I got a quote of $660 to install the hitch/towing for my 4x2. It is a bit more than I expected. If I remember correctly, it was an option for the 08 for $200.
The only good thing about getting it done at the dealer is the warranty.
Any thoughts?
thanks
p.s. thinking about towing a small boat and possibly add a 'basket'.
I had a tow hitch installed on my 09 at the dealor. It was not 660$. I don't remember the exact price. 200$ sounds close. It may have been 250$ I know I had a tow hitch, ski rack, and canoe kit, plus the mopar roof bars for under 800$.
The hitch bolts right into place. There's no reason you'd need to be worried about having a warranty on it. The trailer wiring harness is one of the simplest wiring projects ever. I think you'd be better off spending less than $200 and doing the work yourself than shelling out $600 at the dealer!
Where did you get the wiring, how much and did you connect it to the tail light as recommended? Easy to do it yourself? I saw the post where the guy bring it to the fuse box and seemed pretty complicated to connect...
Etrailer sold me the hitch and harness. The instructions they provided were far simpler than anything I found online ahead of time. You really don't need to cut any wires at all.
for hidden hitch installed,
that included the mopar wiring harness,
since i have the FDII, already had higher amp alt, and oil cooler,
your $660 may include the alt and cooler and that might be the difference
$175 for the kit. Check it out. The instructions are also there so see if its something you can do yourself.
It didn't look to see if it came with wiring. I've wired a few trucks for 15$ with walmart parts. I dont know if the Jeep Patriot is that simple or if it comes with the wires.
I just finished shelling out 90 dollars for an install on the wiring harness and the trailer hitch. I should have done it all on my own, but they bs'd me about having to flash the computer. If they tell that that same bull tell them you will install it on your own.
If that includes the oil cooler, then it's not too bad of a price. However, I'd personally get the aftermarket hitch so you get a 2" receiver instead of the 1 1/4". Etrailer sells everything you need, the job is a piece of cake as long as you know the difference between a nut and a bolt.
Recently got my Patriot and it came with the "tow package." The "tow package" is only the wiring harness in a plastic bag that they bill for $250 now. If you don't off-road, any hitch will do for as low as $100. Both wiring harness and hitch are pretty easy to install yourself.
I seriously considered that one. How did it fit? Did it stick below the bumper with no cutout required? I went with the Mopar because it was the only one I could identify that fit up snuggly with the line of the bumper for off-road purposes. It was pricey in comparison though.
Well it does a little. One way to look at it is that it protects your bumper. This way your hitch will hit instead of your bumper. Then hopefully it just drags a little and doesn't get you high centered!
"A little" sounds reasonable. I was frustrated when looking for one that there were mostly just generic pictures of hitches from vendors with no pertinent stats about how low they hung and how far they stuck out. There may be pictures posted somewhere on the forum but I couldn't find them. I figured it was best to fork out the big bucks and be sure of what I was getting.