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How To: Side Steps/Running Boards

24K views 48 replies 5 participants last post by  dardsa 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
#7 · (Edited)
Finally got them installed. Mostly straight forward except for a few snafus.

  1. The instructions are in Chinese. But there are pictures that make it logical
  2. The black plastic cover that is mounted with tabs does not slide out. The european ones have two covers whereas we have only one that you have to literally pry out. So you have to pull it out breaking a few built-in tabs on the cover. Can't avoid this at all as the tabs slide in opposite directions. The top tabs are weaker than the bottom ones and those are the ones that break easily. The piece is anyway useless with the side steps. You can install it back with the few tabs left if needed in the future

  3. The counternuts that go in the body take a while to figure out how to insert.
    Those square nuts are designed to be oversized. You have to slide them in and push the other end in.

    Here is the way they work. There are two pieces - the arrestor bracket and the rectangular oversized nut.

    First put the metal bracket in the opening. It acts as an arrestor to prevent the nut from falling inside. Then slide the left end of the nut towards the left of the opening (doesn't matter which end) until the right edge aligns with the right edge of the opening. Then using my method above push it in with another driver while holding the bracket with another driver. Once it goes in, slide the whole assembly at the same time.
    The nut is deliberately oversized because when you install the screw that metal nut presses against the edges of the opening thereby clamping the side steps against the opening. It is basically a large nut and screw between which you are trying to clamp down two surfaces together (side steps and the car body panel)

    Basically insert one end and push them in and tap them a few times with a driver and hammer until the end can slide in. Be careful to tap them with soft blows. If you tap them too hard they will fall inside which will be a PITA to remove. I managed to push two of them inside. Got one out using a magnet from outside and using fingers through the covered holes in the body. One I couldn't take out. Or bend the tabs with pliers a bit which makes them easy to slide in.
    The bottom ones are easy to mount than the top ones as the metal is probably thinner in the bottom frame.
  4. Same thing happened with the special one that goes in the rearmost hole which I couldn't take out either.
 
#9 · (Edited)
  1. The frontmost RHS front tab was not getting aligned so I had to use a jack to lift it. The frontmost and rearmost mounts are not structural anyway so they can be left alone. They are just useful to align all the screw mounts.
  2. Also double check if the screws are tight as the side step frame is not so straight. The recommended torque in the instructions is 3 ftlb or so which is too low anyway. If you eye them from below you can see some gaps between the body and the side step frame mounts. The gap won't completely go away so don't try to overtighten and strip the screws. I stood on the side steps after first tightening the screws and then retightened them some more.
  3. Also had to dremel the splash guards to make them fit the side steps.

 
#16 ·
Cut a little extra but not much it's hard to trace the cutting shape but did it with multiple visual tries. You do need to cut a decent chunk though or those won't sit flush and debris will get stuck in the gaps.


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#20 ·
Began my install

Motivated by the great weather here in Southern Ontario over the weekend (as well as the "No we dont do that" reply at the 5 garages i visited on friday) i began work on installing the side steps myself.

Background: the ebay seller sent me a "fitting video" which is in mandarin and not helpful. I referred to Kia instructions that @josuet posted in post #27 of this thread http://www.kia-forums.com/2016-sorento/239858-us-accessories-canadian-sorentos-2.html). Note: i had no screwdriver that was short enough to remove the mud flaps. i therefore took the wheel off, which gave me lots of space to work. In the process i ended up also doing the season wheel swap - the first time. motivation thanks to this group :).

Also i recommend getting "trim tools". i bought these as an impulse purchase from a parts store - $3 at princess auto for canadians - and found them invaluable in removing the trim. I did snap a few clips in the process but as @ztorque noted it cant be helped and anyway the plastic trim is useless.

I have completed steps 1 through 3 in kia instruction sheet.

Looking for suggestions on how to proceed:
1. Step 4 involves installing an anti noise pad which was not in the box. any suggestions? Needed / not needed?
2. Step 5 involves 16x10 Fixing Square nuts and step 6 shows how the side step slots into those Fixing Square nuts. the attachments in the box i got dont have these
instead i have a rectangular metal piece 25mm x 9mm (item #4 from left - or right - in attached picture). the openings in the Sorento are 16mm x 10mm
as the fixing square nuts description suggests. the end opening is 10 mm x 10mm (maybe 10mm x 9.9mm).
I am guessing the rectangular metal piece needs to be behind the opening but that would mean
removing the plate below the vehicle and getting my hand in there to hold this in place while also holding up the side step and turning the screw . that is an well nigh
impossible task for me.

Alternative methods to secure the side step welcomed. I'm thinking the 16x10 Fixing Square Nuts are likely available at the local hardware store
but am not sure what would be needed in the side step (see item with red arrow in the second picture) so the two mesh such that i can secure using the screws.
can (should??) the tabs from the existing trim be reused?

Also are fixing square nuts metal or plastic? if metal then there would be a metal on metal contact and the potential for rust. the original plastic trim had some felt-like
material between the plastic and the painted surface. i could reuse those.

thanks for any help and guidance to see this through to the end
 

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#21 ·
1. Step 4 involves installing an anti noise pad which was not in the box. any suggestions? Needed / not needed?
Those must come only with the OEM set. Get a roll of sound deadener then cut it out to fit the size of each panel area.

2. Step 5 involves 16x10 Fixing Square nuts and step 6 shows how the side step slots into those Fixing Square nuts. the attachments in the box i got dont have these
instead i have a rectangular metal piece 25mm x 9mm (item #4 from left - or right - in attached picture). the openings in the Sorento are 16mm x 10mm
as the fixing square nuts description suggests. the end opening is 10 mm x 10mm (maybe 10mm x 9.9mm).
I am guessing the rectangular metal piece needs to be behind the opening but that would mean
removing the plate below the vehicle and getting my hand in there to hold this in place while also holding up the side step and turning the screw . that is an well nigh
impossible task for me.
Concur with your guess. Would be nice to find out if other members got same hardware package. I agree you should first try to find those 16X10, it would make your installation a hell easier.

I'm thinking the 16x10 Fixing Square Nuts are likely available at the local hardware store
but am not sure what would be needed in the side step (see item with red arrow in the second picture) so the two mesh such that i can secure using the screws.
can (should??) the tabs from the existing trim be reused?
If the existing tabs are in good shape and fit, I don't see any reason to not use them. I'm sure you can find those tabs at Canadian Tire, perhaps not exactly same but they will do the job.

Also are fixing square nuts metal or plastic? if metal then there would be a metal on metal contact and the potential for rust. the original plastic trim had some felt-like material between the plastic and the painted surface. i could reuse those.
Again, if they fit, you could totally reuse them.
 
#22 ·
2. Step 5 involves 16x10 Fixing Square nuts and step 6 shows how the side step slots into those Fixing Square nuts. the attachments in the box i got dont have these
instead i have a rectangular metal piece 25mm x 9mm (item #4 from left - or right - in attached picture). the openings in the Sorento are 16mm x 10mm
as the fixing square nuts description suggests. the end opening is 10 mm x 10mm (maybe 10mm x 9.9mm).
I am guessing the rectangular metal piece needs to be behind the opening but that would mean
removing the plate below the vehicle and getting my hand in there to hold this in place while also holding up the side step and turning the screw . that is an well nigh
impossible task for me.

@dardsa, wait a minute. Does the black bolt screw into that metal flap? If you remove the black bolt (Item #3 left to right) and spin the metal flap part so it can snap upright into the square hole, would that be possible?

Auto part


If that works, I believe the rectangular pieces would just be an spacer sitting in between the rocker panel and the side step. Can you confirm from the original instructions?

Is there any picture with the chinese instructions or video about that step?
 
#23 · (Edited)
@dardsa, wait a minute. Does the black bolt screw into that metal flap? If you remove the black bolt (Item [URL=http://www.kia-forums.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=3]#3 [/URL] left to right) and spin the metal flap part so it can snap upright into the square hole, would that be possible?
View attachment 81690
thanks for the response @josuet. i figure discussing it with someone will help me understand how to work out a solution

From the video that the particular screw you highlighted is used at the ends - there are only 2 of them in the packet and my assumption is one for each side. in the video the person is able to get his hand behind the panel from where the mud flap was, then he first inserts the screw, pushes then finally pulls the screw. hard to understand without the voice over to suggest what he was doing. in my vehicle the end opening (10 x 10mm) is some distance from the mud flap gap. my estimate is the bottom panel needs to be removed to do what he is doing

If that works, I believe the rectangular pieces would just be an spacer sitting in between the rocker panel and the side step. Can you confirm from the original instructions?
the screws (#2 from right, with the washer there are 22 of them) end up threading into these rectangular pieces. the spacer (item #3 from right) i cant fathom how to use that.

Is there any picture with the chinese instructions or video about that step?
will look into how i can upload the video and will send out the link.

i have @ztorque's or @CrazyBiker instructions in mandarin (attached here as a PDF). on page 3 the panel on the top right of the page shows a different process for the end screw which likely mirrors the above mentioned push and pull process. his uses the fixing square as well and then the screw goes in.
 

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#27 ·
I agree. The more i think about this install the more i think thats a no-brainer. the ebay seller has responded to my query to say he will "check his warehouse" to see if he has the "fixing square" nuts. one distributor i checked with said the Kia fastener was likely a proprietary nut and therefore unlikely to be sold to general public. i will check a number of other distributors in teh area where i live and update.
 
#30 · (Edited)
@ztorque - appears i am missing the nut or at least they didnt send me the right one. in your picture the nut is an exact fit into the opening in the Sorento. in my case the nut is 25mm x 9mm (attached picture, i have 22 of these) whereas the opening in the side of the sorento body is 16mm x 10mm. I have not checked the underneath dimensions. Also the nut i received has no flanges at the end whereas yours appear to.

i am hoping i can get a nut locally that has the 16mm x 10mm dimension so it fits into the opening. but those dimensions seem proprietary to the local distributor for fasteners. i am hoping the original ebay seller finds these and can send it to me (based on the video he sent me and the link to which i posted earlier, minute 1:18). Plan B is to see if i can source locally and Plan C is ebay.
 

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#47 ·
I'm getting around to finishing this job - got the driver's side mud flap cut out as @ztorque had (cant believe all it needed was a rusted but still useable steak knife)!! Now to get the mud flap on one of these weekends

My question though is related to the metallic surface itself. as the attached picture shows it does have (seemingly rust) spots / marks as if scratched likely when climbing in/out of teh vehicle.

can this be "touched-up" as we do with paint? Another thread referred to using baking soda / whitening toothpaste to get rid of the stuff that sticks to these chrome-like plastic surfaces. it worked for the sticker on side step. thanks in advance
 

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