I recently had the zipper replaced on my tonneau. The owner of the
upholstery shop that did the work told me how to keep the thing looking
new - it was pretty filthy:
Get a soft brush - soft enough to rub on your face. I ended up buying a
horsehair brush for polishing shoes.
Wash thoroughly with the same stuff you'd wash the car with -
dishwashing soap, car soap, whatever - lots of suds, warm water. This
combined with the soft brush gets the gunk out from the "pores".
Let dry.
He sold me a cleaner, "Malco Leather and Vinyl Cleaner". Use this to do
a final clean. I suspect that the similar product from Lexol is also
good. Follow the instructions and allow to dry.
He sold me a small bottle of "TKO dressing" - I've found this for sale
by the gallon. This goes on with a sponge - ideally one of those sponges
with netting around it. Not too heavy, but don't skimp.
I gotta say, my tonneau looks better than it has in years.
Check out http://www.carcareonline.com/ for some other product
recommendations, from another pro. I suspect that the exact product
isn't as important as the time it takes to do it well. Cleaning with the
soft brush seems to be a big key.
chris
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