EcoHitch Stealth Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"

by: Vince04/11/2024

2019 Volkswagen e-Golf

I installed this hitch on my 2019 e-Golf a year ago. After getting over the trepidation of removing the rear bumper, which was not that hard, the installation was very straightforward and not difficult. I’ve used it extensively for hauling mountain bikes.1764291

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I was a bit nervous about the 10/10 on the difficulty scale, but this hitch was fairly straightforward to install and the video on your website was SO helpful. My son (whose car this went on) helped me and having two people seemed a must. One very tricky hex head screw on each side (the one joining the bumper fascia and the fender) took more time than all the other parts put together. Thanks etrailer for great support, shipping, and price. I’m a repeat customer.1295339

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Eric

5/8/2023

Still going strong great product!

No issues fit correctly on my egolf, be careful removing the blind spot sesnors they are brittle.1775092

by: Mark01/30/2021

Volkswagen

5th hitch I’ve installed in my lifetime to a VW. This was actually one of the easiest installations, despite needing to remove the bumper skin. Love that the install doesn’t have any exposed parts to draw attention to having a hitch on my ‘19 e-Golf. I’ve played the bikes on the roof routine with other VWs and still prefer a hitch rack. Driving an EV, wind resistance is my enemy. With my bike on a Yakima Lite Rider rack, the car is already cutting through the air before the bike comes along making drag much lower than a roof mount rack.

After 1 year, I’d still spend “all that” to buy the Eco-Hitch over the other alternatives.947998

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Came very fast and the install of this went so smooth, little tedious but didnt have any issues along the way. Alwwys helps to watch etrailers tutorials.1431591

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Fits perfectly on my 2017 eGolf. No modifications or trimming required. Instructions easy to follow, watching the video was good preparation. Installation took about two hours. Completely hidden when not in use and now I can use my bike rack.1317060

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by: Mike01/17/2022

This hitch is mostly great. It installed pretty easily and does the job as expected. However, one of the main features of this hitch is that it has a removable hitch, and the idea that the hitch receiver can be easily removed is completely laughable.

The bolt that secures the hitch receiver has a torque spec of 112 lb-ft. That bolt is hidden behind the bumper cover, meaning that the wrench used to tighten or remove this bolt would need to be entirely under the car while doing so. Even on a truck, it would be difficult to fit a long enough wrench to handle that torque spec. The only way that we have been able to do this would be to get the car on a lift. For us, that means that we will never remove the hitch receiver.1244934

Mike

1/18/2023

After a year, I stand by my review. It has worked out fairly well, with two exceptions. 1 As previously stated, the hitch receiver is not easy to remove, so I have never done it. 2 One of the holes for the safety chains is positioned in such a way that you cant access it without cutting part of the bumper cover away. This was not something I was expecting to need to do, but it is on the underside and not visible.

Just installed and very happy with it. Really appreciated the video instructions which made installation very clear and easy. One inaccuracy was that on my 2019 model I did not have to trim my fascia as they say in the video, perhaps that's something VW has corrected since the video was made. Also the wiring harness that had to be disconnected wasn't quite as easy for me as the video made it seem. 819364

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5 stars for the product and 4 stars for the installation video. The video needs to be updated to show the 2 other plastic panel rivets at the bottom center of the bumper cover. Also, it's not easy to access the bumper cover to fender attachment screws without using a specialty tool like a flexible shaft extension. It took me an hour just to remove and reinstall them. Everything else was pretty smooth and straightforward. Fit and finish was amazing on the product. One improvement that I would like to suggest is for the hitch to have tabs(just like the OE bumper) on both sides to utilize the sheet metal lance on the car for easy mounting1026672

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Love the hitch and it's design. Straightforward install with one minor issue. Let me preface this by stating I have a 2020 GTI SE. When I removed the bumper cover, there was a sensor of some sort (I think it's for the rear hazard warning system for backing up) that was attached to the bumper bar. On the hitch, there's no place for this sensor. I had to place it in the same spot but slightly turned and attached it with some double-sided tape and a piece of duct tape. There was nothing in the instructions regarding this nor can I find much online...so just a heads up for any MK7.5 SE owners.977643

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Easy to follow directions. Took a little over an hour to install, with no problems. I'm really happy with the hitch, both how it works and how it looks. I love that I can remove the receiver so it's completely hidden when wanted. It takes a minute or two to install the receiver when needed. 739852

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Exactly what I needed at best price I could find. Fast delivery.1748996

Great clean look, easy install with the help of step by step video on YouTube.
It was missing the bolt for my phone antenna on the passenger side1058165

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This is a great hidden hitch. I'll almost certainly leave the receiver in-place most of the time though, because it's really unobtrusive, and will certainly save my bumper from any 'touch parking' happening near me!

Instructions are extremely good, fitting time (with me being super cautious and slow) was under an hour, zero cutting required and the finished result is top-notch.

The only reason I don't give this five stars is that I did have to find a way to add on a mounting point for the cellular antenna on my 2020 Golf GTI - that part sits on the RHS of the cross bar you remove, on a stud welded to that part. In my case, I drilled and tapped an M4 hole away from the main load bearing part of one of the sturdy side plates, then used a locknut on the back plus some Locktite blue to secure fully. It's entirely possible this isn't needed on most models, so a non-issue, and if you do need to add the mounting point it's not a big deal either. Heck, you could probably zip-tie it on actually.

I just towed multiple dump runs with the hitch, and can also report that the Golf GTI with this hitch is plenty capable of hauling a decent sized load on a 4x8 trailer - stability was excellent, reversing a trailer is a breeze in such a short-bodied car, and the brakes are also more than up to the job.1063101

Edwin

6/13/2022

After a year, I can report that I still love this hitch. I’ve used it for towing dozens of times, including a 1200-mile drive from TX to CA, with zero problems. I’ve used it for dump runs, huge loads of dirt and furniture purchase trips too. It’s taken my Golf GTI from great to superb, and that little car that could is more than up to hauling some serious loads with this hitch.

by: Martin03/04/2020

Have only used it a few times (with a 4x8 utility trailer) but so far it has been great. For the installation, the prospect of having to pull so much of my brand new car apart was daunting but all worked out fine and now I'm so glad I went with a "hidden" hitch. Receiver is very straightforward to attach/detach.
For the lighting adapter box, rather than run the power feed wire all the way to the front of the car, I fitted a 12V plug and use the power socket in the trunk (only when the trailer is actually in use, otherwise disconnected).763153

It's getting harder and harder to find trailer hitch set-ups for small cars so very happy I found this and e-trailer had it in stock! My mechanic was sooo impressed by how easy it was to put on and seamlessly integrated with the fascia and bumper. I feel I could have done the install myself but happy I got a professional in the end. The stealth part is so clutch with it the car looking completely stock with the receiver removed. I have yet to use it but am planning to tow a 700 lb trailer on a camping trip soon and have to worries that this hitch will get the job done.

I did have a slight hiccup in my order as the bolt that attached the two pieces didn't arrive (I swear I didn't lose it!) but E-trailer, and my rep Paula, were fantastic and without much trouble got the missing part to me a week later.

This is the second hitch system (and wiring harness) I've bought from e-trailer and each time I know their customer service and products will be top notch. Love them!883717

by: Sturat06/15/2021

This stealth trailer hitch is excellent. It is solid, relatively easy to install and handles by 150 pound dirtbike on the back of the car on a hitch rack perfectly. And with it being a stealth hitch I can go back to the awesome look of the GTI with one bolt. Nice.1065702

Installation went exactly as listed. Drove a uhaul trailer from CO to PA and back with no issues at all1407529

I am very happy with this hitch. Seeing a small car with a trailer hitch on the back can look massive or awkward but this hitch is only visible when you need it and the only part of the hitch you see is the 2 inch receiver. I love having the 2 inch receiver for my bike rack rather than having to use an adapter.638388

This is the 3rd, maybe 4th, trailer hitch that I have bought from etrailer. They are my go to place for hitches. I really like that they verify the hitch to the vehicle which I really appreciate when buying via the internet. They shipped it right away and am happy to give them 5 stars.

I installed the eco hitch yesterday on a 2018 eGolf and so far, I am pretty happy with the purchase. I give it 5 stars as well but with some minor deductions. It wasn’t clear to me that this hitch replaces the rear bumper. I discovered it while watching the video. I was a little concerned about removing the bumper but after reading a number of posts about it, I saw a lot of other people have done it with no complaints or concerns. I liked the idea of having the hitch hidden and not add any wind resistance so I went for it. I also wanted a 2 inch receiver so that I can switch out bike racks between my other vehicles.

The hitch is heavier and more substantial than the stock bumper. I think it is the highest quality hitch I have purchased and would buy again in the future. I found the video did not do justice on how difficult it was to get the one screw (one on each side) that connects two body panels. The video explains the location of the screw (kind of hidden) very well but not that it would be difficult to remove. They don’t show the tech removing that screw in the video and would like to think they had trouble too! I think I am pretty handy around tools (have remodeled a few houses and have been hired to do small house projects as a side gig) but I had quite a bit of trouble getting it unscrewed. Maybe there is a special car panel tool for this to make it easier. With patience, I finally got both of the tricky screws. The rest was pretty simple.1178028

Good fit and easy install using install video available on the product page. Hitch already used with my bike rack and performed well.

Reason for 4 stars are missing lock washers and hitch was poorly packaged for shipping. Hitch slid around the box and damaged the box. Unfortunate I had to go to hardware store to be able to complete the installation when so much money already spent. Hitch was okay in the end.1026131

Easy install, 2-hours just like the website said.

Great quality construction and paint/powder coat finish.

Hidden hitch stealth is a great design especially for people like me that don't like the look of a hitch hanging down below the bumper.

I can use it for my bike rack when needed and when I'm not using the bike rack, the car looks stock.

Well worth the added cost for the stealth hitch.

Would recommend etrailer.com for anyone looking for a hitch.

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by: Frank 07/29/2021

Volkswagen

Having had my EcoHitch for a year, I can honestly say that I love it. I love that it really doesn't show at all, and it helps maintain the clean look of the rear of my 2020 VW GTI!1107818

The hitch was back ordered. shipped on date that was promised. Shipping info was very informative. Hitch install was straight forward and not difficult. Good company and product..1132166

Arrived fast, and was easy to install the hitch (removing and reattaching the bumper fascia was more difficult than anything). I like that there is no cutting involved. The 2 things I'm somewhat weary about are that you don't reattach the bumper beam and we had to get creative in reattaching the cellular antenna since there were no holes drilled for that (it was originally attached to the bumper beam).1055031