Lund 5" Oval Nerf Bar rust issue

Bought these 5" nerf bars Nov 2015. Early Dec 2016 I took truck to car wash. After leaving and arriving home I noticed a small amount of orange water dried up under one of the plastic molded steps on drivers side.

Was bothered but decided to see how it progressed (given a 5yr warranty on Lund product I didn't lose my mind). It got worse fast though.

Reached out to realtruck.com and they swiftly acted as a liaison between Lund and I and replacement was sent quickly (a new set). They advised me I should drill a drain hole through the bars so the water has somewhere to go so this doesn't need to be addressed again?!?

Seems kind of odd they were mass produced with an obvious flaw.

Anyone else have this issue?

 

I've had mine on for about 6 months and no issues so far.

 

Rust looks better than chrome

 

I have set , on for about a month Where do drill hole under pad??

 

Probably on the bottom to drain...

 

I really don't know. Through the pad and through the bottom? Lund said 'make sure to drill a hole in bottom for water to drain so as to avoid this again'. Like it was my fault.

If there solution is me drilling completely through pad and bottom I am kinda disappointed.

 

Not sure how water can get in there, but it seems like a hole centered under the pad should do it. I would not drill the pad my self, I put a good coat of Paste Wax on mine before I installed them

 

Had the same issues. Tried to repair it but it got worse. Waiting to hear back from Lund.

 

I had Lund 3" oval steps on my 2008 a long time ago and had the exact same problem, but it didn't show up until I was long out of warranty.

I took mine off, sanded them down a bit to move the rust and give them a tooth for the new coating, sprayed them with rattle can bed liner and got a about 2 more years out of them.

IMO it's a design problem. Water works it's way under the step pads and goes the holes where the pads "snap" into the top of the steps. It gets trapped inside the tubes because the ends of the tubes are plugged.

If they are telling you to drill drainage holes, you might want to consider doing that in the plastic end caps and not in the metal step itself. If you drill into the metal you're just creating a place where the powder coating is compromised and rust will have another place to live.

 

I agree. I'm hoping I can get another type/design. Still waiting for a reply from an email I sent yesterday. My warranty expires in December.

 

For what it’s worth, I have these same steps, about 2 years old. No issues so far. With this set...

However, mine are warranty replacements. I formerly had the same set on a ‘12 prerunner, which I drove through some high brackish water after hurricane Florence in 2018. Soon thereafter I started to see the orange stains around the steps. I presume some brackish water got inside through the step clip holes or the bracket mounting holes, and enough salt was present to start corroding them from the inside. No damage was visible from the outside.

RealTruck.com processed a warranty claim for me via emailed photos and they sent me the new set I have now. The ones that corroded were right around a year old.

Agree that there’s a weakness in there being no way for water to get out once it gets in. I actually drilled drain holes in mine after I discovered the rusting, and couldn’t get orange water to stop coming out of the drain holes. Wasn’t about to allow my driveway to become rust stained. Agree that drilling holes also creates a chink in the powder coat armor and is not a satisfactory solution.

All you can do is aggressively pursue a warranty replacement, while understanding that the vendor and the manufacturer probably have no obligation to replace if you’re more than one or two years past purchase date. You’re basically just hoping they’ll be cool and take care of you. But read any fine print from your orders / purchase paperwork for more detail.

 

I have same issue with Lund on my 17 Tacoma . Spent 8 years waxing, drilling drain holes , removing and injecting fogging oil . Just installed a new set . Can i remove the pads, lay down silicone bead , and reinstall them?

 

You bumped a 4 year old 2nd gen thread to tell us about your 3rd gen?

 

You expended energy to make a snarky comment and didn’t realize this thread (and the latest member’s question) has nothing to do with 2nd/3rd gen and everything to do with Lund nerf bars?

Personally I’m interested in any responses to his question, and I’m a 2nd gen owner.

 

Didn't mean to come across as snarky. Moreso confused.

 

2nd and 3rd gen fitment for the nerf bars is identical. Makes perfect sense to come back to a thread like this, with owners of a specific product, for questions about how to manage rust on said product. Precisely the sort of thing a forum is for.

 

you could:

remove pieces of Pepsi aluminum that cost money to multiply damage

get sliders

or have nothing, and not spend money on things that multiply damage

this would solve your problem and put money in your pocket

used sliders cost about the same as step bars.

benefits include but are not limited to better looks with or without sliders

 

1) Nerf bars are not at all designed to do what sliders do. Nerf bars are MUCH better steps than sliders. Which is why they’re poor sliders. Where did the poster you responded to say he wheels? If he has these bars, he doesn’t wheel hard enough to need sliders.

2) These are made of steel, not aluminum, thus the rust, ya know?

Not sure what it is about this post that attracts people with nothing worthwhile to contribute. A guy with rusting nerf bars would like suggestions to treat and prevent future rust. That’s it.

 

I had step bars. My sliders are better steps for about the same price.

sliders damage protect. Step bars damage multiply. That includes being hit sideways on the road or door dinged in a parking lot.

sliders are worth protecting. Step bars are not.

sliders are useful every day including on the road regardless of wheeling sometimes.
Which is why one buys these vehicles that come at a cost required to wheel sometimes. To wheel sometimes.

when you off road sometimes, as one does with these vehicles designed and bought for that. Sliders protect. Step bars damage multiply.

when step bars damage multiply, they are not sellable for any amount of money.

 

Also be watching where they bolt on under the truck, that’s where the most started on mine..good place for salt/mud to collect and start the cancer