Bad news about MIC 2.0 quality after a few days

[MarkusBigBucks]

Agreed. The rolled-sealed edges do not seem uniform or complete on some Bronco tops, including from the mentioned post. An unsealed edge could spell trouble over time, especially given some already are showing separation.

For reference, below is a photo of the lower rolled and sealed edge of my 1998 TJ hardtop. Other than some scrapes from getting laid on pavement, it's no worse for wear after 20+ years of usage.

I'd like to see Ford figure a better way to roll and seal all the edges of their Bronco tops, instead of seeing what appears to be simply cut material with the interior part of the top exposed.

Yep, thats what it should look like, you are absolutely correct.

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[GoTigersGoBronco]

I suspect A) it is hard to do. B) expensive to do C) most consumers will not pay the required price, which means D) nobody is going to make a killing on this.

I think you’re right. I also think there is some hesitancy because Ford accessories hasn’t finalized the pricing. If they’re $2,995 at the Ford Dealer, few will buy a $6,995 AEV.

 

[MarkusBigBucks]

So today I had a appointment with a Ford Representative to look at my top MIC 2. 0 on my FE. They confirmed it is a 2.0. They agree the edges should be finished, they agree it is a problem. They did say they are not sure of the solution and it could take some time to figure it out. He did say most people probably wont complain about it, and currently there are not many. ( not sure I believe that) They had a new hardtop center panel there for a customer who had a soft top that had just came in and we opened up the box and it also had unfinished edges. So ordering a new top wont get you any where you are not already at. Conclusion is , its not going to get fixed anytime soon and I did not expect it would and I am not upset about it at all, just as long as it eventually gets fixed. My thoughts and my opinion is , people who live in warm climates wont have a issue. But I believe people who live in areas of extreme temperature changes and moisture ,in time will have issues , might take a few years. With a raw edge untreated its open to moisture, when moisture gets in the fiberglass and it freezes it will expand causing delaminating or separation of the fibers. My advice to anybody with these hardtops is to go over it with a fine tooth comb, if you have exposed fiberglass even if its smooth to touch, if it is not sealed ( should have gel coat or paint on the edge , it should not be white if you have a black top) take pictures , report it to your dealer even if you think it will be fine. Protect your self for the future in case it does start delaminating. Below I ill post pictures of what they should look like, then Ill post pictures of my 2.0 looks like.

this is what they should look like, If yours doesn’t I would let the dealer know . This is indio22 98 JL top he posted about earlier in this thread.

this is bad craftsmanship IMO the next pictures.

next pictures are dimples I found , small but non the less a $60k vehicle should not have this.

Then the top rubber seal protruding

I also have some honey comb , its mild but non the less there.

My final thoughts are , I love my Bronco, absolutely love it. For those who have not received theirs yet, its worth the wait, hold tight you will be happy. While I might be what some call dam picky, and I am sure there are many. But when you pay $63k for a vehicle plus tax $6700 (Washington State) and licensing plus a $5k markup (my fault I agreed to that) you end up with a $73k vehicle , most will be more as I put down $54,500.00 so my finance charges where minimal. You should get a finished product, these edges are unfinished. I am positive in time Ford Motor Co will take care of the issues.
This post is to help people with there tops so they understand what to look for so they can document there top in case of future problems down the road. I hope this helps. And please report to your dealership.

PS idio22 I stole your picture of your 98 JL!

 

[splathead]

When is someone going to make an aftermarket hard top???they will make a killing...

https://www.instagram.com/panoramic.jeep.worldwide/

 

[Bronco21fan]

The sad thing is it’s going to take along time to replace every hardtop when they do get it wright and going to cost ford a boatload of money

 

[Meandeane]

So today I had a appointment with a Ford Representative to look at my top MIC 2. 0 on my FE. They confirmed it is a 2.0. They agree the edges should be finished, they agree it is a problem. They did say they are not sure of the solution and it could take some time to figure it out. He did say most people probably wont complain about it, and currently there are not many. ( not sure I believe that) They had a new hardtop center panel there for a customer who had a soft top that had just came in and we opened up the box and it also had unfinished edges. So ordering a new top wont get you any where you are not already at. Conclusion is , its not going to get fixed anytime soon and I did not expect it would and I am not upset about it at all, just as long as it eventually gets fixed. My thoughts and my opinion is , people who live in warm climates wont have a issue. But I believe people who live in areas of extreme temperature changes and moisture ,in time will have issues , might take a few years. With a raw edge untreated its open to moisture, when moisture gets in the fiberglass and it freezes it will expand causing delaminating or separation of the fibers. My advice to anybody with these hardtops is to go over it with a fine tooth comb, if you have exposed fiberglass even if its smooth to touch, if it is not sealed ( should have gel coat or paint on the edge , it should not be white if you have a black top) take pictures , report it to your dealer even if you think it will be fine. Protect your self for the future in case it does start delaminating. Below I ill post pictures of what they should look like, then Ill post pictures of my 2.0 looks like.

this is what they should look like, If yours doesn’t I would let the dealer know . This is indio22 98 JL top he posted about earlier in this thread.

this is bad craftsmanship IMO the next pictures.

next pictures are dimples I found , small but non the less a $60k vehicle should not have this.

Then the top rubber seal protruding

I also have some honey comb , its mild but non the less there.

My final thoughts are , I love my Bronco, absolutely love it. For those who have not received theirs yet, its worth the wait, hold tight you will be happy. While I might be what some call dam picky, and I am sure there are many. But when you pay $63k for a vehicle plus tax $6700 (Washington State) and licensing plus a $5k markup (my fault I agreed to that) you end up with a $73k vehicle , most will be more as I put down $54,500.00 so my finance charges where minimal. You should get a finished product, these edges are unfinished. I am positive in time Ford Motor Co will take care of the issues.
This post is to help people with there tops so they understand what to look for so they can document there top in case of future problems down the road. I hope this helps. And please report to your dealership.

PS idio22 I stole your picture of your 98 JL!

How did you get in direct contact with a Ford rep?

I took mine into my dealer so they could document the issues I've seen but so far no follow up and they haven't been good at communicating so far.

 

[Ramble_Offroad]

 

[SASProbie]

https://www.instagram.com/panoramic.jeep.worldwide/

These look great! Thank you for posting.

 

[MarkusBigBucks]

How did you get in direct contact with a Ford rep?

I took mine into my dealer so they could document the issues I've seen but so far no follow up and they haven't been good at communicating so far.

The dealership called him in . His official title is field service engineer , Seattle Region. After I first notified them (the day I bought it)I just kept on the dealership in a nice way, they rest assured and showed me the emails they sent to ford reassuring me they are dealing with the problem, then one day last week I received a phone call from the dealership stating the guy was coming in and wanted to see the top for himself, set up the appointment. I’m lucky as the service manager agrees with me, this isn’t right and needs to get fixed or we will be buying another hardtop in the future which was one of the reason I did not want a soft top , I dont want to have to keep buying tops. I plan on keeping my Bronco for the rest of my life. My truck I bought brand new in 2000 still looks new and runs great. This is a retirement vehicle , as such I will be on a fixed income and dont want large expenses that are not necessary. I dont want this top to start falling about in 5 years after the warranty is gone. And that is exactly what will happen if they don't fix them right.

anybody with a hardtop that looks like the above pictures need to push it hard. They tried to convince me not many are complaining but we already know enough complained that hardtop 1.0 is now 2.0 and I hear 3.0 is in the works so that pretty much proves more are complaining than they wanted me to believe. The price of these vehicles the edges should be finished.

 

[usarms]

I was trying to figure out why the wind noise from the hardtop. I looked at the seals that don't fit correctly anywhere so I decided to locate the air leaks using my FLIR thermal. These pics are just from the tops of the doors where they intersect with the hardtop. I picked those because it's obvious that either engineers or the manufacturer needs to go back to school. These are with the truck running for less than 5 minutes. That's a lot of gap space and the red shows the worst areas. The yellow indicates a lesser leak. I was only concerned about the joint above the doors this time. All the edges look like they were sawed off and there is a lot of exposed black foam material visible under the seams. Not what you would expect from a major manufacturer.

 

[mpeugeot]

Ohhh. good idea, now I just need to go grab my thermal camera and do the same! Why didn't I already think of that!!! LOL! That is the easy way to do it!!!

 

[Markpf189]

My mic 2.0 is already leaking after only a week - it’s a small amount right now, but I’m just hoping it doesn’t get worse over time..should note it rained here for about 10 hours in a row 2 days since owernship.

Interestingly, it doesn’t leak during a high pressure wash, but does during a light prolonged rain.

I have to look the top over still to check for any gaps etc

 

[wetdog]

I was trying to figure out why the wind noise from the hardtop. I looked at the seals that don't fit correctly anywhere so I decided to locate the air leaks using my FLIR thermal. These pics are just from the tops of the doors where they intersect with the hardtop. I picked those because it's obvious that either engineers or the manufacturer needs to go back to school. These are with the truck running for less than 5 minutes. That's a lot of gap space and the red shows the worst areas. The yellow indicates a lesser leak. I was only concerned about the joint above the doors this time. All the edges look like they were sawed off and there is a lot of exposed black foam material visible under the seams. Not what you would expect from a major manufacturer.

Science

 

[Markpf189]

Does anyone else’s top have a section in the front window by the back where it looks like it’s essentially missing a chunk of the outside rubber? Both sides.

 

[John Auer]

My mic 2.0 is already leaking after only a week - it’s a small amount right now, but I’m just hoping it doesn’t get worse over time..should note it rained here for about 10 hours in a row 2 days since owernship.

Interestingly, it doesn’t leak during a high pressure wash, but does during a light prolonged rain.

I have to look the top over still to check for any gaps etc

Not acceptable.

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