What to do with Heat Shield When Installing Trailer Hitch Receiver on 2017 Subaru Forester

Question:

After reading dozens of old posts or instructions debating the best way to deal with the shield, I ran across this: Actually both the Curt hitch part # C13144 and the Draw-Tite part # 75876 that you referenced will go over the heat shield of your 2015 Subaru Forester to install. Does this mean an unmodified heat shield, or must it be trimmed or bent? Hard to say from the picture. Heat shields being a major potential cause of noise under the car as they get old and rust, I like the idea of leaving all the factory mounting points in use. Keep up the good work! The plethora of useful info on your site is truly amazing.

asked by: Steve

Expert Reply:

The Expert Question page you're referring was actually out dated. The previous installation details of the Curt # C13144 and Draw-Tite # 75876 (Previously Hidden Hitch # 87654) have been updated.

The updated installation details state the heat shield should be removed when installing the Curt and trimmed for the Draw-Tite. The change is likely due to something that wasn't known originally or a slight difference in the Forester for the later model years.

expert reply by: Charles S