Help for a stiff tonneau cover and convertible top

Question:

I have purchased a Lotus 7 clone that was built in this country in 1985. The top and tonneau cover are in good shape, but are very stiff and inflexible. Is there any solution I could soak them in to restore the flexibility? Or is there possibly some other technique I can use to save these items?

Answer:

You don’t say whether the top and tonneau cover are vinyl or leather but the underlying problem and possible solutions are basically the same regardless. Both leather and vinyl contain essential oils that give them their flexibility and over time these oils can diminish. When they do, the material becomes inflexible and in extreme cases even brittle. In some instances you can restore the flexibility by infusing the material with depleted oils. The only way you will find out whether this will work for you is to try it. All of the major car care product suppliers offer leather and vinyl care solutions. In general, I have found the offerings from Meguiars (meguiars.com) and Lexol (lexol.com)to be very good.