Hold on tight: Bronco production coming to full halt due to MIC top problems

[cowman]

I suspect production will halt, and scheduling will shuffle around a few dozen more times before this is all over.

Here is my thought though if Ford happens to be watching: Why not offer people 'temp tops' and co-source from everywhere?

Talking to my local upholstery shop, they already do a few custom tops for other vehicles today. They do a lot of custom-colored tops for Jeeps, Miatas and old Suzuki Samurais and said they could probably knock out 25 per week (5 per day) if they were all the same black sailcloth/canvas material they get in bulk and use computer cutting/guided sewing methods. That seems low, but spread that across.. say.. 1000 shops... you're now getting 5,000 tops per day being cranked out. You could be overloaded with soft-tops to ship now, and offer customer's the option for the 'temporary top' to get it sooner, but make it like a $500 option to cover shipping costs of their hard top later (and end up with dual tops, too!). The hard part would be getting the top hardware, but I presume that could also be ramped up to those levels, too. E I know I am not the only one who'd pay $500 now to get my Bronco sooner if it meant I still got my hardtop, even if that was next year.

Just a thought... I know the hard part would be consistency in materials and workmanship, but if these are labeled as temporary/disposable, they don't even have to be high-end sailcloth. They could be basic vinyl and it wouldn't matter if the expectation is that it will be trashed anyway.

How long do you think it would be to get a 1000 shops lined up??? and I bet there is not a 1000 shops that would drop what they are doing to set up for it.... lots of paper work to do here for that to happen... not to say anything about getting the material to build them..... just saying.... it takes longer than you think to do this....

Sponsored

 

[j_marinelli]

Still takes a captain (Ford) to steer into one

 

[UberGadgetFreak]

How long do you think it would be to get a 1000 shops lined up??? and I bet there is not a 1000 shops that would drop what they are doing to set up for it.... lots of paper work to do here for that to happen... not to say anything about getting the material to build them..... just saying.... it takes longer than you think to do this....

Maybe so, but they could do it fairly quick compared to the Webasto Fiasco timeline though. Many shops already have materials for this if they already do anything with off-roading communities. it couldn't hurt to check.

 

[SnowBronco]

Love how everyone try’s to kill the messenger when they bring news that we don’t like. Given Fords top to bottom shit show, I think it’s more than possible. I’d say likely

It is just me or does anyone else also see Bronco-tits when they see your user name?!

 

[Trueblue2296]

I don’t understand why they can’t just ship them out with soft tops, and then deal with the hard top later. and just give it to us since it was supposed to be included anyway,
For the 2 doors…..
And then just give a huge discount to the four-door people who paid extra for a hard top?
…. I mean really, the soft tops are dirt cheap it’s not like they’re gonna lose a ton of money.
They’re gonna lose customers!!!!
I don’t know I guess I just have simple logic to fix problems.

They will lose customers not sales. People will still buy these things no matter what. Most of the country is clueless as to what’s happening with the bronco. They’ll see them on a lot with soft tops and ask about hard and they’ll be told aftermarket and that will be sufficient because they don’t know any different.

 

[cowman]

Maybe so, but they could do it fairly quick compared to the Webasto Fiasco timeline though. Many shops already have materials for this if they already do anything with off-roading communities. it couldn't hurt to check.

Define fairly quick.... I have been operating 3 business for over 40 years.... no such thing a fairly quick ....

 

[grayshadow]

 

[UberGadgetFreak]

Define fairly quick.... I have been operating 3 business for over 40 years.... no such thing a fairly quick ....

Less than the 6 months it has taken Webasto I would say at least a 45-60 day turnaround to start getting those tops.

 

[ilbastarge]

Still takes a captain (Ford) to steer into one

But most of the problems are below the waterline? Of course there has been a lot of rain too...

 

[j_marinelli]

But most of the problems are below the waterline? Of course there has been a lot of rain too...

That's just lawyer talk right there

 

[ilbastarge]

That's just lawyer talk right there

Acquisition, not lawyer.

 

[j_marinelli]

Acquisition, not lawyer.

 

[ilbastarge]

Maybe, but it isn't EXACT! I'm certainly not a recent college grad bringin...

Don't get me started...

 

[j_marinelli]

Maybe, but it isn't EXACT! I'm certainly not a recent college grad bringin...

Don't get me started...

 

[MISSJD]

Maybe, but it isn't EXACT! I'm certainly not a recent college grad bringin...

Don't get me started...

Lawyers have no nest egg, we only have piles and piles of student loans Acquisitions was the right choice

Sponsored