303 product looks like other competitive products
What is the difference?  (303 Aerospace UV Protectant vs. all other Protectants)  

1. "Leading Brand" protectant products contain silicone oils giving them their oily, greasy, dirt attracting nature.  Some even contain petroleum distillates (petrochemicals)!....which should never be used on rubber or vinyl and most other plastics.  Common automotive 'protectants' and 'tire dressings' are typically devoid of UV stabilizers of any type and offer little, negligible or no protection against other environmental degradants.  303 Aerospace Protectant does not contain silicone oils or petroleum distillates, or other agents unsafe for rubber, vinyl and other plastics.  

2. "Leading Brand" protectants do not contain UV stabilizers.  UV stabilizers counteract or neutralize the harmful effects of UV Light.  They help prevent chalking, yellowing, fading, embrittlement of the surface they are protecting.  303 Aerospace Protectant contains UV stabilizers and is the most powerful UV screening product available.  Periodic reapplications can reduce UV caused slow fade up to 100%.  That's why it's called 'SPF 40 For your Stuff'!  303 is the World's Best Surface Treatment that consumers can buy and has been since 1980.  

3. Other protectant products, including the "leading brands" are oily, greasy, attract dust/dirt, smear glass and chrome, are very short-lived and only offer cosmetic properties that wash off instantly.    303 Aerospace Protectant is not oily and greasy, will repel dust & soiling, leaves a rich and lustrous finish, will not wash off and lasts up to 10 times longer than any other `surface treatments'.

Can I use 303 Protectant for my convertible top?

There are two types of convertible topping material.

1) Vinyl tops: Some automotive convertible tops and most aftermarket `soft tops' (for 4 wheel drive vehicles, primarily) are vinyl. The world's largest manufacturer of automotive convertible tops and numerous soft top manufacturers are 303 Protectant customers.

a) Vinyl top manufacturers recommend 303 Protectant for two primary reasons: First, because 303 Protectant beautifies better, lasts longer and is the most powerful UV screening protective product for vinyl. Second, because by recommending or requiring only 303 Protectant, manufacturers minimize customer service problems and warranty costs that result from consumers using `protectant' products which not only do not protect but actually damage vinyl.

 2) Fabric tops: Fabric convertible tops (mistakenly referred to as `canvas') are considered to be the best. These are not vinyl (and not canvas), but a laminate consisting of three components, a top layer of a solution-dyed acrylic textile, a middle layer of butyl rubber then the poly-cotton headliner. The manufacturer of most of the world's fabric convertible topping material is Haartz Corporation of Acton, MA. The acrylic textile is very UV resistant...that's why it's used in this application. However, it has no inherent soil resistance or water or oil repellency. Therefore, in order to keep the topping material clean, after lamination the topping material is treated with an industrial agent to resist soiling, water & oil based stains. After a year or so, fabric convertible topping starts to lose its soil and stain resistance...owners begin to notice the fabric gets wet and has to dry out when it rains. The top doesn't leak because of the layer of butyl rubber (that's what it's for). However, wet fabric is an indication that the top can now soil or become stained and that it is time to treat the top with an appropriate fabric protector to prevent soiling and staining. Unfortunately, the fabric protector products that can be easily purchased at automotive chain stores and large retail chains are the only ones convertible owners have available to them. And these consumer grade products are no where near powerful enough to do the job necessary on fabric convertible tops...insufficient repellency, inadequate durability. This is where 303's fabric protector product comes in. 303 High Tech Fabric Guard is the only fabric protector specifically designed for outdoor textiles and indoor fabrics exposed to the sun. 303 HTFG easily out performs consumer grade fabric protectors as well as the industrial quality fabric protectors which are not available to consumers. 303 Protectant is not for textiles and should not be used on fabric convertible tops. Wicking: When fabric convertible topping material is sewn correctly, the butyl rubber clenches the thread tightly and water does not get through. When it does seep through...and this is most common around the windows in a fabric convertible top...this is called `wicking'. Wicking can be a very expensive warranty problem ...the correction often involves the replacement of the top at the car dealer along with replacing mildew damaged carpeting and fabric upholstery. To minimize wicking, before sending their tops to the car maker, convertible top manufacturers in recent years have treated the seams on each top with 303 High Tech Fabric Guard.

How do I keep my entire vehicle clean?

On a long road trip road, your Miata can become greasy and dirty from emissions or from common road grime. Once at your destination, you want a clean Miata.

303 Protectant was not specifically designed for paint - Even though 303 Protectant IS SAFE FOR PAINTED SURFACES. Most painted surfaces have a clear coat of plastic covering the paint, protecting the paint from fading/degradation.  303 is safe and extremely effective on plastics.  303 leaves an invisible 'shield' on the plastic: 303 was engineered so that once applied properly, substances like grease, dust, dirt and smoke would not stick to the treated surface and drops wind drag. Bob found that if he treated the front of his RV, road grime and bugs would not stick to it!  Bob also found that if he applied 303 Protectant regularly to his tow vehicle, it was a breeze to clean at his destination. After over 120,000 miles his vehicle still has not been waxed and looks like new! All he does is sponge the vehicle down with water at his destination. It's that simple.

What does 303 do for leather?

303 Protectant works on Finished Leather.  "Finished Leather" is dyed the desired color and finished so it does not readily absorb water or other liquids.  Auto upholstery and furniture are almost always finished leather.  Absorbent leathers include deerskin, suede and chamois.  If a drop of rain soaks in and makes a dark spot, it's absorbent leather and 303 Protectant is NOT for absorbent leather!  303 Protectant softens hardening leather and leaves a natural, lustrous, repellent, non-oily finish.  Similar to vinyl, finished leather is degraded by sweat, body oils, suntan and other oils & lotions.  (Two extreme examples of this are tack (horse leathers) and exercise equipment.  Before there was vinyl, the leather on exercise equipment was quickly destroyed by sweat and body oils.  Now, sweat and body oils cause the vinyl to prematurely fail.)  303's super-repellent finish is crucial when it comes to finished leather.  Besides protecting against sweat, body oils and lotions, 303'd leather is almost impervious to water & oil based staining agents.  The major benefit is UV screening.  303 is the most powerful UV screening formulation is very effective on the dyes used in finished leather.  Unfinished leather:  To protect unfinished leathers including suede, deerskin and unfinished dyed leathers, use 303 High Tech Fabric Guard.  Use on new or newly cleaned leather.  Spray on/let dry.  Creates and maintains water repellency, resists soiling and helps protect against both water and oil based stains.  303 HTFG does not change the leather's appearance after it has dried.  303 HTFG can be used on all natural leathers, including finished leather, but unlike 303 Protectant, 303 HTFG does not improve the color or gloss of finished leather...it looks the same after treatment.  For hiking boots and other outdoor footwear, 303 HTFG is the only choice for best water repellency.

Renewing older zippers like the one for the soft top.

The Miata stop top has a heavy, plastic-looking zipper, much like those found on some heavy coats, sleeping bag, SUVs and boat enclosures. After a while, all of these are harder to work, especially if there are exposed to weather. Sometimes they may look a little chalky, too. What's going on?

These zippers are made from a durable hard plastic called Delrin. Delrin is a high quality material of almost metal-like hardness. But over time they do become hard to work, especially those exposed to UV light.

A help: 303 Protectant does penetrate and bond to Delrin. Close the zipper, spray 303 Protectant into it and work it back and forth a couple of times. Then unzip and wipe dry with a dry, absorbent cloth. 303 acts as a wonderful dry lube for Delrin zippers. It will make your zippers work `like new'. Use 303 regularly and you'll never see any oxidation either. 

What's the right way to maintain the plastic windows in my soft-top?

The material used for the `plastic' windows in convertible tops, soft-tops, boat enclosures, etc. is a specialized type of vinyl called `Pressed Polished Sheets', or 'pressed poly'. The material is actually two layers of non-colored vinyl laminated together under intense pressure and high heat. This process squeezes out all the impurities and renders it perfectly clear. This material is soft and easily scratched and is not made in rolls but in sheets, which are separated by paper. Also known as `sheet goods', finished stock is always gently rolled and then stored and shipping standing vertically, never laid down. Pressed poly is known by its gauge - 20 gauge is made from two 10 gauge pieces, 40 gauge from two 20 gauge pieces, etc. On clear vinyl plasticize loss and UV exposure cause embrittlement, yellowing, even a burnt look and finally failure. Like all vinyl, clear vinyl contains plasticizers (to keep it soft and pliable) and UV stabilizers (to retard UV degradation) -  Clear vinyl loses its plasticizers much more rapidly than top-coated vinyl. An UV protection added in the manufacturing process is less effective each day. Consequently, if clear vinyl windows on a vinyl soft-top are not properly cared for, they can fail within 2-3 years while the vinyl top itself will last for years longer.

PROPER CARE:

Cleaning: All manufacturers recommend first rinsing off the vinyl to remove any grit which might scratch the vinyl. Then using a little real soap(Ivory) in a bucket of cool water and a very soft cloth, suds up the clear vinyl then immediately rinse with cool water. (Never use cleaners or even detergents, just soap).

Protection: With any vinyl never use anything containing petroleum distillates, alcohol, or a product having an oily or greasy nature. Manufacturers often recommend 303 Protectant for its numerous benefits. First, make sure all dust and grit is rinsed away. Spray on 303 Protectant...use enough to get the vinyl completely wet with 303, wiping it around with your fingers is an easy way to do this. Then with a very soft, clean, absorbent cloth immediately wipe the surface completely dry. Reapply every 45-60 days of exposure.

 Benefits: 1) Visibility: Minute scratches disappear for improved visibility. 2) Resists scratching: 303 reduces the drag coefficient of treated vinyl to next to nothing. Deflects away abrasive touches that would otherwise dig in and scratch. Particularly important in applications where vinyl windows are continuously rolled up and unrolled. 3) Repellency: 303 leaves a super-repellent, anti-static finish. 303'd vinyl repels smudges and fingerprints, takes much longer to soil and is much, much easier to clean when finally soiled. With 303'd vinyl all that is usually necessary is just to rinse it off before reapplying 303. 4) Encapsulation of Plasticizers: 303 Protectant bonds with clear vinyl in such a way that encapsulates and reduces outgassing (evaporative loss of plasticizers) to maintain softness and flexibility and significantly increase its useful life. 5) UV Screening: 303 Protectant is the only effective vehicle to achieve and maintain maximum UV protection. Periodic applications of 303 Protectant will keep clear vinyl looking and performing like brand-new year after year and will dramatically extend its useful life.

Fading Decals / Stripes

Have you ever had your decals or 'stripes'  fade or crack from oxidation? Here is why.

The decal/stripes are vinyl. As a general rule, one should refrain from using anything containing petroleum distillates or abrasives on vinyl, including Vinyl decals. Unfortunately, most waxes contain petroleum distillates and cleaner waxes have abrasives.

303 Protectant is the only proven effective treatment that is safe for vinyl.

Therefore if you use wax on your car it would be best to treat the vinyl decals first with 303 Protectant. Spray on/wipe off. Then 303 would repel any wax over sprayed or wiped onto the decal. It's quite durable and effective repellency is an added benefit 303 Protectant provides in this application.

Follow-up FAQ: Are there any downsides to using 303 Protectant on sailcloth?

303 Protectant will soften some of the resin finish with which the Dacron is treated at the factory to give it stiffness. Some racers consider this a negative. Others report increased performance from 303 treated "softened" sails: 1) That with treated sails you can point several degrees higher into the wind and 2) That the reduced drag co-efficient of treated sailcloth adds measurable speed. 3) That sails are much easier to bring in and store at the end of the day. 

Are there any other benefits to using `303' on sailcloth?

a) Dacron: 303 Protectant will restore lost color to faded colored dacron, and periodic reapplications will keep it that way. 303's super-repellent finish minimizes the cutting action of mineral deposits and sand on the seam stitching and thereby prevents or dramatically delays seam failure caused by abrasion.

b) Monofilm: 303's super-smooth finish repels dirt, soiling and smudging. Treated monofilm cleans up much easier when soiled. And sand and dirt that would otherwise dig in and scratch monofilm is often repelled away instead so scratching is minimized. Perhaps most appreciated by windsurfers is it's superior and long lasting water-sheeting properties (for maximum water-sheeting, buff aggressively with a soft dry cloth). 

How do you apply 303 Protectant to dacron & monofilm sailcloth
and how often do you need to and how much does it take?

a) Apply 303 Protectant by spraying on and wiping completely dry.

b) If maximum UV protection is desired, reapply 303 Protectant every 30-45 days of EXPOSURE. Note: Sailcloth is not constant-exposure material. Dacron in five months of continuous exposure (summertime-Florida) will lose 85% of its tear strength! Since sailcloth is usually only exposed when used, it may take a typical sailor one or more years to accumulate the equivalent of 30 days constant exposure. With colored dacron, a good way to tell if you've waited too long since the last treatment is to do an area. 303 Protectant has intense color-restoring properties...so if you see any color come back at all, don't wait so long to reapply the next time. Reapplication intervals for monofilm is the same. Regular reapplications of 303 Protectant are inexpensive and will keep dacron and monofilm sailcloth looking and performing like new.

c) Coverage on dacron is typically 140 sq. ft. per 8 oz bottle. Even better coverage on monofilm. 

Two 303 products provide UV protection. Which one should be used on sailcloth?

Answer: 303 Fabric Guard is for textiles...fabrics, carpeting...synthetic and natural materials that are inherently absorbent. Generally speaking, synthetic textiles are various types of plastics, but plastics that are made to mimic the appearance, texture and absorbency of natural fibers.   303 Protectant is for plastics, synthetic materials in an inherently repellent form. Many plastics can be manufactured in both forms. One example is polyester. Polyester carpeting is polyester resin in a textile form....spill water or other liquid on it and it absorbs like cotton. Or in another form, polyester resin is the gelcoat fiberglass in your boat, jet ski or snowmobile, nothing at all like a textile, but hard & repellent to water. Acrylics, nylons, polypropylene and many other plastics in both forms are common components of innumerable consumer items. So whether 303 Protectant or 303 Fabric Guard may be used depends primarily not on the type of plastic, but the form into which the plastic is made.

 Sailcloth: The three most common sail cloths are dacron(polyester), monofilm (polyester) and ripstop nylon.
  Dacron: Bainbridge, headquartered in Canton, MA U.S.A, is the acknowledged world leading authority on sailcloth and one of the largest manufacturers. Bainbridge conducted UV screening tests on dacron sailcloth in the early 80's and have been selling it in their catalog for that purpose since 1986. Dacron sailcloth, though a woven material is polyester resin in a repellent form. Dacron sailcloth is typically the brightly colored sail material...red, green, blue, etc. Dacron sailcloth is typically treated at the factory with a finishing resin to produce the required degree of stiffness, known as "hand". Monofilm: Monofilm sailcloth is not a woven material, but polyester resin in a solid, transparent form. Monofilm sailcloth is commonly used in windsurfing. The first company known to have tested 303 Protectant on monofilm is Primex Marketing, a major wholesale supplier to the windsurfing and paddling aftermarkets. Since then a number of other companies have reported that 303 Protectant is extremely effective on monofilm as well as dacron sailcloth. Ripstop nylon: Though it very well may be that 303 Protectant's UV screening properties are effective on ripstop nylon (303 is effective on nylon in other forms), the company has received no reports of testing by any manufacturer. 

Will 303 High Tech Fabric Guard Waterproof my Hunting Jacket (if it is Gore-Tex)?

Answer: YES! 303 High Tech Fabric Guard is formulated to be safe on Gore-Tex and other textiles. It's special properties allows it to be the best water protectant for Gore-Tex on the market. 303 HTFG will also stop UV fading from the sun to keep the colors often favored by hunters. 

What is the difference between silicone 'water repellent' fabric treatment products and 'fabric protectors'?

Answer: Silicone water repellent fabric treatments are inexpensive products common in the RV & Marine industry where they are sold to "waterproof" fabric covers, bimini tops and boat enclosures. 1) While silicone water repellents have good though relatively short-lived water repellency, they have the following negative aspects: 1) Silicone treated fabrics soil more readily than untreated fabrics. 2) When soiled, silicone treated fabrics are much more difficult to clean than untreated fabrics. 3) Silicone treated fabrics have zero resistance to oil based staining agents such as skin oils, sun tan lotions, smoke and emissions from barbecues, jet engines, cars and boats. 4) Silicone water repellents cause oil based stains to bond almost indelibly to treated fabrics. 2) True fabric protectors also provide water repellency. But in contrast to silicone treatments, a true fabric protector will cause the treated fabric to resist soiling, will make the fabric easier to clean when it becomes soiled and will resist both water and oil based stains. Though even the lowest grade of fabric protector will typically out-perform any silicone water repellent, silicone products are extremely inexpensive, very common and extensively used by the uninformed. 3) Manufacturers Warranties: The use of silicone water repellents my void the manufacturer's warranty. Example: Sunbrella, manufactured by Glen Raven Mills, is well known as the best quality fabric for most outdoor applications. Sunbrella is used internationally in most commercial awnings, most of the world's fabric automotive convertible tops, and in a high percentage of marine covers, bimini tops and boat enclosures. Sunbrella is extremely resistant to UV light, but after cleaning or a lengthy period of exposure may require treatment to replenish lost repellency. The use of silicone water repellents is specifically recommended AGAINST by Glen Raven Mills and can void the multi-year factory warranty. The product Glen Raven Mills recommends for treating Sunbrella is 303 High Tech Fabric Guard, commonly available from most marine mail order catalogs and chain stores.

The Label on the 303 Fabric Guard warns not to use it on "synthetic suede". Why Not?

303 Fabric Guard imparts enduring water repellency to all natural leathers - upholstery, clothing and footwear (including deerskin and suede). 303 Fabric Guard protects against soiling & staining as well as helps the leather be water resistant.

303 Fabric Guard should not be used on synthetic suede, not because of the product itself, but because of the carrier, Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS), a mild solvent. As a general rule, even mild solvents should not be applied to rubbers & plastics. Synthetic suede is a plastic. 

Does 303 Protectant always 'work' on fiberglass?

Boaters and RVers use 303 Protectant to restore a like new color and gloss to faded and oxidized gelcoat fiberglass...and to keep their fiberglass looking like new without ever having to buff and wax.
Yes, 303 always works unless there is something on the surface keeping the 303 away from the fiberglass. This something can be a Teflon, silicone or polymer sealant or fresh wax. If the surface has been freshly waxed, there is no need to remove the wax. Instead, just wait a few weeks. Wax does not last long enough to warrant the effort required to remove it.

Only about 2% of the time is prebuffing (compounding) necessary prior to using 303. When compounding is required to remove the heavy layer of accumulated oxidation, be sure to use a rubbing compound that does not leave a coating or sealant. Use one containing only the finest abrasive.