| Markedoc |
Contemplating buying the Acura trailer hitch and cooler (tranny and PS) package and installing it myself. Dealer is looking for around $875 installed and I can buy the kit from Tim for $550.
How difficult is the install? I see instructions for the hitch and they look do-able, but how about the tranny and PS coolers?
Advice? Tips? Level of difficulty?
Thanks in advance! |
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| hammermdx |
| The hitch is very easy to do. For the coolers, you have to pull the front bumper cover off. There should be some pictures with instructions in the archives if you do a search. Congrats and good luck. |
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| shootist |
quote:
Originally posted by Markedoc
How difficult is the install? I see instructions for the hitch and they look do-able, but how about the tranny and PS coolers?
Advice? Tips? Level of difficulty?
Dealers rate this as a three to four hour job. The hitch is just 8 bolts and a heavy holding job. THe coolers take some time.
Something has just happened that has caused me to recommend that you let the dealers install the coolers. VICPAI has had a bad, intermittent steering problem for months. He was told it was normal by a District Service Rep. He considered filing a lemon law suit. He doggedly followed up with another Acura dealership.
The service manager of the other Acura dealership determined that the hitch's power steering cooler had corroded internally, causing damage to the steering mechanism. They replaced several parts under warranty, and guaranteed followup on other steering parts, like the pump.
Apparently Acura corporate is aware that some hitch coolers were left outside, and corroded.
See VICPAI's currently active thread regarding this. "Infamous Loose Rubbery Steering:" http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/show...&threadid=12095 |
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| Markedoc |
| Are you saying one might have a warranty battle on their hands if they installed the coolers themselves and they turned out to be faulty? |
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| zafer |
quote:
Originally posted by Markedoc
Are you saying one might have a warranty battle on their hands if they installed the coolers themselves and they turned out to be faulty?
Not if the install was done properly. The burdens on them to prove your diy install caused damage.
Guide to Federal Warranty Law
Acura Accessory Limited Warranty |
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| NSXBill |
[QUOTE]Originally posted by shootist
[B]
Dealers rate this as a three to four hour job. The hitch is just 8 bolts and a heavy holding job. THe coolers take some time.
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My input:
It took me 1 1/2 hours to do the wiring, 3+ hours for the hitch, and 4-6 hours to do the front/coolers...but I work slow :) and spread it out over 3 days over two weekends...it was rewarding.
The hitch has at least 12 bolts and maybe 14, not 8.
My steering seems to have some "rough spots," kind of like resistance at the full lock positions during parking lot speeds only. After the cooler install, I followed the advice to excercise the system fully side to side...I may have to revisit it tho... |
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| shootist |
quote:
Originally posted by zafer
Not if the install was done properly. The burdens on them to prove your diy install caused damage.
Guide to Federal Warranty Law
Acura Accessory Limited Warranty
The issue here is was the install done properly by you? As we have all seen, many dealers will dismiss complaints of an intermittent problem: "Can't duplicate problem" . VICPAI went so far as to get a District Service Rep involved in his steering failure.
My point is that warranty repairs are not always straightforward, and are often easily contested. We now know that a small fraction of MDX owners have suffered transmission failure, and power steering failure. Given these as background, and estimates (above) that a DIY install can take 10 hours, it seems to me that the $300 dealer install quote is money well spent.
Of course, I'm so rich that last month we could afford to go to two movies and Taco Bell. |
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| Markedoc |
I hear ya .... I am really looking at the hitch as an alternative to a roof mount bike rack. Dealer install (hitch and coolers) plus the cost of a 4 bike rack is easily $1200+ ....
For the near future, I think we'll be talking roof rack! |
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| hammermdx |
quote:
Originally posted by Markedoc
I hear ya .... I am really looking at the hitch as an alternative to a roof mount bike rack. Dealer install (hitch and coolers) plus the cost of a 4 bike rack is easily $1200+ ....
For the near future, I think we'll be talking roof rack!
If you're not going to tow and only use the hitch for a bike rack (like me), I don't think you need the coolers. I have a Hidden Hitch and it only cost $99, and was a snap to install. |
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| deltajetfixer |
quote:
Originally posted by hammermdx
If you're not going to tow and only use the hitch for a bike rack (like me), I don't think you need the coolers. I have a Hidden Hitch and it only cost $99, and was a snap to install.
Lots and lots of previous discussions on this in past threads.
I think though that given the 2001-2002 transmission fluid color "controversy" and Acura's stance on coolers being required for hitch installation, that installation of a cooler is called for. |
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| catzx6 |
| Let the Dealer do the install. :4: |
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| kudo |
| Or you can store your bikes inside the cargo with some after market bike racks. Will have pictures available soon with my little project. |
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| Markedoc |
quote:
Originally posted by deltajetfixer
Lots and lots of previous discussions on this in past threads.
I think though that given the 2001-2002 transmission fluid color "controversy" and Acura's stance on coolers being required for hitch installation, that installation of a cooler is called for.
I don't disagree, and I have read "most" of the threads I could find on this subject. But for those of use who simply want to haul a few bikes on the back of our MDX, having to spend $1k to have the dealer install this equipment is a little much. If the tranny is that fragile, it probably should have had the beefed up coolers to begin with. I would think there would be more stress on the tranny hauling 7 people up mountain roads than with me and a buddy carrying two 20 lb bikes (plus rack) to the beach. |
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| hammermdx |
quote:
Originally posted by Markedoc
I don't disagree, and I have read "most" of the threads I could find on this subject. But for those of use who simply want to haul a few bikes on the back of our MDX, having to spend $1k to have the dealer install this equipment is a little much. If the tranny is that fragile, it probably should have had the beefed up coolers to begin with. I would think there would be more stress on the tranny hauling 7 people up mountain roads than with me and a buddy carrying two 20 lb bikes (plus rack) to the beach.
Exactly! |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by Markedoc
I I would think there would be more stress on the tranny hauling 7 people up mountain roads than with me and a buddy carrying two 20 lb bikes (plus rack) to the beach.
Which might be a good reason to install them in that eventuality.
Maybe 6 of the 20 bikes belong to people who want to ride with you.
Again, for 'warrantys' sake. I am not commenting on the adequacy of the tranny or the Acura coolers.....:1: |
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| hammermdx |
quote:
Originally posted by DaleB
Which might be a good reason to install them in that eventuality.
Maybe 6 of the 20 bikes belong to people who want to ride with you.
Again, for 'warrantys' sake. I am not commenting on the adequacy of the tranny or the Acura coolers.....:1:
I agree there is no harm in adding the coolers, but I find it hard to believe that the Acura engineers didn't take into consideration the tranny being able to handle a full load of passengers and their respective luggage which shouldn't weigh any more than a few bikes.
If the tranny is that fragile, wouldn't there be more failures reported? |
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| srpbep |
Installation Option,
A compromise might be:
** Have dealer install the coolers!!
** You install the hitch!!
That will provide assurance of "no contest" on installation while reducing the cash out of pocket. Just a suggestion ... |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by hammermdx
I agree there is no harm in adding the coolers, but I find it hard to believe that the Acura engineers didn't take into consideration the tranny being able to handle a full load of passengers and their respective luggage which shouldn't weigh any more than a few bikes.
If the tranny is that fragile, wouldn't there be more failures reported?
I don't know where the threshold is, as to how much reserve is available. Some do fail, while not at an alarming rate. Will not having coolers but constantly driving a loaded vehicle affect only those trannies that have a latent problem?
Until many more miles are piled on, we will not have very useful data. Perhaps there is much a chance that MDXs that make it to 50,000 miles will keep on truckin' and not just data that says the transmissions should start failing by then. |
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| glen.pappas |
Hi, All. I'm a brand new member to this website, have owned my MDX for a little over a year, & am not very 'automotively' inclined, so please forgive any 'clue-less-ness' you detect in my e-m.
The reason I joined the website, & jumped into this "Hitch & Cooler Install" thread, is because my family & I are about to move across the country & we need to decide whether or not we should ride in the MDX together & pull our 4-Runner. The discussions you've had to date have me leaning toward "not" because of the expense involved w/installation of hitch & cooler, risk of tranny damage, etc.
Would appreciate any/all input, to include redirection to another thread that might be more pertinent to my issue.
Thanks & Regards,
Glen |
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| shootist |
quote:
Originally posted by glen.pappas
...decide whether or not we should ride in the MDX together & pull our 4-Runner. The discussions you've had to date have me leaning toward "not" because of the expense involved w/installation of hitch & cooler, risk of tranny damage, etc.
Glen
It's a very easy decision: Acura puts a weight limit of 3,500 pounds on non-boat pull-weight, regardless of tongue weight. You can pull 4,500 pounds of nicely-streamlined boat. That rules out towing the Toyota.
There has been no correlation at all with towing and tranny damage, or load and tranny damage, or driving style and tranny damage.
It seems that the rare trannys that break, break because of a manufacturing defect, rather than a design defect. In other words. if the internal part is bad, it will breakdown under normal load. |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by shootist
It seems that the rare trannys that break, break because of a manufacturing defect, rather than a design defect. In other words. if the internal part is bad, it will breakdown under normal load.
If the same part(s) fail, it certainly could be a faulty design. But the jury is still out on the MDX it seems. |
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