Armadillo Designs Aluminum Hardtop

[SierraBronco]

Pyramid scheme, shady business address and nut swing. I predict bankruptcy when orders stop coming in.

I still have no shipping notification on the top they said would be complete earlier this week.

Prove us wrong, Armadillo

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[EasternSierra]

Well, so much for that idea.... the risk factor just looks too high after what happened at ADV and AR.

Back to looking at alternatives.....

 

[jalawson]

Y’all are nuts. I get being scared after the ADV fiasco but the rhetoric here is over the top.

I have never had an issue getting a response from them on Instagram Messenger to questions about the top. They have been more than open about their design and manufacturing process. Also, they have been moving through the process of getting slant, square, raptor, and 2 door tops going.

I wish I could afford to buy one but that’s a big spend for me so I can’t pull the trigger yet. Still they appear to be doing everything right when it comes to design and manufacturing.

 

[ScLeCo]

So telling some their top that they paid for upfront would be ready in APRIL and now it's late NOVEMBER and still no top, is "doing everything right"?

 

[Pseudoko]

For what it’s worth, I have been in active communication with Fabian and my top is currently being fabricated (order 256) and should be headed to the powder coater in a few weeks. If you’re in batch 2 of the square backs, that’s about where they are at currently.

He reached out to me to let me know that the bed liner finish was no longer available because of the tolerances with the gasket and latches so offered me a refund of the price difference between the PC and Bed Liner finish or get a Molle item.

I was going to go meet them in El Cajon for the run down there but I had other commitments I had to prioritize. I’ll keep you guys posted on when I get an installation date but it sounds like good progress is being made for Batch 2.

 

[SierraBronco]

Y’all are nuts. I get being scared after the ADV fiasco but the rhetoric here is over the top.

I have never had an issue getting a response from them on Instagram Messenger to questions about the top. They have been more than open about their design and manufacturing process. Also, they have been moving through the process of getting slant, square, raptor, and 2 door tops going.

I wish I could afford to buy one but that’s a big spend for me so I can’t pull the trigger yet. Still they appear to be doing everything right when it comes to design and manufacturing.

I had great communication too! And then I paid them

You’re coming in here with zero skin in the game. Jesus dude. Fork over eight grand, then go months with nothing while they parade themselves around on social media blowing cash left and right while their communication goes cold.

 

[SierraBronco]

So telling some their top that they paid for upfront would be ready in APRIL and now it's late NOVEMBER and still no top, is "doing everything right"?

Don’t forget the guy that paid for his in November. Of 2023.

 

[SierraBronco]

For what it’s worth, I have been in active communication with Fabian and my top is currently being fabricated (order 256) and should be headed to the powder coater in a few weeks. If you’re in batch 2 of the square backs, that’s about where they are at currently.

He reached out to me to let me know that the bed liner finish was no longer available because of the tolerances with the gasket and latches so offered me a refund of the price difference between the PC and Bed Liner finish or get a Molle item.

I was going to go meet them in El Cajon for the run down there but I had other commitments I had to prioritize. I’ll keep you guys posted on when I get an installation date but it sounds like good progress is being made for Batch 2.

Lmao. Why do people want to be friends with the people running companies like this? Hoping to get your stuff sooner than the non-buddies?

 

[mcinfantry]

So telling some their top that they paid for upfront would be ready in APRIL and now it's late NOVEMBER and still no top, is "doing everything right"?

Yes. Send it.
worth the wait,

interestingly powder coating is an often used excuse in this industry. Subletting supplier delays is actually the second most used excuse outside ‘covid supply chain delays’

also im curious how long it takes to fabricate the top from sheet aluminum to delivery to the bottleneck powder coater. Months apparently, per top

 

[Dude1967]

Would not be an issue if Ford built a top that lasted like Gen5... Just sayin..

 

[Ninjak]

I would not compare Armadillo's delays to what ADV did. There are ACTUAL tops on people's RIGS, and as I said before, all of them are not youtube influencers. I will say they need better communication, whether it be good news or bad news.

With the way things did go with ADV, and there are people who were stung by that whether or not they admit to it, young companies need to be aware that in the day and age, with forums, and people texting and sending information, good or bad across all platforms, information is the currency that needs to be use and in abundance.

I firmly believe that my top will arrive, will be as I ordered it, and it will be fine. Armadillo needs to be more aware though of the image they are putting forth. Having tops in the wild is good, but those tops are from people who came to them. The masses will not be satisfied until a delivered product has been shown and talked about, even if those said people may not even be on this forum.

Again communication is key in any endeavor. I hope Armadillo learns from their misteps and becomes the better for it.

 

[SierraBronco]

I would not compare Armadillo's delays to what ADV did. There are ACTUAL tops on people's RIGS, and as I said before, all of them are not youtube influencers. I will say they need better communication, whether it be good news or bad news.

With the way things did go with ADV, and there are people who were stung by that whether or not they admit to it, young companies need to be aware that in the day and age, with forums, and people texting and sending information, good or bad across all platforms, information is the currency that needs to be use and in abundance.

I firmly believe that my top will arrive, will be as I ordered it, and it will be fine. Armadillo needs to be more aware though of the image they are putting forth. Having tops in the wild is good, but those tops are from people who came to them. The masses will not be satisfied until a delivered product has been shown and talked about, even if those said people may not even be on this forum.

Again communication is key in any endeavor. I hope Armadillo learns from their misteps and becomes the better for it.

Turns out there is a reason we paid for all that shipping. Not exactly easy to randomly make a 13-18 hour trip when your completion schedule is sometime between May and the following February. And in our case, topless, seems how we already have a hard top.

And while the case could be made that it is reaching to suggest there are similarities between ADV and Armadillo, at this point the difference is that they haven't completely scuttled the project and stopped refunding orders. But currently, they are acting just like ADV prior to that. All the same marketing and taking deposits. Or in their case, taking payment in full up front and saying "no refunds on your insulation or powdercoat options." At least ADV was actively making and delivering quality products besides their tops, helping them keep the operation going besides customer deposits. Our fenders are awesome and look great! Buuuuuutttt I can't in good conscious recommend them to anyone after the fuckening of the hardtops.

I'm looking forward to being proven wrong for the reasons that have been previously mentioned. Should be quieter, a little more useful, and the slantback will look awesome. But I will not say some stupid shit like "I'm on team armadillo!" That kind of rahrah-we-are-family-because-you-bought-something is all so tiresome. Reading the disclosure that @Splint3r posted suggests the family or team they speak of is just a hilarious notion to prey on those that need to feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves.

 

[mcinfantry]

Turns out there is a reason we paid for all that shipping. Not exactly easy to randomly make a 13-18 hour trip when your completion schedule is sometime between May and the following February. And in our case, topless, seems how we already have a hard top.

And while the case could be made that it is reaching to suggest there are similarities between ADV and Armadillo, at this point the difference is that they haven't completely scuttled the project and stopped refunding orders. But currently, they are acting just like ADV prior to that. All the same marketing and taking deposits. Or in their case, taking payment in full up front and saying "no refunds on your insulation or powdercoat options." At least ADV was actively making and delivering quality products besides their tops, helping them keep the operation going besides customer deposits. Our fenders are awesome and look great! Buuuuuutttt I can't in good conscious recommend them to anyone after the fuckening of the hardtops.

I'm looking forward to being proven wrong for the reasons that have been previously mentioned. Should be quieter, a little more useful, and the slantback will look awesome. But I will not say some stupid shit like "I'm on team armadillo!" That kind of rahrah-we-are-family-because-you-bought-something is all so tiresome. Reading the disclosure that @Splint3r posted suggests the family or team they speak of is just a hilarious notion to prey on those that need to feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves.

it’s actually more similar to archetype
Some deliveries here and there and a SEMA trip or three instead of a Fer-rar-ree

Prove me wrong. Deliver EVERYONES top

 

[BD6G]

So I want to start this by saying I have no skin in the game here. I don’t own an Armadillo top but I do plan to purchase one in the future.



I do also have a good friend and fellow veteran that is with Armadillo as an ambassador. I can say with complete certainty and honesty that he paid for his top and he pays out of his own pocket for all his travel to and from events. This includes fuel, lodging, food etc. The time he puts into his own social media promotion (I don’t know how many followers is considered an influencer but most of us are well below 1,000 I wouldn’t consider that influencer #s) He also works for them as well in a remote role designing and testing modular components to use with the top to bring to us as end users.



Armadillo is currently a very small staffed company. The entire Armadillo staff is less than 10 people counting Fabian. That small team is working on tops daily as well as marketing their tops through events and social media. With sole intent to increase in size, hire more employees, buy more equipment and be able to get the tops out in a quicker manner.



Part of this years SEMA attendance was promoting the 4 door square and slant back top as well as the 2 door top and their modularity to potential new customers and vendors to get into a bigger facility, hire more employees and have the financial backing to do so to decrease production time and getting the end users their top in a more timely manner. Which from what I have heard was a very successful event for them.



I can understand folks frustration with a timely delivery especially following the ADV and Archetype fiascos. Meeting and personally knowing some folks from Armadillo I can say that there is absolutely no way that this is their intent.



We are in the digital age so I personally don’t see or have any issues with the Company doing their promotion and marketing through IG or Facebook because that’s what reaches the most people and they’re trying to build a company from the ground up.



I’m an old retired fart now so I’m not the go out partying type. But I don’t think we should hold a late 20 year old man or the folks he was with from Armadillo in distrust for enjoying his or their time in Vegas while there.



We also don’t know for certain that he is misusing any funds to his company from his customers. I for one am not a person that will judge a man’s integrity or character before knowing the whole truth. Maybe the Kount’s Kustom’s folks provided him/them with an experience while there for supporting the build they did that was featured in their booth. I can’t confirm that either but if we can assume one thing we can assume another.



I truly hope everyone gets their tops soon as I have seen them up close and personal and my subjective opinion is they are the best on the market for aftermarket tops.



I also hope we as a Bronco community can fully support young entrepreneurs trying to bring quality parts to the community. We do a lot of bashing these companies and hell I am guilty of that myself as I can be as impatient as anyone but I do have full trust in the folks at Armadillo based on personal interactions and a personal friendship that everyone will receive their top and this will not be another ADV scandal.

 

[mack092]

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