Is this the infamous MIC top delamination on my 2024?

[J-Lugster]

I was under the impression that the issues with the Bronco MIC hardtops had been rectified but am seeing people with 2024’s reporting issues with them delaminating & failing.

I got my 2024 Wildtrak in August 2024 and have barely 1000 kilometres on it as of now.

I had a good look at my MIC roof and see some issues with the sides of the front & second row panels along with a line across the rear panel.

I just wanted to confirm with you all that my MIC roof has the issue being described.

Thanks

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[1986Bronco]

Yes. Probably some cracks in there as well... for good measure.

 

[Dude1967]

You are now a member of the club.

 

[1986Bronco]

I'm still waiting to meet someone with a perfect top. I hear they exist but have never seen one in-person.

Now that the painted black top has made it's way to the public, Ford should pony up and have this be their replacement for the MIC. From the inside, it looks like the painted black top is a different material, like what Jeep uses on theirs... and that composition/design has been around for awhile now.

Better yet, Mabett should get their act together and take ADV's design to market. I'm in the minority but actually applaud the Lego approach of having to put it together myself. This lends itself well to replacement of individual parts, aftermarket components, etc. If I can get my phone's screen protector on without air or debris, I can double stick tape some weather seals and screw some bolts together without camming them out or pulling the threads.

 

[1986Bronco]

Also, I have not seen a lot of the new top floating around the internet and I know that some Wildtrack owners on this forum just got theirs with the painted black top. They need to chime in with some detailed pictures for us.

 

[Dadsquatch]

Yes, your photos show the normality of the delam issues. In a garage with some natural light coming in (just like your photos) is the best way to see it.

 

[OCNORB1974]

I'm still waiting to meet someone with a perfect top. I hear they exist but have never seen one in-person.

Now that the painted black top has made it's way to the public, Ford should pony up and have this be their replacement for the MIC. From the inside, it looks like the painted black top is a different material, like what Jeep uses on theirs... and that composition/design has been around for awhile now.

Better yet, Mabett should get their act together and take ADV's design to market. I'm in the minority but actually applaud the Lego approach of having to put it together myself. This lends itself well to replacement of individual parts, aftermarket components, etc. If I can get my phone's screen protector on without air or debris, I can double stick tape some weather seals and screw some bolts together without camming them out or pulling the threads.

The Heritage with the white painted top is the same as well. My '23 Heritage White top has been fine so far. Hopefully it stays that way. I'm not sure what they do different with them, but they seem much better and they are a little heavier than the mic top.

 

[BAUS67]

I was under the impression that the issues with the Bronco MIC hardtops had been rectified but am seeing people with 2024’s reporting issues with them delaminating & failing.

I got my 2024 Wildtrak in August 2024 and have barely 1000 kilometres on it as of now.

I had a good look at my MIC roof and see some issues with the sides of the front & second row panels along with a line across the rear panel.

I just wanted to confirm with you all that my MIC roof has the issue being described.

Thanks

I was curious to see if the 24’s were holding up better than my cracked 23. So I hit up the local dealer last week.

8 2DRs, 3 of them are junk. 2 cracked and one honeycomb, like above your drivers side back door.

So the issues have not been fixed. It has gotten better. But no where near what I had expected after 4 years of trying to make these things right. Very depressing.

 

[Dude1967]

My 2024 Badlands with 1k miles on the ODO. It is a damn shame, wait till warranty runs out, then the clown show will really start. Yes pics were taken in my garage. Go look at new ones sitting on lots. You will see them as well.

 

[flip]

Just got my '24 and can honestly say the quality of this hard top, same wavy appearance, is worse than the one I pieced together in late '21 and subsequently installed on my '22 and '23.

Obviously Webasto has and is still having issues perfecting and executing the design of these tops. I truly believe the lamination technique on this type of core does not lend itself to this specific roof design or application process. If it were just a matter of process refinement they've had 4 years to get it figured out which we can all see, hasn't happened.

Not an engineer so I'm not going to offer an opinion on what I would do different but it's fairly evident that fiberglass has been a pretty good material over the decades and very predictable. I don't see a ton of high end glass boats with issues like the tops. Too many mixed materials that don't play well together in this type of application.

 

[1986Bronco]

1986 Bronco: No cracks, no delaminations, no ripples (kind of a a sand in the mix texture) but I did wax the hardtop (no, seriously, I did) back in 1986 and it did get swirl marks in the finish and ultimately it did fade. Midwest winter and summer tested with no structure issues. Drilled a back window spoiler into it to keep dirt and dust off the back window. Large flat portion on top was flexy and echoed/boomed with side winds but held a 9-year-old and went through a couple of hail storms.

These guys have some interesting info and cross-section pictures:

80 - 96 Bronco fiberglass cap/hardtop | Bronco Forum - Full Size Ford Bronco Forum

I would not even consider drilling anything into this one without some serious consequences.

Note: Seems to be a banned site?

https://www.[banned site].com/threads/80-96-bronco-fiberglass-cap-hardtop.461114/

If going down the rabbit hole: full size bronco (no spaces) in the banned portion of the address.

 

[23CarbonizedBadSas]

I was under the impression that the issues with the Bronco MIC hardtops had been rectified but am seeing people with 2024’s reporting issues with them delaminating & failing.

I got my 2024 Wildtrak in August 2024 and have barely 1000 kilometres on it as of now.

I had a good look at my MIC roof and see some issues with the sides of the front & second row panels along with a line across the rear panel.

I just wanted to confirm with you all that my MIC roof has the issue being described.

Thanks

Yikes. Time for a warranty claim.

 

[Bronco_007]

I agree with the assertion Ford should replace all MIC hardtops with the black painted. Only issue I have with my 24 WT.

 

[2023bronco]

I agree with the assertion Ford should replace all MIC hardtops with the black painted. Only issue I have with my 24 WT.

It's just a matter of time before owners run past the 3-year warranty and start making claims. I fully expect that Ford will have to start shipping the black painted tops to those people, whether due to a lawsuit or to prevent one. My wife's a pretty badass corporate lawyer and all too happy to go that route, once my replacement fails (and it will).

 

[Ducati1098]

I fully expect that Ford will have to start shipping the black painted tops to those people, whether due to a lawsuit or to prevent one.

They'll continue to try and fix the MIC's. Maybe even have another customer satisfaction program in the future, who knows.
Them replacing the MICs with painted hard tops is never going to happen though.

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