$300 Hitch

[shenj2]

Yeah I could go with an extension but this seems to work for now.

I don't plan on taking the rack off so I'm not too worried about the cover. But yeah that cover is hideous lol.

 

[tk1971]

Regarding the cover... can't it just be left alone, requiring a tool to pry it off or does the hitch take up enough space that the original design is compromised?

 

[shenj2]

The stock cover should pop right on when you're not using the hitch.

 

[mtn417]

I take it the Eco hitch is not something a Tesla Service Center would be interesting in installing? I'd be happy to pay them 300-400 (still come out ahead vs factory). I am only hitching mountain bikes. I live in the midwest and these Teslas, especially the Y, are a pretty rare bird so I'd be hesitant to take it anywhere to have it placed on as I'd question their competency. I feel like given an afternoon I would be able to do it, but I foresee frustration and unexpected issues I'd rather not deal with.

 

[RED MDL3]

I take it the Eco hitch is not something a Tesla Service Center would be interesting in installing? I'd be happy to pay them 300-400 (still come out ahead vs factory). I am only hitching mountain bikes. I live in the midwest and these Teslas, especially the Y, are a pretty rare bird so I'd be hesitant to take it anywhere to have it placed on as I'd question their competency. I feel like given an afternoon I would be able to do it, but I foresee frustration and unexpected issues I'd rather not deal with.

I asked yesterday while asking for homelink install on my Model Y. “Tesla employees are not allowed to install 3rd party equipment”. Tech said they just received service bulletin on how to retrofit install Tesla hitch. Cost unknown..

 

[Cmos2000]

So this is interesting. I installed the hitch tonight. It was pretty straight forward, I recommend having plastic car clip / trim removal tools, I also had a cross threaded screw like others have had under the car which was a pain.

I also installed a Curtis 5916 trailer wiring kit. I tapped into the signals posted earlier in the thread as well as the heavy red wire (which is switched 12v) and the heavy black wire which is ground. The Curtis kit isolates the car signals from the trailer which is why the adapter uses 12v.

When I got in the car I had a trailer icon on the display. You can see the screen shot below. I did not currently have a trailer hooked up. I did not have a trailer mode switch in the software. Just the icon. Touching the icon did nothing.

I did a reboot of the car using the steering wheel buttons and the icon was gone after reboot. I don’t have a trailer with wiring to test but I suspect we may be able to get our cars to think we have a trailer hooked up ....

PS while installing the hitch I discovered that my rear 12v outlet in the trunk was never plugged in from the factory. Plug was Just hanging there behind the plastic trim.

 

[burton06]

Just installed my Eco hitch today. Took about 2.5 hours. Anybody find a solution for the cover? I really don’t like the solution included from Eco hitch. How does Tesla solve this for their stock hitch?

 

[Cmos2000]

I used the eco hitch cover but will probably replace the Tesla logo shaped Exterior handle with a simple straight piece of satin black metal.

The magnet is very strong. So much so that it makes putting the cover on a little tricky as the magnet always wants to grab the hitch before it has a chance to slide into the 2” hitch receiver.

 

[Larryfl1]

Are most of you installing the electric portion also or just the hitch
Not really planning on towing but possibly in the future...my main concern is not having trailer mode when using a trailer

 

[Taber]

How close is your 1up rack sitting to your bumper in the "up or store" position? Mine is touching the bumper even with the rack extended all the way out as far as it can go with the tow hitch lock installed.

When I insert either of my 1up racks, I simply place it about the thickness of my hand from the bumper and tighten it down. I use a velcro strap as an insurance in case the rack loosens up, but I have never had this happen to me on any of my 1up racks.

 

[tpoltron]

When I insert either of my 1up racks, I simply place it about the thickness of my hand from the bumper and tighten it down. I use a velcro strap as an insurance in case the rack loosens up, but I have never had this happen to me on any of my 1up racks.

interesting, so to clarify you don’t use a perpendicular cross pin through the hitch?

once I accidentally drove 20 miles without my hitch pin in without the rack falling off. Apparently the downward force on the hitch insert created more friction than the drag to pull it out.

 

[Taber]

interesting, so to clarify you don’t use a perpendicular cross pin through the hitch?

once I accidentally drove 20 miles without my hitch pin in without the rack falling off. Apparently the downward force on the hitch insert created more friction than the drag to pull it out.

No I do not, and none of my 1up racks have come with a pin either. The friction ball is enough to hold it in place without it moving. If you fail to tighten the bolt with the supplied allen wrench, I could see disaster happening. I have driven from NM to the CA coast and back with 4 bikes on the hitch with zero issues though. This is on my Chevy truck and not the Tesla, but the receiver is a 2" on the truck, so same fit.

 

[Lord Voltemort]

I used Torklift's Installer/Dealer search (Torklift Central | Torklift Central Hitch Tow installs trailer hitches for all types of vehicles, specializes in custom fabrication and manufactures the EcoHitch to help you Get Out and Go Your Way!) to find two Atlanta installers to have my hitch installed. I went with Allpro Subaru in Alpharetta for just under $200 installed (other place quoted me $522!) Allpro were easy to work with and it took under 2 hours to install, and they work on Tesla's often. Total cost (hitch $321+tax + install $200) around $550 which gives me plenty of extra money to pick out a bike rack.

 

[Zeke5]

OK ... installed it and took a little over 2 hours ... was really taking my time to make sure I didn't break off clips or strip bolts, etc. I did not use an electric driver as I was sure I'd get one of those cross-threaded screws (and there were 2) ... carefully hand unloosening with ratchet worked well ... I'm pretty handy and have done this on several non-tesla vehicles (X5, Volt, ES350) ... this one seemed to be the most challenging for a few reasons:

1) My tail lights were recently re-aligned by service center to fix gapping, so I was super careful to mark with tape where they lined up before removing.
2) Space to work with tail light nuts was super tight ... I really try to unclip as little as possible, but was tempted to pull more of side panels away to do the job but figured if I'd do that it would end up creating all kind of interior rattling after popping back in. Not a lot of slack on the wires ... need some small hands to unlatch/latch connector.
3) Seating the bumper cover by myself was a pain (get a 2nd set of hands)

I'm sorta happy with the result ... yes I saved $700 ... but not real keen on the error messages that pop up while driving (see pic) ... it comes up more than I'd prefer and a pain to clear. Hopefully they will release a bike/cargo rack mode to disable rear sensors. There have been times which AP was choking when I tried to enable with that error message displayed. It finally does, but has seemed flaky.

Access panel thing is not really ideal ... I see myself breaking off clips after a year. Actually thought I had cracked off rim of bumper cover on the right side when I took it off the first time ... was REALLY happy to see pictures here that showed the same gap in the rim. I'm debating whether to come up with some spring mechanism for it like the old cars that were fed gas from behind the license plate.

On a good note, I have a cheap Swagman double rack that's worked rather well for me over the last 5 years and the lift gate clears it when folded up! (by about 1/2")

 

[bsilva]

When I insert either of my 1up racks, I simply place it about the thickness of my hand from the bumper and tighten it down. I use a velcro strap as an insurance in case the rack loosens up, but I have never had this happen to me on any of my 1up racks.

Are you using the OEM hitch or 3rd party? Can you get to the minimum insertion point on the 1up rack with a hand’s worth of clearance from the bumper?

 

[PKOttawa]

This video convinced me to go with the OEM hitch. Yes it’s more expensive but I like that installation is taken care of and I get full integration.

 

[mazers]

This video convinced me to go with the OEM hitch. Yes it’s more expensive but I like that installation is taken care of and I get full integration.

Me also! Going OEM just solves a lot of potential problems. To save a few hundred dollars, but then to wonder about software updates is not worth it to me. What happens if Tesla charges 3 or 4 hundred for turning on the towing software? In addition, without an OEM hitch and install, might there be some warranty or safety issues down the road?
Our Model Y is at the Service Center as I type, getting the tow package installed, plus a few minor delivery issues fixed.

 

[Zeke5]

Thanks for sharing the video @PKOttawa ... not sure how I missed that one

I was hoping to find a way to disable the parking assist sensors, but I don't want to do at the expense of losing AP and lengthening following distances when this is engaged (which this vid outlines). So, given the fact that I really don't plan to tow anything except bike rack or cargo rack, Trailer mode doesn't seem like something I really should want to pursue (or even pay for). (FTR: I did try to place a service call in to get them to enable trailer mode, but was rejected) I'll just have to develop a tolerance for seeing sensor errors and beeping backup when I have the rack on ... I think I can handle that.

With this understanding I've become a lot more comfortable with the $700 I saved.