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- Richard
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So long long story here...
May 17, 2023 I shopped around for the Anderson Composites hard top. Couple of shops wouldn't bother, some places said they couldn't get the SKU iunto their system. One place said they weren't doing installs because they were moving locations...despite the fact that the top was months out. I finally got a hold of an actual distributor for Anderson Composites locally here in the Houston area, they were close to where I live, were between home and work so I called on them. They weren't an off road place and didn't normally deal with this sort of thing, but they said they'd look into. They came back to me with a price and we placed the order. Anderson Composites said 12-16 weeks. This put us squarely in August/September.
Late August rolls around and I sent an email hopeful for good news. I said that I knew I was in the middle but was curious, so the shop reached out and Anderson replied that we'd been pushed back to October now. Well that's upsetting, but okay.
So first week of October rolls around and again I reach out for an update. Anderson once again replies that they're moving us back to first week of November. So now we've gone from August/Sept to November...hmm.
First week of November comes up and Anderson again tells us "week of Thanksgiving". This of course is disturbing because who's shipping the week of Thanksgiving. Well of course Thanksgiving comes and goes and still no word. Another email and we're told early December, but before Christmas for certain.
Well December comes and they get a batch of tops, and lo and behold there's a QC problem. Something is wrong with the paint and they're not happy. Back to the drawing board, delaying my top once again. Now we're told after the new year. Of course their social media guy is happy claim that they are easily shipping orders after May and that I should've received my order long ago, because what social media guy is going to admit that there is a problem right? Well I finally call Anderson directly. The rep claims of course that they're now telling customers 28 weeks, to which I counter with "that doesn't mean anything when you told me 12-16". So they tell me February if they can get their QC issues sorted out.
I swing by the local shop here and talk to the guys. The owner takes a personal interest in the issue because he's been sitting on this money for months now on his books. He can't do anything with it. We have a nice talk, great guy and if I were in that world I'd gladly go do business with them again. So Anderson tells us that they're trying to correct the issue with the tops on the ground, but have more coming in March and those used a different technique and hopefully one of the two will be good to go to customers.
March hits, and they're "testing"....and testing....and more testing....
Well....finally on 4/2 I get a call from the shop that Anderson called and said the top is finally ready to go if I still want it! An emphatic YES! Ship it ASAP! So a couple days go by and I get an email that the top has shipped and they provide me with a freight tracking number...my god this was the slowest freight truck ever...
Freight picked up on 4/4 in City of Industry, CA then slower than molasses made it's way to Houston, TX. It got "delayed due to congestion" at one point and was scheduled for delivery at the terminal by 1700 on Friday 4/12. Well Friday came and went an no update to the tracking, my god this tracking was horrible. Monday morning it finally updates that it was indeed at the terminal. So all day Monday it sits...Tuesday it sits "pending delivery", Wednesday it sits "pending delivery"...then, Wednesday at 11 am I get the call I've been waiting for! The local shop called and said...it had just been delivered, they'd unboxed it and checked it and it was good to go! They asked me to come in Thursday at 9 am....oh my god, the torture! So many times I could've driven to multiple areas and just put it on in a Walmart parking lot, but now, knowing it was here and was ready to go and I had to wait 1 more day....but alas...Thursday 4/18 arrived...I pulled up in front of the shop. Flipped the top back, pulled out my Bronco tool kit and went to work. Flipped the top back, windows off, fold the top all the way down, soft top brackets removed, side panels off, remove covers and take off the bolts...all that's left is lifting the top completely off! We did it. The top is off! and the install begins...
So here it is...the Anderson Composites textured white hard top installed. 11 months and 2 days from order (thanks leap year). Very happy with the appearance of the Bronco, and there's no squeaks or rattles. The texture is not that bad, not sure what people were expecting, but it's not very rough at all. I'm very happy.
Some more pics with better lighting and angles. Because if the ladies have taught us anything, angles matter.
some people had worries previously about fit and finish, I see zero issues with alignment of my windows.
Also my wiper was literally plug and play. I plugged it in, it worked. I didn’t have to do anything.
Only downside, my SiriusXM is having a harder time staying connected now
May 17, 2023 I shopped around for the Anderson Composites hard top. Couple of shops wouldn't bother, some places said they couldn't get the SKU iunto their system. One place said they weren't doing installs because they were moving locations...despite the fact that the top was months out. I finally got a hold of an actual distributor for Anderson Composites locally here in the Houston area, they were close to where I live, were between home and work so I called on them. They weren't an off road place and didn't normally deal with this sort of thing, but they said they'd look into. They came back to me with a price and we placed the order. Anderson Composites said 12-16 weeks. This put us squarely in August/September.
Late August rolls around and I sent an email hopeful for good news. I said that I knew I was in the middle but was curious, so the shop reached out and Anderson replied that we'd been pushed back to October now. Well that's upsetting, but okay.
So first week of October rolls around and again I reach out for an update. Anderson once again replies that they're moving us back to first week of November. So now we've gone from August/Sept to November...hmm.
First week of November comes up and Anderson again tells us "week of Thanksgiving". This of course is disturbing because who's shipping the week of Thanksgiving. Well of course Thanksgiving comes and goes and still no word. Another email and we're told early December, but before Christmas for certain.
Well December comes and they get a batch of tops, and lo and behold there's a QC problem. Something is wrong with the paint and they're not happy. Back to the drawing board, delaying my top once again. Now we're told after the new year. Of course their social media guy is happy claim that they are easily shipping orders after May and that I should've received my order long ago, because what social media guy is going to admit that there is a problem right? Well I finally call Anderson directly. The rep claims of course that they're now telling customers 28 weeks, to which I counter with "that doesn't mean anything when you told me 12-16". So they tell me February if they can get their QC issues sorted out.
I swing by the local shop here and talk to the guys. The owner takes a personal interest in the issue because he's been sitting on this money for months now on his books. He can't do anything with it. We have a nice talk, great guy and if I were in that world I'd gladly go do business with them again. So Anderson tells us that they're trying to correct the issue with the tops on the ground, but have more coming in March and those used a different technique and hopefully one of the two will be good to go to customers.
March hits, and they're "testing"....and testing....and more testing....
Well....finally on 4/2 I get a call from the shop that Anderson called and said the top is finally ready to go if I still want it! An emphatic YES! Ship it ASAP! So a couple days go by and I get an email that the top has shipped and they provide me with a freight tracking number...my god this was the slowest freight truck ever...
Freight picked up on 4/4 in City of Industry, CA then slower than molasses made it's way to Houston, TX. It got "delayed due to congestion" at one point and was scheduled for delivery at the terminal by 1700 on Friday 4/12. Well Friday came and went an no update to the tracking, my god this tracking was horrible. Monday morning it finally updates that it was indeed at the terminal. So all day Monday it sits...Tuesday it sits "pending delivery", Wednesday it sits "pending delivery"...then, Wednesday at 11 am I get the call I've been waiting for! The local shop called and said...it had just been delivered, they'd unboxed it and checked it and it was good to go! They asked me to come in Thursday at 9 am....oh my god, the torture! So many times I could've driven to multiple areas and just put it on in a Walmart parking lot, but now, knowing it was here and was ready to go and I had to wait 1 more day....but alas...Thursday 4/18 arrived...I pulled up in front of the shop. Flipped the top back, pulled out my Bronco tool kit and went to work. Flipped the top back, windows off, fold the top all the way down, soft top brackets removed, side panels off, remove covers and take off the bolts...all that's left is lifting the top completely off! We did it. The top is off! and the install begins...
So here it is...the Anderson Composites textured white hard top installed. 11 months and 2 days from order (thanks leap year). Very happy with the appearance of the Bronco, and there's no squeaks or rattles. The texture is not that bad, not sure what people were expecting, but it's not very rough at all. I'm very happy.
Some more pics with better lighting and angles. Because if the ladies have taught us anything, angles matter.
some people had worries previously about fit and finish, I see zero issues with alignment of my windows.
Also my wiper was literally plug and play. I plugged it in, it worked. I didn’t have to do anything.
Only downside, my SiriusXM is having a harder time staying connected now
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The top does look good. Don't know why, but it sort've reminds me of tennis... lol
