OEM Trailer Hitch
- Thread starter mreg376
- Start date
I believe the hitch is always a dealer installed item, and many of them have not done it well. the "Mazda hitch" Actually the hitch Mazda chooses to install requires cutting the bumper. The Curt hitch does not. BTW My daughter had a Curt hitch installed by our local garage. Perfect job, and $40
Do you need wiring as well?
Do you need wiring as well?
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- Central Virginia
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- 2019 CX-5 Reserve
I looked at that before I ordered my Reserve. A guy at the local Draw Tite place sent me pics of what their hitches look like installed. They hung prettly far below the bumper.
Since I don't plan on towing anything substantial, I went with the factory hitch because I prefer the look of the receiver up tight to the underside of the car and poking out through the bumper. It's just a cleaner (more custom/factory?) look to me than having the receiver protruding below the bumper. Had the astethics been the same, I would have gone aftermarket for upgraded capacity.
So why did your dealer tell you to go aftermarket? To get a higher class hitch?
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- NE Indiana
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- '16 CX-5 GT FWD
IIRC (it was 4 years ago) lower cost, quick install (local dealer down the street) and no bumper modification. I think the capacity was the same.
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- Central Virginia
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- 2019 CX-5 Reserve
Gotcha.
I ordered my car from the factory with a bunch of options installed (hitch, splash guards, rear bumper guard, rails), and the dealer did not realize they had a Reserve of my color in the pipeline. They called me a few weeks later when that car arrived (months ahead of my scheduled delivery) and asked if I would take it if they installed the options there at the same cost. I agreed.
They did a good job on the hitch. Here a thread where the dealer install didn't turn out so good (see below):
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- 2019 CX-5 Signature
Understatement of the day!
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- Central Virginia
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- 2019 CX-5 Reserve
Isn't the absolute lack of self-respect at the dealership astounding?
Imagine the "quality" of the work you can't see!
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- 2021 CX-9 Sig
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- 2021 CX-5 GT
My dealer was the same. Said the Mazda hitches are overpriced and poor quality. Told me exactly where to go to get it done and he saved me $320.
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- Central Virginia
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- 2019 CX-5 Reserve
Micablucx5
Member
Gotcha.
I ordered my car from the factory with a bunch of options installed (hitch, splash guards, rear bumper guard, rails), and the dealer did not realize they had a Reserve of my color in the pipeline. They called me a few weeks later when that car arrived (months ahead of my scheduled delivery) and asked if I would take it if they installed the options there at the same cost. I agreed.
They did a good job on the hitch. Here a thread where the dealer install didn't turn out so good (see below):
That looks really awful. I have a Mazda factory hitch and it looks pretty flush with bumper like totally integrated.
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- Central Virginia
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- 2019 CX-5 Reserve
95% of the people on this forum would do a better job than that, and 100% of us would have too much self-respect to return a car to an owner looking like that.
I went with the Mazda hitch rather than aftermarket because--as you said--it is flush with the bumper and totally integrated...in other words, "OEM."
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- 2018, Mazda, CX-5, Snowflake Pearl, Grand Touring
They did use a steak knife.
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- Central Virginia
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- 2019 CX-5 Reserve
The thought that since it's a Mazda, a Ginsu would be sufficient.
