I purchased a Curt Class 3 trailer hitch for my 2018 Model 3 from etrailer.com. While waiting for the hitch to be delivered I downloaded Curt's installation instructions from the etrailer website. The job seemed simple enough and required just a few hand tools (not even close), including a torque wrench. When the hitch arrived it was obviously a high quality item and gave me no clue what I was in for. After removing the bumper cover, bottom cover, interior trunk trim, tail light assemblies, bumper and bumper mounting plates, I mounted the hitch and remounted the bumper. So far so good. Everything after that (meaning getting the bumper cover, bottom cover, lights and interior trim back together) was an absolute horror. NOTHING fit!!! I was doing the job with a friend who has a lift to make the job easier. Both of us have extensive experience installing aftermarket accessories on cars and motorcycles over many years. We spent hours trying different things in an attempt to figure out what we were doing wrong. In the end we did figure out what the problem was.
The hitch replaces the stock bumper mounting plates and is quite a bit thicker (1/4" vs. 1/16"). The extra 3/16" in thickness causes all the remaining parts to misalign. We tried calling Curt several times and could only get a busy signal. We also tried calling etrailer and got a recording saying their hold time was 25 minutes! Pure frustration! At this point, six hours into what should have been a 2-3 hour job, we were faced with dismantling everything we had assembled and returning the hitch to etrailer. Unfortunately, I'm leaving on a long trip just two days after the installation attempt and needed the hitch for a bicycle rack. No time to find a hitch that would install correctly.
Now what? Time to get creative. We got out the Dremel tool and cut into the bumper cover and bottom cover in order to be able to reattach them, put some muscle into convincing the lights, trim pieces, etc. to cooperate and finally, nine hours after starting the job, had it all back together. I'm still not confident that everything will be OK in the long run, but it's the best we could do.
Needless to say, both Curt and etrailer are on my s__t list. I tried calling them again today to tell them about my experience, but there is still nothing but a busy signal at Curt and etrailer is still saying it will take 25 minutes on hold to talk to them. So, I'm giving up and simply giving you Model 3 owners a heads up on what to expect if you choose a Curt trailer hitch for your car. Good luck!
The hitch replaces the stock bumper mounting plates and is quite a bit thicker (1/4" vs. 1/16"). The extra 3/16" in thickness causes all the remaining parts to misalign. We tried calling Curt several times and could only get a busy signal. We also tried calling etrailer and got a recording saying their hold time was 25 minutes! Pure frustration! At this point, six hours into what should have been a 2-3 hour job, we were faced with dismantling everything we had assembled and returning the hitch to etrailer. Unfortunately, I'm leaving on a long trip just two days after the installation attempt and needed the hitch for a bicycle rack. No time to find a hitch that would install correctly.
Now what? Time to get creative. We got out the Dremel tool and cut into the bumper cover and bottom cover in order to be able to reattach them, put some muscle into convincing the lights, trim pieces, etc. to cooperate and finally, nine hours after starting the job, had it all back together. I'm still not confident that everything will be OK in the long run, but it's the best we could do.
Needless to say, both Curt and etrailer are on my s__t list. I tried calling them again today to tell them about my experience, but there is still nothing but a busy signal at Curt and etrailer is still saying it will take 25 minutes on hold to talk to them. So, I'm giving up and simply giving you Model 3 owners a heads up on what to expect if you choose a Curt trailer hitch for your car. Good luck!
