exterior accessories buyer's guide
Bumpers, Skid Plates, Fender Flares & Mud Flaps
MC Customs Truck Accessories Lincoln, NE
Your truck’s exterior takes more abuse than almost any other part of the vehicle — rocks kicked up on the highway, gravel roads out to the farm, curbs in a parking lot, road salt every winter. The right bumpers, skid plates, fender flares, and mud flaps protects your vehicle while giving your truck or Jeep the aesthetic you’re looking for. Whether that’s a clean daily driver, a job-site ready work truck, or trail ready rig… MC Customs has the right accessories for you.
This guide provides some insight to four exterior accessory categories – what they do, what to look for, and which brands we trust – so you can figure out what your build actually needs before you start shopping.
Aftermarket Bumpers
A bumper upgrade is usually the accessory that changes a truck’s whole look the fastest, but the better ones do a lot more than look good.
What they’re for: Stock bumpers are built to a price point and designed around pedestrian safety regulations, not off-road durability. Aftermarket bumpers trade some of that plastic-heavy factory design for steel or aluminum construction that can actually take a hit — and they open up options factory bumpers don’t have, like integrated winch mounts, light bar tabs, and D-ring shackle points.
- Material: Steel bumpers are the heaviest and most impact-resistant, aluminum splits the difference between strength and weight, and heavy-duty composite/plastic options exist for owners who want a styling upgrade without the off-road hardware
- Front vs. rear: Front bumpers tend to be the bigger investment since they carry winch mounts and brush guards; rear bumpers are usually simpler but often add step and hitch-adjacent functionality
- Mounting points: If you’re planning to add a winch, off-road lights, or recovery gear down the road, it’s worth choosing a bumper with those mounting points built in now rather than retrofitting later
Brands we install: Fab Fours and Body Armor are two of our go-to options for steel off-road bumpers with recovery-point ratings. Rough Country offers a strong mid-range lineup for owners who want the aggressive look and added protection without the highest-end price tag, and Thunderstruck is another solid option we regularly work with. Beyond these, MC Customs holds a dealer account with several manufacturers, which gives us access to the large majority of bumper brands and lines on the market — if you’ve got a specific brand in mind, there’s a good chance we can get it.
Skid Plates
Skid plates are the accessory nobody sees until the day they save your transmission.
What they’re for: A skid plate is a shield bolted to the underside of your truck, protecting vulnerable components — the oil pan, transfer case, differential, fuel tank — from rocks, stumps, and debris. Every truck has some factory protection here, but it’s usually minimal. For anyone who takes their truck off pavement regularly, upgraded skid plates are the difference between a scraped-up factory pan and a serious repair bill.
- Material trade-offs: Steel skid plates offer the most protection but add the most weight; aluminum cuts weight roughly in half while still holding up to real abuse; plastic factory-style plates are the lightest but offer the least protection
- Coverage: Full skid plate systems protect the engine, transfer case, and fuel tank as a set — partial coverage focused on just the most vulnerable component (usually the oil pan or transfer case) is a lower-cost option if you’re not doing serious rock crawling
- Access: Look for plates with access panels or removable sections so routine oil changes and fluid checks don’t require pulling the whole plate
Brands we install: Rough Country and Body Armor both make solid skid plate systems that pair well with the bumpers from the same lines, which also makes for a cleaner, matched look underneath the truck.
Fender Flares
Fender flares are one of the most functional accessories on this list, even though most people think of them as a styling piece first.
What they’re for: Flares extend the width of your wheel wells, which does two things: gives your truck a wider, more aggressive stance, and — more importantly — provides legal tire coverage and debris protection once you’ve gone up in tire size. If you’ve added a lift kit and larger tires, fender flares aren’t just optional styling; they’re often the piece that keeps your bigger tires from throwing rocks, mud, and road spray onto your paint and the vehicles around you.
- Style: Bolt-on flares give the boldest, most noticeable width increase and are the go-to for trucks running significantly oversized tires; pocket-style flares (with visible fastener “pockets”) are a popular middle-ground look; flat/OE-style flares add coverage with the most subtle visual change
- Coverage vs. tire size: The bigger the tire upgrade, the more coverage you’ll want — this is worth planning alongside any wheel and tire package rather than as an afterthought
- Material: Most quality flares are a durable textured polymer that resists fading and cracking better than cheaper ABS plastic options
Brands we install: Bushwacker is the name most people recognize in this category for good reason — their fitment and durability are hard to beat, and they’re our default recommendation for most fender flare installs.
Mud Flaps & Splash Guards
The least glamorous accessory on this list, and one of the most practical.
What they’re for: Mud flaps hang behind the front and rear wheels to knock down the rocks, mud, salt brine, and road spray your tires kick up — protecting your rocker panels, paint, and anyone unlucky enough to be driving behind you. For Nebraska trucks that see winter road salt and gravel roads, this is cheap, unglamorous insurance against paint chips and rust.
- No-drill vs. drill-on: No-drill options mount using existing factory holes and hardware, which keeps the install clean and avoids adding new holes to the body
- Coverage width: Wider flaps offer more protection but need enough clearance from tires and suspension components, especially on lifted trucks
- Material: Look for a flexible, cold-weather-rated material — cheap flaps can crack and become brittle during a Nebraska winter
Brands we install: WeatherTech and Husky both make well-fitted, no-drill splash guard systems that hold up well. Gatorback is a strong option as well, particularly for trucks that want a more heavy-duty, contoured flap.
Real Build: Toyota Tacoma Nerf Bars & Rear Bumper
One of our favorite recent exterior builds was a Toyota Tacoma that came in for a full exterior refresh: N-FAB nerf bars paired with a Body Armor rear bumper. Instead of just bolting the parts on and calling it done, we coated both the nerf bars and the bumper in our Patriot Liner UV+ Premium finish — the same spray-on protection we use for bed liners — so the new accessories get the same lifetime-warrantied, chip- and fade-resistant coating as the truck bed itself.
It’s a good example of how these categories work together: the bumper adds front-end protection and a more aggressive stance, the nerf bars improve step-in access and rocker protection, and the bedliner coating means neither one has to worry about rust, chips, or fading down the road.
Building a Complete Exterior Package
Most owners don’t upgrade all four of these categories at once, and you don’t need to. A few common starting points:
- Daily driver looking for a style refresh: Fender flares and a set of running boards or nerf bars go a long way with minimal downtime
- Work truck: Mud flaps and a durable rear bumper hold up to daily wear without a huge investment
- Off-road or trail-focused build: Bumpers with recovery points, full skid plate coverage, and flares sized for your tire upgrade should be planned together, since they all interact with each other (and with any lift kit or wheel/tire package you’re running)
If you’re not sure where to start, that’s exactly what a walk-through at our shop is for — bring the truck in, tell us what you’re using it for, and we’ll help you prioritize.
Ready to upgrade your truck or Jeep’s exterior? Request a quote or stop by our shop, and we’ll help you build a setup. From a single bumper to a full exterior package figure out what fits your truck and how you actually use it. Call today: 402-419-4275