Running boards in the summer

[RichCam]

I have a 2020 limited and like most have had running board issues... The dealership replaced the module under warranty and about 6 months later (when warranty was expired) they started acting up again...
Dealership could find nothing wrong and recommended replacing them both... Not for that price..
I limped along through last summer, washing, lubing, etc... Still with intermittent success....
The in about Oct of last year they started working.... ALL THE TIME... it was amazing..
I almost forgot there was an issue until the first warm day in February and the old problem was back... So cooler weather work great... Warmer weather intermittent..
Anyone else experience this or have any ideas?

 

[duneslider]

I think it is just the nature of them. If I am good about cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, and lubing it really good they seem to work fine but they do require a fair amount of work to keep them happy. I def haven't 100% figured them out but I am pretty sure I don't clean them often enough and lube them often enough.

 

[Hellwig]

Electrical running board and sunroof are the two things I avoid on any vehicle I purchase

 

[Fizzy]

I was having problems in the winter, with salt/sand in such prolific use here on the roads. I followed that YoutUbe video to the letter, and it's been 2 winters and 1 summer without so much as a whimper out of the running boards.

I also added mudflaps, primarily to prevent the buildups of giant snow-turds on the running boards that was weighing them down. But maybe that has helped reduce the amount of sand getting into the running board joints too.

 

[DieselMonk]

I’ve had now these automatic running boards twice. I never done anything to them and always worked. Don’t have mud guards installed either. While most of my driving is on pavement, I do off the pavement here and there. No problems with winter snow on the running boards either.

 

[texsn95]

I was having problems in the winter, with salt/sand in such prolific use here on the roads. I followed that YoutUbe video to the letter, and it's been 2 winters and 1 summer without so much as a whimper out of the running boards.

I also added mudflaps, primarily to prevent the buildups of giant snow-turds on the running boards that was weighing them down. But maybe that has helped reduce the amount of sand getting into the running board joints too.

What video?

 

[Fizzy]

What video?

This one. It was tricky to find the FluidFilm in stock here, but I followed it to the letter and it solved all my running board issues. I was planning to do it again before this winter, but it hasn't needed it.

 

[texsn95]

Cool thanks, I like that dude's videos. I did use some silicon spray on the pivot points of ours not long after we got it, so maybe will make it a yearly maintenance thing. They seem to work OK so far as long as I don't mess with any of the delay timer settings.

 

[DieselMonk]

I gave up on Fluid Film long time ago. I think this stuff is awful. One you use it after a while it dries a little and the gunk almost solidifies. Add cold to the mix and everything really starts to lock up or move hard. Put something else like grease or PTFE oil in there and keep that expensive crap out of there. I don’t even use Fluid Film as an undercoat anymore. There are better products that are cheaper.

 

[ms136]

I will add that Fluid Film did the trick for me too. My passenger board would struggle to deploy after a day of non-use, maybe reversing if it took too long to deploy, and then on the next retract cycle would reverse at least once. First, I tried Boeshield T-9 which I knew would penetrate and leave a waterproof film that wouldn't attract dirt, but it didn't last and the issue returned in a few days. Next, I used Tri-Flow as it seemed highly recommended by others, but the next day the board struggled to extend. Then, I soaked the hinges with good ole PB Blaster which lasted four days. I had been avoiding Fluid Film because it looked like a magnet for dirt and I had convinced myself it wouldn't last, I was wrong. After soaking the hinges with this nasty stuff, I wiped the excess off and hoped for the best. That was about a month ago. If anything, the board deploys even faster now, so the Fluid Film must have penetrated which is something else I didn't expect.