Sponsored

OEM cargo mat scratching inside of tailgate

OP
OP

Palmermc

First Edition
Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
Oct 14, 2021
Threads
10
Messages
58
Reaction score
132
Location
San Jose, CA
Website
www.markpalmer-design.com
Vehicle(s)
2021 Bronco First Edition
Your Bronco Model
First Edition
but its my bronco and I want to cry now!!! but i get it it sucks but kinda ur own fault
I have the official OEM trunk mat, supposedly designed by Ford.

The issue is that there’s no means to hold it securely in place and if it slides towards the gate even a few MM (which happens very easily) it will abrade the tailgate.
Sponsored

 

BrentC

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
Brent
Joined
Oct 3, 2020
Threads
9
Messages
1,271
Reaction score
2,672
Location
Calgary, AB
Vehicle(s)
2019 F150 Sport, 2021 Bronco Badlands
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
IMO, it’s a tailgate and it will get scratched unless protected. The same can be said for all the hard plastic bits in the cab and box, the back of the seats etc. Unless you shrine your vehicle you should expect it to get worn.

Your note is a good heads-up for those who want to add protection in that area, however. Thanks for that. Caveat emptor.
 

Tonka Bronka

Badlands
Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2020
Threads
9
Messages
693
Reaction score
1,169
Location
Duncansville
Vehicle(s)
F350, V60 Polestar, 900SS, K1300S, RnineT Racer
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
I looked at this mat and gave it a pass for two reasons. The floor is already rubber. No cutouts for tie down loops. Most of the factory accessories are not really worth the cost, or solve a problem that is not there.
 

VelocityBronco

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
E
Joined
Jul 1, 2020
Threads
18
Messages
1,320
Reaction score
3,352
Location
Michigan
Vehicle(s)
Bronco Badlands, F-150 FX4, Explorer Platinum
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
Clubs
 
I looked at this mat and gave it a pass for two reasons. The floor is already rubber. No cutouts for tie down loops.
I bought the mat, it has a cool Bronco logo, raised lips for water/mus, fits and looks great IMO. I made the cutouts for the tie downs last week, easy to do with a utility knife, and its outlines on the bottom where to cut. It doesn't look as great now that it has the holes, but it add function back with the tie downs, so its worth it.
I have not had my mat slide on me at all, dragging heavy totes in and out of it, but I am careful doing it. I think it fits good. 100% would buy again.
I do think adding PPF to the bottom of the tailgate as an extra layer to protect the paint is a good idea. I will do that when I add the tailgate table.
 

Sponsored
OP
OP

Palmermc

First Edition
Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
Oct 14, 2021
Threads
10
Messages
58
Reaction score
132
Location
San Jose, CA
Website
www.markpalmer-design.com
Vehicle(s)
2021 Bronco First Edition
Your Bronco Model
First Edition
Um, reminds of Sharon and her Thanksgiving pie...
https://www.boredpanda.com/karen-burns-her-pie-blames-marie-callenders-people-react/

Like @niterider006 and @StrictlyBroncos said, it seems like this may not be Ford's fault...
My point is that
IMO, it’s a tailgate and it will get scratched unless protected. The same can be said for all the hard plastic bits in the cab and box, the back of the seats etc. Unless you shrine your vehicle you should expect it to get worn.

Your note is a good heads-up for those who want to add protection in that area, however. Thanks for that. Caveat emptor.
I guess my greater rant here is that these areas on vehicles (not just the Bronco) aren’t thoroughly designed for their intended use and made to handle the wear and tear well. In the Broncos case I’d say there’s a bit more oversight here than is typical. Sure, I can and will add more protection, but why should the customer have to bandaid up their cargo area on a vehicle designed for rugged applications and hauling gear? This area should be designed to weather gracefully and not be something we need to be concerned with.

I’m an industrial designer, and good designers consider and holistically resolve issues like this before they land in an end users lap. That’s just good design and user experience. Good designers and companies who really understand good user centered design don’t spent their time sprinkling Bronco ‘Easter eggs’ BS all over their products, or debossing the word ‘lift’ into the doors of a vehicle that should be intuitively designed to afford ease of lifting in the right place. They just make the lift point more intuitive and usable.

End of rant. Watch out for your gate paint.
 
OP
OP

Palmermc

First Edition
Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
Oct 14, 2021
Threads
10
Messages
58
Reaction score
132
Location
San Jose, CA
Website
www.markpalmer-design.com
Vehicle(s)
2021 Bronco First Edition
Your Bronco Model
First Edition
I looked at this mat and gave it a pass for two reasons. The floor is already rubber. No cutouts for tie down loops. Most of the factory accessories are not really worth the cost, or solve a problem that is not there.
On my FE the cargo area floor is carpeted. I’d say that’s also an inherent flaw on a vehicle like this.
 

Rusty Sheckelford

Banned
Banned
Banned
First Name
Rusty
Joined
Oct 1, 2021
Threads
12
Messages
889
Reaction score
1,757
Location
LA
Vehicle(s)
Bronco
Your Bronco Model
Undecided
This kind of stuff is why I suggested LineX in the unpainted tailgate thread. Wait til you have other cargo rolling around back there, that paint is going to be hammered in a couple years.
At the risk of upsetting the carpet-back seat haters, I think ford did a great job putting carpet on the fullsize bronco tailgates to give them extra protection.
 

Sponsored

goatman2

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
Richard
Joined
Nov 2, 2021
Threads
7
Messages
551
Reaction score
1,524
Location
Bakersfield
Website
gandgautorepair.com
Vehicle(s)
F450, Jeep XJ, Porsche 911, 2dr Badlands
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
Hi all,
I just spent the past week down in Joshua Tree breaking in my FR in the desert -it was a great time. The trip revealed a bunch of issues. One of which is particularly maddening.

I picked up the rubber arego area mat before we left, which is generally pretty nice (however why the hell does the customer need to manually cut out the openings for the cargo hooks!?). About 2 days into our trip and after loading sandy gear in and out of the cargo area, I noticed a trail of scratches and serious little wear marks on the inside of the tailgate - many right down and into the bare metal. What happening is that small rocks and sand are sticking to the little flange on the leading edge of the cargo mat. If the cargo mat isn’t slid all the way forward (and there’s nothing to retain it fully forward), and debris that’s stuck to this flange gets closed against the inside of the tailgate and abrades the finish. Also, anything else in the cargo area that makes contact with the inside of the tailgate also scratches up the paint.

This design is bullshit. They didn’t think this design through, and probably didn’t include this mat in their product testing cycles as it’s likely the accessories were designed after the rest of the vehicle was baked and by different staff. They could have resolved this by retaining the matbetter so it can’t make contact, or modifying the inside of the tailgate so that this contact area isn’t just painted metal but plastic or rubberized. I wish their design team spent more time working out details like this than writing BS ‘accessory ready’ all over the truck - actually make the thing accessory ready and think it through!

Anyhow, this is disappointing and I’m going to raise the issue with my dealer - maybe I can get a new tailgate and refund on the mat out of it. I’ll keep you posted, and beware!

634B2A99-8517-4634-BC6E-C31DDE61AA4D.jpeg

Good example of the entitled mentality that many of us comment about with the younger generation. "Oh my, the world and my experience aren't perfect! Somebody has to compensate me."

Sorry to the OP for bagging on you, but you kind of deserve it. Also, thanks for being the first to report this, as we keep learning things that can be addressed to make our Broncos better. There are easy fixes for this. And, who cares about a few nicks and scratches from actually using the truck, in an area that folks won't even see. Sure, it bugs you, but it's not anyone else's fault. Let us know when you find the perfectly designed in every way vehicle.
 

BrentC

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
Brent
Joined
Oct 3, 2020
Threads
9
Messages
1,271
Reaction score
2,672
Location
Calgary, AB
Vehicle(s)
2019 F150 Sport, 2021 Bronco Badlands
Your Bronco Model
Badlands


I’m an industrial designer, and good designers consider and holistically resolve issues like this before they land in an end users lap. That’s just good design and user experience. Good designers and companies who really understand good user centered design don’t spent their time sprinkling Bronco ‘Easter eggs’ BS all over their products, or debossing the word ‘lift’ into the doors of a vehicle that should be intuitively designed to afford ease of lifting in the right place. They just make the lift point more intuitive and usable.

End of rant. Watch out for your gate paint.
I agree to a point. For example, I have friends who line their pickup truck boxes as soon as they get them because they cannot handle scratched paint in a truck box. I install the very good Ford rubber bed mat mainly so I don’t slip and kill myself when loading dirtbikes or any of the other things I regularly haul, and to keep items from sliding around back there. The paint in my 2019 F150’s box looks like a honey badger had a tantrum on it. I could care less. The next owner can insert a liner or Line-X it if they don’t like the looks.

Pickup trucks and SUVs are meant to be “rugged” (or at least they started that way) and the boxes or rear cargo areas are expected to be used as intended. The gate is aluminum so rust concerns with paint scratches down to metal are nil. It’s a purely cosmetic thing. For that reason, those of us who want to add protection can pay to do so, while those of us who are ok having the gate scratched and dented don’t have to pay for cosmetic protection they don’t need.

Now, the outside of the vehicle - for me that’s another story! I absolutely hate door dings and scratches, though I know they are inevitable. I’m still going to do a professional ceramic coating and PPF on the front end to keep that tri-coat as pristine as I can until either some phackwad decides to park right beside me in the far reaches of a car parking lot to ding me, or I pinstripe the paint accidentally on a tree branch I missed moving! 😉

The underside will take its beatings on the armour and like it!
 

Bodge Garage

Badlands
Well-Known Member
First Name
Kris
Joined
Aug 6, 2020
Threads
15
Messages
383
Reaction score
1,022
Location
Millwood WA
Vehicle(s)
1994 Land Rover Discovery, Jeep Gladiator
Your Bronco Model
Badlands
Clubs
 
Thoughtful design takes two things Bronco owners are not willing to give any more of, time and money. Ford could design out every last tiny issue but you wont buy a base for $28k and it wont be ready for a couple more years. Mass produced design is a give and take.
 

Phil

Raptor
Well-Known Member
First Name
Phil
Joined
Aug 10, 2021
Threads
1
Messages
688
Reaction score
1,752
Location
USA
Vehicle(s)
2022 Tesla Model 3 LR
Your Bronco Model
Raptor
Hi all,
I just spent the past week down in Joshua Tree breaking in my FR in the desert -it was a great time. The trip revealed a bunch of issues. One of which is particularly maddening.

I picked up the rubber arego area mat before we left, which is generally pretty nice (however why the hell does the customer need to manually cut out the openings for the cargo hooks!?). About 2 days into our trip and after loading sandy gear in and out of the cargo area, I noticed a trail of scratches and serious little wear marks on the inside of the tailgate - many right down and into the bare metal. What happening is that small rocks and sand are sticking to the little flange on the leading edge of the cargo mat. If the cargo mat isn’t slid all the way forward (and there’s nothing to retain it fully forward), and debris that’s stuck to this flange gets closed against the inside of the tailgate and abrades the finish. Also, anything else in the cargo area that makes contact with the inside of the tailgate also scratches up the paint.

This design is bullshit. They didn’t think this design through, and probably didn’t include this mat in their product testing cycles as it’s likely the accessories were designed after the rest of the vehicle was baked and by different staff. They could have resolved this by retaining the matbetter so it can’t make contact, or modifying the inside of the tailgate so that this contact area isn’t just painted metal but plastic or rubberized. I wish their design team spent more time working out details like this than writing BS ‘accessory ready’ all over the truck - actually make the thing accessory ready and think it through!

Anyhow, this is disappointing and I’m going to raise the issue with my dealer - maybe I can get a new tailgate and refund on the mat out of it. I’ll keep you posted, and beware!

634B2A99-8517-4634-BC6E-C31DDE61AA4D.jpeg
C63F8D69-FC64-4FE2-A1C5-4DDA8B6CE9FC.jpeg
F0CB1519-8A12-4280-AC6A-9970EEAC7AB3.jpeg
B5C9EFEE-1535-4AC1-BDF8-E7C515761647.jpeg
perfect opportunity for someone to make and sell a strip of film to protect this area some xpel or other car wrap material would be perfect
Sponsored

 
 


Top