Question.... not sure if I’m better off getting the mopar tonneau cover and the off-road style running boards From ram or getting both aftermarket? Are there better options? Would they be difficult to install? Would aftermarket void warranty or alter performance in any way? Thanks.
Tonneau covers rate about a 0.75 on the 1-10 difficulty scale (Bakflips raise that bar to about a 1.2). The Mopar tri-fold cover comes completely off in about 30 seconds, so the installation is equally as complicated (set on bed, line it up so it looks straight (in the words of Jimmy Diresta, "If it looks straight, it is straight"), flip the two front locks down, unfold tonneau, flip both rear latches down. It'll take you longer to get the beer from the fridge and crack it open...
Most step bars bring the difficulty index up to maybe a 1.6, but only because of their bulk. For these trucks, they'll most all use the factory mounts, which MAY entail running a thread chaser/tap into the threaded holes to clear out the overspray, but they're essentially bolt-ons. True running boards are slightly more involved, but only due to the pieces that run up along the insides of the fender wells. Even the most complex running boards, the Amp Research (and clones) power-folding steps only take a couple of hours, but most of that is doing the electrical work.
Neither will even be CONSIDERED as a reason to deny warranty coverage ("I'm sorry, Mr. Customer, but we can't warranty your failed radiator, due to the aftermarket tonneau cover on the back of the truck that has absolutely SQUAT to do with the fact that our idiot suppliers don't know how to properly solder an end-tank"). Any dealer who even tries that should have a "personal massager" large enough to write "Magnusson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act of 1976" in 72-point Times New Roman font crammed up their exhaust pipe. Just my opinion...