has anyone installed your own fixed side steps? any suggestion on aftermarket?? how difficult was installation etc

Thanks!!

 

wow I guess no one has ever done this....

 

You can go to YouTube and search “defender sidestep instillation”. I used the powerfuluk video, in terms of difficulty I can not offer an option as it depends on your abilities, not difficult, just time and patience.
I purchased side steps from a China vender on eBay, well packaged with all important retaining clips for body side molding and bolts.

 

I’m installing mine this weekend (wish me luck!). I bought the ones from Lucky8 that have the Union Jack embossed into the rubber “step” part. Hunter’s Prestige carries the same exact ones, but shipping was much less since Lucky8 is US-based. They (and others) have many videos on the install. Fingers crossed all goes well.

 

I followed the instructions at https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/06...f?v=1662128829. I was able to cut the pieces of trim under the car pretty easily with a utility knife. These instructions avoid having to take the side trim pieces off, and breaking clips in the process. This technically means that the bracket bolts that go into the side of the car aren't used (only the ones that go into the bottom are), but the steps still feel rock solid to me, and the install was much easier/faster.

 

As deekay mentioned no need to use the inside bolts. Ebay has the same sidesteps and usually free shipping and best offer. I was also able to haggle a bit and got the price down to 289.00 free shipping. Mine are rock solid and well made. I would say they are the exact same as OEM and are identical as the ones from lucky8 and other 3rd parties. probable are the same. The best install guide is below and same as deekays post. D90 guide on same site.

Side step install

 

You can save significant by purchasing aftermarket from Amazon, eBay, etc. I purchased a set off of eBay that looked identical to the factory sidesteps until I went to install them on my 90. They shipped with four “front” brackets which I didn’t notice until I was in the process of installing them. I ended up returning them since the seller didn’t have access to replacement parts. I ended up buying and installing OEM Land Rover sidesteps. The OEM kit had separate LF, RF, LR, and RR brackets.
So definitely check out the parts completely before you start. I did order some replacement clips from Amazon.
I followed the YouTube videos from powerfulUK, Lucky8 and watched just about all of them before I began. Removing the side panels does seem scary until you do it once. It wasn’t all that difficult. I don’t know how much the “inside “ bolts contribute to the strength of the installation but the engineers designed them that way for some reason.

Good luck!

 

Have to agree with ThunderBob. I installed my sidesteps, it’s not a very difficult job. Read the instructions thoroughly, first. As mentioned, you don’t need to remove all of the underbody cladding, it can be cut with a utility knife, I used an oscillating saw. It’s only a thick fibrous padding and cuts easily. But I wouldn’t leave any bolts off. There are a lot of shear forces when putting full body weight on the step. Before starting the job I purchased extra clips, because some will break, but after watching PowerfulUK’s video where he broke nearly every clip, I found that by finessing the removal of the rocker panel trim I only broke a few. He literally wrenched the trim off with brute force. Also, by using a small spray bottle with a mixture of soap and water and spraying above the rocker panel trim pieces and letting the mixture run down behind them, they will wrestle off a bit easier. Go for it, good luck.

 

My first mod was lucky8 reverse lights, I couldnt see jack when reversing at night. for for side steps I decided to go with the tuff ant rock sliders when ever they send a shipment to the US lol, pricey but I like the look step and rock slider all in one.

 

I heard the TuffAnt slider shipment is near… I’ve been waiting around for the D90 version for a while and they want to start locking in orders next week. From the pictures they look like a great option.