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| When i purchased the vehicle i was told i could tow up to 2000 pounds without needing to purchase oil and steering coolers. Only a towing hitch will be needed. When it came time to install the towing hitch the dealer told me that they will be unable to do so without me purchasing the T & S coolers, because honda of america had sent them a letter prohibiting such a practice. I only tow a small trailer that hardly aproaches 1500 so i had to put up extra $550.00 for labor and parts for the coolers alone and $450 for the towing hitch. It seems like a rip off that a $38000 vehicle comes with 0 pounds effective towing capacity. And that towing itself not just the hitch becomes and accessory. Adding insult to injury Acura could do no better but to blame the dealership for my miss information. If you look at the coolers (2 6 feet pipes with fins bent in half) you will figure that this must be factory installed equipment. If any of you purchased your car without the hitch is probably time to call the dealer and ask what's the deal. NOT EVEN THE CHEAPEST SUV IN THE MARKET NAMELY HYUNDAI SANTA FE DOES THIS. But acura does???? |
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I also had a similar experience at my dealership. I only wanted the tow hitch (no coolers) because I was only planning to use it for a bike hitch to lug the family bikes.
I was initially told I had to have the coolers if I wanted the tow hitch installed. Apparently an Acura mandate that the dealer had to comply with. I declined at that point, but was then told I could sign a waiver that released liabilty if I towed more than the stated limit.
When my MDX arrived, I was told that the Service Dept. had put both coolers on, in addition to the tow hitch, even though the sales manager had explicitly written on the service order to only put the tow hitch on. Service said that they could not do them separately.
In any case, the sales manager had to eat the cost of the coolers and I got them thrown in at no extra cost.
It seemed to work out in my case. I would definitely ask about a waiver (if one really exists) to opt out of the coolers. Or just go over to U-Haul and have them install a hitch.
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| As of this moment, no one seems to make an aftermarket bolt-on trailer hitch. I am told Draw-Tite will have one available in several months for $185- try HitchWeb.com. You can buy the hitch setup from Tim for $432.50 plus shipping, and just install the hitch, which I understand is a straightforward bolt on job. I agree that the coolers are unnecessary for bike racks or small utility trailers. I wonder what would happen if you had a problem with your engine at some point- would the dealer try to claim that the damage was not covered under warranty because you towed without coolers? |
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Obeejr
Just a thought...but...if you installed the "bolt on" hitch yourself, you could uninstall it before taking it to service in the first place and eliminate the issue? |
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| This is one of the major criticisms I have of Acura and the MDX. I have had owned 4 other SUVs, three of which came with factor installed hitches and coolers for between $150 and $350. In one of the other responses to a different thread, the person said it was necessary to remove the front bumper before installing the coolers which is probably why the cost is so high. If this were done at the factory like other SUVs, the cost would be less because assembly line labor has to be more efficient than the dealer. Also the coolers could be installed before the bumper is attached making the job that much easier. I ordered the hitch, contrary to most respondees, to get the coolers to offer an extra measure of protection. I also may what to get or rent a trailer in the future to haul stuff that we previously have loaded in the cargo area. I do not quite understand why Acura is letting the dealers install such a major accessory. Is this an Acura thing or just poor product planning? |
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| Given the fact that until recently, Honda Motor Corp. had all of the A/C systems installed @ the dealer for Hondas, it is not surprising that trailer hitches are dealer installed options. I believe HMC has been a bit odd in what it declares as "dealer installed" vs. factory. I bet, since MDX's and all other Hondas are not truly "ordered", they do not want to laden down numerous MDX's w/unnecessary/unwanted factory installed trailer hitches. Needless to say, Acura should do some mkt. research regarding trailering. Or perhaps they did and found that the vast majority of us MDXers do not want hitches, thereby pushing the effort off to the dealers, when necessary. IMHO. |
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