Hitch Receiver and Hitch Bike Carrier Recommendations for 2013 Toyota Camry LE

Question:

My husband is looking for hitch to hold our 2 bikes on. But I called toyota and they said its possible it could void the warranty installing a hitch. So i am afraid to install a hitch however the trunk mount bike racks seems to scratch the paint off the car. Do you have any suggustions?

asked by: Keysha

Expert Reply:

Consumers are protected by a Federal law called the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act. The Act states that if something breaks on your vehicle and you take it in for warranty repair, the dealer must honor your warranty unless whatever modifications you have added to your vehicle actually caused the problem in question.

A trailer hitch is a very common addition to many vehicles and dealerships often have their own OEM models available to sell you. These typically cost more than the aftermarket hitches we offer. If you were to call a dealer and ask if its okay for you to change a bad light bulb they might tell you to bring the vehicle in so that they could change the bulb for you.

A trailer hitch-mounted bike carrier is a good choice since this will prevent scratching the paint on your trunk. Having a hitch on your vehicle enables you to use other types of hitch-mount accessories such as a cargo basket. Also, a hitch-mount bike carrier will allow you to keep access to your trunk, which is not the case with trunk-mount racks.

For your Camry I suggest Curt hitch # C12107 and stabilizing strap # 18050. This hitch has a substantial 350-lb tongue weight capacity which is more than adequate for the weight of a quality hitch-mount bike carrier and two loaded bikes. With this hitch you will use a 1-1/4-inch size bike carrier. The stabilizing strap protects the hitch from damage from excessive motion of a loaded bike rack. I have attached the installation instructions for this hitch which bolts on with included hardware.

The link provided will show you all 1-1/4-inch hitch-mount 2-bike carriers, both hanging- and platform-styles, that include locks for both the carrier and your loaded bikes. (Carriers that include locks spare you the task of purchasing compatible locks that will fit). This way both your rack and your bikes will have protection from theft. As examples, in a platform-style carrier we offer the Thule DoubleTrack Pro XT # TH92BJ.

I have linked two helpful articles regarding hitch-mount bike carriers; these will help guide you to the carrier that best suits your bikes and your personal preferences as well as help you select a carrier that will fit ideally on your vehicle. Bike racks vary in the amount of space they provide between the hitch pin hole and the carrier itself and one of the articles explains the simple measurement you can take to determine if any given carrier will provide adequate clearance at the rear bumper.