by Car Hood Admin | 14, Jun 2012 | Blog
To prolong the life of you car hood, you should always store the car with the hood up, never leave your soft top down when it is wet, as mould and shrinkage will occur.
Other maintenance tips include:
- Keep your new soft top in the CLOSED position for a minimum of two days to allow the material to stretch to the correct tension.
- NEVER use a jet wash/car wash to clean the soft top.
- NEVER store the soft top in the open position for long periods of time or when the soft top is wet.
- Avoid long periods of inactivity of the mechanism as this can cause the frame to seize.
- If you have a VINYL soft top – Clean with a soft damp cloth using diluted mild detergent such as washing up liquid.
- If you have a MOHAIR soft top – Clean with a soft clothes brush to remove the dust and use a damp cloth diluted mild detergent such as washing up liquid to remove stains.
And finally……never use a cloth containing lint to clean a mohair soft top as this is the result!!
by Car Hood Admin | 12, Jun 2012 | Blog
A common problem with the Audi A4 hood is the rear window glass bonding fails leaving you with a gap between the hood material and the glass. Unfortunately there is no permanent solution available other than a new hood.
We can supply and fit an original specification mohair hood with heated glass rear window for £845 including VAT, a 1 year guarantee on parts and labour plus a lifetime guarantee on the rear glass bonding (for as long as you own the car).
We also offer a mobile fitting service within South East England and fees vary depending on your location.
by Car Hood Admin | 9, May 2012 | Blog
We have been producing the very best original quality hoods for over 30 years and our ORIGINAL QUALITY hood for the Mazda MX5/ Miata/ Eunos are no exception, these are produced exactly as Mazda originally intended.
- Zipped plastic rear screen.
- All of the plastic reinforcements that are essential for a good, smooth looking fit are as original. Many other manufacturers save money by using thinner un-riveted poorly stitched reinforcements.
We have also added rain gutters above the side windows to help prevent water ingress. The price for this quality item is £185 for a black vinyl hood (tan and blue are also available but dispatch times will vary) including a 1 year guarantee, fitting instructions and rivets (price is subject to VAT and delivery charges).
We also supply and fit this quality item for £280 including VAT and a 1 year guarantee. We also offer a mobile fitting service within SE England and call out fees vary depending on your location.
We are happy to send you a swatch of the material that we use should you wish to compare the quality of our hoods to others that are on the market.
You are welcome to visit us at our workshop in Chessington Surrey (junction 9 on the M25) and see how we manufacture our hoods using our digital cutting machine. Our hoods are then hand finished by our highly skilled team.
by Car Hood Admin | 23, Feb 2012 | Blog
Just around the corner……
We can always tell when Spring has sprung as we get lot’s of classic cars into our workshop such as the Mercedes SL model where prices start from £595, the Jaguar XJS where prices start from £760 and the Saab Classic where prices start from £590 (all prices are supplied and fitted including VAT).
We can supply and fit new soft top’s or replace the plastic rear window for most convertible models from Alfa Spyder to Volvo’s.
We are always happy to answer any questions you may have whether you need a new hood or advice on cleaning your existing hood ready for the Springtime, you can call us on 020 8391 5326 or 5324 for a friendly ‘family run’ service!
by Car Hood Admin | 3, Nov 2011 | Blog
We have had a run of replacement hood supply & fits where the rear glass has broken. In nearly every case this has been caused by the owners leaving articles on the rear parcel shelf causing the glass rear window to shatter.
Most older model convertibles such as VW Golf, Ford Escort, Saab 900 Classic and Toyota Celica's had separate glass rear windows.
However, nowadays most rear glasses are bonded in to the hoods and a broken glass window means a complete hood replacement.
We can supply & fit a new replacement hood with a bonded glass rear window at a fraction of main dealers such as BMW, Mercedes, Saab, Porsche, Honda & Audi.
by Car Hood Admin | 15, Sep 2011 | Blog
Don’t panic……. If your budget doesn’t stretch to a new hood we can replace your plastic rear window, prices start from £115 for the MX5 and MGF, £199 for the Porsche Boxster, Audi and BMW and £395 for the Mercedes R129 supplied and fitted including VAT. In most cases we only need your car for 2-3 hours and you can drive away with a new window ready for the colder months ahead.
