Best lube, IMO for Power running boards is...............

[rjdelp7]

A couple of bad Buffalo winters, these "power" running boards, will be toast. Hell, my original brackets rotted away. They collect the snow/salty mix.

 

[llhoneymoons]

I have an unlimited plan at the local car wash and go about once a week. I deploy the running boards just as I go through.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

I have an unlimited plan at the local car wash and go about once a week. I deploy the running boards just as I go through.

I have the unlimited plan at Mike's Carwash here in Fort Wayne and I go through at least once or twice a week but I have not deployed the running boards before going in. I never considered that. What specifically does that do for the running boards?

 

[llhoneymoons]

I have the unlimited plan at Mike's Carwash here in Fort Wayne and I go through at least once or twice a week but I have not deployed the running boards before going in. I never considered that. What specifically does that do for the running boards?

I'm not 100% sure if it does anything to protect them, but they do look nice afterwards when they deploy. My other hope, besides them being clean, is that any dirt or salt (winter's coming) will be removed and prevent rust. My other two cars have both had rusting at the rear wheel wells. I just paid someone to have that removed so it does not spread. I would prefer not having to do that with the Expedition so I am being sure to keep it as clean as possible.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

I'm not 100% sure if it does anything to protect them, but they do look nice afterwards when they deploy. My other hope, besides them being clean, is that any dirt or salt (winter's coming) will be removed and prevent rust. My other two cars have both had rusting at the rear wheel wells. I just paid someone to have that removed so it does not spread. I would prefer not having to do that with the Expedition so I am being sure to keep it as clean as possible.

Me as well. I had the truck Ziebarted when I bought it. They spray the jell in all of the panels and the rockers, I even got them to do the radiator support just in case. And they undercoated the entire bottom of the truck. Everything that doesn't move - they call it sound deadening but we know what it really is for to keep it from rusting away.

 

[JExpedition07]

A couple of bad Buffalo winters, these "power" running boards, will be toast. Hell, my original brackets rotted away. They collect the snow/salty mix.

It’s not so much that they rust but after being iced closed and the salt getting in the internals you are correct they break. My family member who buys new GM units every few years always says they wish they could get a denali or LTZ with fixed boards because their running boards generally fail after about 1.5-2 years. In a heavy freeze where the things are coated you can just hear the motor struggling to deploy them i think that’s what kills them. If your not in an area with extreme winters they are pretty reliable.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

It’s not so much that they rust but after being iced closed and the salt getting in the internals you are correct they break. My family member who buys new GM units every few years always says they wish they could get a denali or LTZ with fixed boards because their running boards generally fail after about 1.5-2 years. In a heavy freeze where the things are coated you can just hear the motor struggling to deploy them i think that’s what kills them. If your not in an area with extreme winters they are pretty reliable.

Here we can get really cold winters with temps in the minus teens but that is unusual. We typically get about one snow fall per week usually only a couple of inches and sometimes not at all. We get lake effect snow but we are far enough away that they are usually just flurries here.

When the weather is bad, I stop at the car wash on the way home and run it through to get most of the salt off and then when storm is over and I'm going out, I'll stop at the car wash to wash the rest of the salt off.

 

[rjdelp7]

Here we can get really cold winters with temps in the minus teens but that is unusual. We typically get about one snow fall per week usually only a couple of inches and sometimes not at all. We get lake effect snow but we are far enough away that they are usually just flurries here.

When the weather is bad, I stop at the car wash on the way home and run it through to get most of the salt off and then when storm is over and I'm going out, I'll stop at the car wash to wash the rest of the salt off.

JExpeditions07 says they freeze shut. Running it through a car wash, below freezing will guarantee that. I would pull fuse Dec-March.

 

[llhoneymoons]

Can you share the fuse location?

Is that fuse tied to any other component(s)?

 

[mossback]

They can also be disabled in the menu.