Side steps (side sills or arches, platforms, steps, power thresholds, car platform, etc.) - all these names refer to the same accessory for tuning minibuses and SUVs. This is a power (protective) body kit. Already from the name itself it becomes clear why it is needed. So what are its main functions?
Protection of the car body from damage
If steps (thresholds) are installed on the car, then road dirt accumulates on them in snowy and slushy weather. And from them, and not from the paintwork of the body, pebbles and other road particles fly off. When another vehicle drives into the side of your SUV or if it falls into a deep hole or rut, only the side steps will be damaged, and the body metal will not be damaged (if the impact is not too strong).
But if your car is not equipped with side steps, then in collisions with other vehicles and road obstacles (large stones, stumps, etc.), the regular threshold and the central door pillar often immediately bend. As a result, the door usually jams and the motorist expects expensive repairs. Maybe it's better to think about it in advance and purchase inexpensive side steps to save on repairs in the future?
Comfort for drivers and passengers
For SUVs, power thresholds are vital in cases where the passengers of the car are elderly people or small children - it will be much easier for them to get into the cabin if there is a special step. In addition, the side car steps allow you to keep your clothes clean when getting into the car in the slush. You can also install a jack under the thresholds or simply stand on them in order, for example, to secure the load on the rails or to wipe the roof of dirt.
Make the car more aggressive and individual
Agree, a minibus or SUV equipped with such a protective body kit looks much more solid, spectacular and aggressive. And for a real motorist, this is just as important as the accessory functions listed above.
Thresholds: types and features
Pipe feet with a bend - the basis in this case is a pipe made of stainless steel, which has bends at an angle of 20 degrees (in some cases 90 degrees) at a distance of 8-12 cm from the edges. Additionally, they can be equipped with anti-slip treads.
Another type of straight pipe steps with treads are straight steel pipes to which treads are attached - rubberized or plastic pads that provide a comfortable fit in a car in inclement weather (do not slip). Sometimes they are made of aluminum profile.
Car platform - made of steel, and most often of aluminum. It has several anti-slip plastic pads. May be perforated.
Setting the thresholds is quite easy if you do not purchase a universal model, but a kit for a specific brand of car. The stores offer a large selection of such accessories for tuning SUVs and minibuses. The delivery set includes all the necessary brackets and fasteners, so there is no need to drill the body - the steps are installed in standard body holes provided by the car manufacturer.
A properly installed protective body kit (side sills) can easily withstand a load of 150 kg.
One of the most common types of auto-tuning, which is available to any car enthusiast, is the installation of car side window deflectors. In addition to the fact that the original translucent strips on the door frame significantly improve the appearance of the car, they carry many useful functions.
Do-it-yourself installation of side window deflectors - where to start?
The key to trouble-free installation of deflectors is their correct choice. It should be remembered that the deflectors are on the windows, and are selected for a specific car model. The brand and model of the machine for which the products are intended are necessarily indicated on the packaging or made on the surface of the elements in the form of relief embossing.
There are no universal deflectors, since each car model has its own unique body design. When buying, please note that some cars have decorative chrome trim on the door frames. For this case, a chrome lining is imitated on the deflectors so that it does not spoil the look of the car.
Currently, a large number of manufacturers, including Chinese ones, are engaged in the production of deflectors. Original deflectors will cost an order of magnitude more expensive, and must be left for the car owner. Before paying for the purchase, it is necessary to try on each deflector in its place. In the event of the slightest discrepancy between dimensions or bending lines, the entire set must be replaced.
What gives the installation of deflectors on the windows of the car?
- the interior of the car is partially protected from sunlight;
- when moving, an aerodynamic flow is created, which carries away dust, debris, small road stones;
- in rainy weather, you can drive with ajar windows;
- air turbulence allows ventilation of the cabin, which helps passengers if the driver smokes.
The installation of deflectors on windows can be done using metal brackets, gluing to the outer surface of the door frame or mounting between the sealing rubber of the moving glass and the door frame. The first method proved to be impractical and went out of use. Metal brackets and rigid fastening led to scratches and chips on the paintwork. In this regard, two other options should be considered.
How to install deflectors on windows by gluing?
The vast majority of deflector models are already equipped with adhesive tape for gluing them to the door frame. This greatly facilitates the work, but, on the other hand, it forces you to take the process with the utmost responsibility, because in case of unsuccessful gluing, you will have to leave the deflector skewed or tear it off and re-glue it.
For the installation of deflectors, it is necessary to select suitable conditions. The place where the machine is located must be warm and dry. The body must be washed and dried. It is ideal to perform the procedure on a warm windless summer day right on the street. For work, in addition to a set of deflectors, you will need: a dry, clean rag and any degreasing liquid (alcohol, "anti-silicone" or plain vodka).
The installation of side window deflectors is carried out according to certain rules. The protective packaging is removed from the deflectors (usually it is a polyethylene film on both sides, it is not removed from the adhesive strip). Then they are tried on at the place of installation, simultaneously on the front and rear doors, the place of gluing is precisely determined. The door frame at the place of gluing is cleaned and degreased with a cloth moistened with the prepared liquid. In the front and back of the deflector, a protective film is peeled off from the adhesive layer by about 3-4 centimeters, its ends are brought up, and the deflector itself is put in place and its edges are glued with a light touch. After making sure that it is installed correctly, the film is removed from the rest of the adhesive layer. Next, press it against the door frame along the entire length with gentle pressure. A similar operation is similarly repeated with each door.
Instructions for installing window deflectors without gluing
Among the models of deflectors, one can notice those that do not have a strip for gluing and other fasteners. Some car models, such as the VAZ "classic", allow the installation of deflectors without fixing. The dimensions of the plates are selected in such a way that the edges abut against the corners of the window frame, and the edge is pressed against the window glass sealing rubber (velvet). Installation of deflectors in this case is extremely simple.
Before inserting the elements into their regular place, it is necessary to lower the glass and, using a thin plastic plate, peel off the rubber seal from the outer part of the window frame at the place where the deflector is installed.
By itself, the gum is not specifically glued, but it can stick to the anti-corrosion lubricant that is used to process the window frame after painting. Slightly bending the deflector in the middle part, the outer rim is inserted into the gap between the seal and the door frame. The correct installation is checked by closing the glass, which must freely enter the groove of the seal.
Problems when installing deflectors on side windows and their operation
As in any other business, difficulties can arise during the installation of deflectors. Although for gluing, manufacturers of tuning elements try to use high-quality adhesives, such well-known brands as ZM, it may happen that the strip is not partially glued, or peeled off during operation.
Double-sided mounting tape can help in this situation. For repair, it is necessary to cut a strip of adhesive tape of the required size, stick it on one side of the deflector, and the other on the door frame, following the above algorithm of actions. You should also proceed if the deflector has to be re-glued, but before that it is necessary to wash the place of gluing with warm soapy water or wipe it with a solvent.
The dovetail-type side bar, also called the "tide" is used for installation on weapons, where the installation of optics is carried out using side brackets, for example
Attention: It is not possible to install a side bracket without a base plate!
Is it possible to install a side bar with your own hands?
This is a very common question. Most gun owners simply do not risk doing anything with their own hands, for fear of spoiling the appearance or damaging the structure. Of course, fears of this kind are not unfounded, but if everything is done carefully, then you will not have problems.What you need to install the bar:
- Weapon
- plank
- Drill
- Drill for metal
- Kerner
- Hammer
- Fine pliers/tweezers
- Pencil
The bar is delivered in a blister, the package includes: 3 screws and 3 nuts
In order to correctly install the lug on the receiver, it is necessary to match the spherical protrusion on the AK with the hole for it on the bar. The photo is marked with color. 
USM fixing pins serve as an additional installation marker
Now you need to make marks for the screws. This is easy to do with a pencil.
Be careful! The bar must be moved as far forward as possible, and the front part must be moved as far down as possible.
Why go ahead: the bar with the bracket and optics installed will move forward under the influence of recoil, so you need to fully rest it on the stopper.
Why down: in the extreme lower position of the front of the bar, it rests against the stopper and it is in this position that the prism becomes parallel to the aiming line. If this is neglected, there will be difficulties with vertical corrections in the future. 
Pencil markers are clearly visible
We take a center punch and mark the holes so that the drill does not slip on the surface
We measure the holes in the bar and get 4 mm, so we also use a drill 4 mm or higher. We had a 4.5 mm drill, because. the nut is fixed with a margin, we stopped on it. 
It is highly recommended to use a solid drill, because. a cheap one will probably wear out before you drill a hole, the box is very strong. We used this.
We remove the store and drill. Be careful with the force of pressing, of course, it is unlikely that you will damage something inside the AK by touching the drill, but you should not lose your vigilance. After drilling, the box will look like this
Now we fix the bar on the box, in order to lock the nut inside, we use the tongs that were at hand.
The plank is secure. To close the issue, you can finally use a threaded lock, but during normal operation this is unnecessary.
Now we install our side bracket on the tide, for example, with the sake of clarity installed on it 
Everything about everything took us no more than 15 minutes. So the conclusion suggests itself: if you have the simplest tools and the skills to work with them, installing a side base bar on an AK, Saiga or VPO is not difficult. We hope our article will help you in this simple matter.
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The taskbar is one of the main elements of the interface of the Windows operating system. This panel contains the Start button, open windows, icons of minimized programs, as well as a clock and calendar.
This bar is normally located at the bottom of the screen, but due to user error or software glitch, it may move to the right, left, or top of the screen. Faced with this situation, users very often don't know how to move the Taskbar back to the bottom of the screen.
In this article, we will talk about how you can solve this problem. Despite the fact that the screenshots in the article were taken in Windows 10. The solutions described below will be relevant for all versions of the Windows operating system, including Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.
So, if you want to move the taskbar to the bottom of the screen, then there are several ways to do it. The first way is to use the Taskbar settings. To do this, right-click on the taskbar and select "Properties" from the menu that opens.
This will open a window called "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties". There is a drop-down menu where you can choose the position of the taskbar on the screen. Open this menu and select the “Bottom” option there. Then close the window by pressing the “Ok” button.
Addition. In recent versions of Windows 10, there is no "Properties" item in the Taskbar context menu, instead there is a "Taskbar Settings" item that performs the same functions.
Click on "Taskbar Settings" and scroll through the settings that open to the very end.
There will be a drop down menu to move the Taskbar.
Move the taskbar to the bottom of the screen with the mouse
The second way to move the taskbar to the bottom of the screen is to move it with the mouse. In order to use this method, right-click on the taskbar and pay attention to the menu item "Lock the taskbar". If a check mark is set next to this menu item, then you need to click on this menu item and uncheck it. This will unpin the taskbar from its current location.
Once you have undocked the Taskbar, you can move it to the bottom of the screen or to any other position with the mouse. To do this, you just need to left-click on an empty space on the Taskbar and, without releasing the mouse button, move the Taskbar to the desired position, for example, on the screen.
After the Taskbar takes the position you need, do not forget to fix it in this place using the menu. This will avoid similar problems in the future.
Other possible problems with the Taskbar
In addition to suddenly moving to the top of the screen or to the side, there are other problems with the Taskbar. We'll look at some of the more common ones below.
- Taskbar disappears and reappears. If your Taskbar appears and disappears, then most likely you have the "Auto-hide the Taskbar" feature turned on. In order to disable this feature, right-click on an empty space on the Taskbar and open its properties. After that, uncheck this function and save the settings by pressing the “Ok” button.
- The taskbar is too big. Another problem is that the taskbar is too wide. In order to fix this, you need to unpin the Taskbar as described above and move the mouse cursor to the edge of the Taskbar. After the cursor takes the form of a double-headed arrow, you need to grab the edge of the Taskbar and reduce its size. If you can’t reduce the size of the Taskbar, but it is still too large, then open its properties and enable the “Use small buttons on the taskbar.
