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Problems with adding a Hard Top later...

ramblinwreck

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ZackDanger

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So I had the rear window washer on my old JKU hard top, never used it once the whole time I owned it. Do people really care about it that much?
Those north of Georgia do. Defrost and washer fluid/wiper are daily use items for me in the winter.
Yeah. I get regular use of my JK’s rear wiper and washer for road salt or slushy snow removal in the winter time.

Ford Bronco Problems with adding a Hard Top later... 0A997BBA-1E8B-402A-AE4E-46DC4CCC1B8D
 
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Markubis

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This whole idea just makes no sense to me. Ford has been touting how "modular" and adaptable the new Bronco is going to be, but they can't build ALL Broncos with a basic cable that would make them the same?

It honestly boggles my mind what their thought process is on this.

So much for that used Bronco 5 years from now that got ordered with a soft top but the new owner would like a hard top added....
Sure, they can get the cables added, but at what price? Something as basic as buying a hardtop shouldn't require a trip to the dealer and a harness that will probably cost a few hundred dollars.
 

ZackDanger

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This whole idea just makes no sense to me. Ford has been touting how "modular" and adaptable the new Bronco is going to be, but they can't build ALL Broncos with a basic cable that would make them the same?

It honestly boggles my mind what their thought process is on this.

So much for that used Bronco 5 years from now that got ordered with a soft top but the new owner would like a hard top added....
Sure, they can get the cables added, but at what price? Something as basic as buying a hardtop shouldn't require a trip to the dealer and a harness that will probably cost a few hundred dollars.
For what it’s worth this is how Jeep also does it. If it wasn’t built with a hard top from the factory, then it doesn’t come with the connections for a hard top.

I agree that for a vehicle that you can easily swap out the hard top afterwards it would be nice to have everything in place.

I suspect that someone did the math on adding the cost of connections for soft-top only builds against the profit of selling hardtops to some of those people after the fact... and it just didn’t make financial sense to include the connections on every vehicle.

I don’t like it, but it makes sense to me why they did it.
 

Markubis

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For what it’s worth this is how Jeep also does it. If it wasn’t built with a hard top from the factory, then it doesn’t come with the connections for a hard top.

I agree that for a vehicle that you can easily swap out the hard top afterwards it would be nice to have everything in place.

I suspect that someone did the math on adding the cost of connections for soft-top only builds against the profit of selling hardtops to some of those people after the fact... and it just didn’t make financial sense to include the connections on every vehicle.

I don’t like it, but it makes sense to me why they did it.
Ok, fair enough. But they could at least have the harness hook up as an option when someone is just buying the soft top.
 

cpmartin1999

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Even on a vertical window?
im wondering this same idea? The wiper ans washer pre wired would be nice, however, that only means the hard top added later would not have a wiper and washer right? nothing else is a problem? Because no wiper seems totally normal for me, all my SUV's have wiers and i never use them. Besides that i was wondering which is better/cheaper/easier to get LAST? i figure the one thats easier to install would probably be easier as the second top purchased later? I thought get soft top on 4 dr first, hard top later, seems being stiff, 1 uniform, maybe easier to self install? Or consensus getting "both" at onces is best value????
 

ZackDanger

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im wondering this same idea? The wiper ans washer pre wired would be nice, however, that only means the hard top added later would not have a wiper and washer right? nothing else is a problem? Because no wiper seems totally normal for me, all my SUV's have wiers and i never use them. Besides that i was wondering which is better/cheaper/easier to get LAST? i figure the one thats easier to install would probably be easier as the second top purchased later? I thought get soft top on 4 dr first, hard top later, seems being stiff, 1 uniform, maybe easier to self install? Or consensus getting "both" at onces is best value????
Hard tops are extraordinarily easy to install. You can watch the BN video on it. They are meant to be taken on and off by an owner in their driveway.

Soft tops tend to be a little more complicated because they mount and attach in more points, and may have extra trim pieces... but are still designed for the the owner to do it themselves. (Typically just at the start/end of a season for the soft top... it is assumed you’ll just fold it down when you want it open)

As far as price/value... looking to the Jeep world it’s almost always cheaper to purchase the hard top with the vehicle. On the Jeep side you can get them from the parts counter, but you have to pay for shipping, and depending on the version they can even come unpainted.

There’s the potential to pick a new hardtop up aftermarket, but without having seen any so far, it’s hard to say if and when they would be available (also price and quality). You could google Jeep aftermarket hardtop to get a feel for what we can expect with the Bronco.

Lastly you can sometimes get one second hand through Craigslist or eventually this very forum... but considering one is normally limited geographically for something this large and heavy, they’re not always easy to come by. In my area at least, soft tops are usually easier to find for sale second hand... I rarely, if ever, see someone looking to sell their hard top.

All this is of course complicated by the late-availability nature of some of the Bronco top options... only you can decide and weigh what’s most important to you.
 

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BroncoBuckaroo

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im wondering this same idea? The wiper ans washer pre wired would be nice, however, that only means the hard top added later would not have a wiper and washer right? nothing else is a problem? Because no wiper seems totally normal for me, all my SUV's have wiers and i never use them. Besides that i was wondering which is better/cheaper/easier to get LAST? i figure the one thats easier to install would probably be easier as the second top purchased later? I thought get soft top on 4 dr first, hard top later, seems being stiff, 1 uniform, maybe easier to self install? Or consensus getting "both" at onces is best value????
Well I may get a mic top for a 4 door now but get a modular painted top as soon as they become available later through parts....I will be selling my mic top cheap if I go this direction.
 

texasgreazer

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2021 Soft top-to-hardtop rear window washer/wiper conversion kit from Ford Performance Parts just announced!!! Designed in signature Ford Blue. MSRP $99.99 (water/soap not included)

Ford Bronco Problems with adding a Hard Top later... stock-photo-car-window-wiper-sponge-mirror
 

BigMex

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Does anyone know: will a MIC-only hardtop bump an order into late availability?
 
 


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