Rocker panel tore

badge171 · March 11, 2018

Totaled 45,000 worth of truck I doubt it. If your a mechanic. Mig the cracked metal prime and undercoat it and a THICK backing bracket should be a permanent fix. Then check the other mounts. I have owned more than a few Chevy's 1/2 tons every time I buy one ,install my plow I say to myself the metal on this truck is cheaper ,weaker than the last one. Lighter better mileage has to come from some where . Fix it yourself at least you will know its done right.

Loco-diablo · March 12, 2018

How does the factory boards mount. I was looking at factory brackets and I thought they looked similar

These are the exact OEM’s I have on my 2017 midnight. I had them installed at the dealership when I bought the truck. I’m 180 lbs and have never noticed any flex getting in or out of the truck. I’ll have to take a look now to see how they’re mounted.

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ltzsilverado · March 12, 2018

14 hours ago, Loco-diablo said:

These are the exact OEM’s I have on my 2017 midnight. I had them installed at the dealership when I bought the truck. I’m 180 lbs and have never noticed any flex getting in or out of the truck. I’ll have to take a look now to see how they’re mounted.

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Would you mind taking a picture of your truck so I can see how to boards look on the truck?

Loco-diablo · March 12, 2018

Would you mind taking a picture of your truck so I can see how to boards look on the truck?

Not the greatest pic, but one I had handy already on my phone.
I’ll try to get mounting pics later today if I have time.

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tnchevy · March 12, 2018

Have you thought about contacting the manufacturer and letting them know the problem that their products has caused?

ltzsilverado · March 12, 2018

4 hours ago, tnchevy said:

Have you thought about contacting the manufacturer and letting them know the problem that their products has caused?

I did contacted them and they say there not responsible. This is there response. I bought them from running board warehouse. Com incase anyone is wondering.

That product does not cause damage to the vehicle unless an excess amount of weight or pressure it placed on the running board itself. The board itself would not have been able to cause the damage, but however the board was used would have been what impacted your rocker panel. We don't offer rocker panel replacements that is something you would have to go to a local auto shop for most likely.

The only way it would crack the rocker panel is from mis-use or install issues. I have spoken with my supervisor and he let me know there would not be anything we can do.

Jon A · March 13, 2018

Those look like they bolt to the exact same places in the same way as every other running board/tube step on the market. I see no way the boards were at fault. There certainly could have been a factory flaw on the truck that allowed it to crack easily, but most likely the boards were subjected to high loads. Tire shops are often guilty of lifting the truck by the boards; something like that is most likely the cause.

ltzsilverado · March 13, 2018

28 minutes ago, Jon A said:

Those look like they bolt to the exact same places in the same way as every other running board/tube step on the market. I see no way the boards were at fault. There certainly could have been a factory flaw on the truck that allowed it to crack easily, but most likely the boards were subjected to high loads. Tire shops are often guilty of lifting the truck by the boards; something like that is most likely the cause.

I've had my tires rotated at discount tire and watched them set it correctly everytime. Other than that it's been only lifted by me.

From day one they seemed to flex the rockers panels more than normal. I could just pushed down on the boards by hand and watch the rockers flex

ltzsilverado · March 14, 2018

So I ordered gm factory running boards. Got a deal on them threw my shop. 540.00 out the door. I installed them asst work and compared them and could not see a difference. It wasn't until I had the first board installed did I see the mounting bracket difference. Gm ones are longer.i no longer have flex at all in them and not rattles.

First picture is aftermarket. Second picture is gm factory. Gm running board brackets contact the spot welded metal above it where it is thickest.

ltzsilverado · March 14, 2018

e_schott · March 14, 2018

I would for sure send those pictures to the company you bought the original steps from and let them know that their product isn't as great as they think it is since they responded as if you were at fault for the cracked rocker. Aftermarket stuff never fits they way it shoud. OEM is always the way to go in my opinion. Engineers spend a lot of time energy and effort to make sure all the stuff fits correctly and works the way it is intended to without causing any damage.

ltzsilverado · March 14, 2018

2 hours ago, e_schott said:

I would for sure send those pictures to the company you bought the original steps from and let them know that their product isn't as great as they think it is since they responded as if you were at fault for the cracked rocker. Aftermarket stuff never fits they way it shoud. OEM is always the way to go in my opinion. Engineers spend a lot of time energy and effort to make sure all the stuff fits correctly and works the way it is intended to without causing any damage.

Oh trust me I did. There still saying misuse. You can clearly see the support difference in the brackets.

Jon A · March 14, 2018

Yes, the pad on that bracket is smaller, but that's no different than many others out there. A two minute google shows as much:

Rough Country:

Havoc:

No, it's not the strongest setup but there are probably tens of thousands of people out there running similar without issues, so I hate to tell you but expecting to get some money out of the company just isn't going to happen. Some brands are different and arguably better so this is something people should keep in mind before buying--most brands offer their instructions online so you can see how they install and what the brackets look like before you buy them.

Since the boards seemed to flex right after you installed them, that may be where the damage was done. If the brackets were rigidly attached to the step and did not align with the rocker panel, the sheet metal would have been preloaded when the bolts were tightened and could have cracked right then, especially if there was an underlying factory flaw at that location.

ltzsilverado · March 14, 2018

1 hour ago, Jon A said:

Yes, the pad on that bracket is smaller, but that's no different than many others out there. A two minute google shows as much:

Rough Country:

Havoc:

No, it's not the strongest setup but there are probably tens of thousands of people out there running similar without issues, so I hate to tell you but expecting to get some money out of the company just isn't going to happen. Some brands are different and arguably better so this is something people should keep in mind before buying--most brands offer their instructions online so you can see how they install and what the brackets look like before you buy them.

Since the boards seemed to flex right after you installed them, that may be where the damage was done. If the brackets were rigidly attached to the step and did not align with the rocker panel, the sheet metal would have been preloaded when the bolts were tightened and could have cracked right then, especially if there was an underlying factory flaw at that location.

I'm sure all the aftermarket one mount in similar fashion. And I'm sure they will flex the rocker panel more than factory ones will. I put gm oem on yesterday and all the flex is completely gone. Lesson learned... the hard way