[Updated 7/20] Early Delivered Bronco MIC Top Developing Honeycomb / Snakeskin Pattern

[Efthreeoh]

LOL the winch not only blocks the ACC. More importantly, it blocks the front facing camera. It’s a MASSIVE mistake from Ford, don’t try to defend them on that.

Maybe the mistake is trying to put too much tech in an off road vehicle and sell it at a reasonable price point. There is only so much shit you can stick on the front of a truck and try to keep it from being damaged on the trail.

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[lakesinai]

Here is the info I've been able to gather over the past year about the construction. I don't know enough about these materials to know what any of the words mean.

POM for the MIC, SMC for the MOD

ZackDanger, that all makes sense. Thank you!

 

[Tricky Nick]

Well in defense of the winch issue, how many hard core off roaders are really going to care about automatic cruise control?

Nothing stops anyone from mounting roof racks. Manufacturer liability is a game played by lawyers, not real people.

And another mentioned is the bull guard on the bumper. It blocks the "Bronco" name on the grille. Oooohhhh, what an engineering fail that is! Lol. It's a styling issue at worst.

To me those small issues are nit picking shit that in reality are going to get ignored by owners.

For the record, Lawyers are real people...some better people than others, but real just the same

 

[Oceannomad]

For the record, Lawyers are real people...some better people than others, but real just the same

So my lawyer sister keeps telling me. Although she gets paid well to lie so …

 

[Razorbak86]

Oh, oh, Ford is not going to like that title.

Typical for a Jalopnik headline. True to their Gawker Media origins. Nick Denton would be proud.

 

[Wanted33]

I've cleaned, and waxed the hard top on my Wrangler many times in the last two years. Nothing like that has happened, and it still looks new. I think it's time to stop by your dealer, and start a warranty claim. I really don't see that getting any better. I only see it getting worse as time goes by. Good luck.

 

[Efthreeoh]

For the record, Lawyers are real people...some better people than others, but real just the same

Says the man with "Tricky" in his forum name

 

[Skip2a]

There is a lot of speculation on here and lots of finger pointing. What I would love to see is Ford chime in and tell us the following:

1. How are they going to address the quality issue on these tops?

2. When do they expect to address the issue and start shipping quality tops that belong on a vehicle costing between $40 and $60k?

3. Why can't two door buyers (actually both 2 and 4 door) have the choice of a soft top to get their vehicle and supply the hard top when they quality control issues have been worked out?

I know it will be an additional cost that neither the buyer nor seller wants to pay. At this point Ford needs to start rebuilding its reputation and not worry about the cost of finding a solution.

There has to be some type of solution to this shit show that won't take another year or two to resolve.

 

[Derby]

Perhaps Ford should consult extang in Ann Arbor. They have hard bed top with a honeycomb construction that does not show through.

 

[PREMiERdrum]

The gift that keeps on giving. New today I have the "snakeskin" texture on both sides of my clamshell and signs of delamination all the way down the drivers side rear clamshell seam. There is also a dark rubberized vinyl streak that has obviously peeled off from somewhere clinging to the top of the raw edge, I'm wondering if this is the material they used to cover those edges to look properly finished?

My MIC roof hasn't been waxed or treated with any product in the 3 weeks since delivery.

The snakeskin texture is difficult to photograph but is quite obvious to the eye. It cannot be felt, only seen.

 

[North7]

The gift that keeps on giving. New today I have the "snakeskin" texture on both sides of my clamshell and signs of delamination all the way down the drivers side rear clamshell seam. There is also a dark rubberized vinyl streak that has obviously peeled off from somewhere clinging to the top of the raw edge, I'm wondering if this is the material they used to cover those edges to look properly finished?

My MIC roof hasn't been waxed or treated with any product in the 3 weeks since delivery.

The snakeskin texture is difficult to photograph but is quite obvious to the eye. It cannot be felt, only seen.

I'm starting to look at this Ford Molded-InCompetence as nothing more than another through away item, like air filters.

 

[Unit91]

Bet they're trying to reduce cycle times at Webasto to support throughput, and these last few weeks of tops are the result of it. So many variables that they clearly can't control.

 

[Bulletbill]

I imagine it’s not the best day to be a Ford employee on the Bronco project at Ford corporate.

 

[flip]

My question is if the grey outer "skin" is actually structural or just a cosmetic veneer. Is the separation between the core and veneer or in the base core layers? Is the MIC exterior a sheet that is loaded in the mold and everything is done in a single step or is this a multi-stage process? Seems like a painted top (like gel coat boat hull) would be much easier to produce considering it's in 6 different sections.

If the majority of this is some form of fiberglass mat/chopped strand/biaxial mat plus an outer veneer, it would seem this would be more difficult to produce than a standard fiberglass vacuum form. Is this a bonding issue? Too much/too little resin? Ford, send me a defective MIC top or multiples. Hell, I'll pay for them just to see if we can sand through the outer layer, apply a few coats of epoxy and try to get some paint to stick.

 

[vrtical]

My question is if the grey outer "skin" is actually structural or just a cosmetic veneer. Is the separation between the core and veneer or in the base core layers? Is the MIC exterior a sheet that is loaded in the mold and everything is done in a single step or is this a multi-stage process? Seems like a painted top (like gel coat boat hull) would be much easier to produce considering it's in 6 different sections.

If the majority of this is some form of fiberglass mat/chopped strand/biaxial mat plus an outer veneer, it would seem this would be more difficult to produce than a standard fiberglass vacuum form. Is this a bonding issue? Too much/too little resin? Ford, send me a defective MIC top or multiples. Hell, I'll pay for them just to see if we can sand through the outer layer, apply a few coats of epoxy and try to get some paint to stick.

These MIC tops should of had a better gelcoat seal design from all these pics I see.

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