Torklift hitch install problems:

I bought a Torklift "EcoHitch" for my '15 sportwagen,



I got the 2" receiver version.


I went to install it today and found it doesn't fit... mostly.


The holes all line up, but the mounting plates are too tall, so it overlaps the rolled lip on the crossmember mounting plate on the car.


Since the instructions say *nothing* about bending sheet metal, and I know for sure that the 1/4" standoff caused the rolled over edge is a *bad* thing, I wonder if they changed the design, or I got the wrong part, or ... something else.


Here's some pictures so you can see what I'm talking about:


http://tdi.mahonkin.com/MK-VII/hitch_install/hitch_fit_problems/index.html

i would contact them. maybe you got sent one for an alltrack.

Any progress?

hskrdu said:

Any progress?

Click to expand...

I got an email from them saying, "yea, that looks weird. take some more pictures for us please"


which I did (only yesterday) and haven't heard back yet. (which I'm not upset or surprised by)

You sent the same pictures to them as what you posted in the original post?

whizznbyu said:

You sent the same pictures to them as what you posted in the original post?

Click to expand...

Yes, plus I added some more. The original post is a link to where the pictures are, so you can see them all if you want.

Your pix definitely do match the install videos or other photos out there of the install on a GSW.

Last fall I had a local trailer hitch shop install the 2" Ecohitch on my 2015 GSW. Would I be able to see that offending sheet metal on my car with the bumper cover in place? I can try to verify the Ecohitch part number they used if that would help.

nathanso said:

Last fall I had a local trailer hitch shop install the 2" Ecohitch on my 2015 GSW. Would I be able to see that offending sheet metal on my car with the bumper cover in place? I can try to verify the Ecohitch part number they used if that would help.

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Man, I don't know. Maybe? The bumper cover is really huge, and the mount points are way up in there.



Unless you're enthusiastic about the problem, I'd say "don't bother", 'cuz I think it's a ton of work to get a look at the mount points. Basically you have to remove the bumper cover.



Removing the bumper cover was *BY FAR* the most difficult part of the job. (although it'll be a lot easier the second time, now that I've done it once and know the tricks.)

If you do, I'd love to see the pictures!

X7315 was the Ecohitch model they installed on my 2015 GSW.

nathanso said:

X7315 was the Ecohitch model they installed on my 2015 GSW.

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That just makes things more curious!


Can you tell me the manufacture date of your car? (on the sticker in the driver's side door)


Mine is 03/15.


The guys at Torklift think there might be some change in the production run.

Scary rust on that left side overview.
Looks like more than just surface rust...
Makes me want to take off my bumper cover just to inspect that area .
Highly recommend you sand/grind that rust and neutralize it with some chemical rust neutraliser and then prime/paint before sealing it up again.

milktree said:

that just makes things more curious!
Can you tell me the manufacture date of your car? (on the sticker in the driver's side door)
mine is 03/15.
The guys at torklift think there might be some change in the production run.

Click to expand...

04/15

funoutdoors121 said:

Scary rust on that left side overview.
Looks like more than just surface rust...
Makes me want to take off my bumper cover just to inspect that area .
Highly recommend you sand/grind that rust and neutralize it with some chemical rust neutraliser and then prime/paint before sealing it up again.

Click to expand...

Huh... so funny story: (unrelated to hitch install) wen I had the bumper cover off I found one of the tow-rings: you know, the left hand thread eye bolt like thing that screws into the bumper, the thing that tow-truck drivers frequently fail to put back in the car.... I screwed it into the bumper, and it never stopped spinning. The threads in the bumper are completely rusted out so there's no way for the tow eye to grab.


The car is still under its 2 year bumper-to-bumper warranty (CPO, bought in December) so I'm seriously considering making VW replace the bumper with one that's not rusted out.



Is this something I should actually care about, or am I being a "I just got a new car and it has to be perrrrrrrfect!!!" ninny?

funoutdoors121 said:

Scary rust on that left side overview.
Looks like more than just surface rust...
Makes me want to take off my bumper cover just to inspect that area .
Highly recommend you sand/grind that rust and neutralize it with some chemical rust neutraliser and then prime/paint before sealing it up again.

Click to expand...

These cheap US branded hitches aren't known for their rustproofing.

740GLE said:

These cheap US branded hitches aren't known for their rustproofing.

Click to expand...

The rust in question is on the VW OEM bumper bar.


The hitch is new, and appears (except in dimensions) perfect.

milktree said:

Huh... so funny story: (unrelated to hitch install) wen I had the bumper cover off I found one of the tow-rings: you know, the left hand thread eye bolt like thing that screws into the bumper, the thing that tow-truck drivers frequently fail to put back in the car.... I screwed it into the bumper, and it never stopped spinning. The threads in the bumper are completely rusted out so there's no way for the tow eye to grab.
The car is still under its 2 year bumper-to-bumper warranty (CPO, bought in December) so I'm seriously considering making VW replace the bumper with one that's not rusted out.
Is this something I should actually care about, or am I being a "I just got a new car and it has to be perrrrrrrfect!!!" ninny?

Click to expand...

If you can get that bumper bar replaced under warranty, I would not hesitate!
It seems like deep rust that would take a lot of work to address.
Seems this spot may be prone to rusting, and is not easy to inspect as it entails removal of the bumper cover.
I'll start looking for the steps required or videos available
Wonder if the front bumper bar is also a spot to check; my next mod is swapping the headlights so I'll most likely pull off the front bumper cover for that job and report back on the condition of front bumper bar.
However, the rust levels may depend on how the car was stored and local exposure to weather/salt.

Were you able to check the part you received vs the one nathanso posted?

From the Torklift/Ecohitch website:

2015 Golf TDI:
Trailer Hitch Part numbers:x7309 (2”), x7310 (1¼”)
SKU XV1VWGOLF01

2015 GSW TDI:
Trailer Hitch Part numbers:x7315 (2”), x7316 (1¼”)
SKU XV1VWGOLF02

2015 Alltrack:
Sames as GSW.

hskrdu said:

Were you able to check the part you received vs the one nathanso posted?

From the Torklift/Ecohitch website:

2015 Golf TDI:
Trailer Hitch Part numbers:x7309 (2”), x7310 (1¼”)
SKU XV1VWGOLF01

2015 GSW TDI:
Trailer Hitch Part numbers:x7315 (2”), x7316 (1¼”)
SKU XV1VWGOLF02

2015 Alltrack:
Sames as GSW.

Click to expand...

Yea, it's the X7315.


Based on what I've read here and on VWVortex, I'm beginning to think the design is flawed, or based on a car that doesn't exist in the wild.

milktree said:

Yea, it's the X7315.

Based on what I've read here and on VWVortex, I'm beginning to think the design is flawed, or based on a car that doesn't exist in the wild.

Click to expand...

Did you find some other threads that had the same issue?

When I was initially researching the ecohitch I watched most of the videos and looked at the pictures, but they didn't look the the shots you posted.

I was just getting ready to order one for the spring.

hskrdu said:

Did you find some other threads that had the same issue?

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Well, it was my thread at VW Vortex, but yes. Someone else had exactly the same problem, and ended up with a different brand.


The people who said, "it went in fine" paid someone else to install it.


I would 100% believe that "someone else" doesn't give a **** about your car, and is perfectly willing to bend the car's sheet metal to make the job go faster.

When I was initially researching the ecohitch I watched most of the videos and looked at the pictures, but they didn't look the the shots you posted.

Click to expand...

I'd like to see those videos. I haven't seen any that show it installed.

I think the initial videos were posted on the Ecohitch site, plus there were two on youtube. Maybe those were Golfs instead of GSW. There are also some good close-up pictures of Scott's GTI (stealthtdi) from his install, but now when I see them again, it does look different. Maybe I'll ask him to look at your pictures, he's not on Fred's as much since the GTI purchase.

Hello,

Thanks for the mention and PM. I don't recall what the wagons are different from the Golfs. I spotted a difference in the rear pan area. But I no longer see what I had spotted years ago. The easiest way for me to show you my photos and what may be different is to refer you to the webpage that shows my photos. There's a large album at the bottom of this page: https://stealthgti.com/torklift-ecohitch-and-carry-on-trailer/.

Take care,

Scott

Check out post #79 for the install photos from Psybin for his 2015 GSW TDI at the linked vortex thread. It has the best close up shots I could find after a somewhat brief search, and the mounting of the Ecohitch to the body looks much different to my eye than milktree's pix.

https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?7162745-which-trailer-hitch/page4

Stealth TDI said:

Hello,

Thanks for the mention and PM. I don't recall what the wagons are different from the Golfs. I spotted a difference in the rear pan area. But I no longer see what I had spotted years ago. The easiest way for me to show you my photos and what may be different is to refer you to the webpage that shows my photos. There's a large album at the bottom of this page: https://stealthgti.com/torklift-ecohitch-and-carry-on-trailer/.

Take care,

Scott

Click to expand...

Thanks Scott.


The Sportwagen kit is different from the regular golf.


The Golf kit has a flat plate and a second bit that bolts on behind the mounting plate.


The Sportwagen kit has a bent over lower edge:


http://tdi.mahonkin.com/MK-VII/hitch_install/hitch_fit_problems/IMG_9431.JPG.html


vs:


https://i2.wp.com/stealthgti.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/hitch_mounted-oblique.jpg?ssl=1

hskrdu said:

Check out post #79 for the install photos from Psybin for his 2015 GSW TDI at the linked vortex thread. It has the best close up shots I could find after a somewhat brief search, and the mounting of the Ecohitch to the body looks much different to my eye than milktree's pix.

https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?7162745-which-trailer-hitch/page4

Click to expand...

OK, that's really interesting:


It looks like there was a design change on the hitch.


The one in that thread appears to have a *welded* connection rather than bent metal:


https://i.imgur.com/RhbpaEC.jpg


You can see the horizontal bit *does* overlap the rolled edge of the car's sheet-metal, but because the weld is on the *inside*, the hit clears.


on the one I got, that joint is a *bend*, which because of its radius, it hits the rolled edge.


The picture is a little small tell for sure, so maybe I'm seeing it wrong.

Right- I haven't seen either in person, so I could be wrong when evaluating both the problem and the differences in the hitches, but in milktree's hitch, when comparing the passenger side side mounting point, it looks like his hitch is constructed differently than Psybin's, with the first having a smooth bend along the bottom, and the second having a notched space between the metal where it meets the body of the car- maybe welded as you said.

milktree- does the interference between the lip on the car and the hitch prevent the bolts on the hitch from mounting tightly?

Psybin:


milktree:

hskrdu said:

Right- I haven't seen either in person, so I could be wrong when evaluating both the problem and the differences in the hitches, but in milktree's hitch, when comparing the passenger side side mounting point, it looks like his hitch is constructed differently than Psybin's, with the first having a smooth bend along the bottom, and the second having a notched space between the metal where it meets the body of the car- maybe welded as you said.

milktree- does the interference between the lip on the car and the hitch prevent the bolts on the hitch from mounting tightly?

Click to expand...

Well... I didn't try installing the bolts from the correct side, because of the clear interference.



Even if the bolts were long enough, I wouldn't do it.


- the gap means the angle will be wrong
- the gap means the hitch would be supported in shear on the bolts, witch is prone to failure
- the rolled over edge will likely bend flat, which would make all the bolts loose
- if I rolled the lip over deliberately and tightened, it might work fine, but it's a total hack.



I considered a 1/4" plate as a spacer to pull the hitch and bumper bar away from the mounting surface so it would clear, but I think that would leave too little room between the crash bar and the bumper cover.

Understood.

Did you make any progress with Torklift? The threads at vortex reveal a few people with fitment issues, and Torklift seemed to handle it well.

hskrdu said:

Did you make any progress with Torklift? The threads at vortex reveal a few people with fitment issues, and Torklift seemed to handle it well.

Click to expand...

I traded a bunch of emails with them, and then talked on the phone to a tech (or technical sales guy, hard to tell)


We went through the problem, discussed options, and came to the conclusion that the hitch matches their design, but it does *NOT* mach my car.


So, they suggested returning it. I actually bought it from E-Trailer, not Torklift directly, so I have to return it to them. The guy at Torklift was awesome, he said that if E-trailer wouldn't pay for return shipping I should give him a call and they'd make it right.


e-Trailer did not give me a hard time, so they're paying for return shipping. I bought a Curt as a replacement.


The Curt is a 1/14" instead of the 2" I originally bought, but ... I don't think I care. I had a 1-1/4" on my '93 Accord, and a Bosal swan-neck style on my '04 Jetta; I never felt the need for a bike rack or anything else that required a 2" receiver.


The Curt isn't as sturdy (based on looking at the design) but I don't think it matters for anything I'll be using it for. And the Curt is less expensive by a petty big margin.


Having said that, I'd absolutely recommend Torklift as a company, assuming they have something that works for you. They were super easy to talk to, responsive, and made everything right (as right as they could)


I've been sending them information about the problem so they can adjust their design to work.