I don't know what they are called but I am talking about those bars that run across the side of most cars on the doors. I wanted to know what the purpose of these bars is. I just saw a picture of a 99-00 elantra with them taken off and it looks a lot better. Can they be removed or should they be left on?

 

They are there to prevent door dings, and to break up the lines of the car. Some cars look better with them, some look better without. It's also a matter of personal preference.

Some are just "glued" on and can be removed rather easily, some are held in place by holes in the body/door panels.

Try using www.hmaservice.com to see if it shows clips in the body holding the side trim on. If not, they are probably glued on.

If you remove them. expect a lot of work cleaning up the glue, and the paint will be ligher or darker where you remove them.