Anyone else concerned about their top holding up over time?

[Richardson]

Just picked up my 2.7, soft top, basesquatch and the dealer ripped the clips off the back window before I could even get it off the lot (they said they could get a replacement window panel in the next week but we will see). I've seen other reports of the clips tearing off the back panel extremely easily and stitching coming loose. As I live with the soft top the past few days, removing the rear windows, the various foam/rubber sewn into the canvas seems incredibly brittle. Am I crazy here to expect a bit more from a new vehicle? I do love the Bronco but feel a bit let down by the lack of quality here. My soft top CJ7 from high school is still intact and I removed it hundreds of times over the past decades. I can't imagine this product holding up more than a few years. Anyone else concerned about their top holding up over time?

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[Daktari]

not concerned at all, I expect it to be a consumable like breaks, eventually it will fail/tear/fade/bend/what ever, then I'll get a new one, maybe aftermarket has something interesting by then, if not I'll get what ever Ford will be putting on them years from now.

The clips are weird, a design flaw, but there's a fix with some rivets the dealers can do if you can't get a replacement window.

I really like my soft top and certainly would not call it trash in any way. I'd never trade for a hard top and am perfectly fine with the little quirks. I open it all the time, even for my mile to the store, so easy!

 

[filup01]

I don’t think it’s trash but like you hinted at, I think Best Top and Ford made it over complicated. You’re right, an old CJ top was much easier and much more simple (and didn’t scratch your roll bar) but I do like that it’s somewhat robust. It’s a trade off I suppose (robust = over complicated).
In the end, not trash but could be much better.

 

[Calm horse]

I believe there are 4 clips for the back window...how many did he break? Should have learned his lesson on the first one that he broke and watch the videos on how to properly remove them. Hopefully it's warm and sunny for you till you get replacement.

 

[GETSCHWIFTY]

Are we talking about the trek top?

 

[Koz44]

Soft tops aren’t supposed to be like brakes. You shouldn’t need a new one while you own the Bronco unless something weird happens to it. As the OP said with his Jeep - I’ve had the same soft top for my 2014 wrangler since I bought it used. It still looks like new besides some scratches on the windows. Still fits perfectly, no seems bursting, no clips coming loose and no waves in the windows. It just works.

I’m hoping my Bestop works out as well - even though the install looks like a total pain.

 

[88to21bronco]

If youe salesman broke the clips before he got it off the lot, he had no clue what he was doing IMO. I've taken mine off and put it on dozens of times--as have my teenage kids--and it is holding up fine 14,000 miles in.

 

[Cbiggs]

I’ve had my soft top up and down/open closed, whatever……+/- 50 times since September and it’s met or exceeded all of my expectations.

i expected there to be some road noise. There is.​

I expected it to be weather tight. ​

I expected it to go from open to close with windows in relatively fast ​

i expected it to look like a saggy diaper sometimes ​

​

STILL LOVE IT​

 

[Cable Guy]

Already ordered the Bestop Trektop. Significantly better than the factory OEM one.

 

[PrepVet]

Not a bit. It’s been in good order and works great for the months I’ve had it.

 

[BroncoDr]

Just picked up my 2.7, soft top, basesquatch and the dealer ripped the clips off the back window before I could even get it off the lot (they said they could get a replacement window panel in the next week but we will see). I've seen other reports of the clips tearing off the back panel extremely easily and stitching coming loose. As I live with the soft top the past few days, removing the rear windows, the various foam/rubber sewn into the canvas seems incredibly brittle. Am I crazy here to expect a bit more from a new vehicle? I do love the Bronco but feel a bit let down by the lack of quality here. My soft top CJ7 from high school is still intact and I removed it hundreds of times over the past decades. I can't imagine this product holding up more than a few years. Anyone else concerned about their top holding up over time?

I’ve had the soft top for this snowy cold Michigan winter and it’s been great. A little loud over 75 mph, but overall I really like it and the times it’s been warm enough to open it all the way up has been glorious.

I would ask to see the damage in person. Something doesn’t add up. 1) they clearly don’t know wtf they are doing since they broke it. 2) if I were to rip off my back window without unclipping it, I would expect the clips to rip off the top of the soft top, not the back window piece since the clips are more robustly secured to the window piece. They might not have recognized what piece is actually damaged.

Definitely look up a tutorial on how to remove the soft top. (This one is good ) It’s designed to be pretty specific with having to pull very specific spots to get things to release.

One tip I found in the manual that helps is to open the front portion/leaving the front portion folded back when removing and replacing the windows. It adds a few mm of slack that can make this less of a stretch to get back together.

 

[stampede1]

My soft top works great.

 

[Richardson]

I believe there are 4 clips for the back window...how many did he break? Should have learned his lesson on the first one that he broke and watch the videos on how to properly remove them. Hopefully it's warm and sunny for you till you get replacement.

I watched him shear 3/4 of them immediately with relative ease off of one side, really didnt seem like he was applying much pressure at all.. The plastic is so small and flimsy that you have to be super careful/know what you are doing when removing that panel (unfortunately he did not).

 

[Richardson]

I’ve had the soft top for this snowy cold Michigan winter and it’s been great. A little loud over 75 mph, but overall I really like it and the times it’s been warm enough to open it all the way up has been glorious.

I would ask to see the damage in person. Something doesn’t add up. 1) they clearly don’t know wtf they are doing since they broke it. 2) if I were to rip off my back window without unclipping it, I would expect the clips to rip off the top of the soft top, not the back window piece since the clips are more robustly secured to the window piece. They might not have recognized what piece is actually damaged.

Definitely look up a tutorial on how to remove the soft top. (This one is good ) It’s designed to be pretty specific with having to pull very specific spots to get things to release.

One tip I found in the manual that helps is to open the front portion/leaving the front portion folded back when removing and replacing the windows. It adds a few mm of slack that can make this less of a stretch to get back together.

this is the exact tutorial I watched over and over while waiting at the dealership to pick it up. I watched him rip it off, it was like one wrong move and snap, snap, snap. 3/4 of the clips were gone.

 

[Richardson]

Not a bit. It’s been in good order and works great for the months I’ve had it.

that is good to hear. hopefully once my replacement gets in i will have the same report!

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