I was able to repair the door so it works like new. Also, the how-to video was immensely helpful (I wouldn’t have attempted the repair without getting to first see what I was getting myself into).
A few years ago, the stepper door swing arms broke and we could not really fix them easily, so I ordered a new set. This set has been installed at our dealer's workshop and now we just keep one set spare. should it happen again in x years.
Way too expensive for what it is…..rivet on the center of the hinge not even well riveted and wiggling and so small compared to original hinge….at least they should put a washer on the head side……it will do the job but for how long? I’m in Canada, and the exchange rates plus UPS fees bring those two little bracket to 135$…not cheap ..easy installation….
Store owner replied:
You are cleared to install Luc! Parts and accessories can change over the years. We constantly look for upgrade options when having new parts manufactured. Lets say a fastener is no longer the same size as the original, it does not mean that it less durable than the original. If could be a change in metals, heat treated strengths or even the tool that fastened it changes the functionality. We strive to offer the very best to you our customer, and we stand behind every part we sell.
When I bought our new-to-us 2000 Coleman Santa Fe, one of the boarding step hinges was broken with a jerry-rigged fix. Following the excellent tutorial video (thanks Derrick) I was able to easily install the new hinges with new rivets.
A couple of issus I had to overcome. First was drilling out the previous rivet. Be patient and use a lubricant because the old rivet is steel and holding the drill just right was a bit challenging.
Second, when I used my $6 Harbor Freight rivet gun to install a steel rivet, it didn't work well. It didn't grip the shank hard enough to pop it out. So I bought a better rivet gun (needed one anyway), things worked out swimmingly.
Now I've no concerns with the strength of the boarding step. But to avoid potential issues with beefy relatives, I also glued together a couple layers of foam gardening knee pads and put those on the ground so that the step ress on those.
Ordering was easy. It is just a difficulty to get it shipped to Europe. This had to be done through an external company and that took a bit of time. It will be a piece of cake for my garage to excahnge the original ones with these new ones. The new ones even look a bit more robust than the original from 2001.
Easy perfect fit. My only issue was needing to use pipe extensions on my rivet gun handles to generate enough squeeze to cut off those bigger tougher rivets.
Installed wasn't a flush fit so does require lifting the door a certain way. But the part was as expected, functional, and arrived in the time frame communicated.
