Installing Amp Research Power Steps on a 2020 Sprinter VS30

[@johnplyler7054]

You have a Great Video. Without it I would never be able to wire the steps. It is a REAL SHAME though the amp step dealer doesn't have one too!

[@OutofIpswich]

We're very happy we could help you out! Hopefully the video is a sufficient supplement but if you need more help let us know!

[@niklas67]

Nice work. Smart tip with the needle when testing!

[@OutofIpswich]

It took me a few minutes of trying to shove a tiny wire in there unsuccessfully till I tried to find a better way. But I didn't get that part on video!

[@jrpena418]

Good job

[@OutofIpswich]

Thanks man!

[@OldExodus]

Great work on this video!!! This will help a whole lot For the driver’s side step, did you custom cut it or is there a separate product for the drivers door?

[@OutofIpswich]

Thanks for the feedback! The driver's door step is essentially the same as the passenger's side, except the step piece is shorter. The parts came together in a kit from Sprinter Store. I believe today you can also purchase it from the manufacturer - Amp-Research - directly. It won't require any cutting.

[@Nsxer838]

Nice video. U helped me so much on my install. Question I have is, is the constant power on tab 11 coming from main or auxiliary battery? Thank you so much for the helpful video!

[@OutofIpswich]

So happy to know it was helpful, thanks for writing! You can power the system from whichever battery you prefer. We chose to power ours from the van's starter battery, mainly for simplicity of routing wiring.

[@SPQR-Z]

Nice, excellent install instruction video. Doesn’t look to bad installing these power steps. Too bad you couldn’t tap into an existing signal wire for the slider. Thanks for posting

[@OutofIpswich]

Thanks so much for the kind words!

[@jefftancrede6376]

Great Video. I just got mine in for a 2019 and the instructions are not that great. Now for the install in the cold state of NH right now.

[@OutofIpswich]

Glad you enjoyed the video! We hope it helps you! If you hit any roadblocks feel free to reach out. Good luck and stay warm!

[@toddgadomski2128]

Thanks for posting your install--it's a great help. Question in mounting the rivnut for the front driver-side bracket to the undercarriage--it seems the metal where the hole is much thicker than the other bracket rivnut locations. Did your rivnut grab that thickness OK? I've drilled but not inserted the rivnut yet as I am concerned about the grip range of the rivnut for this location.

[@OutofIpswich]

We didn't have any grip range issues at any of the locations. There are two layers of steel there, but it should be fine. Send it!

[@rafaszewczyk7834]

Hi Could you please advise which particular part number did you ordered? There are version for up to 2018 with Plug nad Play kit 1799$ and without Plug and Play 1250$. In addition there is kit for 2019-2021 with plug and play for 1799$. I believe mechanical all are the same. My van is 2023 and AMP Research does not confirm if any of them will work on the van. From the other hand I see you are wiring in 2020 the harness which means to me you mostlikely bought up to 2018 kit without P&P AMP75163-01A? Am I correct. I can do extra wiring job to save 549$ for sure ;) Please advise

[@OutofIpswich]

Sure! I don't have line of sight to the part number ordered at the moment, but it was a 2018 kit with a magnet switch modification included. At the time, it was marketed as a 2019+ kit. I'm not sure what they're calling it now, that was a few years ago now.

[@zhouchenyi5199]

My 2019 sprinter 1500 has a manual sliding door, can I use the same electric running board in this video? Thanks

[@OutofIpswich]

I would assume yes since it only uses front "door-open" signals , but I'm not certain. I haven't tried it to be positive, sorry.

[@zhouchenyi5199]

@@OutofIpswich Thank you so much for the quick reply! Love your video tutorial, subscribed! :)

[@OutofIpswich]

@@zhouchenyi5199 Thanks for subscribing! We're happy to help!

[@johnplyler7054]

I got everything wired and working, thinking I was finished, then I realized the driver's door would not lock when closed with the key fob. The fob will unlock the door, but not lock it. The computer does not recognize that the door is closed. The dash screen shows the door open. Any ideas as to how I can correct this sensor issue? First of all I need to find the sensor if anyone knows where it is. Thanks

[@OutofIpswich]

So the wire you tap into inside the driver's door is grounded when the door is open if I remember correctly. It sounds like you may have a bad connection at that three -way splice. The connection is solid going to the power step control unit, but not so going to the van wiring.

[@georgemiller4204]

Thank you so much for posting this - really saved me a bunch of time. I do have a question: my kit came with seven of the M8 Hex Bolts (the parts list says there are 7 and I received 7), but I clearly need eight (two for each of the four brackets). I also received one M8 Small Head Hex Bolt (and it is listed separately in the parts list); however, the instructions do not mention where to use this bolt. Do I use this different ("small head") bolt with the 7 M8 Hex Bolts (for a total of 8), and if so, where? Does one of the brackets require this different bolt for some reason? I've looked at 2019-2021 and the older instructions and it looks like Amp Research messed up and left a number of installation steps out of the new instructions (but neither mentioned where to use this single M8 Small Head Hex Bolt).

[@OutofIpswich]

That seems odd to me. I don't remember the specific hardware sizes at this point, but it seems like there should be 8 of the same bolts for securing the linkages to the rocker panels. Then there should be 8 bolts to fasten the gusset brackets to the linkages, and 4 to secure the gusset brackets to the van floor/cross-members. It's weird that it would be printed incorrectly in the instructions. I'd recommend getting an additional bolt at a hardware store that matches, and/or contact Amp-Research to verify you've assigned the correct hardware to each location. But I don't recall any of them being a quantity 7.

[@georgemiller4204]

@@OutofIpswich Thanks again for your time!!! I called Amp-Research as you suggested and they said it's a new change (7 & 1 is correct - just not explained in the instructions). For anyone else who may be doing this in the future with the new version - the odd bolt (Number 19 in the parts list - M8 Small Head Hex Bolt) is used on the forward hole of the rearward driver's side linkage to connect it to the rocker panel (and a regular head sized bolt is used on the rear hole of that linkage). Once again, your video was extremely helpful (where to connect electronics, where to place the rivet nuts, where to run the wire - Awesome!!!)

[@OutofIpswich]

@@georgemiller4204 So glad that the video helped and thanks for putting that updated info out there for everyone. That's what makes it worth it to create and post these!

[@davidhildebrand7181]

Vid was helpful thx! @george Miller, I had the same question and glad to find the answer here!

[@johnplyler7054]

Is anyone having lag time issues? When you open the driver's door there is ~2 second lag before the step deploy. The passenger side is instantaneous with the opening of the door.

[@OutofIpswich]

That sounds like a software issue to me. There should be a 2-second delay before the step retracts. It seems like it somehow got flipped to the deploy function instead. Weird. I've never experienced this. I'd contact Amp-Research to see if they have, and if they have any guidance.

[@jasonbrown9838]

Does your van have the automatic sliding door? Good info, thanks

[@OutofIpswich]

It does! We had some issues with it not fully closing but a software update at the dealership seems to have resolved it.

[@jasonbrown9838]

Any tips on door panel removal?

[@OutofIpswich]

@@jasonbrown9838 Are you looking to remove the sliding door panel? That one's pretty straightforward if you have a trim remover fork thingy. All the clips are clearly visible, no real trick to it. If you are trying to remove the front door panels, it's a little bit more involved. But it's not very difficult. You need a small pick to remove 3 screw covers (in the door handle pockets and near the lock pin). You need a few sizes of torx drivers to remove (I think) 5 screws. If you have the assist handle on the hinge side of the door, don't worry about it, that stays. You have to get a little rough with the lock pin, but at that point you only have to pull the perimeter of the door panel off to release plastic clips. The bottom is held up by a couple plastic fingers so if you unplug the wires and tip the top of the panel away from the door, it'll lift off.

[@jasonbrown9838]

Got the door panel off and got to the trigger wire. Front door was easy. I followed your steps for rear door, and the operation based on the mag switch is opposite of what it needs to be. (Mag switch together, step down, separate and step up) this has me a little stumped

[@jasonbrown9838]

@@OutofIpswich not sure how to contact you directly but it would seem easier if you would be able to spare a moment of advice…..

[@atlantakeytech9530]

where you do buy it from?

[@OutofIpswich]

We purchased the kit from sprinter store!

[@luishuesso4536]

These are a B to install lol

[@OutofIpswich]

It's not so bad! Are you stuck? Can we help?