Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class I - 1-1/4"

The hitch works great and wasn't a problem to install although it took me longer than it took the guy in the etrailer video, but having a trailer hitch on the car makes me feel like a real man, lol! And yes, I have used it, hauling a U-Haul from Blacksburg to Northern Virginia.1358803

Norbert D.

8/16/2023

Still works great and no complaints. Ive now bought a small trailer and have been using it on my house deconstruction project.

The website is informative and straightforward to use. The receiver and wiring harness arrived quickly with regular shipping and the instructions were clear and concise. The car put up a good fight but the install went relatively smoothly in spite of that. I suggest feeding a length of fish tank air hose in the holes drilled for the bolts and out of the ends of the bumper frame. Then feed the included bolt fishing wire in the end of the plastic tubing to guide it through the bolt holes. This takes just a few seconds, instead of trying to guide the wire through a tiny hole from the frame ends. The receiver looks great... now I have to assemble the trailer I'll be towing with it. Great product! Great customer service! Best prices online and best website!120486

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Chandler J.

3/13/2015

Couldnt be happier. No signs of rust either, even here at the Jersey Shore. Have towed the trailer a dozen times without a... ready... here it comes... HITCH.

by: Alan L.10/03/2016

2005 Volkswagen Passat

This hitch has been such a great investment. I use to spend a lot of time cramming my bike in my car, or dealing with putting on and taking off my old bike rack, but now I just slide my trailer rack into the hitch throw my bike on and go. I installed myself, and I'm no auto-mechanic. If you do it yourself, I'd buy a good set of drill bits for metal, deep socket wrench set and some kind of tool to help you trim some of the plastic under you bumper if needed (I used a specialty drill bit for cutting but it wasn't super steady). If you're on the fence, you won't be disappointed!302864

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by: Dan D06/06/2017

2005 Volkswagen Passat

One year after installing my hitch - no complaints. It has performed well. I use it primarily for a bike rack, occasionally to pull a light utility trailer. Good product, great price. This is my second purchase from etrailer.com and I will buy one here for my next vehicle.389367

Dan D.

6/8/2018

Thank you for following up! I am very satisfied with the hitch and use your website as my primary source for hitches and related products .

I have no issues with the fit and finish of the hitch or the hardware that came with it which seems quite beefy.

The instructions included are a joke. The video here is more helpful but still suggests hole-sawing large holes in your bumper cover simply to get access to where you are going to drill the mounting holes. More realistic to remove the bumper cover which is not difficult but not quick either. The 50 minutes installation time is also a joke, maybe if you've done it a few dozen times before.

My other complaint is that, although the hitch itself seems sturdy, the way this hitch mounts makes it suitable for very light duty only. DO NOT exceed the weight rating at all. It is mounted to the aluminum bumper (which itself is mounted to the car via impact absorbers) and to the thin sheet metal of the spare tire tray. The VW Westfalia hitch (only available in Europe) mounts to the actual frame rails. How hard would it have been to design a hitch available in the USA to mount the same way?736782

have tried for over 5 months to find a trailer hitch that would fit my vw passat 2003. I tried other sites and had to send back two different hitches that were guaranteed to fit my vehicle. Curt Mfg. steered me to etrailer.com. We found the perfect fit. i installed with no trouble including installing the wiring, hooked it up and it all worked perfect the first time and the trailer towed perfect.....These people went the extra mile, no pun intended, to help me find the best fit....now i can get my honey do's caught up but probably never finish...hahhahah...a very special thank you goes out to Titus T. for all the great help and follow up....Respectfully, Gary Thurman.144414

Install went without a "hitch"
Installed the class I receiver, electric brake controller and the 7 way wiring kit.

Shipping was free and ridiculous fast, packed very well.

Everything works as described, surprisingly I did not have to dip into my personal stash for anything aside from Electrical tape and tools.
208798

The receiver and draw bar are of decent quality. The welds are clean and the coating is uniform.

For my 2004 Passat wagon, however, the 40 minute install time estimate as published on the web site and printed in the install instructions is wildy inaccurate.

Unless you plan to drill two 17/32" holes straight up through the plastic, the entire bumper cover must be removed to get a straight shot at drilling the main supporting holes for the draw bar. Unless one has done it several times, removing the bumper cover is going to take the better part of an hour. This will take two different allen wrenches and a 10mm socket.

The rear mount closest to the hitch receiver is the only one that will not require drilling, as it's bolt fits through the drain hole that VW has sealed with a rubber plug. The 1/2" bolt has a rectangular piece of steel that is sort of a combination reinforcement/washer which does nothing whatsoever to center the bolt in the hole. I suppose this piece is strong enough to do the job, since the front mounts will not be stressed. Be warned that this piece of metal does not completely cover the hole left by removal of the rubber plug. I had to cut a small piece of sheet metal and punch a hole in the plug to keep dust and water out of the spare-tire well. A good shot of undercoating will be a good idea here.

The "minor trimming of fascia" is indeed fairly minor (if you have snips), but I think whoever wrote the instructions meant "fasciae" as one will be trimming both the bumper cover and the dust guard (which attaches to the gas tank).

In short, the quality of the hitch and receiver is fine. The mounting hardware is, in my opinion, sub-par and will require extra effort on the part of the installer to insure the cabin is sealed.

Unless you have a really decent set of tools and experience with auto body work, plan to have this piece professionally installed, and factor in that cost.53492

Just what I needed for my 2004 VW. Mainly going to use it to mount a bikerack, etc., no heavy towing. Installation was (mostly) painless (I don't bend and stoop as well as I did when I bought my previous Curt for this car's predecessor.) The YouTube video on the site was a great help in reminding me of the process.1041962

Great solid hitch and easy to install especially on the 05 passat. Just make sure and get (3) 1/2" carbide extended drill bits and a tube of silicone for the holes in the spare tire well.1324116

by: Karl 04/03/2023

It was exactly what i wanted 1549007

by: Mark 05/08/2020

Volkswagen

I actually haven't towed anything with it yet. Installation was not easy as drilling was required and the material the VW was made out of was very hard. Other than tough drilling the instalation was not to bad.793820

The instructions don't begin to cover the difficulty of installation. You need many more tools than specified. The installation got done, it required innovation. Can't complain about the shipping and handling. etrailer is top notch.21768

I have previous experience with Curt products and with etrailer. I am most impressed with the communication and the speed with which my order was handled. I have not installed this unit yet but that is not a function of etrailer but of Curt. Great Experience7202

by: David S.08/12/2017

This hitch fit my vehicle perfectly. I was able to do the installation in a couple of hours. After one year of use it is still a great hitch.419620

e-trailer was very prompt on the delivery and everything came as described it took me a little longer than the estimated time to install (50 min) but went thru 4 drill bits cutting thru the german steel all is well97119

by: Harrison 10/27/2021

Install was a bit harder than what the instructions described. But seems to working fine1189127

Fantastic service. Received my items earlier than expected. It's the second time ordering from them and will order again!266049

The hitch/ball came right on time and the product was exactly what I expected.

I would suggest a "tools needed to install" section under each product. 211802

Love my new hitch! went on smoothly, had to trim the facia more than expected but you cant see it anyways, and bolted up nice and tight, Great Product!157187

Installed on a 2002 Passat a well designed product. Start to finish probably took less than an hour to complete. thanks 692475

Always professional service. 1065962

very fast shipping, everything worked out great!314291

good 164349

by: J12/03/2020

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