sayadil

hey

finally want to get a tow installed this summer. Contacted local lexus dealer.. and price quoted was $650 (nearly 575US) ... then i called Uhaul and they told me they will charge only $300 ($250) ... they took my car info.. and then gave me the price specific to my vehicle.. according to Uhaul they install the most Hitches in north America more then anyone else..

Now i'm just confused what the difference would be... I'm not cheap but if i can save why not?
so if anyone out there has got aftermarket Non dealer Hitch.. can u tell me what the difference?
also i was concerned if the tow is gonna spoil the back look of the car.. (uhaul or lexus).. so if people would be kind enough to post some pics... would help me alot. thanks.

CVsIS250

Uhaul has a good track record for this sort of thing. I agree. The only difference would be if your GX still looked good from behind. Wonder if you could have someone photoshop or send you a picture of an actual uhaul hitch??

CV

loflin

sayadil, in the past there has been some confusion, even in what a Lexus dealer will install.

So best bet is to go to your dealer and have him show you exactly what it is, then go to UHAUL and do the same.

sayadil

well i asked my dealer to show me how the hitch would look like. he told me they had no car in the building with hitch installed.. and they don't have the hitch since they have to order it.. and i have to pay in advance for them to order it.
UHAUL seems like a reliable company to get the hitch installed.. but i'm just afriad if thier hitch is gonna be ugly and stick out too much from the bumper... infact i haven't seen any GX here with a hitch ever.. so not sure how a lexus or uhaul one is different!!

GXRick

Adil,

I need to tow about 3500 lbs on occasion. I had been debating whether to trade my horribly unreliable 04 Touareg on an 06 GX. 2 days before Christmas th Treg battery failed for the 7th time and second time in 3 weeks. I was planning a 1,000 mile driving trip so I went to the Lexus lot and made a pick. The GX in the color I wanted had every option except Tow hitch and RSES. I don't have kids so I didn't care about the latter. My salesman stated that all Atlanta Lexus vehicles needing hitches are sent to Johnny Fuller, Inc on Buford Hwy. The general manager backed this up and said if he arraigned it the cost would be $500. I drove over to Fullers and he charged me $159.39 parts, $50.00 labor with tax the total was $211.53. It took about an hour. There were 3 other new Lexus on the lot.


It does not have the complete integrated look that a factory install has, but after I pulled all the stickers off, it looks fine by me. It is a "Draw-tite" brand and rated for 5,000 lbs. Check if there is a draw-tite dealer in your area.

Rick

malhokc

I just had mine put on. I paid approx $168 with free shipping. It's made by hidden hitch. I initially thought of putting it on myself but the bolts on the frame are pretty tight. I ended up going to UHAUL and paid them $40 to put it on. The total installation time is approx 20-30min. Looks great!! I actually prefer this over the dealer as this receiver sticks out about 1-2" more. This will protect my back bumper from those parking too closely.


http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/me...ategory_Code=H

GGGXXX

You paid over $50K for the Lexus - get the Lexus hitch - -yes it will run you $300+ for the hitch and $150+ installation but it is fully integrated and looks good.....the couple of hundred dollar difference is a couple of weeks in gas these days so don't overstudy it - just get the original....

BobsGX

I agree. Get the Lexus hitch. I changed over the Lexus hitch which came on my traded in 05 GX to my 06 GX and it is a much stronger hitch then the aftermarket Curt, U-Haul and Hidden Hitch brands. For one thing, the Lexus hitch is held on by 12 bolts versus 8 on the other brands. The Lexus hitch has 4 huge bolts mounted right in the center behind the receiver opening. This makes a big difference in strength and stability. Also the Lexus hitch comes with a proper hookup for the 7 wire connector and they position it in a great spot right on the hitch itself.
If you are the least bit handy with some hand tools, get the Lexus hitch from http://www.lexus-parts.com/partdetai...bCategoryID=16 and with a helper you will have the hitch on in 30 minutes or less. Also look at the installation instructions on that site. The kit also comes with the tow hitch wire harness which by itself costs over $200.00 so that means the hitch and hardware only cost $135.00. That's a bargain for a factory approved hitch.
If you lived closer to me, I could have come by to help you install it.

malhokc

I'm not sure if the picture you posted is of the original tow hitch. I believe that is an aftermarket as well, more costly than than the Curt. See picture of the the hitches that are preinstalled at the manufacturers (left) vs dealer (right). It's just not only the plastic cover piece that's different, it's the hitch as well. So, looks like there are three different types.

sayadil

well the one on the left definately looks better and more in.. Yours looks good too... So yours is more out then the factory... the Lexus Parts one looks too out.. and i rather not get something which sticks out that much.. the one on the left is pretty neat... and integrated perfectly with the bumper... where can i get that one for ?? and how much am i looking at??

BobsGX

The one on the left is a very light duty tow hitch. It only attaches to the GX in the middle of the vehicle. Might be ok up to 1,000 lbs. I believe it's only for the 2003 GX built prior to May 2003. The one on the right is the heavy duty Lexus tow hitch which can tow up to 6,500 lbs.

sayadil

the one on the right is about as out as the hidden hitch posted my malhock.. with nearly 200 cheaper... hmm i wish people could post a pic with the original lexus Hitch..

malhokc

The pictures I posted are of original hitch, 2 different version. My original picture of hidden hitch is the aftermarket.

sayadil

do u think theres a way to install more inside so that it doesn't stick out at all??

SilverLady

I have seen some of the earlier Lexus that did not have a hitch (but apparently had the tow package) that had the plastic bumper piece with the cutout shape as in the figure on the left. My 06 with the two package and no hitch has the straight across plastic bumper piece as per the picture on the right.

I remember reading that there were all types of issues with the hitch on the early GX470 - it appears that has been resolved as many GX owners now report successful hitches and towing.