Hi All,

I'm looking at adding side steps and body side mouldings to a new car order. But it occured to me that in most cases, if another persons opened their door into the side of mine, it would most likely hit the side steps as these stick out further than the body side mouldings. Does anyone know if this is the case?

Cheers.

I found the side steps stick out further and hinder the entry to the car.

been 6'3" if i stood on them i was too high, if i didn't i was too far away for comfort

That why i got bars instead of steps


On you question, i suppose it depends on wether the other cars door is higher or lower that the step  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

yeah, I'm in two minds about the steps or better to have bars? I think both cost about the same anyway so no preference in that sense. Do your bars help protect the doors from regular cars? Obviously not going to help protect against a van or other high vehicle opening their door.
Cheers.

the bars don't stick out like the steps so they don't protect the doors from the side

You could always get the rubber strips put on the doors

Also if you are looking a off-roading your FL2 the step can get damaged more than bars

I got my bars on eBay, original LR Black ones with fitting by my LR dealer it worked out to be £170, comparing that to the £400+ they quoted i think i got a deal  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

I've got steps and on the plus side, I don't need a step ladder to wash the roof, but on the down side, being 6'0 I find myself climbing past them when getting in or out. That said, the Mrs and her mum think they're great!
On the protection side, yes they should serve to protect the panels from your average mondeo driver. Certainly ours is conspicouously short of supermarket dings - though give them time and I'm sure they'll find a way  07 Freelander 2 TD4SE Tambora Flame, side steps, privacy glass, mud flaps, boot liner and a tow bar. Ok it's the Wifes but she lets me drive it occasionally - if I've been good!

Good to know. I'm 6' too, so probably the best bet will be to try them out for size at the dealership before ordering. I mean try them for stepping over rather than see if they will stop me putting a dent in his dealship cars!

i would get the dealer to loan you the car for a day or at least a few hours

At first (prior to getting the bars) i wanted steps and found no problem geting in the car in the showroom.

When i got my car and had a loaner for the day which had the steps on, it really got on my nerves stepping over them.

so like i say aim to try before you buy, but in your own time on a test drive

Don't forget to ask/push for a 1/2 day landrover experiance thrown in aswell, as your buying a car, you would like to know how good they are of road, tell them your i little worried it won't be as good as they say when your greenlaning. That way they be more inclined to want to send you on one to show it off.

 Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

How far do the side steps stick out from the car body.
Being only 5'8" tall , could I benefit from having them  ______________________
2011 Full Fat RR 4.4 TDV8
2012 FL2 SD4 Auto HSE
2013 Kawasaki Versys 650

Not sure if side bars would actually give a great deal of protection as a majority of car doors are curved in shape, so it is likely that for most doors the bar would not contact the bottom of the door before the middle of the door hits your beloved FL2.

Side steps on the other hand might due to the extent the stick out from the body.

At 5' 8 1/2" (Just to be that bit taller than Dave....because it all counts at this height!) I only have problems getting out and never getting in, and don't think if I had side steps I would use them when leaving a vehicle anyway.

I'm going to start moving my seat all the way backwards and see if that helps for getting out, as you then remove the raised lip of the seat from the entry....I think.

scribble wrote:

Hi All,

I'm looking at adding side steps and body side mouldings to a new car order. But it occured to me that in most cases, if another persons opened their door into the side of mine, it would most likely hit the side steps as these stick out further than the body side mouldings. Does anyone know if this is the case?

Cheers.

I decided against side steps and bars for various reasons given by others on this forum, which I am now glad i choose not to. However I recently have fitted the body side mouldings to protect the doors from parking dents by NON-FL2 owners (who respect their drives more than most I guess ). Another reason for the side mouldings is to protect the doors in our narrow garage, and here they do the job just fine.

However the day after having the side mouldings fitted we took a ferry where the cars were just squeezed in side by side and it was quite difficult to open the door to get out. No dents or marks from the nearest cars where the mouldings were but on the front wheel arch I got a nick in the paintwork So you can't win all the time I guess  2007 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Manual with Premium Pack & Moonroof.
Stornoway Grey with Ebony Black Pleather, Clear Indicators, Body Side Mouldings etc.

When I bought mine I had no choice but to have side steps fitted. My better half asked me nicely "Eiter you put side steps or you start looking for a different car" so that I had no choice. I am tall and indeed I jump over them when I get in and out but everyoane else is happy.
I am sure that they are not recomended while heavy offroading but they do offer some protection from parking dents and also I think from loose gravel that would otherwise hit the door panels.
For normal Freelander offroad (heavy for any other make) I think there should be no big problems but if I decide to do some heavier stuff I can always take them out - it can't be to complicated. FREELANDER 2 TD4 SE (XS UK) IZMIR BLUE SIDE STEPS COLD PACK BI-XENON TINTED WINDOWS - AND PROUD OF HER