Let me start this thread and say don't rail me because I am considering putting a hitch on my TLS. I need a trailer operate rental properties and I'm tired of borrowing or renting trucks.

Has anyone had one installed? Can you install one where it's fairly far back and hard to see when the "hitch" part is on?

Let me re-phrase that last part...

Has anyone had one installed? Can you install one where it's fairly far back and hard to see when the "hitch" part is OFF?

I havn't but I am also interested. I have a couple of motorcycles to haul around. I had a truck prior to the TLS. My thought was as little as I would use it that I would remove when not used.

I am also very interested in knowing because I've been contemplating this hitch for my mountain bike and possible some light towing. Has anyone out there have one installed or consulted a hitch specialist, perhaps you can give us some input? Hopefully there's one that can be detached when not in use. Thanks in advance!

I'm also interested in adding a hitch for my mountain bike. I hear that Hidden Hitch makes hitches that are barely visible, although I've never seen one mounted on our car. They make a model specifically for the TL. Here's a link to a site where you can get them. Click on "Custom Fit Trailer Hitches" and choose the year/make/model of your vehicle.

http://www.etrailer.com/

It looks like Draw Tite makes one for the TL.
http://www.hitch-web.com/vhitch.asp?...None#DRAW-TITE

Check your local Uhaul, they installed on on my Maxima to pull my Sea Doo.

By the way, check out which type of install it has, the one on my Max was connected to the spare tire tub and the bumper. Altough it worked fine I really did not care for this setup since they drilled holes in the tub. I did see one later that installed to a factory bolt pointm may have been subframe or something.

Both Hidden Hitch and Draw-Tite list hitches being available for the 2002 TL. I assume they will also fit the TL-S -- don't think there's any difference in the frame/body back there.

Interestingly, the same part # for these hitches is also used for the 2002 Accord.

Both Hidden Hitch & Draw-Tite can be found on line for ~ $70 -- do a google.com search. I have this info at work, but I'm at home now.

Anyway, I plan on installing a 1 1/4" receiver hitch on my TL-S so I can put my bike rack on the car. According to the instructions for both HH and DT, the installation is 100% bolt-on, with no drilling required.

I previously had a 1 1/4" receiver hitch on my 2000 Camaro Z28, for the same purpose. That one required cutting holes in the frame rails in order to install the support plates for the hitch ! (Traded in the Camaro for the TL-S.)

FYI, if you're concerned about whether the hitch will be visible on the car once installed, don't worry about it. They're always all black paint, and you can peel off any stickers on the hitch to make it less visible. The Camaro hitch came from U-Haul, which uses bright ORANGE stickers... those came off within minutes.

Finally, the hitch seemed to make a difference in chassis stiffness for the Camaro (which was a pretty flexible car). On the TL, I don't know if it will do much.

-Karl

I have a hitch on my CL-S and as long as you DO NOT have the ball on there to attach stuff to you can barely notice it. To tell you the truth, mine came with the hitch and I didn't even notice it until I got home and I AM very paticular. So get the hitch, you can tow jetskis!!!

I have a draw tite hitch on a Town Car and it is bolted to the frame and almost invisible. YOu just insert the trailer hitch in to the square receiver mounted well behind the back bumper. It is sturdy and I never had a problem. I have a Well's Cargo Trailer and it is really sharp looking and an easy to pull unit. That is exactly why I don't need or want a pickup. I have a new TL-type S and was going to buy a hitch for it; however we just bought a new Toyota Sequoia. It is a great SUV and has a hitch more heavy duty than any I have ever had on my suburbans etc. On wiring your new hitch, I would encourage you not to splice into the rear wiring(like usual) but buy a wiring kit that the hot wire is fused and is wired directly to the battery. This wiring set up makes the lights about 3 times brighter on the trailer, because their is hardly any voltage drop. My trailer has about a zillion lights on it and it really looks cool with all those lights brilliantly lit.

The TL-S (at least the '02s) have a modular plug trailer harness already prewired and ready to go. It is located behind the trunk liner and taped to the driver's side taillight wiring harness. It's marked with a blue tag that says for towing. Saves a lot of headache trying to tap into the wiring system yourself.

Anyone have a photo of a CL or TL with a hitch installed ?

I'd kinda like to see it if you could post it here.

Thanks,
Karl

Got pics?

Maybe with a hitch and a trailer attached, it will have a perfect 50/50 weight distribution

I ordered a Draw-tite (p/n 24676) hitch for my '02 TLS, which came in today. I don't think I can post here about where I got it, but email me directly and I'll forward that info. It was $75 including shipping... this place sells the hitch for $65, plus a max shipping cost of $10 anywhere in the 48 states.

It came with the tow-bar insert, attachment hardware, instructions, and the hitch pin.

I'll be installing it this weekend. Looks like a 30 minute job at most. The hitch attaches to the TL with 3 bolts: 2 through the spare tire well (need to drill 2 holes for this), and 1 through the tow "loop" that's underneath the car.

I don't think I'd recommend towing much with this hitch, since there's not much to it. I estimate it weighs maybe 10 lbs total. I'm just going to use it for mounting a bike rack. The hitch has a claimed max tongue load of 200 lbs, which will be plenty for my rack (rack + 2 bikes).

I'll post pics after I get the install done.

-Karl

Karl_O

If you would get pics of the attachment points top and bottom (where it bolts in) that would be great. Plus, a pic from the rear to see how it looks?!?! Thanks for being the guinea pig.

I know that nobody has contributed to this discussion in a while, but if anyone is still interested, I got a Draw-Tite hitch professionally installed on my Acura 02 TL-S this week, costing $120 for the hitch, installation and tax. It is VERY hidden and unnoticable, and it's rated to tow 2000 lbs, with a 200 lb tongue weight, although I think that the car is only rated to tow 1500 lbs. Regardless the hitch will only be used for a bike rack. That said, if you are considering a bike rack, make sure to CHECK FOR FIT BEFORE BUYING A RACK, since the hitch is recessed and most Yakima racks WON'T FIT. I ended up opting for a Thule rack (don't have the model # written down, as it is on order). If anyone is actually interested in pics of the hitch and/or the rack, let me know, but since I don't have a digital cam, I won't post unless someone is specifically interested.

Yes I would really like to see pics of the hitch. Side view and straight on from the rear. Pics of the rack would be good also. Just FYI, I have seen extensions for hitches. This might resolve the Yakama problem.

Did this hitch require drilling holes through the spare tire well?

FYI - I was going through the manual last night on some unrelated task, and I found that the manual says you should not use D5 when towing.

It says that you should use D4 or D3.

It's great that we can get a hitch for our TL's! I have a JetSki that I can now tow myself w/o having to borrow a friend's truck!

Question though, will towing things like a JetSki or Motorcycle fry our transmissions?!??!?!
I remember seeing somewhere that before you tow anything, even if you have a truck, you need to have your tranny serviced to make sure it can handle the load. How will this affect the TL tranny or other engine components?

Thanks.

Towing with a vehicle that really wasn't *meant* for towing is always detrimental to the vehicle. If you plan to tow with an SUV or pickup and order the "towing package" from the manufacturer, it almost always includes the hitch receptacle and supports, electrical hardware, heavier duty rear springs, oil cooler, tranny cooler, and larger radiator. The TL was not designed to tow--it *can* do it but it was not designed for it. So the cooling was designed for the normally expected load the engine and tranny would experience pulling the car's weight and its cargo (passengers) around. When you add the weight of a trailer, it's that much more of a strain on the tranny. What kills a tranny with towing is heat buildup, mostly from "lugging" the transmission, or pulling in too high of a gear. The added strain on both the tranny and engine increase heat in both which stresses mechanical bits and fluids. Ask anyone in the used car business about what causes the most wear and tear on an SUV and they'll say first, snowplowing and second, towing. Especially if you constantly tow at or near the rated tow limit.

Towing one jetski or motorcycle is not very heavy. Certainly it will add strain to the tranny and engine but just how much is debatable. You can't add additional coolers easily but as long as you tow in the appropriate gear you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Anything heavier than one Jetski would be asking for trouble, IMHO.

Just my $.02.

I agree - the car simply wasn't built for towing. No way would I use this car for towing. It just seems like heresy. All these people need to go get themselves a used pickup or something. I'm not saying that people shouldn't have fun, but use the second vehicle for that sort of thing.

Ok, I have to dredge this old one up. Did anyone install and hitch and take pictures? I need to use my hitch mount bike carrier for vacations. I want to know if it is very noticable. I also want to know if it would interfere with the body kit.

I'd be interested in pics as well. I wouldn't mind a hitch for my bike rack if it doesn't look TOO bad.

I had originally thought about doing this, but decided against it. My wife has a company car (Taurus) and that is the car that should have the hitch.