What have you done to your K2 today?

chuckl1218 · December 8, 2015

I don't know, being in Wisconsin I have heard several times they have had issues with them and heavy snow and ice reliability. Not so much not working but burning out motors from having to lift and lower snow and ice build up (though some have said they have gotten stuck). Do some research, heard good things about them down south but up north I would be leery. That is my two cents. (notice the two above who said yes are in Texas).

Tyler

Very true. Research those who use them in freezing weather. My truck has never seen snow or salt. The owner of the shop that installed mine has a Ford Platinum that came with them. Although he told me mine have better step hardware and faster motors, perhaps northern US and Canada Ford Platinum owners would be another data point?

Edited December 8, 2015 by chuckl1218

Kerrslight · December 8, 2015

I don't know, being in Wisconsin I have heard several times they have had issues with them and heavy snow and ice reliability. Not so much not working but burning out motors from having to lift and lower snow and ice build up (though some have said they have gotten stuck). Do some research, heard good things about them down south but up north I would be leery. That is my two cents. (notice the two above who said yes are in Texas).

Tyler

AMP has great customer service. 3-5 years I believe. I bought my steps used off of a member here and had an issue with some stripped bolts. I told them I bought it used and they just sent me the parts, no questions asked and free of charge. They've got good graces in my book.

chuckl1218 · December 8, 2015

AMP has great customer service. 3-5 years I believe. I bought my steps used off of a member here and had an issue with some stripped bolts. I told them I bought it used and they just sent me the parts, no questions asked and free of charge. They've got good graces in my book.

It's actually 5 year, 60,000 mile warranty...and I agree their customer service is very good.

slj2008 · December 8, 2015

Are there any people up North - snow , ice and salt land ,cold temp , that have them . Any problems lets hear from you . Thanks

Tim99GT · December 9, 2015

Starting this on my AT grille I've never installed lol. I'm using the leftover CF vinyl I had from my door inserts. Should be a nice small touch. Eating dinner right now and will finish the last two letters after. I'll post a finished picture when completed.

ikaika1984 · December 9, 2015

Starting this on my AT grille I've never installed lol. I'm using the leftover CF vinyl I had from my door inserts. Should be a nice small touch. Eating dinner right now and will finish the last two letters after. I'll post a finished picture when completed.

Tim

2 questions.

1. Does that vinyl come in other colors?

2. How did you go about getting the proper cut for your letters (best method)

Thanks in advance

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Tim99GT · December 9, 2015

Tim

2 questions.

1. Does that vinyl come in other colors?

2. How did you go about getting the proper cut for your letters (best method)

Thanks in advance

Sent from my SG Note 4 on Tapatalk

Yes, the vinyl it does come in different colors. You can purchase swatches to make sure you like the actual vinyl color since it's hard to tell what it will look like on a screen prior to ordering. I would highly suggest that btw so you can make sure you're happy with it.

As far as cutting it out, I am laying the vinyl over one letter at a time and then using a heat gun to adher it to the letter. Once it's on good and I've used the squeegee to push the vinyl into the edges of the letter, I'm taking a sharp exacto knife and running it between the letter and the chrome trim to cut it. This is only the second time I've ever messed with vinyl so there may be an easier way. This seems to be working though so long as you take your time and use a steady hand.

ikaika1984 · December 9, 2015

Is the heat gun the preferred method of adhesion for the vinyl?

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Yes, the vinyl it does come in different colors. You can purchase swatches to make sure you like the actual vinyl color since it's hard to tell what it will look like on a screen prior to ordering. I would highly suggest that btw so you can make sure you're happy with it.

As far as cutting it out, I am laying the vinyl over one letter at a time and then using a heat gun to adher it to the letter. Once it's on good and I've used the squeegee to push the vinyl into the edges of the letter, I'm taking a sharp exacto knife and running it between the letter and the chrome trim to cut it. This is only the second time I've ever messed with vinyl so there may be an easier way. This seems to be working though so long as you take your time and use a steady hand.

What's a good site to order the vinyl?

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crafferty · December 9, 2015

Is the heat gun the preferred method of adhesion for the vinyl?

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What's a good site to order the vinyl?

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The heatgun just heats up the vinyl really fast. For example my heatgun only needs maybe 1 to 3 seconds at most. With that being said a hair dryer will work just as good just takes a few more seconds. It may also be better to use your first time as well. I sure know I torched some vinyl my first go around.

In regards to purchasing just make sure you are getting the latest generation of 3M 1080 vinyl or you purchase vivid vinyl as well. Both are great options.

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Tim99GT · December 9, 2015

So I snapped a few photos during the last two letters just to show how I did it.

These should be in order and a basic representation of the steps taken.

Cut vinyl square to fit letter:

Smooth vinyl onto letter while using a card or squeegee to push vinyl into seem between chrome outline and the letter itself:

Not pictured: use exacto knife or razor blade to cut vinyl making sure to stay as close to the chrome outline as possible. Take your time on this part!

Note: I kept my heat gun in the other hand and used it to warm the vinyl every few seconds as I cut. To me it seemed as if the vinyl cut smoother and I didn't have to push on the blade as much to cut through it.

Slowly pull trimmings away. I used the heat gut to keep the vinyl very plyable and this seemed to make it easier to pull up without pulling the vinyl that is laying over the letter itself.

Edited December 9, 2015 by Tim99GT

knkguillot · December 9, 2015

Dang that looks good! How'd you get the interior pieces off off the door panels? And where did you order the vinyl at?

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Tim99GT · December 9, 2015

Dang that looks good! How'd you get the interior pieces off off the door panels? And where did you order the vinyl at?

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Thanks man!

The door accents literally just pop off. There is a video on YouTube that shows where the clips are located for each piece. To remove them, you take a moldling/trim wedge and run it between the door and the trim and pry out away from the door in a straight fashion. The clips pull out and the trim comes off. Make sure you work your way across the trim evenly so you don't crack it.

I on the other hand, couldn't find my trim wedge and completely forgot to pick one up while I was at autozone so I used a butter knife lol

This is not advised as its not the right tool for the job, but I've been around the block a few times per say removing car molding and felt comfortable with it. I was able to pop it off making sure I didn't pull it out too much or put too much pressure on one area while prying. Again, this isn't the right tool for the job, but it'll work so long as you know where the clips are (can slide the knife along the underside of the trim until you feel the clip) and take your time.

Edit: I forgot to mention that I picked up the vinyl online from Amazon. I went to a site (metro restyling) and ordered some vinyl swatches, and then did a search for the vinyl name I decided on. Amazon had it for a lower price so I picked it up from there.

Edited December 9, 2015 by Tim99GT

DAP56 · December 9, 2015

That looks awesome, like it was that way from the start almost..

That's exactly how mine looks from the factory. Good work.

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ikaika1984 · December 9, 2015

So I snapped a few photos during the last two letters just to show how I did it.

These should be in order and a basic representation of the steps taken.

Cut vinyl square to fit letter:

Smooth vinyl onto letter while using a card or squeegee to push vinyl into seem between chrome outline and the letter itself:

Not pictured: use exacto knife or razor blade to cut vinyl making sure to stay as close to the chrome outline as possible. Take your time on this part!

Note: I kept my heat gun in the other hand and used it to warm the vinyl every few seconds as I cut. To me it seemed as if the vinyl cut smoother and I didn't have to push on the blade as much to cut through it.

Slowly pull trimmings away. I used the heat gut to keep the vinyl very plyable and this seemed to make it easier to pull up without pulling the vinyl that is laying over the letter itself.