Bad news about MIC 2.0 quality after a few days

[Deleted member 12876]

I'm really not sure what everyone was expecting. Whether it took Ford/Webasto 3 weeks or 3 months to "re-tool" they were not changing the design of the MIC top.

Once I saw it was cardboard sprayed with plastic I immediately changed my order to a soft top.

Cardboard. Sprayed. With. Plastic.

That's the MIC top. Spraying more plastic and applying more pressure to the seams doesn't change the fact at its core - the MIC top is cardboard.

Any money that went into the Bronco was in the aesthetic design and the off road capabilities (and we've seen corners cut there).

I had previously test drove a Badlands and the awe of being in a Bronco had me largely wash over any of its shortcomings. After months of stewing over every post on here about Broncos. I recently went in and test drove a Maverick and then sat in the same Badlands I drove a few months ago.

Compared to a $23,500 trucklet built by the same damn company - the Bronco has shit build quality and there is simply no other way to put it. The Maverick is unapologetic where it makes concessions where as the Bronco wants you to feel like it has durability and not hollow plastic. Even the Maverick's interior quality would be a significant step up from the Broncos.

The window snag/bouncing is real. The interiors of both demos had scratches all on them. I noticed numerous paint chips all on the front of it.

This DOESN'T mean I don't still love the Bronco. I ordered my MavBrid but spent most of the hour and fifteen minutes I was back in the dealership talking about the Broncos with the salesman and manager and about the hope of my MY22 arriving.

I just think we need to be real with ourselves. This is a profit vehicle for Ford so there are going to be corners cut. It's also a new vehicle for Ford so we're going to deal with quite a few growing pains the 2025 refresh will not deal with. We're buying an off road rig that is loud and is going to be creeky and noisy. It's still awesome. Really awesome.

But don't be disappointed when your cardboard top starts to fail. It's fucking cardboard.

Did you know that they make airplane propeller out compressed sawdust.
aka DA40…

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[SoCal Driver]

Picked ours up about a week ago...same same. 2.0 top still had honeycomb issue. Wasn't gonna stop us from taking her home though.

My Bronco will be over 60k, for that price this is not acceptable!!

 

[indio22]

So read that link closely...

"Polyurethane composites consist of paper honeycombs which are covered by a mixture of polyurethane and reinforcing fibers." So the paper honeycomb is used as a substrate to form a plastic fiber-reinforced plastic honeycomb structure.

Yep, that is why I wrote: "Susceptibility to water doing damage inside, would depend on the extent that the paper honeycomb was infused with other materials."

 

[Dragline]

No. Not at this point. There is no proof water can cause any damage. Seem delamination doesn't necessarily mean the top will become defective. Unless someone has done a destructive test to evaluate if the seam edge is the only seal between the two panels and water can propagate into the top cavity and damage the internal structure, I'll remain positive the MIC top quality is good.

Gotta disagree with you on that. It certainly is a quality issue. While I agree it is not known if this will lead to catastrophic failure, it certainly isn't the way it's supposed to be. The unreinforced outer layer at the delam is at risk of failure, if nothing else. Moderate pressure from one finger is sufficient to deflect the outer layer at the void.

 

[710-oil-614]

Did you know that they make airplane propeller out compressed sawdust.
aka DA40…

And I bet it doesn't fall apart when subjected to moisture.

 

[SoCal Driver]

This may not be a deal breaker for some however everyone including Ford should acknowledge that there is in the very least a QC issue or at worst a design/material flaw. If the MIC 2.0 becomes a much larger issue, Ford needs to come out & say we are putting soft tops on all Broncos & once the hard top issues have been resolved we will send communication out on how you can get a hard top. The big issue with this solution are the 2 door orders; I’m not clear on why the soft top is not an option but Ford cannot afford continued delays due to tops. Customers will eventually get frustrated enough to move on from the Bronco & purchase something else. Ford are you listening???

im considering canceling my $61k order. If Ford is okay putting this crap out to their customers, what other quality issues does the Bronco have that we can’t see so easily??

 

[Steelbama]

Once the honeycomb has been turned into a fiber-reinforced plastic structure, the paper substrate is immaterial to the honeycomb integrity. My thoughts at least.

Delamination at the seem that allows moisture to enter can cause further failure via expansion/contraction, and is a cause for concern in my view.

 

[hozer]

Just a question.

My 2.0 also has unfinished edges, guaranteed it splits like some of these examples.

It's all under warranty... Why get up in arms about it? Ford is gonna have to do something about it; warranty exists for literally this exact scenario.

 

[Dragline]

Just a question.

My 2.0 also has unfinished edges, guaranteed it splits like some of these examples.

It's all under warranty... Why get up in arms about it? Ford is gonna have to do something about i; warranty exists for literally this exact scenario.

Agree, I'm not freaking out about it. Warranty coverage on a part that's designed to be removed and reinstalled. A little disappointing, but nothing to lose sleep over.

 

[Bituman]

Paper can be made to prevent capillary action to not let water move into the wood fibers, which freezing could be an issue. I'd bet Ford/Webasto engineers have designed the top not to fall apart upon the first winter (or summer for steam pressure).

If completely sealed, then yes, capillary action is mitigated. But those unsealed edges make me nervous. If even a small amount of moisture is allowed into that composite, it will surely cause problems. While others have feared the effect of freezing temperatures, I’m more worried about hot weather. I’ll bet that top gets close to 170 F with full sun here in southern Arizona. If nothing else, pore pressures in there will be tremendous, which could compromise (i.e., break) the composite. You may be right, but I worry about the top unzippering around the unsealed edge.

I hope your premise that the quality observations with MIC tops are not functional problems turns out to be right. But the fact that Ford is reacting to the observed problems suggests the MIC top has real issues. Besides, even if the unsealed edges don’t cause functional problems, it really looks like crap.

 

[Jdc]

Just a question.

My 2.0 also has unfinished edges, guaranteed it splits like some of these examples.

It's all under warranty... Why get up in arms about it? Ford is gonna have to do something about i; warranty exists for literally this exact scenario.

Like give you another top that's going to delaminate down the road? This may never lead to a major structural issue but we don't have any evidence either way. I personally don't want to waste my time continuously taking in my new suv for warranty repairs

 

[Jdc]

Besides, even if the unsealed edges don’t cause functional problems, it really looks like crap.

This nails it. If those seams keep splitting it will look like trash and that IS a quality issue

 

[Deleted member 12876]

And I bet it doesn't fall apart when subjected to moisture.

It sure doesn’t, but pretty sure after Ford motor company stops rushing product out the quality will get better. I believe it’s a good design that needs to be dialed in…

 

[Snowdogyyz]

I've posted a couple times along with this topic and that I recently bought a 2015 Wrangler and I'm really impressed with the top. It's been through rainstorms car washes, hell I even pressure wash it and nothing, not a single drop of water inside.

Now of course there's the design problem when you open the door and the rain gutter dumps a bunch of water into the floor, but when it comes to the top and it's ability to seal... They got it down....No split seems, no honeycomb, and no leaking. And that's on a vehicle that was built almost 8 years ago!

My experience as well as a Gladiator owner. Two years and not a single issue with leaks or appearance and super easy to remove. Yet Ford fanboys are willing to pay $50k+ for a disaster of a top.
Why would anyone accept this? I get it- it’s been a very long wait (roll out is yet another Ford disaster coupled with a potential 2.7 disaster brewing) and they want their Broncos- shit and all. But to try and bury it under the rug is just crap. I’m really amazed at what some customers are willing to take simply because it has “Ford” on it.

 

[NathanML]

I really don’t understand why they couldn’t just make the entire top out of an injection molded piece of plastic. That’s what I always thought it was.

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