[Updated] 300 MIC tops produced per day, but still constrained

[johnbasler]

FWIW - even if Ford was saying that it is not a constraint, there is such a backlog of HT orders that your chances are zero that a HT will arrive in the same timeframe as a soft top. My day 1 order 2 door arrived in November (#blessed). I placed a second order in mid December for a 4 door soft top, had the VIN within a week and it is going to get built next week. There is a 0.0% chance that a hardtop with everything else the same would have been built before summer at earliest.

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[Lil Red Broncette]

Plot twist: Karen is probably Mike Levine's wife.

Double Twist, Karen is Mike Levine

 

[Kekov721]

They going to send new MIC tops to 2.0 owners? Mines not looking so hot…

Exactly why im sticking with the softy

 

[spot]

I just got off the phone with Ford support (800-392-3673). It was a lengthy phone call with a friendly support person but these things were of note:

1. She said the recommendation to switch to a soft top to get your Bronco sooner is no longer true. Soft top orders are not being prioritized over hard top orders anymore as MIC production is now meeting demand for how many Broncos can be produced in a day. She said if you previously switched to a soft top to jump the line but are still not scheduled, you have been placed back in line where you would have been originally, regardless of soft or hard top.

2. She said the hard top supplier is now making about 300 MIC tops a day. Those are showing up at the factory and being installed on the Broncos that need them.

I'd love for someone else to confirm this information - she seemed to really know what she was talking about, and it's better than "my dealer said", but still.

Was her name Cara?

 

[da_jokker]

Excuse my ignorance but what is the difference between the 4pin and 7pin harness? You can’t order the 7pin as I can tell. I’m still hanging on to the tow for now..

Judy, I'm guessing that if you don't know what the significance of the 7pin adaptor is, there is a good chance you don't need it (certainly not meant as a criticism) and will be just fine with the hitch installed aftermarket with the 4 pin. I was holding out for the factory tow, I reserved 7/18/20, but didn't need it, just seemed easier to get the factory install. I finally dropped it last week and got scheduled this Thursday and I have the Badlands with the Mic top. We are being proven again and again that people are getting picked sooner without it so if that is of interest, you might strongly consider having it installed afterwards.

I don't agree with the response. here in California, where PRBronco is, You're required to have a brake controller at 1500 lb. Which can basically anything over a simple utility trailer. So because someone's asking about a 7 pin, definitely does not = they don't need it.

A better answer may be, if you don't intend on towing anything then you may not need it. So if you're just going to put a bike rack or the like on the back then you would be fine.

 

[Greg Davis]

You can not get a soft top for the 2-door. 2-Door is MIC only from the Factory. 2-Door is also only 17% of February and March production, so its the hardest to get.

So is this a supply chain issue? It's an option when you are building one.

 

[BigFootie]

Is the only difference really just 7 pin? I thought there was a chip on board to integrate a brake controller?

The chip is part of the 7/4 pin integration. Ford after market and others only need 12 volts to drive the transition box.

 

[BigFootie]

I watched a guy install one. He didn't have to remove the bumper. Is there a difference on rear bumpers for Badlands? His looked like a badlands, maybe SAS pkg.

Will depend on the manufacturer and which way the bolts go in. From the rear will need the bumper removed, from the front no.

 

[PRBronco]

7 pin adds 12v and connection for electric trailer brakes. Since most trailers at the weight the Bronco can handle don’t include electric brakes, I don’t see it as much of an issue but if you want that capability, doing it yourself isn’t a piece of cake but it can be done as well. The 4 pin and a hitch is a piece of cake. Just need 12v for the little transition box and connect in with the rear lights and your golden.

Thanks for this! I knew I needed the wiring harness since we will be pulling a trailer. If I needed the hitch for just bikes I would have dropped it a long time ago. Appreciate all the info being sent my way.

 

[Herbie]

I don't agree with the response. here in California, where PRBronco is, You're required to have a brake controller at 1500 lb. Which can basically anything over a simple utility trailer. So because someone's asking about a 7 pin, definitely does not = they don't need it.

A better answer may be, if you don't intend on towing anything then you may not need it. So if you're just going to put a bike rack or the like on the back then you would be fine.

I just meant that if she wasn't using one now (just guessing based on her question) chance is she could continue to live without it. My apologies. Was just trying to be helpful in case she valued getting her car quicker over having factory installed tow option.

 

[Efthreeoh]

I don't agree with the response. here in California, where PRBronco is, You're required to have a brake controller at 1500 lb. Which can basically anything over a simple utility trailer. So because someone's asking about a 7 pin, definitely does not = they don't need it.

A better answer may be, if you don't intend on towing anything then you may not need it. So if you're just going to put a bike rack or the like on the back then you would be fine.

Oh the irony...

So last month I had to tow my motorcycle to the shop for new tires. It's cold here now and the old tires were a bit thin on rubber in a few places, so trailering was the best transport method. COVID caused backlog delays for MC tire shipments, so they arrived in late November after I ordered them in August. U-Haul rents MC trailers for $12/day; easy math...

Anyway, it was the first time I've towed anything with my H3T, which has a 7-pin connector. The U-Haul trailer is lightweight and does not have brakes, so it just uses a 4-pin connector. I had to go buy a 7-to-4 pin adapter - .

I long ago dropped the tow package on my Bronco order. If I ever need a receiver for it, I'd do fine with just a 4-pin connector.

 

[phocion]

So is this a supply chain issue? It's an option when you are building one.

The soft top option for the 2-door is a dealer-installed accessory, which you get in addition to the MIC top. You cannot get a 2-door without a MIC top, they are built at the factory with one.

 

[dbeyers]

Well this still didn’t seem to help me and my 7/14 order get a build date yet. I took tow off months ago. Want a 2 door so removing mic has never been an option. Don’t understand how I didn’t get picked this time. I actually previewed in december but got bumped. Then nothing last 2 scheduling cycles.

7/14/20 reservation date? Or 7/14/21 order date?

 

[phocion]

I am going to call this number until I can talk to Karen and maybe she can shed some light as to why my 9pm 7/13 res still hasn't been scheduled.

The reason is straightforward, if unsatisfying.

Ford's algorithm for selecting which Broncos to schedule includes commodity limitations, dealer allocation, reservation timestamp, and likely some other factors such as balancing regional sales and trims.

This algorithm is not selecting your Bronco because of the combination of factors other than reservation timestamp.

For the first year of the reservation program, Ford made it sound like reservation timestamp was by far the most important factor, and that Broncos would be built roughly in order of reservation. But that wasn't correct.

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