It’s not shocking that a company would oversell their capabilities in order to win a contract. What is shocking to me is that a company as prominent as Ford, with so much at stake, would allow themselves to be duped in that fashion. To not do their due diligence in vetting Webasto’s capabilities, and to put all of their eggs in that basket is inexcusable. And consider this....if the MIC tops and the bottleneck they’ve created wasn’t such a star in this Kabuki Theater of failure, imagine how big a problem Ford would have with all of the other constraints (Lux, Sas, Tow, Safari bar, WT, and now Badlands I hear) would be.They floated this to our reps in a meeting this past week but apparently have things to work out if it’s going to happen. It sounds like they have some other things they are considering doing but again, nothing in writing yet. I was told the final straw came from Webasto on Monday. True or not, all parties knew there were ongoing issues. I assume they were at a deadline for some sort of production capacity and had to admit failure. I get why Ford stepped in because they usually stay out of suppliers workings. This is an extrordinary situation that has a huge impact on Ford’s ability to produce the Bronco at all. F’d up all the way around but this is a result of labor shortages and overselling of capability by Webasto.
Here are a few more shots. The sockets on the interior appear to be dormant female connectors that keep the loose electrical and washer conns from flopping around when the hard top is removed.This is off the 4 door in the building at OR. You can see the electrical and washer conns with top off.
To be fair Ford did have a relationship with Webasto prior to this on the eletrification side (charging stations). Not sure if they were doing other stuff but it’s not like this was a brand new relationship. Maybe it was for Webasto on tops but if other deals between them were good then I could understand why they might have thought things would be OK.It’s not shocking that a company would oversell their capabilities in order to win a contract. What is shocking to me is that a company as prominent as Ford, with so much at stake, would allow themselves to be duped in that fashion. To not do their due diligence in vetting Webasto’s capabilities, and to put all of their eggs in that basket is inexcusable. And consider this....if the MIC tops and the bottleneck they’ve created wasn’t such a star in this Kabuki Theater of failure, imagine how big a problem Ford would have with all of the other constraints (Lux, Sas, Tow, Safari bar, WT, and now Badlands I hear) would be.
Considering they have yet to really expend any of those assets in the building process, and the relatively minuscule number of builds scheduled in proportion to orders, all of these other constraints would be much more impactful. The MIC top issue might be a blessing in disguise for Ford as it causes a nice distraction to all of their other manufacturing issues.
Yes they are and I think it looks like crap. All the design that went into this thing and they do something amatureish like that. Instead of a hardshell cap and quick connect washer hose fitting, then tuck behind trim where it comes out, they pull that out of their rears. I’m sure there are two trim panels too, one with hard top, one without.Here are a few more shots. The sockets on the interior appear to be dormant female connectors that keep the loose electrical and washer conns from flopping around when the hard top is removed.
More close-ups from a recent Bronco Nation video...Yes they are and I think it looks like crap. All the design that went into this thing and they do something amatureish like that. Instead of a hardshell cap and quick connect washer hose fitting, then tuck behind trim where it comes out, they pull that out of their rears. I’m sure there are two trim panels too, one with hard top, one without.
They’re selling it to me for Msrp. They messed up my order so I’m getting the hookup.I’m on the fence too. Do I downgrade to an obx or something
and you’ll pay $10 - $15 grand more
More close-ups
I stand partially corrected. Looks like the washer line is a quick connect. Wonder if it has a check valve in the top line so you don’t get leaked on when it’s unhooked?More close-ups from a recent Bronco Nation video...
Fair enough, and accurate. I understand the hesitancy some may have do to their allegiance (not you sir....you are a stand up guy and we appreciate you) and sensitive nature of associations in calling out Ford for their responsibility in this failure, but I have no such allegiance.To be fair Ford did have a relationship with Webasto prior to this on the eletrification side (charging stations). Not sure if they were doing other stuff but it’s not like this was a brand new relationship. Maybe it was for Webasto on tops but if other deals between them were good then I could understand why they might have thought things would be OK.
Not defending either of them but I can understand the business logic going into it.
Here are a few more shots. The sockets on the interior appear to be dormant female connectors that keep the loose electrical and washer conns from flopping around when the hard top is removed.
No leaks in my hand when I took this shot.I stand partially corrected. Looks like the washer line is a quick connect. Wonder if it has a check valve in the top line so you don’t get leaked on when it’s unhooked?
well I guess at that point i might as well buy the jeepAnd no 2.7L engine, Lux or Sasquatch Package, Badlands/Wildtrak, Safari Bar or Trailer Tow package. I believe that should do it.
I didn't get a email either way. I've been cut from the teamTodays email.
More info/details posted by @flip
What about current scheduled orders: We have been told by our zone managers that if you currently have a VIN you are OK and the hard top issue should NOT affect you. Of course, this is not in writing but has been verbally confirmed by at least 2 reps.
What about FEs that haven’t been scheduled yet: Again, non-confirmed information is that a large chunk of these will be looked at next week when another round of scheduling happens. Not sure if it will be the balance of what’s left or just a portion.
Am I screwed if I’m a WT or 2 door: Neither the email nor associated FAQ address this question except for FE orders. There has been no information to say yes or no but several of us believe you may be hosed. I hope additional communication comes out to address this.
If I change tops will it get built: No, sort of. The FAQ plainly states you have a better chance of getting built if you have a 4 door, soft top and none of the restricted commodities. There is no guarantee changing these will get you built as dealer allocation and time stamp are still major factors.
Allocation: Ford states they intend to continue to schedule as many builds as they can within the production capacity and commodity constraints. We have heard they intend to fill dealer allocation numbers regardless if a customer walks away from the order or not. This could mean the dealer has a unit on the lot that they are free to sell. What it doesn’t mean is there is some sort of dirty deal between Ford and the dealers. If we tell Ford a customer wants the vehicle, they are going to build and ship it. Customer decides not to take delivery it’s still our problem.
Production: Ford is going to build as many units as possible but is likely to miss the targets they set at the beginning. There are no figures available to say how far short of the target they will be as several factors have impacted this.
What happens if you don’t get a ’21: No information has been provided to us yet to answer this. We assume they will have 2 more rounds of scheduling to fill out the ’21 model year. They may ask us to reconfirm ’22 model orders and make changes as needed. Nothing has been communicated related to time stamps, however we assume they will try to build ’22 models with consideration to commodity availability and time stamp.