I have what some refer to as deplorable side steps on my Range Rover (which at the moment are working fine). But on the drivers side the black paint has worn allowing the silver underneath to show through. I was considering painting them but I wonder if there's room for something like this to be stuck on https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/361479118824?ha...R9iLmMerYw or will it catch when they retract, anyone tried it ? It's not that big of a deal because you can't see it when the steps retract but it bugs me.  Geoff

Hi Geoff,

I posted about this a long while back, and purchased a spare pair of steps off eBay for £70 in not too bad condition. Last Summer, I built a “wet-blasting kit” for my new Nilfisk jetwash machine, with the intent of blasting down to bare aluminium, acid-etch priming, and applying an epoxy paint product called “Tank” which is a very tough pickup truck bed paint.

Sad to say, other domestic jobs took precedent over both fine dry windless weekends we had up here in the NE of England last year, and it didn’t happen, but I’m hoping for better luck this Summer!

The original paint shows very poor prep of the metal, there seems to be no primer whatsoever, and as soon as the first scratch happens (usually stones underneath) the slow rot begins….
I’m thinking acid etch, then a zinc-based sacrificial primer, then the epoxy, but it’s a very tough environment where the steps are located

I think if you stick something on, there will be joins you can’t seal, and water & salt will be trapped underneath the covering material, accelerating corrosion. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” -where’s the fun in that?

Ive painted many of these with bed liner... You can even apply it with a roller if you don't have spraying equipment...

I gave up and replaced the steps. The newer ones are now plastic coated underneath. 2016 SDV8 AB

The steps aren't rotten, just where I get in and out the black paint has worn through to the aluminium. I think I'll give Craigs solution a try when the weather gets better - until then I'll just leave it. Geoff