Running Boards and Nerf Bars – a Great Way to Customize Your Vehicle

Millions of cars are sold every year and lots of people purchase their car without any options. Car dealers do offer a fair number of custom parts to help differentiate and personalize the vehicles they sell. Some offer different wheels, roof racks, body kits, brush guards, nerf bars and running boards. These parts will help set your car, truck or SUV apart from the rest of the vehicles on the road. Optional parts can also help give your vehicle a distinguished look, often making it appear sleeker, faster or more aggressive. I believe most people buy their vehicle without dealer installed options is because the dealer often sells these parts with huge markups and charges $80+ dollars per hour to install the parts. This means that these options can become very expensive to add to an already expensive purchase. The good news is that the aftermarket manufacturers and sells these same parts at a much lower cost, and often these aftermarket parts are a higher quality option because there will be many options to choose from. This makes the personalization experience much more fun and exciting because you'll be able to choose the style that's right for you.

For example, say you just bought a brand new Ford F150 pickup truck. Since gas prices are so high right now, you should be able to get a great deal on a new or slightly used model. The dealer pitched options like a trailer hitch, running boards, exhaust, a bull bar, a truck bed tonneau cover, and tail light brush guards. Although he pitched these parts, the dealer is probably selling the vehicle at or below cost, so he's not willing to give you any sort of break on the price. This is where the aftermarket comes in. Not only can you find all of these custom parts online, but you can get them for a fraction of the price the dealer asking for. If you're a do-it-yourselfer, then installing these parts will help you get to know your new vehicle and it could make for a fun Saturday project. Most of these parts are relatively easy to install. Running boards, nerf bars, trailer hitches, and exhaust systems are usually bolt-on parts, which means you'll just need a set of socket wrenches to get the job done. If you've got a good set of air tools, the job will be much more painless and you'll get it done much faster. If you don't like working on your car, a local shop can install these parts at much more affordable rates. Just make sure to get some feedback on local mechanics as some shops do better work than others.