Transferring Thule Hitch Mounted Bike Rack from 2010 Lexus RX 350 to 2017 Lexus NX200t

Question:

I have a Thule bike rack that holds up to three bikes. My ex-boyfriend engineer installed the hitch on my RX350 which I just traded for a Lexus NX200T. As part of my deal, I asked the salesman to have service uninstall the bike hitch from my trade-in. The bike rack was expensive and the hitch, as far as I knew at the time, was custom to the rack. He told me it wouldnt fit on the NXt, but Im just not buying it. The general sales manager actually lied to me today saying that theyd spoken to my fiance and offered to have him come down and uninstall it. I dont have a fiance. Plus, earlier, this same guy said that it was locked on my car and they needed me to supply a key. This guy really was a piece of work. Anyway, after some wrangling and a threat of a poor review to corporate, he agreed to remove it and return it to me. Good sales/customer service would have been to offer to install it on the new vehicle since Ive had all of my service done there for 6+ years, but apparently when salesmen see boobs, they turn into jerks. So, is it true? Do I need a different hitch mount for my Thule bike rack?

asked by: Janet D

Expert Reply:

I promise not to be a jerk however I may not have the news that you want to hear. The Thule rack you have, I'm not sure which one it is but that doesn't really matter, fits a trailer hitch receiver and is not custom fit to any specific vehicle. However, the trailer hitch receiver that was installed onto your 2010 Lexus RX 350 is custom fit for the vehicle and will not fit your 2017 Lexus NX200T.

What this means is you don't need a new rack, you need a new hitch. Which is why the dealer can't install the rack onto the car. The good news being once you get a hitch on the new car you can still use your Thule rack and the hitch likely costs less than the rack. All you need is a trailer hitch that is the correct size for the bike rack.

I'm fairly sure the rack fits a 2 inch hitch receiver because that's the only size we carry for the 2010 RX 350. Measure the square shank of the rack that slides into the hitch to be sure though. If it's 2 inches square then I recommend the Draw-Tite hitch receiver, part # 75956, for your new Lexus. If it's smaller than 2 inches (it won't be larger) then it's a 1-1/4 inches square and instead you need the Curt hitch receiver, part # C12172. If you have the smaller size you also unfortunately need a support strap, like part # 18050, because Curt's warranty requires it for bike racks.

It's possible the rack can fit either size hitch receiver because some are designed with adapters to convert from one to the other. If this is the case the shank may be smaller with a larger piece on the end of it. In this case I recommend the 2 inch receiver because it's the more common size and has a higher weight capacity. Also, if you aren't sure which you have or just want confirmation send me a picture of the end of the Thule's shank so I can see it.

expert reply by: Charles S