Bestop eTop Power Retractable Convertible Soft Top ... review

[BUCKYBRONCO2021]

That'll do it. Man i cant see how @Bestop_Team hasnt jumped on this. They seem like a really good company. Seeing pics like this and what you are going through is not good for business. Few places on the web see traffic from 100%bronco owners, some of which were considering shelling out big bucks on one of these tops. One of them being me. hopefully this all gets straightened out for you bud.

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[Bestop_Team]

I also wanted to share some additional pictures of what is happening to the weatherstripping on my top. This is happening on the side where I am having fitment issues. I’m no engineer but I can’t imagine this is by design. This has been shared with Bestop and no response. If you look closely you can see the weatherstripping hitting the frame and being pinched.

I normally would handle this directly with Bestop but they made a point to post their response to me in this forum and they apparently only respond here. @Bestop this has to be a defective top or something is off spec. I’m only asking you to make this right.

Hi Heath,
We truly appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed feedback and photos of your eTop. We understand your frustration, and I want to assure you that your concerns are still being reviewed directly by our Quality and Product Development teams.
After evaluating your photos and video, our Quality Manager confirmed that what you’re seeing relates to how the lower section of the side panel attaches to the linkage. In the current design, there’s about a 4-inch section between the L-arm and C-channel that isn’t directly fastened to the linkage assembly. A large rubber seal is in place to prevent water intrusion, but depending on tension, temperature, or tolerance stack-up, this can sometimes cause the edge of the fabric to lift or the seal to appear pinched in that area.
That said, we agree that the appearance can be improved. Your feedback, along with the discussion here, has already been sent to our Product Development team to evaluate possible refinements to this area for future builds.
In the meantime, we’ve also just released a new Service Bulletin: eTop Linkage Arm Protection Upgrade, which includes an added protection kit for the area shown in your video. We’re providing this kit to all existing Bronco eTop customers. We’ve reached out to you directly by email to confirm your shipping details so we can send your kit right away.
Constructive feedback like yours is what helps us continue improving our products.
— Bestop Support Team

 

[BroncocnorB]

I guess I’m sorta happy the four door owners are beta testing this top. Sorry for OP’s issues for sure. Looks like it was premature to market. When the two door version is ready I’ll check it out

 

[heathw101]

Hi Heath,
We truly appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed feedback and photos of your eTop. We understand your frustration, and I want to assure you that your concerns are still being reviewed directly by our Quality and Product Development teams.
After evaluating your photos and video, our Quality Manager confirmed that what you’re seeing relates to how the lower section of the side panel attaches to the linkage. In the current design, there’s about a 4-inch section between the L-arm and C-channel that isn’t directly fastened to the linkage assembly. A large rubber seal is in place to prevent water intrusion, but depending on tension, temperature, or tolerance stack-up, this can sometimes cause the edge of the fabric to lift or the seal to appear pinched in that area.
That said, we agree that the appearance can be improved. Your feedback, along with the discussion here, has already been sent to our Product Development team to evaluate possible refinements to this area for future builds.
In the meantime, we’ve also just released a new Service Bulletin: eTop Linkage Arm Protection Upgrade, which includes an added protection kit for the area shown in your video. We’re providing this kit to all existing Bronco eTop customers. We’ve reached out to you directly by email to confirm your shipping details so we can send your kit right away.
Constructive feedback like yours is what helps us continue improving our products.
— Bestop Support Team

Will you be providing me with a new updated top once released? Yes, I am frustrated and reasonably so. I didn’t sign up to Beta test a product. This top was extremely expensive and I want it to work out. The issue is that every time I identify an issue I’m either told it’s being addressed in future refinements or we now have a kit to address.

 

[BUCKYBRONCO2021]

@heathw101 i really hope this all works out for you. If it was my company and i see this 4 page thread on my product with not so good reviews and a number of people looking at it saying that they wont buy one because of seeing how this is going, i would do my best to correct the issue before i lose more potential business. Even if this happens to 1%of all installed tops, the negative press on this will kill more sales than that. If i was them i would do everything to fix that top to perfect and then post pictures of it looking all nice, right and tight. They still have an opportunity to surpass this issue with top notch customer service and make it right for you. The concept of the total convertible top is awesome. But i couldn't risk the finished product having those gaps. @Bestop_Team help this guy out. @heathw101 im rooting for you!!!

 

[rockit]

Hi Heath,
We truly appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed feedback and photos of your eTop. We understand your frustration, and I want to assure you that your concerns are still being reviewed directly by our Quality and Product Development teams.
After evaluating your photos and video, our Quality Manager confirmed that what you’re seeing relates to how the lower section of the side panel attaches to the linkage. In the current design, there’s about a 4-inch section between the L-arm and C-channel that isn’t directly fastened to the linkage assembly. A large rubber seal is in place to prevent water intrusion, but depending on tension, temperature, or tolerance stack-up, this can sometimes cause the edge of the fabric to lift or the seal to appear pinched in that area.
That said, we agree that the appearance can be improved. Your feedback, along with the discussion here, has already been sent to our Product Development team to evaluate possible refinements to this area for future builds.
In the meantime, we’ve also just released a new Service Bulletin: eTop Linkage Arm Protection Upgrade, which includes an added protection kit for the area shown in your video. We’re providing this kit to all existing Bronco eTop customers. We’ve reached out to you directly by email to confirm your shipping details so we can send your kit right away.
Constructive feedback like yours is what helps us continue improving our products.
— Bestop Support Team

Wow you guys skirted any responsibility for a design flaw… “it appears pinched”? No it is. I can clearly see that it’s rubbings too much. I was wanting one cause it’s the only one for a raptor but guess not.

 

[CaliRaptor7201]

@heathw101 i really hope this all works out for you. If it was my company and i see this 4 page thread on my product with not so good reviews and a number of people looking at it saying that they wont buy one because of seeing how this is going, i would do my best to correct the issue before i lose more potential business. Even if this happens to 1%of all installed tops, the negative press on this will kill more sales than that. If i was them i would do everything to fix that top to perfect and then post pictures of it looking all nice, right and tight. They still have an opportunity to surpass this issue with top notch customer service and make it right for you. The concept of the total convertible top is awesome. But i couldn't risk the finished product having those gaps. @Bestop_Team help this guy out. @heathw101 im rooting for you!!!

I saw this too at SEMA. They had one on a Raptor at there booth and ford even had one on one of there broncos. I am so sorry to hear you are having issues. I left sema wanting to buy asap but now I am having second thoughts. This company has such a small market you would think they would jump all over this problem. I hope you get the help you need.

 

[BUCKYBRONCO2021]

I saw this too at SEMA. They had one on a Raptor at there booth and ford even had one on one of there broncos. I am so sorry to hear you are having issues. I left sema wanting to buy asap but now I am having second thoughts. This company has such a small market you would think they would jump all over this problem. I hope you get the help you need.

If i was them i would jump on that and give people diabetes with how sweet i was to them on the customer service side. A real chance to shine. Also these canned chat gpt responses are starting to annoy me. Its like two sentences of ai fluff then a peice pf bad news sandwiched between another few sentences of ai fluff and a warm regards. I feel like they dropped the ball and missed an opportunity to make the original poster super satisfied and he would be a testimonial for the brand and great advertisement on here. Wveryone knows an installed can get it wrong every now and then. But the brand suffers when they dont fix it. Oh well guess they dont wanna sell these tops. I know i was seriously considering one for the summer. still hoping the op gets taken care of and comes out a happy camper.

 

[heathw101]

As an update to this thread. The communication provided on this thread from Bestop is final. Fitment and operation may vary from Bronco to Bronco but if you are one of the unlucky ones with issues - good luck. I would also not recommend going through an authorized installer as it increases the price by at least $1k and the warranty is useless.

 

[BUCKYBRONCO2021]

As an update to this thread. The communication provided on this thread from Bestop is final. Fitment and operation may vary from Bronco to Bronco but if you are one of the unlucky ones with issues - good luck. I would also not recommend going through an authorized installer as it increases the price by at least $1k and the warranty is useless.

@Bestop_Team after reading this update from @heathw101 and hearing what he went through im convinced i will not be spending the plus 5k on one of these tops. I had actually planned to spend my bonus money on one of these after Christmas as i love the concept and its a best of both worlds. If you would have read the comments here there are at least three people saying they were interested in the top but waiting to see how this turned out. Thats 15 grand easy plus all the people that are watching it but not chiming in. You had an opportunity to make this right for him and blast it all over this post and take a victory lap. That would have made me more than comfortable taking the plunge on one of these tops. Instead, and for this reason, im out. Sorry for your outcome Heath. I just went through hell with a dealership and learned a vauable lesson too. We live and we learn.

 

[SoDak1623]

Every Bestop post on this site has convinced me that they are not and will never be worth spending money on.

 

[elbroncodor]

Was thinking about this but this solidified that I will not be doing this. Sorry for your frustrations. Thank you for preventing others from having to go through this.

 

[23OBX2.7]

Just slather some silicon grease on any interface with hard parts and rubber.....seems to be the solution to all Bronco interfaces. IMO the top should be half the price it is being that's it's not 4 ply...

 

[tock13]

Glad bestop made up my mind for me not to waste the money. Passed this thread on to a friend who was very interested in buying. She’s bailing on it too.

Very thankful for this forum!

 

[Bestop_Team]

Hi everyone — this is eTop Support from Bestop.
Heath, thank you for continuing to share updates with us. We’ve reached out to you directly, and I'd like to update the thread as well so the community is aware of our actions.
To make sure your concerns are fully resolved, we’re sending you a brand-new set of side windows and a brand-new rear window, and we’re arranging for our expert trainer and installer, Robert, to meet with you in person. He’ll install the new windows and inspect your entire eTop to ensure everything is fitting and operating as it should.
We want to make this right, and we appreciate your patience while we work through it.
If anyone else has similar concerns or even questions about the eTop, our dedicated eTop support team is here to help. You can reach us at [email protected] or 1-833-490-8090.

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