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I would go on and on about the ineffectiveness and lack of ergonomic consideration of the stock running boards, but I'll hold off for once.
My wife, 5 yr old, and I all liked the power steps I had on my King Ranch. When I got the XLT got the Sport running boards. Well, I got permission to order the AMP boards. I asked a question about them last Wednesday night and ordered them then. Got a confirmation Thursday that the order went through. They arrived at my house this afternoon. Amazing. Shout out to Autoplicity for being awesome and in my opinion, going above and beyond.
So. My intention was to post pictures as I did the install as a "how to" since I couldn't find any 2015 install videos on YouTube. Well, I opened the box, took everything out, and took a picture. That was the last picture until I was done. I'm sorry, but it was 100 degrees this afternoon and I just wanted to get it done. It was my first time so I'm sure someone out there can do it better than I did.
All in all it took about 2.5 hours from the time I cut the box. The biggest slow downs were:
The negative wire coming off the controller did not fit on the battery's negative terminal post. I don't know if this is a different battery with the 2.7 or an oversight on AMP's behalf. I figured out a workaround. Probably not the best idea but it works. I cut the ring that is supposed to slip over the post and pinched it back together. Tightened the nut down on top of it. Done.
Second mistake was when I installed the steps onto the mounts, I didn't measure. There are brackets that slide within the steps, and that's what you screw the bolts into. Well, since they move, you have to be careful when you tighten them down. They recommend 11" from the edge of the step to the rear of the cab. I was at 16" on one side and 9 on the other. Oops. Quick fix. That was my bad. That was one thing the instructions did say to do.
I didn't hook up the LED lights that are supposed to come on when you open the door to light the step. The lights in the truck come on when I open the door. That's enough. All it takes is a quick wire splice and the supplied 3M tape if I want to do it later (I won't).
Everything else was easy. They supplied zip ties for the flex conduit. Routing everything was easy enough. I will say that the instructions were lacking some detail but nothing that you can't figure out pretty quickly. They tell you what tools you need. 10mm socket, 13mm socket, metric and standard allen wrenches. Wire strippers, electrical tape. Whatever. Pretty basic stuff.
I want these bad! They look great. I just fear them squeeking bad like my Bestop Power boards did on my Ram. Once the winter salt and grime hit, it was all over.
Yea I hear ya on the salt and grime. Fortunately, we are very limited in our snow accumulation. We got hit bad a couple days but nothing like up north.
Those LEDs in your avatar pic are taunting me dude! If I keep staring at them my wife is gonna be pissed when she sees the credit card bill......unless I use the Bachelor credit card....tempting.
Nice job on the install. Looks a little cleaner than mine in the engine bay. I might do the lights one day. It would probably take 20 minutes from the time I lay down on the ground. I just don't really see the need for it.
I noticed we have different batteries which is probably why I ran into a problem installing the negative connection to the post.
Did you do the plug-n-play or the ODBII pass through? I did plug-n-play which means I need to unplug it if I want to change a setting on my tuner but it's not really that big of a deal.
Oh, did you bother using silicone on the rubber grommet in the floor pan? I didn't. I covered the rubber grommet with electrical tape and drilled a small hole, barely enough for the two purple wires to pass through to the cab. It appears that the tape sealed off behind the wires. I doubt any water or anything will get through.
so, are they that much better that it makes more sense to order them as a factory fit item? I did notice on the Platinum I tried that they were at a much more useful height, they are a bit lower than the fixed ones. Was kind of on the fence about adding them to the spec but starting to lean towards them
Welcome to the aftermarket AMP power step club. These boards are fantastic. Pretty easy to install and most of all work great, perfect step in height.
As far as the ground goes, there is a factory ground point right by the battery that works perfect. Enjoy your boards
AMP Power Steps Installed
