|  | Home > Maintenance & Modifications > 110 Bowler Sills with Sidesteps, yes or no? | 
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| Grenadier Member Since: 23 Jul 2014 Location: The foot of Mont Blanc... Posts: 5895      | 
 Just wondering what consensus is? Should I have side steps with my soon-to-be-installed bowler sills or keep the clean 'race look'? Here are some examples (many thanks in advance if any of your Defs pop up, these are all taken from Google):
     Click image to enlarge       Click image to enlarge    Monsieur Le Grenadier I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list..... 2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey | ||
|  1st Jun 2016 4:07pm | 
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| mk1collector Member Since: 17 Sep 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 6772      | No steps for me    Ray My build thread http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic17615.html | ||
|  1st Jun 2016 4:12pm | 
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| languedoc Member Since: 13 May 2016 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 283      | Visited Bramley once, god knows how they get their cars in the showroom as its all mini courtyards, double yellows and tight turns but they do have beautiful cars | ||
|  1st Jun 2016 4:21pm | 
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| Grenadier Member Since: 23 Jul 2014 Location: The foot of Mont Blanc... Posts: 5895      | How the hell does Bramley's ability to manoeuvre cars help me?    Monsieur Le Grenadier I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list..... 2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey | ||
|  1st Jun 2016 4:26pm | 
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| Riverboy Member Since: 16 May 2016 Location: French sector, Earth Posts: 1288    | Yes it'll look fab!     Now what was the question again  | ||
|  1st Jun 2016 4:27pm | 
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| languedoc Member Since: 13 May 2016 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 283      | Slightly off topic but valid in my mind    | ||
|  1st Jun 2016 4:37pm | 
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| jomara Member Since: 26 Oct 2009 Location: Lanarkshire Posts: 1790      | Another no, the Bowler sills look a lot cleaner without side steps    2014 110 2.2TDCi XS Station wagon - GONE 1971 Bowler Tomcat 88 4.2 V8 Auto 2022 110 D250 XS Edition - GONE 2024 110 D250 X-Dynamic HSE | ||
|  1st Jun 2016 4:55pm | 
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| Stacey007 Member Since: 25 Sep 2015 Location: Cheshire Posts: 3898    | I like the steps.
 1) Looks 'harder' people don't park near you and open doors on you   2) Wife and kids would struggle getting in / out without them Without it does look more 'racey' but a Defender and racey... unless of course you have the full engine treatment to match. | ||
|  1st Jun 2016 5:28pm | 
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| miker Member Since: 13 Sep 2015 Location: Surrey Posts: 1791      | I prefer the look without, but mine is lifted and even at  ~6' it's not easy to get in without using the step!! | ||
|  1st Jun 2016 6:02pm | 
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| Theater Member Since: 27 Sep 2010 Location: Pisa Italy Posts: 514      | No steps for me 
   Click image to enlarge  Marco Defender 110 "SW" SE Galway Green MY 2009 Ex Defender 90 "SW" S Santorini Black MY 2010 | ||
|  1st Jun 2016 6:17pm | 
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| Pilgrimmick Member Since: 16 Nov 2015 Location: Highlands Posts: 582    | Unless you want to advertise your old age and infirmity, without steps. 80" 1948
 Lightweight V8 Bowler Tomcat 130 Station wagon 90 300tdi (Santana PS10 pick up) Range Rover L322 (Ful fat) | ||
|  1st Jun 2016 6:26pm | 
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| John Fair Member Since: 10 May 2016 Location: Norfolk Posts: 150      | I've been looking at Bowler sills and was surprised to see corrosion on the jack mount. It looked to be incompatible metals the sill being aluminium and the jack hole steel with stainless fastenings??. I should suggest a good quality isolator/ water repellent compound would help stop this. I cannot comment on whether this is a one off or whether it had been damaged in some way. Only saying what I saw. 
 Anyway I'm in the without camp. Cleaner. Last edited by John Fair on 1st Jun 2016 9:50pm. Edited 1 time in total | ||
|  1st Jun 2016 9:14pm | 
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| JJ Member Since: 18 May 2009 Location: Winchester Posts: 932      | Steps    It's a Defender so practicality trumps aesthetics. HR064 Hampshire and Berkshire 4x4 Response | ||
|  1st Jun 2016 9:44pm | 
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| Grenadier Member Since: 23 Jul 2014 Location: The foot of Mont Blanc... Posts: 5895      | Thank you all so far, (more thoughts always welcomed) but it's a mixed bag of answers. Not quite a 50/50 split, but not far off at 60/40 erring towards NO steps...    I'm of the view that I agree with those sentiments that no steps look cleaner, albeit I think that is more relevant on the 90. Looks a little squashed otherwise. However the 110 with sills and steps seems to have a 'closer to the ground' stance (even if only visual rather than actual). Further, whilst I'm happy to get in and out without steps, as I am currently doing, Mrs Grenadier at 5'2" might not be so amused, and as for my mother in law (our only visitor to the Alps who doesn't hire her own car) with two knee replacements I'd likely need some sort of step kept inside to get her in and out (Mrs Grenadier's new TT will do the job if just the two of them, but the DC will take over if it's the three of us or more). So it sort of becomes a practical issue. But then she only visits a couple of times a year, so I could just put my shoulder under her derrière and give her a good shove. But finally, I have a DC, so maybe the argument is a little different? A 110 in length but at the same having a '90' body. Maybe this is the photo I should have posted originally:   Click image to enlarge Anyway, thanking all for thoughts so far, photos to follow when all the kit is on...  Monsieur Le Grenadier I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list..... 2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey Last edited by Grenadier on 2nd Jun 2016 6:54am. Edited 2 times in total | ||
|  2nd Jun 2016 6:47am | 
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