2018 CX5 Dealer Hitch install - are they wrong?

[Fokis]

Hi,

I made an appointment to have a 2 OEM trailer hitch installed on my 2018 CX5.

The official Mazda website shows a trailer hitch and wiring harness is $450. I get that dealer vs the official website could vary.

Dropped the car off at 7AM this morning, and there were no questions about what I needed the hitch for, and I didnt think there needed to be because all hitches appear to come with the wiring harness.

At lunch, I pickup my car and check underneath, only the hitch was installed. The damage? $420.

I brought up that the harness wasnt included and he said thats an extra $200+. When I told him the official site says harness is included, he said no (but it is- and maybe thats irrelevant since its not the dealer website).

Is $600 + for hitch and wiring reasonable for a hitch install? $400 in labor to install a $200 part.

I did research doing this on my own but figured at 400-450, its worth having someone else do it. Now Im thinking its really not.

Question is - is it right for them to charge an additional 200 for wiring when they didnt ask me exactly what I needed (I didnt tell them either, but assumed the part came with based on the website).?

 

[elbaz]

That is a lot of money. My Curt hitch was less than $200 installed by U-Haul on my 2014 GT. I didnt get the wiring since I just need it for a bike rack. But I dont remember it being that much more. Perhaps the newer models are more complicated.

 

[mikeyd_CX5]

I priced the OEM hitch (which is 1 1/4 class 1) and wiring harness at the dealer, it was going to be over $850 installed
went with a class 2 hitch and harness from etrailer
was just over $200 including ball and mount

 

[Zig613]

I had A class III Draw Tite and wiring harness installed for $425 Cdn. I would suggest that paying $600 US is a bit much. However, what work was listed on the work order? Did it specify hitch and wiring.

 

[davmac]

Using OEM parts a fair price is around $500-600. Though, I think you can get equal results for much less even if you don't or can't DIY this project.

elbaz: If you got a hitch installed for less than $200 that was a good deal. But, it was not OEM parts.
The curt hitch receiver (C12170) for a 2017-19 is about $120. Wiring harness is about $50.

Fokis: Where did you see a $200 OEM part? Mazda OEM parts (hitch and wiring = Mazda part #00008ER06-00008ER07A) $300 - 350 plus shipping from online Mazda parts dealers. This does not include install or the ball mount / draw bar.

IMHO Mazda dealer and OEM parts are not the best solution. The dealer techs do not do this kind of work daily and can fairly claim a couple hours of labor so expect $200 labor charge on top of parts.

The aftermarket curt part is nearly identical to the OEM part. The aftermarket wiring is similar too. And, if you want you can tap power from the rear of the vehicle to avoid running a separate power wire to the battery. An independent shop or one that specializes in trailer hitches will do this work much cheaper compared to the dealer.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

Hi,

I made an appointment to have a 2* OEM trailer hitch installed on my 2018 CX5.

The official Mazda website shows a trailer hitch and wiring harness is $450. I get that dealer vs the official website could vary.

Dropped the car off at 7AM this morning, and there were no questions about what I needed the hitch for, and I didn*t think there needed to be because all hitches appear to come with the wiring harness.

At lunch, I pickup my car and check underneath, only the hitch was installed. The damage? $420.

I brought up that the harness wasn*t included and he said that*s an extra $200+. When I told him the official site says harness is included, he said no (but it is- and maybe that*s irrelevant since it*s not the dealer website).

Is $600 + for hitch and wiring reasonable for a hitch install? $400 in labor to install a $200 part.

I did research doing this on my own but figured at 400-450, it*s worth having someone else do it. Now I*m thinking it*s really not.

Question is - is it right for them to charge an additional 200 for wiring when they didn*t ask me exactly what I needed (I didn*t tell them either, but assumed the part came with based on the website).?

Never assume anything when it comes to car dealers. You should have had all that info beforehand.

 

[murky]

I get offended every time I see what dealers charge. No matter how much I try to re-calibrate my expectations, I just can't get over how they can sleep at night charging what they do. But people pay it, so it becomes the standard practice.

 

[clownshoes2]

I get offended every time I see what dealers charge. No matter how much I try to re-calibrate my expectations, I just can't get over how they can sleep at night charging what they do. But people pay it, so it becomes the standard practice.

Lets not get crazy with the cheez whiz. Lots of people are abandoning the dealer. Keep voicing your opinion with your dollar. The less we use them, the greater chance we'll have that they'll change.

 

[alphadog00]

Not to doubt you, but where is an OEM 2" receiver listed (at least for 17, 18) and where does it say harness is included? I only find the class 1 and harness listed separately.

 

[NelsonLewis]

Another prime example of why they don't call them Stealerships for nothing...

 

[Jmaz]

That's obscene what the dealer is charging the OP.I'm surprised they don't get bricks thrown thru their showroom windows.

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

Gypped. I think I aid like 140$ for my class 2 curt and the wiring harness. I installed it myself but I wouldn't pay more than $200 for an install

 

[Jmaz]

I also installed a class 2 curt.Total cost with hitch,wiring harness,power plug and flexible wire covering was about 165$.Not that hard to do.

 

[MyFirstMazda]

DIY $186.68 total. I paid $133.38 for Curt hitch part# 13315 and $53.30 for the Curt harness part# 56377. To me, $600 is very high even for a dealer. There is tons of info and options in the tow hitch thread including how a dealer made a mess of one person's bumper cover.

I remember a Mazda site that had the hitch and trailer as a bundle but I can't find it, I did a search. I only found Mazda sites with them sold separately.

 

[wechee]

The dealers price is a total ripoff. I ordered a Drawtite and harness online for about $175.00 and had the hitch installed at a local shop for $60.00. Total time to install was under 30 min. and out the door for the hitch only. I installed the wiring harness myself.

 

[MyFirstMazda]

This is an install from one dealer:

 

[ruthrj]

That is f&$!@&g atrocious.

When we bought my mother in laws 18 CX5 we went in wanting the OEM hitch installed before we left the lot. We had awesome salespeople. He showed us a picture of what to expect, that it what*s much better than their first attempts, but to know it*s not going to be a perfect cut. Talked us right out of that lol