I installed my own locally made step sliders last summer, drove the winter, salted roads etc. Mud dy tracks etc. It's been bugging me constantly how much mud and other stuff is going between the mounting plates and the painted rocker panel of the car. So this weekend I took them off to see wha was happening. Looks like even stainless steel bolts aren't impervious to rust. The steel nutserts in the original holes all had a bit of surface rust on them and the stainless bolts had a bit of corrosion as well. The sliders themselves had surface rust all over where the plates met the body of the car (same attachment method as the RRO design)
Anyway, I cleaned them up and sprayed them with mat rust paint. Trying to decide the best method for sealing the sliders to the body to keep out the worst of the dirt and salt while allowing moisture to escape from r dry. The worst bit was the front bolt where a sizeable collection of crud (dirt, leaves, gravel) had gone in between the plate and the body and got hung up on the first bolt. That was worse on the drivers side but still noticeable on the passenger side.
So, bottom line is, these things are going to be a yearly maintenance item and I think everyone who has them should take a look now and then to make sure the sliders are clean and rust free, before they start causing more serious corrosion on the car body rocker panels.
Anyway, I cleaned them up and sprayed them with mat rust paint. Trying to decide the best method for sealing the sliders to the body to keep out the worst of the dirt and salt while allowing moisture to escape from r dry. The worst bit was the front bolt where a sizeable collection of crud (dirt, leaves, gravel) had gone in between the plate and the body and got hung up on the first bolt. That was worse on the drivers side but still noticeable on the passenger side.
So, bottom line is, these things are going to be a yearly maintenance item and I think everyone who has them should take a look now and then to make sure the sliders are clean and rust free, before they start causing more serious corrosion on the car body rocker panels.