[jgervais16]

We took the cover off of our factory installed hitch. It's a hot mess back there.

So far, we are only using it for a bike rack, as I have a truck to tow anything legit with.

It is an ugly mess, and will only get worse with exposure to mud and snow. I understand that most won't use the hitch, so that is why it is hidden, but once the cover is off there are exposed clips, ugly hardware, and a bunch of other stuff exposed.

I want to get an extra cover to stick the rack through, or maybe have someone fab a piece to cover all the crap.

On a separate note ... it beeps continuously if you have a rack on the back, and there is not an easy way to shut off the rear parking sensors, and then it won't stay off.

 

[norway]

I would think if someone pays $400-$800 for the hitch they would use it at least once.

My definition of hot mess must be very different because it doesn't look that bad to me, especially for a utility function.

At least two other people on this forum have created modified covers for bike rack use.

 

[zulater]

Looks just like every other hidden hitch on the suv / suburban category.

 

[Gueromeister]

We took the cover off of our factory installed hitch. It's a hot mess back there.

So far, we are only using it for a bike rack, as I have a truck to tow anything legit with.

It is an ugly mess, and will only get worse with exposure to mud and snow. I understand that most won't use the hitch, so that is why it is hidden, but once the cover is off there are exposed clips, ugly hardware, and a bunch of other stuff exposed.

I want to get an extra cover to stick the rack through, or maybe have someone fab a piece to cover all the crap.

On a separate note ... it beeps continuously if you have a rack on the back, and there is not an easy way to shut off the rear parking sensors, and then it won't stay off.

Sounds like a deal breaker to me:tango_face_wink:.......Maybe you should consider a roof rack for the bikes?.....

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Can you please post a pic? It shouldn't look like you are describing. Here's mine.

 

[DonSwin]

Can you please post a pic? It shouldn't look like you are describing. Here's mine.

Aw, man, what a nice set of tires and wheels. This may be off-topic but can you explain how you did the swap? What effect has it had on driving and MPG? How did you dispose of the 20" that came on the car? Has it affected your odometer and speedometer? That's exactly what I tried to get my dealer to do but they said they couldn't.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Aw, man, what a nice set of tires and wheels. This may be off-topic but can you explain how you did the swap? What effect has it had on driving and MPG? How did you dispose of the 20" that came on the car? Has it affected your odometer and speedometer? That's exactly what I tried to get my dealer to do but they said they couldn't.

Hi Don,

There's a whole thread buried someplace with all the info ("Beefier Tire Recommendations" I think), which I will try to look for later if you can't find it.

But, the short version is, they are a virtually exact width and circumference match to the stock tires. They do one revolution per mile more than the stock 18" tires, meaning they are 3/10 of a percent different circumference. For those following along at home and don't want to do the math, that means at 1,000mph (that's not a typo), they are only 3 mph off.

The fact that they're all terrains does impact gas mileage, but, over-inflating them a little over the door pillar numbers (which is the general rule of thumb on tire swaps like this) gets me about 2mpg less than stock.

I am very very very good at meeting or beating Subaru's mpg numbers, so, currently, my combined mpg even with these tires eating at the numbers is 23.6mpg and actually crawling up - in other words, I am beating the EPA rating for the car. I live on Long Island in Western Suffolk, so, as anyone here knows, my 60 mile round trip rush hour commute is closer to city driving than highway, for the vast majority of it.

 

[MAGNUMB]

We took the cover off of our factory installed hitch. It's a hot mess back there.

So far, we are only using it for a bike rack, as I have a truck to tow anything legit with.

It is an ugly mess, and will only get worse with exposure to mud and snow. I understand that most won't use the hitch, so that is why it is hidden, but once the cover is off there are exposed clips, ugly hardware, and a bunch of other stuff exposed.

I want to get an extra cover to stick the rack through, or maybe have someone fab a piece to cover all the crap.

On a separate note ... it beeps continuously if you have a rack on the back, and there is not an easy way to shut off the rear parking sensors, and then it won't stay off.

Doesn't bother me too much and kinda like it's mounted higher to make it easier to plug in lights and safety chains for trailers.
If i used for hauling bikes alot i'd probably want to buy another cover and make a custom one.

 

[Carl Abrams]

On a separate note ... it beeps continuously if you have a rack on the back, and there is not an easy way to shut off the rear parking sensors, and then it won't stay off.

If you're talking about rear cross traffic / blind spot, then you just turn it off at the switch.

The RAB default setting is on, so you have to push and hold the button on the screen to turn it off.

 

[kathytn]

We took the cover off of our factory installed hitch. It's a hot mess back there.

So far, we are only using it for a bike rack, as I have a truck to tow anything legit with.

It is an ugly mess, and will only get worse with exposure to mud and snow. I understand that most won't use the hitch, so that is why it is hidden, but once the cover is off there are exposed clips, ugly hardware, and a bunch of other stuff exposed.

I want to get an extra cover to stick the rack through, or maybe have someone fab a piece to cover all the crap.

On a separate note ... it beeps continuously if you have a rack on the back, and there is not an easy way to shut off the rear parking sensors, and then it won't stay off.

I don't know who to give credit to for this photo. There is another thread on the subject (Hitch Cover with Hole???). You can buy another cover for $22 with shipping from a dealership if you shop it online. There is a mark (lines) on the back that show you where the hitch hits, so it's easy to cut. I did it with a box cutter but need to go back and make it wider at the top so that I can put the hitch pin on without taking the cover off. You can take it off on the one in this photo.

 

[coco1900]

First thing I got done after picking up the car. Parking in NYC can be brutal!!!

 

[Tostx]

I just made these access holes to attach my bike rack, which is done very often, and the occasional utility trailer that only requires 4-pin electrical and safety chains.

 

[xydadx3]

I just made these access holes to attach my bike rack, which is done very often, and the occasional utility trailer that only requires 4-pin electrical and safety chains.

Looks clean! Want to do mine?!

 

[pro10is]

I don't know who to give credit to for this photo. There is another thread on the subject (Hitch Cover with Hole???). You can buy another cover for $22 with shipping from a dealership if you shop it online. There is a mark (lines) on the back that show you where the hitch hits, so it's easy to cut. I did it with a box cutter but need to go back and make it wider at the top so that I can put the hitch pin on without taking the cover off. You can take it off on the one in this photo.

Does anyone know of a source for the bumper hitch cover or its part number? There are a lot of online sources for Ascent accessories but not for actual Ascent parts.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Hitch Part Number...

Does anyone know of a source for the bumper hitch cover or its part number? There are a lot of online sources for Ascent accessories but not for actual Ascent parts.

Some Subaru dealerships are cheaper than others, but all of them use a central parts system. You can always default to parts.subaru.com to find almost every part of the Ascent, including drivetrain components.

The part you are looking for is PN: 57731XC07A - you can find it on any dealer parts site or at the link above, or even on eBay from two of the bigger Subie dealerships that sell a LOT of parts online on their site and via eBay.

 

[pro10is]

Some Subaru dealerships are cheaper than others, but all of them use a central parts system. You can always default to parts.subaru.com to find almost every part of the Ascent, including drivetrain components.

The part you are looking for is PN: 57731XC07A - you can find it on any dealer parts site or at the link above, or even on eBay from two of the bigger Subie dealerships that sell a LOT of parts online on their site and via eBay.

Thanks!

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Thanks!

You're welcome.

BUT - so sorry, I forgot to mention. Compare totals including shipping. The shipping on this thing is not very nice from some of the dealerships due to the box size and shape (and that shipping cost increases over distance). You may wish to see if a local dealer can order it for pick-up, which usually avoids the shipping costs, but will incur tax (which will be considerably less).

Someone... not me... but someone who looks a lot like me and drives the same color Ascent as me... paid almost as much in shipping as the cover itself costs. :sad:

 

[pro10is]

You're welcome.

BUT - so sorry, I forgot to mention. Compare totals including shipping. The shipping on this thing is not very nice from some of the dealerships due to the box size and shape (and that shipping cost increases over distance). You may wish to see if a local dealer can order it for pick-up, which usually avoids the shipping costs, but will incur tax (which will be considerably less).

Someone... not me... but someone who looks a lot like me and drives the same color Ascent as me... paid almost as much in shipping as the cover itself costs. :sad:

Yes, I ran into that issue before. Subraruonlineparts.com used to have a flat $10 shipping fee but they seem to have just recently ended that right after I placed my order for a lot of Ascent accessories. Shipping can really add up.

Taking your advice to look on eBay, I ordered the hitch cover from natewadesubaruparts there. The cost was $18.72 which included shipping. That was the best price I could find.

There used to be a strange guy named [email protected] who would sell Subaru parts and accessories at half the price of everyone else. He was really popular on the Forester and Outback forums for a long time, then just disappeared. No one ever figured out how he could sell and ship the accessories so cheap and still make a profit. We thought the parts could possibly be hot, but you could place an order for anything and he would get it to you in a week. Too bad he's gone.

 

[DonSwin]

I wanted to be able to remove my hitch pin without removing the cover. The hitch cover was about $20 (I didn't want to experiment with the original).


I made a few mistakes, but I'll try again later. This is how mine looks without the receiver hitch attached.

 

[kathytn]

I wanted to be able to remove my hitch pin without removing the cover. The hitch cover was about $20 (I didn't want to experiment with the original).


I made a few mistakes, but I'll try again later. This is how mine looks without the receiver hitch attached.

Did you use "door edge guard" on your cut edges also? Adds a nice "finished" touch.