Rust on my Nerf bars, remove and paint or start shopping?

[JAsh1967]

What someone said earlier is a really good point, no JT is older then 5 years, so they can't be out of warranty. The only thing I would worry about is if they claim since you have no receipt how do they know you're the original purchaser (is warranty transferable) or are they genuine, not a knock off. Hopefully they don't go that way, but those would be my only two thoughts on why they might resist.

If for some reason they don't cover them, I'd sand them down and hit them with either steel-it or Por15. You've already purchased them, if you've got time to refinish them yourself why drop the money twice.

Yeah, and I won't hold it against them if they do go down that road. And, if so, well, I've got a drill, I've got a brass wire wheel for it, and I've got hardware stores I can go to for paint.

I'll just be back to my plan from earlier this year, get the rust off, paint, and keep repeating until they rust through, then get new ones.

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[Hootbro]

Same thing happened to a set of N-Fab steps I had on a Tundra. We only get 2-3 weeks of salted roads most Winters but they went to crap after a couple of years.

From my experience of bolted on steel parts like bumpers and side steps, unless the they are zinc coated before paint or powder coating, they are going look like ass in a couple of Winters without fail.

 

[Dickster]

Por-15 has some new UV-rated paint. Paint over rust lmao

 

[firemedic2714]

I have a pair of N-Fab rock rails with removable steps. They've been on my Jeep since September 2019. The rails started rusting at the welds fairly early on but haven't gotten noticeably worse since. The steps were clearly finished by a different powdercoater. The rust on them was much worse. My cousin sandblasted them and applied four coats of powder and they still started rusting within a year. Not nearly as bad, but I'm still having them Line-Xed this spring. I had my Line-X dealer spray my Smittybilt front bumper last year and no rust yet. If corrosion does start, it's covered by their lifetime warranty.

 

[Ward]

I purchased the N-Fab Podium Stainless Steel model several winters ago & just noticed a tiny amount of rust forming where the driver side step is welded to the bar. Did the wire brush & paint. Main body of the SS Bar is rust free, so far.

 

[JAsh1967]

So for anyone watching this drama unfold, decided to call N-Fab yesterday rather than wait on them replying to my email.

They do require proof of purchase, which I don't blame them for, but thankfully my innate stubbornness won through and before I called I went digging back through bank transaction and finally found my purchase. Once I had the date, I found the email receipt, and once I talked to them, they're shipping out replacements.

Sadly, they only ship what you purchased or the closest current product, so no upgrading to the aluminum NERF bars, but that's OK.

So, a happy ending!

Oh, as for the old ones, I'm planning once I get the new ones on, taking them up to a local recycling place that pays $$$ for scrap, pretty sure our recycling pickup guy would NOT appreciate the old ones being in the pile...

 

[saintpauljeff]

So for anyone watching this drama unfold, decided to call N-Fab yesterday rather than wait on them replying to my email.

They do require proof of purchase, which I don't blame them for, but thankfully my innate stubbornness won through and before I called I went digging back through bank transaction and finally found my purchase. Once I had the date, I found the email receipt, and once I talked to them, they're shipping out replacements.

Sadly, they only ship what you purchased or the closest current product, so no upgrading to the aluminum NERF bars, but that's OK.

So, a happy ending!

Oh, as for the old ones, I'm planning once I get the new ones on, taking them up to a local recycling place that pays $$$ for scrap, pretty sure our recycling pickup guy would NOT appreciate the old ones being in the pile...

good deal, glad the warranty claim worked out for you as well

 

[saintpauljeff]

NFab did process a warranty claim for my Predator Pro aluminum steps (in fact they told me to toss the old ones instead of shipping them back). Will the newer ones hold up to Minnesota winter better? Doubtful. But at least I'll defer the same issue on the new steps a couple years. Once warranty claims are no longer an option I'm thinking I'd like to try the Line-X idea for protection.

I originally had the same problem you have- rust on regular steel steps -and I aborted their use since I couldn't figure out how to refinish. Tried sanding and repainting and I couldn't prevent the rust from returning. I switched to the Predator Pro since I didn't want to worry about rust.

my replacement steps have officially crapped out, end caps are all totally peeling

any particular reason they can't get the process correct on the ends of the steps but manage the body just fine?

going to try another warranty replacement, otherwise, probably attempting the Line-X option (maybe just coat the end caps? not sure)

 

[saintpauljeff]

RealTruck just approved my second warranty replacement for the N-Fab Predator Pro side steps. I've decided to break the cycle, and i'm aiming to get this set sprayed with liner material. Awaiting a quote back from a local dealer. EDIT- $340 + tax to add the lining.

Hopefully this means they last much much longer and not end up with the caps looking like this

 

[saintpauljeff]

RealTruck just approved my second warranty replacement for the N-Fab Predator Pro side steps. I've decided to break the cycle, and i'm aiming to get this set sprayed with liner material. Awaiting a quote back from a local dealer. EDIT- $340 + tax to add the lining.

Hopefully this means they last much much longer and not end up with the caps looking like this

Rhino Liner turned out pretty good

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