My deployable side steps are starting to show their age and its lead me down a bit of a rabbit hole.

I thought about refurbishing them, people have raptor lined them but then post 12 months later saying it didnt last.

At some point the design changed (2019/20?) I think to make it plastic covered rather than power coated? I don't have any in hand but you can tell the newer style as they don't have removable ends like the early kind.

JLR charge 500+ per step, second hand they are all generally all the early kind and worn out anyway, you can pickup them cheaper on ebay occasionally as new old stock but you need to make sure you get the revised ones if you are spending that kind of money.

However.. the L460 ones are cheaper and tend to cost 350~ on ebay for genuine ones which is a bit more palatable. The mounting brackets look the same design, its a channel with a movable backing plate in so that allows for infinite adjustment fore and aft.

Just wondering if anyone has experimented before?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226013173740

Furthering on this topic the reason I started looking into the steps so much was my passenger side one stopped working.

Landrover said the motor has been discontinued now so the only option are the aftermarket copies. It seems you can get every part of the deployable side step system (brackets etc) aftermarket now.

When i disassembled the steps and started testing I didnt find any rust binding it up but it was dry seized.

For those wanting to replace the step motors I would recommend replacing the bushes at the same time, they are sf-1f (self lubricating single flange) bushes, 16mm ID, 18mm OD and 12mm depth. Ive order myself a pack and have spares so if anybody needs a couple feel free to send me a PM.

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I've only had my car a fortnight but I'm already paranoid about the side steps packing up. Is there a maintenance how-to anywhere ? Or is it pretty self-explanatory when you look at them ? I fancy pulling them all apart to clean & lube as necessary.

Me Too, I've just bought a 2016 L405 SDV8 AB and one of the steps won't deploy properly, had a quick look but not sure where to start

Number one thing not to do is grease them or apply any kind of sticky lubricant. Grease has its place in mechanisms but exposed on the underside of the car isn't one. It'll get grit in it from the road and becomes a grinding paste. It will make short work of the graphite in the bearings and accelerate the wear from there. Keep them clean is your best bet, they are designed to have dry lubrication, if you wanted a suitable spray use a dry one like moly spray.

If your step isn't working you need to remove the rear bracket complete with motor. It's fairly simple, 3 bolts on the chassis and 2 on the steps themselves. You ideally want the step in the half way deployed position but that's not always an option.

With the the bracket removed try see if the step moves, if yes the not front bracket might an issue, it should move very freely.

Connect the rear motor attached to the bracket off the car and test, if the motor still won't move then take out the 10mm bolt that holds the wedge in on the output shaft of the motor. Depending on what position it is in access might be tricky! With that wedge disconnected and removed the bracket should move fairly freely, if not then you want to remove the motor and inspect the bracket for why it's stiff. With the motor removed connect it again to test, it should move when you open and close the door, if not you need a new one!

When I rang the dealer last week they said they were on backorder and discontinued, aftermarket ones are cheap but no idea on longevity.. currently testing that one out!