Why does U-Haul deny Turbo VWs trailer hitches?

fixerbob

Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2018
Location
Tijuana, MX
TDI
1990 Jetta, 1999 Beetle
I have a newly acquired 1999 VW Beetle and I wanted to use it to pull a camping trailer of about 500 pounds up some mountains. My 1990 Jetta
with it's 54 horses just can't quite cut it. I thought that the 100 horses of my new ride would have no trouble but U-Haul refuses to mount a hitch on turbos. If it were non-turbo, they say they would install one for me. Why this restriction, does anyone know?
 

iamatt

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2006
Location
Rosharon, Texas
TDI
2014 Jetta 6 Speed manual
I have a newly acquired 1999 VW Beetle and I wanted to use it to pull a camping trailer of about 500 pounds up some mountains. My 1990 Jetta

with it's 54 horses just can't quite cut it. I thought that the 100 horses of my new ride would have no trouble but U-Haul refuses to mount a hitch on turbos. If it were non-turbo, they say they would install one for me. Why this restriction, does anyone know?
That sounds like a load of crap. Those uhaul places are franchises. I've hooked them to my Duramax no problem. They don't want your little car to pull their stuff. Where are you California?

Sent from my FRD-L14 using Tapatalk
 

Vince Waldon

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Apr 25, 2009
Location
Edmonton AB Canada
TDI
2001 ALH Jetta, 2003 ALH Wagon, 2005 BEW Wagon
Look in your owner's manual to see if VW North America recommends towing with your Beetle.

Likely not... and thus why U-Haul won't support it either. Naught to do with it being a turbo.


That said... if you do find a rating show it to U-Haul and change their minds. :)
 

Lightflyer1

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Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Liability is why. They don't want to be potentially held responsible for anything that may happen while you are towing with a hitch they installed. So install it yourself and tow away. I isn't that hard to do. ETrailer says it is a 5 out of 10 job and takes about an hour to do. A couple hundred bucks and a couple of hours should get you towing. They probably won't rent you a trailer either. But other places might.
 
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Mongler98

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Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
same issue i have with my escape even though i have a upgraded trans and towing package up to 4500 lbs on a beefy 2" hitch that is NOT stock. but the cars specs online says otherwise and that's what they go off of. no matter the car. its a liability issue and honestly you can tow whatever you want with whatever you want but unless your SKILLED a common unbalanced load will jackknife your car or truck if not rated properly, i have seen properly hooked up and balanced loads on rated vehicles get so bad that it not only jackknifed but flipped the truck over. Towing is no joke and PLENTY of people abuse and just do not GAS what they are supposed to do and overload and cause issues all the time.
good policy in general but a PITA for people who know what there doing and do it properly.
 

fixerbob

Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2018
Location
Tijuana, MX
TDI
1990 Jetta, 1999 Beetle
Thanks guys for the quick response. My confusion comes from the fact that they will gladly install a hitch if my car were non-turbo. Is there anything under the car that is specific to turbos that could be in the way? Does the turbo torque come on at too high a rev to get a trailer moving without hurting the clutch? Guess I will have to call corporate at U-Haul to get a satisfactory answer.
 

Lightflyer1

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Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Thanks guys for the quick response. My confusion comes from the fact that they will gladly install a hitch if my car were non-turbo. Is there anything under the car that is specific to turbos that could be in the way? Does the turbo torque come on at too high a rev to get a trailer moving without hurting the clutch? Guess I will have to call corporate at U-Haul to get a satisfactory answer.
Why waste your time? What will a "satisfactory" answer get you that you don't have now? Nothing. There is no reason they can't install a hitch if they wanted to. Find someone else or do it yourself and move on to towing. I towed other cars with my 2003 Beetle tdi with no issues. Assuming you use some common sense.
 
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AndyBees

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Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Many of you know the story...

-84 Vanagon with 02 ALH engine
-1200 lb popup camper plus lots of "stuff" in it as well as in the Van
-To Alaska and return (2014 and 2016) (four adults in 2016)
-Cruise at 70 mph all day
-No issues relating to ability to tow, or pretty much otherwise

 
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TDIDaveNH

Left Lane Coal Roller at Large
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Feb 17, 2009
Location
North Conway, NH
TDI
1997 Passat TDI x2 1984 Buick Century 4.3 diesel
Uhaul has always been a bit 'funny' about stuff. I know they will not rent anything to you if you have an 1 1/4" receiver, except of course for that micro enclosed trailer they have, which I seldom ever see. With them, it's a 2" or bigger receiver or nothing. Secondly, I've noticed over the years the internal threshold they have for what will tow what safely differs from the capability of the vehicles be it actual or rated. It's pretty conservative perhaps because all their rental towables are custom built only for them and done so quite heavy since they know it's going to get beat up year in, year out and has to go the distance.

Best thing you can do is buy a 2" hitch from them or another brand and install it yourself. (Their hitches are also constructed a little bit heavier than other brands) then try renting at another location.

PS....and lie about the turbo. Put a magnetic bumper sticker over the trunk script, a UHaul bumper sticker would be best LOL
Good Luck
 
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fixerbob

Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2018
Location
Tijuana, MX
TDI
1990 Jetta, 1999 Beetle
The word fro U-Haul technical staff

Called U-Haul corporate and a Customer Service lady was kind enough to talk to the technical staff for me to see why Turbos can't have hitches. Their answer was that there were cannisters that the Turbos needed to operate and those cannisters were in the way of the hitch.

So I looked under the back of my Beetle and found a tire holder hanging down and a largish muffler (in like new condition) but absolutely no large cannisters.
???

The only indication I have that my car is a TDI is the plastic shield over the engine which bears the legend 1.9 TDI. I am not knowledgeable enough about VWs to know if I have a turbo or not. I certainly have not heard a whine when I go up through the gears. I am using diesel fuel in the car so I feel sure it is at least a diesel. Did VW make a NA engine in 1999?

Any help would be appreciated 'cause I am stuck in Tijuana 'til I solve this.
 

casioqv

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Aug 18, 2015
Location
California
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2009 Touareg TDI
IMO the euro hitch is the only safe hitch for MKIV cars... the ones they sell in the USA mount to sheet metal and/or the tow hook and will damage the car, and eventually fail even with light weight trailers.
 

Shenandoah

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2005 Jetta Wagon; 2005 Beetle; 2004 Jetta; 2002 Golf (three of them); 2002 Jetta Wagon; 2000 Audi TT->TDI; 1999 Beetle
fixerbob,

Just curious, what camping trailer weighs 500lbs? The lightest camper I've seen is the older Scamps that weigh 900 lbs.

If you really want a trailer hitch on your Beetle, install one yourself. You can buy one off of etrailer or Amazon. You're wasting your time trying to get U-haul to install one.

Eric
 

Lightflyer1

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Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
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2015 Beetle tdi dsg
I have already told him that twice but he seems determined to uselessly tangle with U-Haul. I have found that unless you have a truck/van/SUV they want nothing to do with you for a hitch install. Plenty of other places out there to take it to to get it done if you won't DIY. Using an american sourced hitch I would DIY as you can add strengthening metal to the mount locations if you choose to. I had a custom truck shop install one on one of my old Beetles. Runonbeer installed my last euro hitch for me on my 2003 Beetle. If you are going to tow any weight on a regular basis the Euro hitch is the way to go. Stop messing around with U-Haul and get busy. You could have had it done already. I towed cars on a dolly with the Euro hitch on my 2003 Beetle with no issues and some common sense.
 
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fixerbob

Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2018
Location
Tijuana, MX
TDI
1990 Jetta, 1999 Beetle
Finally found my answer on Etrailer in the Professional Answers section. The Turbos that U-Haul and Etrailer won't sell hitches to are the gasoline driven turbo VWs and not the diesel ones. Hitch ordered. Shenandoah, lightweight plywood box on a Harbor Freight trailer without contents is so light I can pick up either wheel off the ground. Most of the 500 pounds will be contents. Thanks all.
 

jokila

Vendor
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Dec 3, 2004
Location
Houston, Texas
TDI
2003 Jetta GLS, Manual
Finally found my answer on Etrailer in the Professional Answers section. The Turbos that U-Haul and Etrailer won't sell hitches to are the gasoline driven turbo VWs and not the diesel ones. Hitch ordered. Shenandoah, lightweight plywood box on a Harbor Freight trailer without contents is so light I can pick up either wheel off the ground. Most of the 500 pounds will be contents. Thanks all.
You are also going to need a lighting converter to wire up the connector for the trailer lights. You cannot just tap straight into the wiring without it.
 
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