Rx450h side step wanted

sexylex · March 6, 2022

Hi all,

I'm looking for the side steps for my rx450h, anyone selling or know where I can get some from, please let me know.

TIA

Suj

The-Acre · March 6, 2022

34 minutes ago, sexylex said:

Hi all,

I'm looking for the side steps for my rx450h, anyone selling or know where I can get some from, please let me know.

TIA

Suj

It may be worth checking with a company called 4x4 Styling, you can find them online. They've got them for the later RX but you'll need to check with them for your model. I bought some from them when I had my Honda, very good quality and £130 the pair.

https://4x4styling.co.uk/products/for-lexus-rx200t-rx450h-2015-side-steps-running-board-set

Herbie · March 6, 2022

Are these things actually meant to be used or are they just cosmetic/decorative?

I have to take an uncle to the doctors once a month and he weighs about 26-27 stone, so could they cope with that sort of weight?

sexylex · March 6, 2022

No Idea herbie, I would of thought so, my purpose is for my kids to climb in and out of the car to be honest

Barry14UK · March 6, 2022

Back to like running boards of early cars! My wife struggles to get in my car and I have though about using a wooden block with rope attached which can be pulled up when she is in but interested in these side steps. They might also serve to stop damage on doors from others opening their doors.

The-Acre · March 6, 2022

5 hours ago, Herbie said:

Are these things actually meant to be used or are they just cosmetic/decorative?

I have to take an uncle to the doctors once a month and he weighs about 26-27 stone, so could they cope with that sort of weight?

When I had them on my Honda they were great for standing on to clean the roof, they also prevented other car doors from hitting yours! I don't think they add much value to getting in or out, in fact I found getting out more awkward, so in my experience more cosmetic, but they did look nice.

VFR · March 6, 2022

This video may be of help.

Mind you looking at how this brand is made & fitted a 20+ stone person would be at risk relying on it.

We’re these ever an OE option by Lexus ?

Herbie · March 6, 2022

1 hour ago, VFR said:

We’re these ever an OE option by Lexus ?

I don't know about OE option but they are available:

https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/product/lexus-rx-phase-4-side-steps/

stringbender · March 7, 2022

I had a Mercedes GLC for 24 hours a while back. I couldn't wait to take it back. An enduring memory of hitting the back of my leg trying to get out of the thing. They said I could pay to have them taken off !!

VFR · March 8, 2022

Watching the fitting of these I notice that they remove a chassis bung to pop the mounting inside, but this is not then closed with any sort of seal so my thinking is that water will then have an easy entry point.

I guess (?) that an OE item would take account of this ?, anyone know.

Herbie · March 8, 2022

33 minutes ago, VFR said:

Watching the fitting of these I notice that they remove a chassis bung to pop the mounting inside, but this is not then closed with any sort of seal so my thinking is that water will then have an easy entry point.

I guess (?) that an OE item would take account of this ?, anyone know.

Well, I decided to go for the ones that Phil linked to from 4x4 Styling. I ordered late on Sunday night and they arrived this afternoon, so I've just got to wait for my mate to fit them for me now. I'll let you know how it goes.

The-Acre · March 8, 2022

42 minutes ago, Herbie said:

Well, I decided to go for the ones that Phil linked to from 4x4 Styling. I ordered late on Sunday night and they arrived this afternoon, so I've just got to wait for my mate to fit them for me now. I'll let you know how it goes.

And photos please!

The-Acre · March 8, 2022

52 minutes ago, The-Acre said:

And photos please!

These are the ones they sent me, it took about 20mins to do each side

stepheneric · March 9, 2022

On 3/7/2022 at 7:02 AM, stringbender said:

I had a Mercedes GLC for 24 hours a while back. I couldn't wait to take it back. An enduring memory of hitting the back of my leg trying to get out of the thing. They said I could pay to have them taken off !!

What, your legs!!!!!!

Herbie · March 19, 2022

Well, a bit of an update on this.

There are no fitting instructions in the kit at all, just a parts list that shows how the brackets go together but not how and where they fit on the car. The parts list also has, written quite clearly at the top of the paper, 2007 RX400h, even though their website says it covers RX450h 2015+.

I emailed for confirmation that they had sent out the correct kit and they assured me that they had.

My mate is a time-served motor mechanic with 30 years experience between two dealerships (Ford and Vauxhall). He recently handed in his notice and decided to work with/for his mate who is a self-employed, time-served mechanic with over 30 years experience in the trade.

The car went on the ramps this morning and soon had both of them scratching their heads. Even with over 60 years experience between them they couldn't fathom how to fit these steps. As you'll see from the photos below, there's absolutely no chance that the brackets can be mated together. If they could be bolted together then either the steps would be so high as to prevent the doors from moving or so low that a lot of ground clearance would be lost.

So I've emailed 4x4 Styling this afternoon to say that I can only see two options. Either:

Despite earlier assurances to the contrary, they did indeed send out the wrong kit, so we could exchange for the correct one, or
I return the kit for a full refund (and I may try to find a different manufacturer).

As the saying goes, watch this space.

sexylex · March 19, 2022

Ouch, let's hope it's the wrong one they sent you.

Looking forward to their response.

Spock66 · March 19, 2022

Any reason you did not go for the Lexus ones?

Herbie · March 19, 2022

1 hour ago, Spock66 said:

Any reason you did not go for the Lexus ones?

Quite simply, cost.

This is all because both my uncle and my wife have mobility issues. My wife has severely arthritic knees and my uncle has other problems, so this is just an experiment to see if it helps them getting in and out of the car.

Lexus side steps are £500 as opposed to £130 for these. If I could guarantee that the steps will help with their mobility issues, I would happily pay the £500 and more if I had to, but it's just too much to spend on an unknown outcome (it's possible that the steps could make things worse rather than better and so have to be taken off again) and then be left with something that's no use to me and be £500 out of pocket.

I know some people will say "you get what you pay for" and I understand that, but I would expect the cost-cutting to be evident in perhaps the materials used or the longevity of the item, not something that's just never going to fit in a month of Sundays :laughing:

EDIT: Even worse - just found out that the £500 OEM steps require a fitting kit at a further £93 :surprise:

sexylex · March 19, 2022

1 hour ago, Herbie said:

Quite simply, cost.

This is all because both my uncle and my wife have mobility issues. My wife has severely arthritic knees and my uncle has other problems, so this is just an experiment to see if it helps them getting in and out of the car.

Lexus side steps are £500 as opposed to £130 for these. If I could guarantee that the steps will help with their mobility issues, I would happily pay the £500 and more if I had to, but it's just too much to spend on an unknown outcome (it's possible that the steps could make things worse rather than better and so have to be taken off again) and then be left with something that's no use to me and be £500 out of pocket.

I know some people will say "you get what you pay for" and I understand that, but I would expect the cost-cutting to be evident in perhaps the materials used or the longevity of the item, not something that's just never going to fit in a month of Sundays

EDIT: Even worse - just found out that the £500 OEM steps require a fitting kit at a further £93

Go to lexus and see if they will help with the mobility before you invest. Just a suggestion

Herbie · March 19, 2022

2 hours ago, sexylex said:

Go to lexus and see if they will help with the mobility before you invest. Just a suggestion

Not something I would have thought of doing but hey, may just be worth a punt. As my dear departed Granny used to say, "If you don't ask, you don't get".

Cheers.

First_Lexus · March 20, 2022

On 3/6/2022 at 1:16 PM, Herbie said:

Are these things actually meant to be used or are they just cosmetic/decorative?

I have to take an uncle to the doctors once a month and he weighs about 26-27 stone, so could they cope with that sort of weight?

The OEM Lexus steps I had on my NX were very robust - I could happily put my full weight on them to help wash the roof. They were also wide and practical.

However, the OEM version for the RX look very narrow in comparison.

Having had OEM steps on my previous Honda CR-V and on my NX, my conclusion is that they’re mainly cosmetic regardless of how robust they are. Neither car was high enough for an adult to really be able to use them - good for small children though - and I speak as somebody with mobility issues myself. I haven’t bothered with fitting any on my new RX.

Herbie · March 20, 2022

4 hours ago, First_Lexus said:

Having had OEM steps on my previous Honda CR-V and on my NX, my conclusion is that they’re mainly cosmetic regardless of how robust they are. Neither car was high enough for an adult to really be able to use them - good for small children though - and I speak as somebody with mobility issues myself. I haven’t bothered with fitting any on my new RX.

Thanks Ed, good info.

Barry14UK · March 20, 2022

Sorry you have had problems in fitting Herbie and hope you can get resolved one way or another.

I wonder whether Insurers would need to be informed of the addition of side steps as a body modification from car as supplied as they tend to try to wriggle out of claims in the event of an accident. I added a very tiny boot spoiler to my standard 5 series BMW from the sports version of the car. It made no difference to performance, only appearance, as both versions of the car have identical top speed and acceleration. However, insurers did increase premium slightly, not that that was a major concern, but they expected to be told and I didn't want them to be awkward in the event of an accident claim.