Warning: Extended Warranty didn't cover MIC Top crack damage

[Stlrfan152]

You should know that nothing is the vehicle or manufacturers fault on any car or truck forum. Haha
I noticed how flimsy that part of the top was when i took the roof off mine. I dont plan on removing my roof unless i get a soft top and its off for the seaon. It seems to easy to break, all the parts glued together on mine felt very loose and the top feels like itll fall apart when its off.
The way some people talk about their tops makes it sound like the quality is very different from one top to another.

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[thatspecialbeat]

The world is getting soft, and that Bronco top shouldn't be so delicate. This is how I installed and removed my CJ-7 hardtop (granted would be more difficult on Bronco with it's horizontal rear roll bar brace):

This is what I did the first time I took it off and put it back on.

DO NOT RECOMMEND!

 

[mpeugeot]

Okay, so this happened during a reinstall -- not the same as a crack from the factory. Obviously something got over stressed, not "clearly defective". These tops like all tops are composite, a fancy word for laminated plastic.

FFS - clearly you can't read and jumped to conclusions that are not true.

No, it didn't happen during the reinstall.

 

[mikeeshim]

I suggest you try a different dealer. Mine replaced the front roof panels under warranty because I forgot to lock them before driving down the mountain at 60 mph, no questions asked.

That being said, it doesn't look like a point load fracture IMHO, and I think you may have to be prepared to prove that it was in fact what you claim. I've had my rear hard top on the garage floor for 2 months straight, and even slid it around to move it out of the way a few times, even put several parts on it, and it was still fine. Could be a manufacturing defect, point being that you should be prepared to prove it. Take off any and all evidence of you tampering with it, like all of the weatherstrip and residue, for starters, and tell them that you noticed this as you were taking the top off.
One other thing to keep in mind is that the hard tops are severely back ordered so you'll have to wait a long time for it, IF it gets approved at another dealer. If it doesn't get approved, might as well get the ADV hard top instead.

 

[mpeugeot]

I work in automotive service and people like you are what make this job suck. No trim is covered under any extended warranty and even getting it covered under base warranty is slim. You have to prove its a defective part. Seeing how the crack goes from one bolt to another bolt its obviously been over tightened at some point. This is not a top defect its user error. Also you should read your extended warranty carefully cause chances are theres other things not covered you dont know about. And if they can get you in in November take it. My shops booked till 2nd week of December and just about every dealer in my area is at least that far or further out.

Oh, thanks for pointing that out. It is people like me who suck?

You know, I am willing to bet that the service manager I discussed the issue with would tell you that I was polite, respectful, and understanding.
Just because I am unhappy with the outcome doesn't mean that I am going to be an asshole. It appears that you might be biased against the people who actually didn't read every last bit of the fine print and never considered that the hardtop is trim.

Considering that I only loosened the bolts ONE time and it immediately broke following that, we can surmise that the factory is the only culprit that might have over-torqued it. It was not visibly cracked when I removed the bolts and didn't crack until I moved it 3 inches rearward and set it gently back down on the Bronco.

But, I am the problem... LOL Ok got it. Thanks for playing.

 

[SPITmadFIRE]

The extended warranty explicitly doesn’t cover any sort of removable, or convertible tops. It’s in the terms before you purchase the agreement. This definitely sucks, but it’s not unexpected.

 

[mpeugeot]

Off topic, but how did your Milestar Patagonia's hold up? With 43K on your Bronco I assume you have either replaced them or they should be getting a little thin.

They have been holding up pretty well overall. I have been rotating back and forth with factory tires. I would say that both are 1/2 used up. I also just scored a set of nearly new BD wheels and tires for $600, so that's what I am running this week.

 

[Sparkherd]

This is some serious B.S. I have a extended warranty on the my Bronco (150k miles). Last month, I pulled up my hardtop to put in additional weather stripping (rather than complaining about the hideous top in the first place - just shy of 36k miles) and the damn top ended up cracking severely.

If they were smart, they'd fix that.
I ain't holding my breath...

 

[mpeugeot]

I think I read somewhere that the torque on the bolts is 14-15ftlbs. That’s seemed like a lot to me but maybe it’s not.
I’m removing my guide pins. I’ll just get a couple of bolts, cut the heads off and use them as guides when reinstalling my top. The guides are handy with the lift I use. There is no reason I’d ever position the top on the body if it’s not aligned exactly where it should be.
I use a Toplift Pro which is extremely quick and easy.
I fortunately have a huge garage……needed with the Toplift.
I’ve removed the top 10-12 times with no problems, but I’ve never set it on the ground….yet

It's 15 ft/lbs (-/+ 2 ft/lbs).

 

[mpeugeot]

I suggest you try a different dealer. Mine replaced the front roof panels under warranty because I forgot to lock them before driving down the mountain at 60 mph, no questions asked.

That being said, it doesn't look like a point load fracture IMHO, and I think you may have to be prepared to prove that it was in fact what you claim. I've had my rear hard top on the garage floor for 2 months straight, and even slid it around to move it out of the way a few times, even put several parts on it, and it was still fine. Could be a manufacturing defect, point being that you should be prepared to prove it. Take off any and all evidence of you tampering with it, like all of the weatherstrip and residue, for starters, and tell them that you noticed this as you were taking the top off.
One other thing to keep in mind is that the hard tops are severely back ordered so you'll have to wait a long time for it, IF it gets approved at another dealer. If it doesn't get approved, might as well get the ADV hard top instead.

I am just going to fix it myself, I am lucky to have all the tools and resources to do it myself (time is what I usually lack).

I agree with you that it doesn't look like a point load fracture, but I was looking right at it as it happened. It happened at exactly the wrong time (roughly 200 miles shy of 36k with a 365 mile drive ahead of me on a Sunday night).

I went to the dealership for other reasons and figured I'd might as well ask if it would be covered under warranty (I honestly didn't think of it as a "trim" piece). It isn't, and while I am disappointed it is not covered, it's something that I can fix. My main reason for going to the dealer was to find out why my Sync was not getting OTA updates... that's when they told me November on.

I don't want this to happen to someone else, especially after reading the service bulletin that shows the exact same failure. I know what happened and how to prevent it; remove the locating pins.

I do love how so many people are quick to tell me that I am the problem... LOL.

 

[LAB0035]

This is some serious B.S. I have a extended warranty on the my Bronco (150k miles). Last month, I pulled up my hardtop to put in additional weather stripping (rather than complaining about the hideous top in the first place - just shy of 36k miles) and the damn top ended up cracking severely.

(this happened before re-installing the MIC top, but all fasteners were torqued to manufacturers speciation with a torque wrench).

Ya, apparently, that's not even likely to be accepted under the warranty anyway. It was never dropped, never off the Bronco, and only moved a few inches back to add additional weather stripping.

So, knowing that they might refuse to warranty it for being dropped, I still brought it in to the dealer. The dealer, while polite, courteous, and friendly looked to see if it was even a covered item under ESP. It isn't!

F'ing unreal, I have not even had my Bronco 1 year yet, and they are telling me that "trim pieces" are not covered after 36k miles AND that my Ford extended warranty doesn't cover it either.

So, for anyone thinking that Ford will stand behind this obviously defective top unless forced at gun point, they won't.

I hope my motor shells out at 149,975 miles. I want to see Ford eat a bag of sausages.

Also, my Sync 4 system still isn't updating, but they "might" be able to get me in for service in late November. You can get military mental health appointments faster than that. WTF @Ford Motor Company.

Sure am happy I got an extended warranty plan... The basic warranty didn't even last a year (for a non-moving part clearly not affected by mileage) and the extended warranty is apparently useless with regards to the MIC top. It's not a trim piece, it's a major exterior body panel (and clearly defective).

Common sense should have kicked in and told you if you add thickness to your weather strip then your bolt TQ specs will radically change. Ford should not pay for it

 

[@BadBlueBronco]

This is some serious B.S. I have a extended warranty on the my Bronco (150k miles). Last month, I pulled up my hardtop to put in additional weather stripping (rather than complaining about the hideous top in the first place - just shy of 36k miles) and the damn top ended up cracking severely.

(this happened before re-installing the MIC top, but all fasteners were torqued to manufacturers speciation with a torque wrench).

Ya, apparently, that's not even likely to be accepted under the warranty anyway. It was never dropped, never off the Bronco, and only moved a few inches back to add additional weather stripping.

So, knowing that they might refuse to warranty it for being dropped, I still brought it in to the dealer. The dealer, while polite, courteous, and friendly looked to see if it was even a covered item under ESP. It isn't!

F'ing unreal, I have not even had my Bronco 1 year yet, and they are telling me that "trim pieces" are not covered after 36k miles AND that my Ford extended warranty doesn't cover it either.

So, for anyone thinking that Ford will stand behind this obviously defective top unless forced at gun point, they won't.

I hope my motor shells out at 149,975 miles. I want to see Ford eat a bag of sausages.

Also, my Sync 4 system still isn't updating, but they "might" be able to get me in for service in late November. You can get military mental health appointments faster than that. WTF @Ford Motor Company.

Sure am happy I got an extended warranty plan... The basic warranty didn't even last a year (for a non-moving part clearly not affected by mileage) and the extended warranty is apparently useless with regards to the MIC top. It's not a trim piece, it's a major exterior body panel (and clearly defective).

I’m really sorry that sucks. I suggest taking to a body shop and see if they’d can fix it for a reasonable amount. I think a 2 plate sandwich design would be a great product to offer

 

[NC_Pinz]

Common sense should have kicked in and told you if you add thickness to your weather strip then your bolt TQ specs will radically change. Ford should not pay for it

Maybe read the thread. Weather stripping wasn't applied, so that wasn't a factor.

 

[mpeugeot]

Common sense should have kicked in and told you if you add thickness to your weather strip then your bolt TQ specs will radically change. Ford should not pay for it

Ya, and maybe, just maybe try not to jump to conclusions. Common sense should have told you that... but it didn't, and now you are showing your ass. Oh well.

By the way, while the weather stripping was eventually installed (on the B pillars), there is no way it could have affected the torque values of anything. You are asserting that the torque values changed "radically", based on what?

Please show all work (citations, equations, and calculations). Common sense... that's rich.

 

[RedHotFuzz]

I work in automotive service and people like you are what make this job suck. No trim is covered under any extended warranty and even getting it covered under base warranty is slim.

That's not "trim" despite Ford claiming it to be.

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