Reviews for Westin 42-6025 Triple Tube Rock Rails 18-24 Jeep Wrangler JL Unlimited
Quality - 5 stars
The steps are well made and very heavy. I have not actually put them on a rock as of this review, but I have no doubt they will performly exceptionally well.
Installation - 3 stars
Installation is a pain, as previously stated, the steps are heavy. We were able to use 2 people and a jeep to maneuver them without much hassle, but those with less specialized tools will have difficulty.
Instructions - 2 stars
The included instructions have low quality black and white photos that do not convey details well. The wording is very poorly written and include unnecessary steps. (You absolutely do NOT need to remove the large body bolts for the two rear mounting points.)
Overall - 5 stars
While the installation process is a pain and requires 2 people and a lift assist such as a jack or a third person, once we figured out one side through some trail and error, the other side went quickly. Once the side steps are installed they really change the look of your jeep while providing total protection from rocks being thrown up from your tires, door dings in parking lots, and making stepping into a raised jeep that little bit easier. I would definitely recommend these even at full price.
This review gives 5 stars if you use three people to install. If only two - 4 stars. No way you can do it by yourself.
These are beautiful and strong running boards / rock rails. I'm very happy with the purchase. They were shipped promptly and well packaged. Now a few things about installation:
* Get two friends to help. You can do each side in an hour or less if you have 3 people.
* The plastic "keepers" to hold the U bolt, and long top bolt will not stay on. Clean the frame around them and use electrical tape to hold them in place.
* The flat washers that come for the U bolts are not big (wide) enough. Buy 4 wider (larger diameter) flat washers at the hardware store. Put that on first, then the supplied flat washer, then the lock washer and then the nut.
Now that they're on... They're stylish and sturdy.
The instructions say you have to take out all the body frame bolts off but, you don’t have to. You just need to remove the the nuts next to the body frame bolts. The only tricky (not difficult) part was keeping the “U” bolt in place when mounting the rock rails. If you are not careful you will push back into the frame. If that happens you may need to unmount and reposition the “U” bolt.
They look great and seem very sturdy. Will update once I really test them out.
Jeep used red loctite on the body bolts of the JL Wranglers. as a result, many people have snapped the body bolts, in the vehicle. i wanted sliders that would also function as really good, flat steps but did not want to mess with those body bolts. the instructions for these say to loosen the body bolts but YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LOOSEN THE BODY BOLTS! you can maneuver the mounts for these sliders around the body bolts. you dont have to mess with the bold bolts AT ALL!
we are a short family and we have small children. we have 35s, a lift and a soft top. i wanted steps that have a nice, flat platform to stand on to help getting in and out of the jeep but also to stand on to lower or clean the soft top. i do take my wrangler on moderately aggressive trails so i wanted some sliders that could handle the rocks. these Westin Snypers are excellent for both. i have banged and slid my wrangler over some rocks with these westin sliders and while they do have some good scratches, they have zero dents or gouges or anything. these sliders are stout!
the only downside is they do sit a bit low. they are not lower than the frame of the vehicle but some times when you have to maneuver around a tall rock, they will hit the rock, where a low profile slider might clear. but this is acceptable to me in order to have a good, flat standing platform.
also, the stock photos Westin uses are incorrect. there is no C mount for the front body bolt. its an L shaped mount that bolts to the actual frame of the vehicle. there are only C mounts that attach to the middle and rear body bolts. but like i said, you do not have to even touch those bolts. you can angle the mounts into place fairly easily. i did so by laying under the slider and doing both the middle and rear mounts at the same time.
on a scale of 1 to 10 (most difficult), id give this install about a 6. basic socket set will do it.
Of all my Jeep add-ons, this was the best bang for the buck.
Purchased 2 years ago and already rusting. Description does state that it was coated to prevent rust, however, that does that seem to be the case.