| Corroded side step - my experience | |
I’ve got a 2016 car which with deployable steps from new.
Some of the surface covering has delaminated recently which I’m guessing was exacerbated by motorway surface water forced up to the underside of the steps and peeling away the surface.
My car is 3 and a half years old. Out of original LR warranty but covered by extended warranty. LR did not want anything to do with this side step problem, in fact they side stepped away from it very neatly. Even though there’s a TSB on this very point...
My local dealer estimated £600 or so just for a new step for one side, excluding fitting.
So, having read a few posts here I consulted a couple of body shops with a view to getting the surface of the corroded step retreated.
One of these advised me not to attempt to paint the step as (1) it was originally powder coated and not painted and (2) any paint treatment would not last long given the harsh conditions on the underside of the car.
Some good news came when I put in a call to one of the site sponsors here to enquire about costs for a new step. Significantly less than the £600 I thought I might face.
It took me quite a while to remove the old step. I wasn’t 100% sure of how it fitted on to the deployable arms but after removing the 4x5mm hex bolts the old step came off. I suspect that the joint between the old step and the arms might have slightly corroded which made it difficult. A few taps with a rubber mallet helped.
At this stage I realised that the new step has a revised design in a couple of respects. First, it’s a single item throughout its length, rather than the original which has end caps. Secondly and more important to me it seems to be sleeved in plastic which I’m hoping will mean it lasts longer than the original. I’ve included a photo here of the new and old versions.
Hope this helps others who might face a similar experience.
 | | Click image to enlarge | 2016 SDV8 AB
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7th Mar 2020 4:30pm
