What's Different in the Hard Top Wired Broncos

In a vehicle designed and marketed as the ultimate mix and match custom SUV I can’t for the life of me understand why they don’t prewire the soft tops.

If people are willing to pay and wait…

TK1215

If people are willing to pay and wait…

I think I can safely say we are ;) :ROFLMAO:
Ok maybe not some.......

Thanks @Laura, there has been a lot of question on this, and it's important to know exactly what is involved. The wiper and washer is very integrated into the factory controls, so if you don't get it from the factory, you've pretty much gotta write off the wiper and defroster forever. Yes, you can survive without it, but having a top with defrost and wiper and wash sprayer, but no way to control it feels very cumbersome. It'll end up like having a bluetooth plugged into the cigarette lighter or a cd player feeding through the cassette adapter, or my wife's 05 Mercedes that's "bluetooth ready" but needs $2500 in obsolete parts to connect. Sure it technically works, but it's not quite like factory integration. So give me the controls and a tarp or bimini top today, I can wait 6 months for my hard top. That's cool, I don't plan on putting the top on till Oct/nov anyway. If seperate top delivery costs more, I'll pay it, I'm just ready for my Bronco!

KennyMac

Thanks @Laura, there has been a lot of question on this, and it's important to know exactly what is involved. The wiper and washer is very integrated into the factory controls, so if you don't get it from the factory, you've pretty much gotta write off the wiper and defroster forever. Yes, you can survive without it, but having a top with defrost and wiper and wash sprayer, but no way to control it feels very cumbersome. It'll end up like having a bluetooth plugged into the cigarette lighter or a cd player feeding through the cassette adapter, or my wife's 05 Mercedes that's "bluetooth ready" but needs $2500 in obsolete parts to connect. Sure it technically works, but it's not quite like factory integration. So give me the controls and a tarp or bimini top today, I can wait 6 months for my hard top. That's cool, I don't plan on putting the top on till Oct/nov anyway. If seperate top delivery costs more, I'll pay it, I'm just ready for my Bronco!

That is the exact attitude to have….and the answer should be yes, of course we can do that

I do understand the want for the hard top wiring, I really do. I've ordered the ever elusive MIC top myself. However, here's da ting (In my best mafioso slang). I have the hard top on my Wrangler with all the wiring that goes with it. But, when raining I seem to only turn the wiper on just to see if it still works. And, living in the south along with the rear window standing straight up I've never needed the defroster in my 2 years of ownership. I really need to hit that switch just to see if it works. :)

Come to South Dakota this winter. You'll learn how to use that button pretty quickly :cool: :ROFLMAO:

giant mistake for ford to ship any of these cars unwired while claiming modularity

I was having this conversation with my salesman on the phone Monday and as I was trying to decide if I would ever use the rear wiper I looked at our suburban and there is a clean spot (where the wiper did its job)to see out of on the back window. Then I looked at my Nox same thing. I remember using it all the time on my 01 Escape. I live off a dirt road so that rear window is a mess. So I told him if they can plumb it and wire it for the HT I’d take the soft top. He called me yesterday and said Ford wasn’t doing that so I will be waiting for my MIC top.

I don't really care for soft tops and Ford doesn't offer one for the 2dr anyway but they are constantly putting the fastback one from Bestop on the demos going out. I could care less about the hardtop connections being missing so just build my 2dr BL and ship it to me with the Bestop.
Of course no one has said if Bestop can keep up with the demand if they even tried that. Could possibly be that Ford has thought about that but it just can't be done right now.

I’m being told by my dealer here in NY that I can have it retrofitted with the harness so I switched to the soft top. Is this true? I don’t want the truck if it won’t have the wiper and defroster with the hard top.

NyVetteGuy

I’m being told by my dealer here in NY that I can have it retrofitted with the harness so I switched to the soft top. Is this true? I don’t want the truck if it won’t have the wiper and defroster with the hard top.

It will be hard to retro fit that wiper stalk. Not sure how that would work?

Wish they would come out and tell us they will include the pre-run harness but I doubt they will. You will probably not get a retrofit, I hate to say. Please explore it more so you don't end up with something you don't want. Best of luck.

Hobgoblin

It will be hard to retro fit that wiper stalk. Not sure how that would work?

Wish they would come out and tell us they will include the pre-run harness but I doubt they will. You will probably not get a retrofit, I hate to say. Please explore it more so you don't end up with something you don't want. Best of luck.

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I've seen equivalent kits for Jeeps where the whole stalk is replaced down to the connectors in the steering column. Whole kit with the harness, etc., was like $300 bucks and an estimated 2 hrs labor. I'm hoping the Bronco would be similar, but I live in a hot climate so it's less of an immediate issue.

I'm a Ford guy all the way, from a family that used to work at Ford for more than 30 years and I used to work at Ford as well. I have defended them all the time and I understand everything what is happening with this launch. Blue oval on my heart.

However, this is the only thing that I really don't understand on any angle (pricing, engineering, financial, productivity, complexity, 6sigma, Kanban, you name it.) It really doesn't make sense not having this unit pre-wired when you get the soft top.

I hope they change it for 2022 Job1 or 2021Job2.

NyVetteGuy

I’m being told by my dealer here in NY that I can have it retrofitted with the harness so I switched to the soft top. Is this true? I don’t want the truck if it won’t have the wiper and defroster with the hard top.

That's absolutely false to this point, no retrro fit avaiable.

Laura

With the talk about top delays, there's been all sorts of questions regarding one of the main sticking points with the soft tops: loss of the wired connections and controls that come with the hard top. What do these entail?

There are a few visible points of difference in the interiors of the Broncos set up for hard tops vs. those ordered with soft tops only. @David got some pictures of the connection points on the rear cargo panel wall and the controls -- the windshield wiper stalk and the HVAC panel for the rear defroster.

What we're looking at:
a. cargo panel wall connection point for wired connections/washer hose
b. wiring harness/hose disconnect point when removing the hard top
c. windshield wiper stalk with rear wiper
d. HVAC panel for the rear defroster

A. cargo panel wall connection point
View attachment 13983

View attachment 14289

B. wired/hose disconnect point
View attachment 13984
View attachment 14290

C. windshield wiper stalk
View attachment 13986
View attachment 14291


D. HVAC panel
View attachment 13985

View attachment 14286
View attachment 14287

Thanks for the update. Met with my dealer rep this morning and switched to the soft top, deleted the tow pkg, safari bar and mic. Placed the order for the mic when it becomes available. Will have the items I deleted dealer installed when available. Bottom line, I caved and went for the higher likelihood of actually getting my Bronco in 2021 based on Ford's commitment to add the mic connections on all future soft tops. Will see how it works out. Also learned the dealers (at least mine) are not receiving the same Ford communications as we are. My rep was unaware of the details and breadth of the issues, nor the offers coming to us from Ford. Agreed that I would send him copies of all the info we receive from Ford and Bronco Nation. May want to reach out to your respective dealer reps to see if they are in the loop.

ResidualGenius

That's absolutely false to this point, no retrro fit avaiable.

How is that true when I can find plenty of kits and estimated labor costs for Jeep retrofits? It’s the same pain in the but procedure to replace the stuff in the dash/column and run the harness.

Paleos

How is that true when I can find plenty of kits and estimated labor costs for Jeep retrofits? It’s the same pain in the but procedure to replace the stuff in the dash/column and run the harness.

LOL look at the date on my comment. That was prior to them announcing a "prep kit" and of course you can Jeeps have been produced for what 50-60 years now with little changes, correct??

I'm glad they changed their mind and make it standard for JOB2