Wheel well fender plastic bumper things

What the hell are these called, and why does it exist?

My older trucks never had anything like this- my 07 chevy had some weird plastic crap taped to the front fenders and it did exactly what I thought it would do- trap salt and dirt and cause the fenders to rot out and fall apart.

So, this 2013 tacom has them on all four wheel wells.
Well, had. Now it has them on three, because I tried to take one off so I could fluidfilm behind it and prevent the inevitable rust death. In doing so I apparently snapped about ten or so little plastic clips, mostly blue and some orange... but they look the same.

So, now that I've done this, the EASY solution is to figure out what these things are called so I can buy more of those clips and put this back on... and proceed to do the same to the rest of the truck.

Are there better options?
Is there any compelling reason to leave these things on at all?
What are they called, what do they do, and where might I find the stupid plastic clips that hold it in place?
Lastly... why are a few of them orange?

 

Are you talking about the flares and the clips?

Your description is really vague and confusing.

$9 Allmost for Compatible with 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma Fender Flare Retainer Clip 75495-35010 75397-35010 (Pack of 38)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07K6QYLCW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

My bad, I thought I gave a pretty good description... I asked a few friends and I guess they're called "fender flares"

I don't understand why a fender would want to be flared, but here we are.

 

You could always bondo-sand-paint in line-ex or something, get rid of the holes and the flares.

 

Federal law for new vehicles requires fenders to cover the whole width of the tire. That's why base model 2WD Tacomas with 235-wide tires don't have fender flares. The 4WD models with 245-wide and 265-wide tires have flares. Newer models with factory 35" tires like the Bronco Sasquatch and Wrangler Xtreme Recon come with wider flares or flare extensions for this reason. On trim levels with factory 37" tires, the flares can reach ridiculous proportions in the name of regulatory compliance:



Those blue and orange clips appear to be designed to be single-use only. I popped a few out to install my plate bumper, and had to replace the clips with new ones.

There's no need to pull the fender flares to spray fluid film behind it. Corrosion protection on Toyota body panels has been pretty good since the late '90s. Look at photos of Tacoma frame rust - truck is ready for the crusher, yet the body is usually pristine. Focus your time and money on the frame.

 

Awesome info re: the regulation requirement info on these trim pieces. I always just assumed they were year-to-year styling updates by the manufacturers.

 

Those clips can be purchased on Amazon. Search YouTube for how to remove and install Tacoma fender flares. The orange and blue are different sizes and go in certain spots.

 

Those fender flares prevent rocks and other items from chipping the fender paint and causing rust from items kicked up by the tires.