Installing a Stealth Hitch on my GTI
This is my 2020 Volkswagen Golf GTI, SE Trim, with the DSG transmission. It is a nice small car, that is fun and easy to drive, gets great fuel economy, and has a modern interior with a lot of technology. So far, the car is completely stock, though I have plans for the future. In order to make it closer to a no-compromises car, I needed to find a way to haul mountain bikes with it. I could put bikes inside, but it would require me to take both wheels off and potentially bring dirt and mud into the interior. I thought about a roof rack bike carrier, but that would mean lifting large bikes over my head and risk scratching the car. I learned that a hitch rack is the best bike hauling solution, but the GTI doesn’t come wit ha hitch, nor is it a factory option in the United States.
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Parts
To solve this problem, I researched aftermarket hitch solutions for the GTI. I cam across the Torklift EcoHitch Stealth (model X7376) which requires no cutting or drilling and has a completely hidden crossbar and a hitch receiver that is removable with one bolt. When installed the hitch doesn’t reduce ground clearance at all since it doesn’t hang down any lower than the GTI’s large muffler mounted underneath the vehicle. The hitch receiver is 1 1/4 inch which means that it is compatible with most 2-bike carriers. The rack that I chose is the Saris SuperClamp EX2 because of its easy to load design that clamps down on the wheels of the bikes instead of the frame. This means that it can carry any size or shape of bike in any combination (a full suspension mountain bike alongside a small BMX bike for example.) It also is super sturdy, has a lifetime warranty and is made in the USA.
This EcoHitch Stealth model completely replaces the original metal crash bar behind the bumper but does not provide any place to mount this module. Doing a little more research, this module has the Volkswagen Part Number 3G9.035.534. According to the few German parts sellers and forums I have found, this is an LTE/Cellular antenna. I don’t know when Volkswagen added this feature to their cars, but they now have VW Car-Net service and SOS/Emergency buttons in their cars, so this is likely what this module is for.
To work around this and secure the module on the EcoHitch tow bar, I drilled a small 1/4 inch hole through the side plate of the tow bar. This allowed me to mount the module securely in the space between the EcoHitch tow bar and the other electronic module (presumably the blind spot monitor) using a 1” long, ¼”-20 stainless steel Allen head bolt and nylon lock nut. After I finished the install, there were no warning or lights in the car, and everything still functioned as intended.