MIC Hard Top Coating

[Nibroc99]

I've seen people do ceramic coatings on their MIC tops. But does anyone know what Ford actually recommends for maintaining the MIC hard top? Do they sell their own UV coating?

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[Ducati1098]

I've seen people do ceramic coatings on their MIC tops. But does anyone know what Ford actually recommends for maintaining the MIC hard top? Do they sell their own UV coating?

Ford recommends washing it with mild soap and water. Nothing else is necessary or recommended. No type of coating will make a bit of a difference

 

[BroncoChallenger]

Just don't use high pressure washes/automated car washes on your MIC top. There are stickers on them from the factory saying not to. My dealer removed them but thankfully I like to read my owner's manuals so I found out about it.

 

[Doc TOC]

Ford does not sell a UV or ceramic product. They sell a service that comes with warranty for interior and exterior protection.

Putting a protection product on your MIC top depends whether it is painted or not.

If you have a painted top, any of the paint protection products will work. Keep in mind that formulations change every year. Who is the "best" depends on which formulation. It is the silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide that bond to the paint clear coat that adds the protection. Nano length graphene additives that get "locked" in between the crystals add durability, like plaster in a wire mesh. (Graphene does not bond - it takes over 1500F to form a graphene bond without a vaporization method.)

Ceramic on a plastic MIC top is wasted money. The plastic is a different chemistry, using linked polymer chains to resist the oxidation and dirt. Similar to the fender flares and trail guides. The top layer of the plastic will break down over a long time (years) from the UV. Ph neutral car soap (mild cleaners) and a strong sponge (pro strong, not abrasive strong) is the best care. There are a lot of surfactant finishers you can use to add a surface sheen/luster/coat, but they will require frequent reapplication. They do not form a bond with the plastic like the ceramic coatings do with paint. And that's a good thing. You don't want a chemical that breaks down the plastic polymer chains. That is the protection.

 

[Nibroc99]

Just don't use high pressure washes/automated car washes on your MIC top. There are stickers on them from the factory saying not to. My dealer removed them but thankfully I like to read my owner's manuals so I found out about it.

Good to know! I only hand-wash mine at home and use a pressure washer for the tires and undercarriage only. Sounds like I'm good then!

 

[Ducati1098]

Putting a protection product on your MIC top depends whether it is painted or not.

There is no factory painted MIC top

 

[Nibroc99]

Ford does not sell a UV or ceramic product. They sell a service that comes with warranty for interior and exterior protection.

Putting a protection product on your MIC top depends whether it is painted or not.

If you have a painted top, any of the paint protection products will work. Keep in mind that formulations change every year. Who is the "best" depends on which formulation. It is the silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide that bond to the paint clear coat that adds the protection. Nano length graphene additives that get "locked" in between the crystals add durability, like plaster in a wire mesh. (Graphene does not bond - it takes over 1500F to form a graphene bond without a vaporization method.)

Ceramic on a plastic MIC top is wasted money. The plastic is a different chemistry, using linked polymer chains to resist the oxidation and dirt. Similar to the fender flares and trail guides. The top layer of the plastic will break down over a long time (years) from the UV. Ph neutral car soap (mild cleaners) and a strong sponge (pro strong, not abrasive strong) is the best care. There are a lot of surfactant finishers you can use to add a surface sheen/luster/coat, but they will require frequent reapplication. They do not form a bond with the plastic like the ceramic coatings do with paint. And that's a good thing. You don't want a chemical that breaks down the plastic polymer chains. That is the protection.

That makes sense! I do have the unpainted top. I would expect that they'd make something that doesn't bod to the plastic but rather sits on top of it like sunscreen that you reapply occasionally, would something like that be worth looking into or not at all? Honestly I'd love to find a painted black or silver hard top to match the rest of my bronco - though I do like not needing to worry about a ratchet or dings since it's just plastic cladding.
In any case, thanks for the info!!

 

[Nibroc99]

There is no factory painted MIC top

Correct - the MIC top is unpainted, and the painted top is an entirely different (heavier, but less delicate) construction.

 

[Doc TOC]

There is no factory painted MIC top

I stand corrected. Clarifying the difference between the tops was needed.

The painted hard top is a fiberglass top under the paint.

The molded-in-color (MIC) top is a polyoxymethylene (POM) plastic top, which can be painted. Several owners have shown their painted MIC tops on the forum. That is where my focus was when I said "painted".

BUT, the painted top is not a POM based top.

 

[5111]

Just don't use high pressure washes/automated car washes on your MIC top. There are stickers on them from the factory saying not to. My dealer removed them but thankfully I like to read my owner's manuals so I found out about it.

This is from Ford’s website. Not that you can’t find errors in it’s own literature…

If your Ford Bronco SUV has a hardtop roof, it can be cleaned at a traditional car wash. The hardtop roof is standard on two-door Bronco SUVs.

 

[Nibroc99]

This is from Ford’s website. Not that you can’t find errors in it’s own literature…

If your Ford Bronco SUV has a hardtop roof, it can be cleaned at a traditional car wash. The hardtop roof is standard on two-door Bronco SUVs.

They're probably speaking in relation to the soft top, which is a big softie and gets ticklish at traditional car washes. (I've seen them rip clean off from the overhead brush in TikTok posts lol)

 

[vrtical]

I use 303 on mine every once in the while but that is it. soap/water.

 

[indio22]

I stand corrected. Clarifying the difference between the tops was needed.

The painted hard top is a fiberglass top under the paint.

The molded-in-color (MIC) top is a polyoxymethylene (POM) plastic top, which can be painted. Several owners have shown their painted MIC tops on the forum. That is where my focus was when I said "painted".

BUT, the painted top is not a POM based top.

Do we know for sure the painted top is constructed of fiberglass including the outer skin? Is that info posted somewhere from the manufacturer, Ford, etc? Is Webasto also making that top?

 

[Nibroc99]

I stand corrected. Clarifying the difference between the tops was needed.

The painted hard top is a fiberglass top under the paint.

The molded-in-color (MIC) top is a polyoxymethylene (POM) plastic top, which can be painted. Several owners have shown their painted MIC tops on the forum. That is where my focus was when I said "painted".

BUT, the painted top is not a POM based top.

I already have a bottle of Meguiars Ultimate Black from when I had an old Police Interceptor Utility with fading trim. Any thoughts on if that would do damage to the top? I'm probably just not gonna risk it tbh, but just curious your thoughts on that.

 

[2023bronco]

UV light affects all types of plastics, to differing degrees. A coating that blocks UV may be a good idea so long as it's compatible with whatever the hell type of thermoplastic the MIC top is made of.

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