Tribeca

Hi all, Newbie here. We just purchased a 2004 GX last week (which I love!). We just noticed that the sticker said that it had a tow hitch but it doesn't. The sticker also says that the dealer is not responsible for inacuracies (probably a way of covering their a**es). My husband is worried that the techs might have taken the tow hitch because he once worked for a dealership and he said that sometimes techs steal parts of a used car while working on it before putting it on the lot.

Is there a way to know if the car had a towing prep package originally installed? Attached is a picture of the back of the car where the hitch would supposedly go.

Thanks in advance!

BurgBoxstr

First off - welcome and congrats on your new to you GX!

Only way to know is if you have the original sticker. Now, if they sold it to you as having it, then insist they give it to you. Also know the towing "prep" kit and towing hitch are two separate things.

Tow prep is just the wiring harness. Look up under the rear bumper on the driver's side for a goofy L bracket bolted to the frame along w/ a 7 pin towing plug in it. It gets relocated to the hitch once installed.

You definitely do not have a hitch on there as the 2" receiver would be sticking out below the bumper cover trim (post 5/04 build IIRC) or sticking out through a notched center trim bumper cover.

Hitch is about $300 from Sewell Lexus (a board sponsor) and is an easy DIY install. Wiring harness is another $250. So, if you sticker says the towing prep is there (or hitch), then make sure your dealer puts it on for ya at their cost .

Good luck and again congrats on the GX.

Bob GX

Hi - I have on 04 GX, too. For this model year (maybe others, too) there were two types of hitches.

There was a 5,000 pound rated hitch, and if that was installed the small rectangular piece of the bumper would have been replaced with a similar piece, but with a notch on the lower edge, to go around the receiver part of the hitch.

There was also a 6,500 rated hitch, which has a tubular frame and would be mounted below the bumper - this hitch does not require the rectangular piece to be changed, since the receiver is below the bumper.

It doens't appear from the photo that your GX has either. If the 6,500 hitch had been there originally, but has been removed recently, you can probably tell by looking under the car where the hitch would mount to the frame - there likely would a difference in appearance, like cleaner areas where the hitch would have been mounted.

Likewise, if you look behind the rectangular piece, you might see a difference in appearance where that hitch was mounted.

If the 'deal' you made included a hitch in the paperwork, seems like they owe you one. Recommend going with the 6,500 hitch; I've had both types on my GX, and the 6,500 is lots better if you have any real towing to do.

vipers5397

When ordering, be sure to tell who ever what month your GX was made. If it is the dealer, give them the vin just to be safe. April 04 and prior have one part number and May 04 and above another.

Hey Bob GX, What production month is your GX470?

schan1w

I think you can have any dealer lookup the VIN and they should be able to tell you how the car was configured when it left the factory. You might want to call Lexus corporate if a dealer can't help you.

Bob GX

My GX was made in 03/04 - I had the 5,000 hitch put on when I took delievery in Jun 04, and later on switched to the 6,500 hitch so I could use a weight distributing hitch for my trailer.

Tribeca

Thanks for all the replies. We don't have the original sticker, just a sticker that the dealer makes up when they sell a pre-owned car.

BurgBoxstr: Just to clarify - getting a towing prep package does not automatically include a hitch (i.e, you buy the hitch separately)? If there was a receiver for the hitch, could someone take that out too?

According to CARFAX our vehicle was manufactured 9/04, and it was leased to the previous owner until (s)he turned it in around December 2007.

kphu

iTrader: (8)

Congrats on the the buy and welcome to CL....come on folks...I thought someone would ask for pictures now...where are the pictures? We folks here in the forum have to see pictures.

Linko

The tow prep package is simply the wire harness and mounting plate for a hitch. The tow prep package is a common accessory for the GX 470, and it really just gives you the ability to add a hitch at a later date. The hitch and receiver are not separate components - the receiver is the part of the hitch where the tow bar (the part with the ball) is inserted. There is really no way to tell if a hitch was installed on your vehicle and removed unless the hitch was listed as original equipment.

Capirato

Tribeca .....

I can assure you that the center cover shown above did NOT come with the 2004. The covers for the 2003 and 2004 and maybe the 2005, had an opening in the center, as shown below.

~ Cap

Tribeca

Cap, what do you think that means, then? Probably the previous owner bought an after-market hitch and bought a different plate then took it off before selling the vehicle back? I may be over-assuming, but I just don't know what to think of it. Hmmm...


I will post pictures soon! (Actually I have to take pictures of the car first.)

CdeFabio

Cap,

That is not true, that cover did come on the GX if you did not get the tow hitch. When I purchased mine the dealer had many GX's with those covers as they did not come with the tow hitch. If you purchased the tow hitch from the dealer they changed the cover to what you have. Since I purchased the hitch I have the same cover that you have. I wanted to make sure they put the correct cover on my GX when I added the tow hitch and the dealer confirmed it with me before I took delivery, since it was an extra $800 I wanted it to look nice. The 5000 lbs. hitch fits in the notch in the cover, the 6500 lbs. one goes under the bumper and uses the closed cover.

Tribeca

That means the car we bought could have had the 6500 lbs tow hitch then, but not the 5000 lbs., correct?

Capirato

Tribeca ....

I wouldn't worry about it. Just take your car to your local U-Haul dealer and have a hitch installed. They handle Curt Hitches.

http://www.hitchsource.com/docs/cu/13445.pdf

~ Cap

Capirato

I stand corrected. You must have a late 2004, as does Tribeca. I hated the notch so bad, that I bought a plain cover.

~ Cap