How "weatherproof" is Badlands?

[93_SVT_3503]

I work for a large manufacturer and some of our customers orders ask to have the electricals 'sealed'. We use what is pretty much a heat shrink tube that is placed over wired connections/plugs. If the product works correctly i'd say they were water resistant, but not something you would want to submerge for ANY length of time. It's like a silicone sleeve placed over the connection, then it's hit with a heat gun to 'shrink' wrap it, thus causing the internal adhesive to 'melt' around the wired connection, sealing it.

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[Techun]

I can't afford to buy a 40k vehicle and treat it like shit

 

[Dads_bronze_bronco]

Funny story - when my sons were looking at Jeeps and late model big Broncos for their first high school vehicle, we looked at a drove a Bronco that hadn't seen its rear top in 5 or ten years (outside in North Carolina). The front row is covered so all the dash electronics, etc. worked, but the back seat came with a swarm of gnats that had colonized in the wet upholstery. There was no carpet, it had been bedlined, unfortunately up onto the area where the tops seats on the bed.

It was an impressive build but we didn't buy that one...

 

[Megawatt]

Think of all the Jeeps in the Caribbean islands and Hawaii And Central America. Rains all the time out there and you don’t hear about their Jeeps dying in the rain. Most of the time there is no roof on the vehicles because is 80’s all year round. Think of all the rental Jeeps in these locations, people want to ride with the freedom of a roof off And probably would not even bother with putting the roof on if it rained while renting the Jeep.

I was born in Hawaii, stationed in Panama for 5 years and have family in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. Everything should be ok. You can always put on a spider web shade over the top. If it rains it pools up it the center and will drain down to the seat and prevent much of the rain from going forward to the dashboard.

 

[2Jeeps&PatriotX1]

Like someone else mentioned, jeep problems (not just the JK but TJs as well) is the clock spring getting wet. I wouldn't trust the BL being waterproof and definitely not with the 12" screen.

I carry one of these covers with me that's folds up into a bag when I have the top off and doors off or trail doors on. I also run a safari top during summer/fall which at least protects the front cab area and you can see my tonneau cover as well.

 

[Philly]

I have been caught in the rain more than once in my Jeep with no top and no doors. Light rain is no big deal. I almost always kept the two front top panels in the back before I had a soft top and would throw those back on if there was heavy rain. It pretty much protected everything and when I parked I would just slide the seats as far forward as possible and tilt them toward the dash to minimize how much water could get on them. Back seats and carpet would dry out fine so long as you pulled the drain plugs and let the Jeep really air out with the doors off in the sun afterwards. I pulled the carpets after my first summer of this.

I had to replace one clockspring in the Jeep from a day when I didn't have the front top panels with me and the dash got particularly wet from some heavy rain. It really isn't a difficult job.

If you are careful with your Bronco and don't go looking to soak the interior, everything should be just fine.

 

[Rick Astley]

It's not really clear. Sealing a portion of switches but not all seems odd.
Third party media implies all are sealed.

"The interior's switches and knobs are rubberized and silicone sealed as well. A squall might soak the passengers, but the Bronco interior won't care."

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a33277335/2021-ford-bronco-specs-revealed/

Thank you for the source! I had read this some time ago and had the nugget in the back of my mind but could not locate the source to re-read and confirm this.

The torrential downpours experienced in Florida I experienced for the first time earlier this year were concerning when thinking of Bronco and open-top motoring.

C&D list the weather-proof options for the floor as a specific trim level but do not clearly state if all trim levels have silicone switch protection. That's something I would like clarified for the community.

 

[BroncoJeremie]

Thank you for the source! I had read this some time ago and had the nugget in the back of my mind but could not locate the source to re-read and confirm this.

The torrential downpours experienced in Florida I experienced for the first time earlier this year were concerning when thinking of Bronco and open-top motoring.

C&D list the weather-proof options for the floor as a specific trim level but do not clearly state if all trim levels have silicone switch protection. That's something I would like clarified for the community.

Its most likely on bronco, it's cheaper to manufacture that way

 

[Malicar]

Can confirm interiors pretty water-resistant

 

[Sardine]

Can confirm interiors pretty water-resistant

Dawg, you don't resurrect a 2.5 year old thread with such a low effort post. You gotta include a bit more info than that.

 

[Malicar]

Dawg, you don't resurrect a 2.5 year old thread with such a low effort post. You gotta include a bit more info than that.

Went camping. Poured rain. Mud covered interior. Hosed it out. Looks mint, works mint.

 

[Sardine]

Went camping. Poured rain. Mud covered interior. Hosed it out. Looks mint, works mint.

Hell yeah that's good to hear. Did the screen along with all the controls and switches get doused as well? And it all works fine?

Man the one thing that annoys me the most is that ford still put carpet on the back of the vinyl seats. Not sure wtf they were thinking....

 

[Malicar]

Hell yeah that's good to hear. Did the screen along with all the controls and switches get doused as well? And it all works fine?

Man the one thing that annoys me the most is that ford still put carpet on the back of the vinyl seats. Not sure wtf they were thinking....

Nothing really directly poured on the screen, vents or steering column.
They got a little wet, but it's pretty hard to get water on them unless your malicious.
Everything else got pretty drenched. No issues.
Pretty easy to dry everything off by driving down the road with no top/doors.

 

[Rusty Sheckelford]

I can't speak for a Bronco, but I've owned a few Wranglers. They have been rained in to the point where there was 2-3" of standing water. Not one issue with anything. Knowing that Ford wants a Jeep competitor, I can't see them building the Bronco any less capable. I know I won't have any worries.

Are those new wranglers though with modern electronics? Or are those 5, 10, 15, or 20 year old wranglers without 100 billion airbags, 20 seatbelt sensors, and heated butt massagers?

While I would probably still trust a new wrangler to be fine, I'd be pretty sketch to leave a limited package bronco out in the rain, even with the washout floor.

 

[BroncocnorB]

Dawg, you don't resurrect a 2.5 year old thread with such a low effort post. You gotta include a bit more info than that.

Damn I just realized how young I was when this thread started. Tottally not looking at post dates…oh well

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