Westcott Designs = Trash!!!!!!

So I purchased these sliders from Westcott Designs in 2022 after much research. Watched a bunch of reviews, etc. It's 2025 and the powder coating is already coming off. Rust has formed on the one side as you can see in the photos. I hit them up regarding the matter. Sent all these photos and few more. I was pushed off due to an expo they were doing, ok, I get it, told we'll get back to you, crickets..... I messaged them again today, nothing for hours. Finally got a call back, I was told, well Jeff looked it over and we only warranty them for a year. The powder coat chips off due to off roading. My response, so I'm pretty much screwed is what your saying. Well,.... blah blah blah BS about off roading and high impact area, etc.. oh and I can send you info on wire brush and paint we recommand....

Folks the vehichle has 7500 miles on it, its a 22 4 Runner TRD Pro. It's kept clean, NEVER been Off Road, sorry guys.... and you're telling me that the powder coating is already coming off??? High impact area??? It's on the F'in top of the slider. The one spot is showing rust in two spots.

I'm sorry but this is TOTAL BS! I will NEVER BUY ANOTHER PRODUCT from WESTCOTT DESIGNS, ZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE. Here I am telling everyone how great these are/were, new story to tell, STAY AWAY! TRASH!

 

They last for five years. Thats about all you get today. You got your use out of them.

 

With only 7500 miles? I would be very disappointed too. His truck is a 22, so only 3 years.

 

I would expect a better product, especially after such minimal use and the fact that where the rust is, isn't much of an impact area either, regardless if you went off-roading or not. I'm sure for the price that you paid, they should of lasted a lot longer than 3 years. Were they exposed much to road salt at all?

 

Where do you drive? Any winter road chemicals or salt? When your driving, shit hits them from your tires. That also looks like it might be an area that gets stepped on. Your slowly wearing away the coating with your shoes/boots/sandals
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Here in Maine, those still look new. I did tons of prep work and painting on mine, and they look way worse than yours. I think the most rust was caused from driving thru a snow/ice storm in Virginia, once we got to New Orleans, the runner looked like it got a crappy white paint job. I was able to wash it a couple days later, but that crap did some damage I’m sure of it.

 

I use it on the weekends if at all since I'm always using the work truck. It doesn't get driven much so road salt exposer is very low.

 

I'm in upstate NY. When I take it out 98% of the time I'm solo. The larger rust spot is on the passenger side compared to the driver side. Co worker of mine has a guy that does powder coating so I'm going to call him tomorrow and see what he says.

 

Why did you bother with sliders if you never off-road?

I’m fortunate where I live, I could have bare metal and it wouldn’t rust.

 

Thank for sharing. Will keep away from Westcott Designs.

 

We're talking powdercoat here. Most only warrant powdercoat from none to 1 year. There may be a vendor or two out there offering more but I don't know any. Is there anything structurally amiss with the product?

I'm in the school of paint this stuff yourself and then touch up is easy when it becomes necessary. Because sooner or later, it will be necessary. I guess a little sooner in this case.

 

This will happen to any slider. You repaint them as they get beat from road debris

 

Exactly. For what it’s worth mine are also 3 years old and I don’t have any rust on them despite off roading and using them for what they’re actually meant for, but I also live in AZ so little rust to begin with. My tow hitch on the other hand has started to show some rust, I just repaint once a year.

 

True, a limited with auto running boards would have been a better choice for OP

 

Greenlane makes aluminum sliders, not as strong as steel but can't rust because aluminum.

 

Jeff @ Westcott Designs has built his company from the ground up! He has some of the best customer service out there and will always go above and beyond to make sure his customers are happy.

Since you live in NY of course you will have rust if you don't wash the crap off of them. Simply bashing a company that does so much for the 4runner community is absurd! Take your business elsewhere along with your attitude.

 

That's what I would do.. take them off, take them to the guy, get them powder coated... the end. If they get rusty after that, you'll know where to take them next time. Powder coating is good, but gravel will take it's toll, not a entire gravel road, just a few deep stone chips can start the process.

 

It clearly states on the website the powder coat has a 1 year warranty.

See https://westcottdesigns.net/product/toyota-4runner-5th-gen-sliders-2/


Go to Home Depot and get some painters tape, brown paper, and some black paint. You can touch all that up pretty quickly.

Or you can buy some Predator Steps or tube steps on Facebook marketplace pretty cheap. It’s not like you need sliders anyway…

 

I've lived in upstate NY for my whole life and unfortunately, what you're seeing is pretty normal for driving on salted roads. No matter what you apply to steel, you're eventually going to have issues. Add to that the tough location that running boards / tube steps / sliders live in, and you have a recipe to disaster. Debris kicked up by your front tires constantly blasts that area. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that if you took pics of the underside of those bad boys, you'd really scare yourself.

And finally, think about this. Sliders are meant for off roading and sliding over rocks. That said, they're designed to be scaped against rocks. Because of that, nobody spends a ton of time and money finishing them because it's just going to get scraped off.

If you want my 2 cents, do what I did; buy a set of factory running boards for that beautiful rig. They're much better designed and finished to hold up to road salt. The ones on my '21 SR5P are doing just fine after 84,000 miles.

 

Ah yes, but you live in Arizona where they don't use road salt and other corrosive chemicals. You have absolutely no idea how destructive that stuff is. And once rust starts, "touching up" the paint (or whatever finish you have) will not stop it. Sad, but totally true.

 

Rust is not color option up in these parts, it's a fact of life.

 

I was going to ignore this thread, but I couldn’t help myself from commenting…


As others have clearly stated, the warranty for the product is one year. The OP admitted he bought them three years ago. Nothing lasts forever. Especially if you live in the rust belt.

Hell, things in Texas rust and we don’t salt our roads at all. The Westcott product isn’t trash, the OP’s un-realistic expectations are trash.

 

Who powder coats something that is going to get rashed up like skids or sliders? That's what paint is for. Wescott is almost doing themselves a disservice by offering that as an option.

I understand wanting a product to last but jeez, things wear. Focus less on being pissed and more on the joy you get from your 4R.

 

I'm originally from the rust belt. (Chicago) So I'm familiar with rust. Hence, my suggestion to make it as easy to deal with as possible. Regularly inspect and if rust is found address it before it gets advanced. I think powdercoat just hides the issue until it becomes worse. Yes, it is easier to deal with here in AZ but it should be a regular maintenance item regardless.

 

are you really complaining about that little rust? I just took off my cali raised, ground down the rust and repainted them. They were 2 years old. This happens, just take them off and grind down the rust. I was told to expect to do it every 2 years. Not a big deal

 

Westcott slider owner here. Add me to the list of those who think the OP has irrational expectations on several levels.

 

I will offer another perspective from experience. I bought the Wescott ladder. I live in Florida. Within 2 months the hardware started rusting. Not acceptable. They did send me a new hardware packet but same result. Now I would only have a slight problem with this except for the fact that in their install video, they advertise that the hardware is stainless steel. Not true. There are grades of stainless that will rust but not coated stainless in two months. So do I side with OP? I would lean in that direction just based on my experience.

C

 

Bummer the sliders are showing rust.
I’ve worked extensively with the Westcott shop and with their products over the years. Not everything worked out perfectly but we should expect that with aftermarket/off road products (and anything automotive for that matter).
I’ve had some real good success with their staff there…management thru sales. And I’ve beaten their products to death and they’ve held up well. Sliders hammered on rocks and used for hi-lift jack for flats, roof rack and ladder and all the up and down with equipment, etc. And I wash my truck like 4 times a year.
Just wanted to let others know of the good that has also been seen out of their products/shop.
Out of curiosity for the OP, why spend money on sliders if not off-roading? Lower cost for standard step rails.

 

Truth be told, most folks have absolutely no idea what goes into making a truly corrosion resistant product for the automotive industry. I spent more than a few years in the metal finishing business, so maybe I can enlighten some of you.

First of all, corrosion resistance begins with metal prep. That's right, paint (or powder coat) is the last and most visible step, but not the most important. If you want the best corrosion resistance, you need the base metal to be totally free of contamination and corrosion before you start. By doing this, you ensure that the coating(s) that follow will actually adhere to the base metal. You also ensure that if the surface is breached, corrosion will not creep as fast under the rest of the coating. Only after proper metal prep can you prime, seal and topcoat the surface.

Another thing most folks don't understand is the difference between OEM automotive manufacturer coating specifications and aftermarket specifications and what the expected corrosion resistance is out of each. Trust me when I say that OEM specs and the process required to meet them is far more rigorous than aftermarket. In fact OEM specs require processes much like what I detailed above. Aftermarket? You're lucky if a steel part goes straight from forming, welding, etc. to a paint booth where a simple topcoat is applied. No metal prep, primer, etc. Sure, the parts may look good, but long-term durability is simply not part of the program.

Lastly, let's look at cost. True OEM finishes are much more expensive to apply, but they last much longer. Aftermarket parts are simply not (in the vast majority of cases) designed to last as long and low cost is pretty far up the requirements list. Just the testing to verify one meets OEM specs costs a small fortune. And realistically, the majority of us (not me) live in areas where corrosive chemicals are not applied to your streets. This means that aftermarket coatings hold up quite well for most folks. You have no idea how jealous I get when I watch the videos of somebody restoring a 1957 Chevy from Arizona and all of the fasteners simply come right off. Hell, up here in the rust belt, that doesn't happen to a 5-year-old vehicle!

 

Well said and excellent explaination

 

Looks like another case of poor material or workmanship this company has. Atleast this is helpful for me to decide. Thanks for sharing.