watch for yourself. Its very detailed and clear to follow for a movie night in advance of an install. I hope that $75 is just for one of you, otherwise I would advise him to renegotiate.On a scale of $0 to $400, how much of a pain is self-installing the OEM hitch on my 2021 Touring? I’ve seen the videos and some other posts about this (mostly just arguing about the superiority of the OEM hitch over something you’d get at U-Haul — okay you convinced me), but can someone who has done this QUANTIFY the misery/difficulty/ease of the endeavor?
I have the $485 part from the dealer and an appointment on Friday for two-ish hours of their labor ($190/hour) to mount the hitch. Curious if it’s worth asking my husband (he’s very handy in the non-automotive world and we’re both reasonably competent engineers) to tackle this with me with the upside of saving $400 (minus the $75 I’ll then spend taking said husband to a nice dinner).
Each curse word you thought, muttered, or shouted during the process is worth $50. Please also let me know how much in excess of two hours your DIY install took. The video I watched of this showed the Ascent up on a lift…must be nice! Other strong opinions on dealer vs. DIY for this sort of thing are welcome.
One of the posts about self-installing the hitch mentioned struggles with a multitude of clips that kept shearing; I vividly remember a similar struggle replacing the headlights in my 2013 Outback and would easily have paid someone $400 x 5 to do that work in my place, so I’m pretty biased towards just outsourcing this to my local Subie dealer. Buuuut figured I’ll poll the peanut gallery nonetheless!
For what it’s worth, this will purely be for a hitch bike rack so I’m not messing with any lights/electronics. Hitch will never be used for towing, or at least not by me.
Installing a Hitch: Dealer or DIY?
On a scale of $0 to $400, how much of a pain is self-installing the OEM hitch on my 2021 Touring? I’ve seen the videos and some other posts about this (mostly just arguing about the superiority of the OEM hitch over something you’d get at U-Haul — okay you convinced me), but can someone who has done this QUANTIFY the misery/difficulty/ease of the endeavor?
I have the $485 part from the dealer and an appointment on Friday for two-ish hours of their labor ($190/hour) to mount the hitch. Curious if it’s worth asking my husband (he’s very handy in the non-automotive world and we’re both reasonably competent engineers) to tackle this with me with the upside of saving $400 (minus the $75 I’ll then spend taking said husband to a nice dinner).
Each curse word you thought, muttered, or shouted during the process is worth $50. Please also let me know how much in excess of two hours your DIY install took. The video I watched of this showed the Ascent up on a lift…must be nice! Other strong opinions on dealer vs. DIY for this sort of thing are welcome.
One of the posts about self-installing the hitch mentioned struggles with a multitude of clips that kept shearing; I vividly remember a similar struggle replacing the headlights in my 2013 Outback and would easily have paid someone $400 x 5 to do that work in my place, so I’m pretty biased towards just outsourcing this to my local Subie dealer. Buuuut figured I’ll poll the peanut gallery nonetheless!
For what it’s worth, this will purely be for a hitch bike rack so I’m not messing with any lights/electronics. Hitch will never be used for towing, or at least not by me.
I have the $485 part from the dealer and an appointment on Friday for two-ish hours of their labor ($190/hour) to mount the hitch. Curious if it’s worth asking my husband (he’s very handy in the non-automotive world and we’re both reasonably competent engineers) to tackle this with me with the upside of saving $400 (minus the $75 I’ll then spend taking said husband to a nice dinner).
Each curse word you thought, muttered, or shouted during the process is worth $50. Please also let me know how much in excess of two hours your DIY install took. The video I watched of this showed the Ascent up on a lift…must be nice! Other strong opinions on dealer vs. DIY for this sort of thing are welcome.
One of the posts about self-installing the hitch mentioned struggles with a multitude of clips that kept shearing; I vividly remember a similar struggle replacing the headlights in my 2013 Outback and would easily have paid someone $400 x 5 to do that work in my place, so I’m pretty biased towards just outsourcing this to my local Subie dealer. Buuuut figured I’ll poll the peanut gallery nonetheless!
For what it’s worth, this will purely be for a hitch bike rack so I’m not messing with any lights/electronics. Hitch will never be used for towing, or at least not by me.
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watch for yourself. Its very detailed and clear to follow for a movie night in advance of an install. I hope that $75 is just for one of you, otherwise I would advise him to renegotiate.
Having worked on many machines which “engineers” designed to work but not to be worked on, I’d say this hitch install wasn’t designed by your average engineer. Minimal contorting to reach bolts was required, resulting in fewer curse words!… and we’re both reasonably competent engineers)
Each curse word you thought, muttered, or shouted during the process is worth $50. … The video I watched of this showed the Ascent up on a lift…must be nice!
A friend of mine reminded me to add the hitch, which is port-installed for $640-ish, as compared to > >$1,000 to be added at the dealership. I watched the same YouTube video that many of you did, and estimated that this is a 2 hrs ish job in the hand of experts with all the proper tools and a lift. It is not for me, plus the possibility of messing up the sensors and electric systems in a brand new car is too great to be worth the savings for my levels of skills or the amount of free time on hand.On a scale of $0 to $400, how much of a pain is self-installing the OEM hitch on my 2021 Touring?
I don't own a trailer and have no plan to use the hitch any time soon. Adding the hitch is to future proof the car which is already equipped (and we are paying for) to tow 5,000 lbs. It can come in handy for our boy scout troop and for moving my kids to college, some day. The OEM hitch will be installed in the right place to meet the towing limit of 5,000 lbs, and is integrated into the bumper. I once put a U-haul hitch on my Odyssey to carry bikes. The aftermarket hitch was situated under the bumper by several inches, which reduces the ground clearance of a car with already the lowest ground clearance among all the minivans. The first time the rear end hit the pavement as I got off a parking lot sent a jolt that was shocking ... Once I learned I can load my bikes directly in the back of the van, I stopped using the hitch and finally sold it. Lesson learned.
If I remember correctly, including watching the video a couple of times, and looking for the plastic panel removers (Please do not remove the bumper with a screw driver!), and other goodies, and being scared to remove the rear bumper panel, i think the prep work was as long as the actual work. If you have the tools it is one of the easiest vehicle related add ons I have done. Honestly I was surprised how straight forward and simple the install is. I don't think it took me an hour from start to cleaned up.
I believe that the average person with reasonable dexterity, the ability to follow instructions as well as watch and understand the various installation videos and has the small number of necessary tools can do this job if they wish to. A second set of hands isn't a terrible idea, either, so you might want to help.
So the effort is worth more than a $75 dinner? Hmmm...sounds like asking him to do this could burn some serious "honey do" capital (the non-monetary kind). This obviously isn't the only project I need help with, gah! Oh how to prioritize my requests...watch for yourself. Its very detailed and clear to follow for a movie night in advance of an install. I hope that $75 is just for one of you, otherwise I would advise him to renegotiate.
I've watched the video but never fully trust (based on repeated experience) the transition of tasks so-easily performed in videos by professionals to tasks much-less-easily performed by me in reality. Inevitably, something basic like popping off the dang front panel will prove problematic and create a serious hiccup for the rest of the installation. If you've done this, are there any tricky parts with potential to derail everything?
I like to think I'm at least average with this sort of stuff, but have seen many statistics about how 75% of people think they're above averageI believe that the average person with reasonable dexterity, the ability to follow instructions as well as watch and understand the various installation videos and has the small number of necessary tools can do this job if they wish to. A second set of hands isn't a terrible idea, either, so you might want to help.
Current thought is to start the project myself and then phone-a-husband for rescuing when I can't figure it out. If I can do it myself (I'm pretty stubborn in the face of defeat), it'll unquestionably confirm my status as above average...and I'll have a hitch...and kept my $400! What could possibly go wrong.
Thank you for the pep talk!! Removing parts and pieces from an expensive vehicle (that I also happen to love) is definitely going to require building up some confidence, but I'm feeling pretty empowered now! And thanks for the tip on the bumper removal; I'll resist the urge to jam a screwdriver in there.If I remember correctly, including watching the video a couple of times, and looking for the plastic panel removers (Please do not remove the bumper with a screw driver!), and other goodies, and being scared to remove the rear bumper panel, i think the prep work was as long as the actual work. If you have the tools it is one of the easiest vehicle related add ons I have done. Honestly I was surprised how straight forward and simple the install is. I don't think it took me an hour from start to cleaned up.
One of the best things about Subarus is how the company seems to "de-engineer" most everything so the cars actually make practical sense when it comes time to fix/tweak stuff! I'm glad to hear the hitch install falls into the category. This thread has given me the gumption to tackle the install myself so I'll let you know how engineer-y I find it!Having worked on many machines which “engineers” designed to work but not to be worked on, I’d say this hitch install wasn’t designed by your average engineer. Minimal contorting to reach bolts was required, resulting in fewer curse words!
except spark plugs...those are a pain!One of the best things about Subarus is how the company seems to "de-engineer" most everything so the cars actually make practical sense when it comes time to fix/tweak stuff!
looking forward to reading how it went for you and where you got dinner for only $75!
I too was curious about that dinner price. Double at least.except spark plugs...those are a pain!
looking forward to reading how it went for you and where you got dinner for only $75!
Wow!! I didn't realize how fancy schmancy y'all are! Or maybe I'm SERIOUSLY underestimating the pain of this hitch install...I too was curious about that dinner price. Double at least.
We're simple folk up here in Alaska. If any of you know Anchorage, pizza + beer + peanut butter pie at Moose's Tooth will be the reward for the labor. Depending on the beer volume, that tab shouldn't exceed $75 (even with the new ridiculous "inflationary" pricing on those insanely delicious pizzas) and we'll have a few slices for leftovers!
Norhing wrong wirh that, and im sure it will be appreciated. Things are different in the lower 48.Wow!! I didn't realize how fancy schmancy y'all are! Or maybe I'm SERIOUSLY underestimating the pain of this hitch install...
We're simple folk up here in Alaska. If any of you know Anchorage, pizza + beer + peanut butter pie at Moose's Tooth will be the reward for the labor. Depending on the beer volume, that tab shouldn't exceed $75 (even with the new ridiculous "inflationary" pricing on those insanely delicious pizzas) and we'll have a few slices for leftovers!
Hell..I'll come up and do it for Moose's Tooth.Wow!! I didn't realize how fancy schmancy y'all are! Or maybe I'm SERIOUSLY underestimating the pain of this hitch install...
We're simple folk up here in Alaska. If any of you know Anchorage, pizza + beer + peanut butter pie at Moose's Tooth will be the reward for the labor. Depending on the beer volume, that tab shouldn't exceed $75 (even with the new ridiculous "inflationary" pricing on those insanely delicious pizzas) and we'll have a few slices for leftovers!
I did it myself last year. Took about 2 hours for me. If you follow the steps in the video, you should be fine. Having the right tools makes things a little faster (clip removal tool, power tools, etc)
I thought back on this vs alot of my other vehicle DIY projects, and I absolutely would do it for a buddy for beer and a pizza, and would feel like I was overcharging someone to do it for them for $75....
I'm too old to be working under a car. Well, it's the getting up part that kills me now. Maybe if I had a lift.
I am old as well but $200 to etrailer and an hour installation while watching their video on an iPad and I was done including electrical. Many folks do not do welll at DIY as they simply do not have the right tools.I'm too old to be working under a car. Well, it's the getting up part that kills me now. Maybe if I had a lift.
I did it in about 2-1/2 hours and found it easier than expected. I’m pretty handy, but I’m no mechanic and had no lift. After doing mine, I’d do it again and save that $325 and have a nice meal! Good luck!On a scale of $0 to $400, how much of a pain is self-installing the OEM hitch on my 2021 Touring? I’ve seen the videos and some other posts about this (mostly just arguing about the superiority of the OEM hitch over something you’d get at U-Haul — okay you convinced me), but can someone who has done this QUANTIFY the misery/difficulty/ease of the endeavor?
I have the $485 part from the dealer and an appointment on Friday for two-ish hours of their labor ($190/hour) to mount the hitch. Curious if it’s worth asking my husband (he’s very handy in the non-automotive world and we’re both reasonably competent engineers) to tackle this with me with the upside of saving $400 (minus the $75 I’ll then spend taking said husband to a nice dinner).
Each curse word you thought, muttered, or shouted during the process is worth $50. Please also let me know how much in excess of two hours your DIY install took. The video I watched of this showed the Ascent up on a lift…must be nice! Other strong opinions on dealer vs. DIY for this sort of thing are welcome.
One of the posts about self-installing the hitch mentioned struggles with a multitude of clips that kept shearing; I vividly remember a similar struggle replacing the headlights in my 2013 Outback and would easily have paid someone $400 x 5 to do that work in my place, so I’m pretty biased towards just outsourcing this to my local Subie dealer. Buuuut figured I’ll poll the peanut gallery nonetheless!
For what it’s worth, this will purely be for a hitch bike rack so I’m not messing with any lights/electronics. Hitch will never be used for towing, or at least not by me.
1 - 20 of 39 Posts
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