Voyager side steps badly rusted

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Quijote

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As I mentioned a while back, my Voyager rock slides with steps started to rust within a few months. Now, a year and a half later, it actually looks pretty bad and paint is delaminating in large chunks. (pictures sometime this weekend)

I cannot believe what a poor job they do with the finish and how badly they stand behind it.

Anyhow, I am planning on getting them off the LR4 get the rust and "paint" removed to bare metal and applying bed liner spray-on material (Linex or Rhino liner).

Any thoughts or experience on this?

BTW, I also ran into waxoyl, and as it turns out, the closest approved applicator near me is a seemignly good LR shop.

http://www.jwhitesautomotive.com/waxoyl.html

Intersting service.
 

mbw

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I live in Iowa. My voyager sliders rusted like mad. I was ******. I called Voyager and they had me ship them back (my cost) and they stripped them down and re-coated them. They said they put more than twice the zinc coating on this time and made the powdercoat thicker. I can't tell the difference.

So, after another iowa winter (Which they claim can't be worse than being on the coast of florida, where they make them)... they look better. Not perfect, but much improved.

These shots are from today, i just went out and took them.

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gOvHjtcoZXI1Ahpp1OXlwhzlc9OMqMfbS0pP=w1201-h901-no.jpg



So, im conflicted. I like these sliders. They are not the largest or heaviest (a good thing for me) but they do have coating issues. I just plan on having them re-done locally next time they need it.

I also had the ladder redone at the same time. It is in good shape. The rack has a few spots also, but it stays out of the salt more. I can easily sand and repaint little spots on the rack myself.

The stuff is steel.. so I guess we can expect some rust. Anywhere that gets ground on a rock or something is going to rust, and these sliders sit in the muck and get hit with every little bit of sand/salt on the road from the tires... so ya.

Take the good with the bad I guess.
 

Quijote

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I live in Iowa. My voyager sliders rusted like mad. I was ******. I called Voyager and they had me ship them back (my cost) and they stripped them down and re-coated them. They said they put more than twice the zinc coating on this time and made the powdercoat thicker. I can't tell the difference.

So, after another iowa winter (Which they claim can't be worse than being on the coast of florida, where they make them)... they look better. Not perfect, but much improved.

These shots are from today, i just went out and took them.

So, im conflicted. I like these sliders. They are not the largest or heaviest (a good thing for me) but they do have coating issues. I just plan on having them re-done locally next time they need it.

I also had the ladder redone at the same time. It is in good shape. The rack has a few spots also, but it stays out of the salt more. I can easily sand and repaint little spots on the rack myself.

The stuff is steel.. so I guess we can expect some rust. Anywhere that gets ground on a rock or something is going to rust, and these sliders sit in the muck and get hit with every little bit of sand/salt on the road from the tires... so ya.

Take the good with the bad I guess.

When I called them after a few months they offered me the same thing. I said thanks but no thanks. It costs A LOT to ship these monstrous things. I rather put the $ towards a better coating.

I'm a mechanical design engineer and have access to a pretty good plating house nearby that we use for work. Zinc plating is just not the best approach for this. Plating is good against the environment, but not against impact. Once a stone chip pierces through the coating it's just a matter of time.

The fact that their process allows for more plating tells you it's sucky to start with.

I was going to hot-dip galvanize with a super-thick layer and then powder coat. But then I figured that truck liners get the hell beaten out of them for years and it holds up. In part because the coating is flexible, so it absorbs chip impacts. Bonus: it's grippy, which is good for steps. FYI, things do not adhere well to zinc plating, so you are better off finishing over bare metal or using a proper primer.

I'll give the steps a shot, if it holds, I will later treat the OEM ladder, which is holding up very well except at the seams. So for now, those minor spots along with spots on the undercarriage I will spot treat with a rust reformer/converter.
 
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Finlayforprez

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My Voyager sliders and roof rack rusted really bad and that was in northern CA dry weather.
 

mbw

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It really stinks that they have this issue, because I think they are well made and nicely designed. Maybe they need to re-think the material they use or the coating process.
 

rovingtony

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That's why I hate rust. Anways, have you guys tried using rustoleum?
 

Surfrider77

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It really stinks that they have this issue, because I think they are well made and nicely designed. Maybe they need to re-think the material they use or the coating process.

Exactly. I love the design, but mine were shipped poorly and were so scraped and beat up by the time they arrived that I had to send them off to get re-powder coated!!

Here is the pic, as they arrived:
 

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Quijote

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You can tell the difference between fabricating a product and engineering a product.

These guys are good fabricators, but when you engineer something you make it more efficient (not as heavy) and you test the function, durability, shipping, etc.

These guys weld it, do what they can cheaply to make it look good at first, and ship it in the most crude manner imaginable. I get it. It's a small company and they are trying to make a profit, but they should be honest about what you are going to get. They seem to aim to the crowd that is going to beat the crap out of the steps, so who cares about the finish?

I'm very disappointed and would never buy again.
 
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Land Rover Joe

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Dear All,

Land Rover Joe here, after a bit of a hiatus.

I wanted to posit some observations about these "frame sliders." I purchased mine back in 2010 and have driven them in some of the most corrosive environments on the planet (some...not all). These hot spots even have corroded aluminum.

First of all…these are not Frame Sliders but sill guards. You can (and I have) jack from them…but buyer beware: this could damage the sills and make your life much more difficult. A Land Rover engineer told me to “knock it off before you knock the doors off.” In short, the only true frame sliders I know of are the one’s made by Tactical 4X4; they bolt directly onto the frame. I wish they were available back in 2010.

In 2013, while still in Africa, I pulled the Voyager “frame sliders” off to inspect them…and they had very severe rust damage. It appears that Voyager does not use a single piece of iron but welds many thin sheets together…meaning when these corrode, they expand and come apart. We did what we could with a chisel and then cleaned, coated, and repainted (regular anti-rust paint and not powder coating) then reinstalled. I will be pulling them off again in a few weeks in order to replace them with frame sliders from Tactical 4X4. I thought I had pix of the last time I looked at them in 2013…but I cannot find them (Alas, I meant to post them). I will try to provide pix of the sliders as they are now as well as pix of the underbody with the new modifications once complete—I will be doing a lot of work to include adding a fuel tank skid plate, and a rear diff plate/cage to add to my extensive amount of underbody armor.

In conclusion, these sill guards are ok but not as frame sliders. And as they are powder coated…they will rust. Period. I was rather disappointed and surprised by the fact that they were not fabricated from solid steel…thus making a pretty big mess on the inside. This could lead to corrosion of other parts as it may rub the paint and other finishes off the body. I don’t know if adding additional coating will really make a difference as once water gets inside, the whole structure will rust out from the inside. Furthermore, the increased size of the part with heavy coatings may rub paint or just not fit underneath properly.

So, I am ultimately dissatisfied with these sliders, and will replace them at full cost for new frame sliders by Tactical 4X4. Truth be told, the Voyager sliders have served me well, protecting the sills from big rocks (even crushing them) as well as emergency jacking (again…bad idea) over some pretty tough terrain. Due to the amount of rust damage to them, I do not think I can even get any resale value for the Voyager sliders as I suspect the integrity of the steel has been compromised. I have high hopes for the Tactical 4X4 gear, and will be using them day-to-day relatively soon in a very rocky, on-and-off road (but not as corrosive), African environment.

More to follow.

Cheers,
Land Rover Joe
 

Quijote

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As soon as my young boys grow enough to not really need the side steps, they are coming off. They rust too easily and are too heavy. I'll just put the plastic sill covers back on.
 

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