Does anyone have the Stainless steel side steps on eBay?

[BestGear]

Originally Posted by Ron_XC90

Yes please, a photo will be good, as the ebay advert doesn't really give a good idea what they will look like

Ok - will do tomorrow.

[owenfackrell]

Originally Posted by BestGear

I guess if you want a step to aid your kids or the elderly, they they are ideal. They offer a good platform, deep enough for all ages and you dont have to use "one bit" to stand on...

If you want a step for cosmetic/vanity reasons, then the volvo ones are better.

I have the Volvo ones and you can stand on any part of them it's just the rubber steps which go in one place. They are for more than just looks as my wife an d kids use them to get in the car and I use them when loading the roof rack.
The ones listed above look more like the landrover type ones which seem more like a step of a ladder or stairs in size.

[BestGear]

Originally Posted by owenfackrell

I have the Volvo ones and you can stand on any part of them it's just the rubber steps which go in one place.

I was just meaning some other aftermarket side bars have two "flattened" areas to step on, rather than trying to stand on a circular bar/tube.

The volvo steps do look good.... but offer a very narrow step which is part of the attraction or not... depending on your view and need.

David

[BestGear]

Ok, a couple of pictures.

If anyone wants more detailed views, or any of the underside, please ask.





David

[adonis kebab]

Ok let me retract the ' hideous ' statement. I like them, the e-bay picture does them no justice. Nice touch with the brake calipers, something i've thought about but not got around to.

[bobdabuilda]

They look great, can you take one from above to show the grip on the surface D? Also like the calipers and again something to do when i get around to it. Did you use hammerite smooth ?

[BestGear]

Originally Posted by adonis kebab

Ok let me retract the ' hideous ' statement. I like them, the e-bay picture does them no justice. Nice touch with the brake calipers, something i've thought about but not got around to.

Thanks - I did think "Hideous" was very strong ;-) - but we all have our opinions!

I will add a picture of the top surface - it is kinda checkered in the stainless - not super grippy but certainly better than a flat panel.

The calipers and discs were cleaned and painted when I serviced them last weekend - will do a guide soon..when I get a few minutes.

I did use Smoothrite for discs, calipers and brake backplates... after cleaning them with a wire brush and some brake cleaner. I think gold is fine (discs are silver and backplates black) and not in your face (like red would be..) and is much neater than looking into "dirty" calipers. Painting them also means they are easier to keep clean, I find.

When painting the discs, have a good look at the pad rubbing area before you start, so that you can ensure that you paint just over that area - after a few miles the pads remove any excess paint and you are left witha nice edge to your painting...and no more visible rust. You will also need to remove some rust from the disc edge as there will be corrosion unless your discs are fairly new....easy with a wire brush.

I also took the opportunity to really clean the wheels - the rears of the wheels were quite bad - not just the usual brake dust but also tar. I use TARDIS for tar removal - its a geat product to have on hand for all sorts of jobs - see below - when applied, the tar just dissolves and runs off... and its water soluble.





David

[volvocamper]

Bestgear, those calipers look really great. My car only 9 months old with 6k miles so calipers look ok at moment but with 19'' Vulcanis alloys am concerned what they will look like in 12 months time. Did you take calipers off and strip them down to paint or do them in situ (if in situ did you paint with brush or spray pls?) You said you wd provide details of how you did it and that wd be really useful.

[ianu]

These look great David - I regularly have the wheels off mine (v.sad) - must get round to doing the calipers too, they look terrific.

[BestGear]

Originally Posted by volvocamper

Did you take calipers off and strip them down to paint or do them in situ (if in situ did you paint with brush or spray pls?) You said you wd provide details of how you did it and that wd be really useful.

Hi

I did not remove the calipers to paint them, as, to be honest, you really dont need nor want to paint all of the surface as you will interfere with the surfaces that the pads ride on, and, its really not necessary to get the effect you are looking for!

I use a small wire brush and some brake cleaner in a can - like this stuff... which is less than £2 a can from most motor factors.



Any generic brake cleaner will do - you will soon see the brake dust running off the caliper etc...

This stuff dries within 2 mins as it evaporates off.

I think I mentioned already, I always use Smoothrite paints for this - and have never had any discolouring with the heat and it certainly stands up to repeated power washing. You may want to freshen it up every 3 years or so - if you still have the car!

To apply the paint, I use a 1/2" brush and also an artists brush for the tricky bits.. like this one... its about 10mm wide by 2-3mm thick...



I would remove the springs from the calipers where possible - like on the rear calipers where it is a 2 second job.


I would also clean and paint the discs and back plates too - again, brake cleaner and a wire brush first....

When you do the discs I always go over onto the actual braking surface so that there is no rusty margin left visible. A quick round the block trip is all that is needed to remove the excess paint.

The disc edges can be tricky as they corrode much faster than you expect, so take your time and remove the flaking rusty bits before you paint.

If you are fitting new discs, then its even easier to do it off the car.



One last tip - clean up the paint in the disc centre so that the wheel mates with metal and not on paint, as this can lead to vibrations as the wheel no longer mates cleanly - its only a few thou' but it can make a big difference.

Hope that encourages you to have a go!

David