily, then you'll want to use a vinyl protectant that contains a mild cleaner to clean the surface so that dirt isn't trapped and sealed into the vinyl material like a pure protectant product tends to do. For best results, follow the directions below and use any of the suggested Meguiar's vinyl products:

• Clean the surface using safe but effect mild cleaners

• Condition the vinyl material with our trade secret conditioning oils, which keep your vinyl soft and flexible

• Protect by leaving behind a synthetic polymer protectant as well as UV inhibitors

• Supreme Shine Protectant
• Natural Shine Vinyl and Rubber Protectant
• M-40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner

Tip: For extremely dirty or neglected vinyl tops, Meguiar's recommends using a dedicated vinyl cleaner like M-39 Heavy-Duty Vinyl Cleaner to thoroughly clean the vinyl at the beginning of the process.

Canvas Convertible Tops

Traditionally, canvas was a heavy woven cotton fabric also called "duck". Canvas tops have always been a little harder to maintain because in its base form, cotton is quite absorbent. This is a negative characteristic of simple cotton canvas materials because when cotton gets wet and stays wet, the moisture tends to harbor mold and mildew as well as accelerate deterioration.

Modern canvas material incorporates polyester and other synthetic fibers as well as specialty coatings to improve dirt, water, mold and mildew resistance. This is where you have to be careful - using the wrong cleaner can potentially remove or degrade the performance of some of the features of modern canvas requiring professional restoration work or re-application of special coatings.

Meguiar's recommends seeking out the manufacturer's recommendations for the care and maintenance of your particular canvas top. At this time, Meguiar's does not offer any canvas specific cleaners and/or protectants.