Anyone changed a deployable step motor? I’ve spent all day trying to tease my passenger side step back into life , driver side is perfect. Cleaned all the hinges and soaked in penetrating oil but the passenger side won’t fully retract and when driving you can hear it trying to retract for safety. The front hinge feels like it wants to go in further if you push on it but the rear, where the motor is simply won’t budge. it goes in a few inches then stops. When you open the door it appears to fully deploy but when you stand on the step there’s a small clunk as if there was still another inch to go. I assume the motor isn’t fully operating. Ran the vehicle with it unplugged hoping for a reset but no luck. Is it better to just replace and is it a hassle to do, I can’t find any guides online in the service manuals wiki for the car. Electrical connections all look good.

The step is held onto the front & rear hinges with two Allen key bolts on each... Take the main step off and then the motor can work without the resistance. Work it in & out with lube. If it won't free up then remove the hinge & motor in one and replace...

Many thanks. I've seen a few brand new replacement motors as low as £200 from indie dealers but they don't appear to have the bracket attached. I've also seen comments asking how to remove the bracket. Am I assuming correctly its best to buy these as one unit rather than messing around? I'll take the step off and play with it a bit more this weekend before ordering anything yet. When I first got the car it did this and with tlc it came back to normal so fingers crossed.

FYI the limits on the motor are torque related and not limit switches! So, when the motor feels resistance (like a dog or child’s leg) it reverses…
Usually the motor’s are fine, just crud in the hinges that make them sticky!

Cam Tech… what do you charge to supply and fit deployable side steps on an L405 please? Assuming I can still afford the insurance I might treat my family members with this. Dealer is like £4k  L405 P400e Autobiography (MY2020)... Silicon Silver / Espresso

Steps cost £2455.81 from Duckworth's, fitting which is very involved and has to be coded depending on the year.
Not a cheap option. 2017 SDV8 4.4 silicon silver AB
2012 TDV8 4.4 Stornaway Grey AB
2011 TDV8 4.4 Buckingham Blue
2012 VW V6 3.0 Tougreg

ilard wrote:

Cam Tech… what do you charge to supply and fit deployable side steps on an L405 please? Assuming I can still afford the insurance I might treat my family members with this. Dealer is like £4k

Think I'll go for the manual one to save cash!

I’ve removed the 3 allen head bolts holding the motor in and it still won’t come out?

The output shaft appears to have a locking screw but I can’t get to it..

I’ve loosened this bolt as much as possible but still the shaft won’t budge..

Can the step brackets be opened with the motor attached?

I believe there is a “key” arrangement on the shaft and bolt holds it in place. Question is does it need to be completely removed?

I don’t want to upset you but after trying everything I can think of to dismantle the motor/brackets on 322 & 405 steps I’ve come to the conclusion that they aren’t “serviceable”. Add in the fact that they appear to be made from best quality Chineseium then they don’t take well to a lot of force.
Best result I’ve had is to immerse all of the parts for days in Kerosene then start working all of the joints as best you can.
Good luck

Cheers for the reply. Motors are available separately so they must come off!!

Any ideas on what two wires to use to test the motors?

Cheeky bump.

It would be great to be able to test the motors before fitting. Any thoughts on which wires to power up?

Thanks