Whatever you do DON'T have the dealer install your trailer hitch. I called 2 Honda dealers in the area and they both quoted me prices of $800+!!!! I said you gotta be kidding me. I priced the hitch online at hitchesonline.com (aftermarket Hidden Hitch) and altogether with the hitch/wiring/ball it was around $130 before shipping. I went to my local hitch shop that put on my friends hitch on her CR-V and they quoted me $200. Since I don't have the time or facilities here at home to do it myself I'm getting them to do it next week. Why does the dealer charge $800? Why...WHY?

Good find on the aftermarket hitch.

I think the answer to why dealers charge such high prices for accessories, like hitches, is simply because they can. And, I don't think this is really where their bread and butter comes from. If they manage to sell a hitch and make $500 off of it, great. But they also price them high so they can throw them in on the deal and make you think you're getting a better $$ deal than you actually are due to the markup.

I'm no salesperson, but the business side of me and the experiences I've had in the showrooms tells me this is probably the case.

FWIW-

Yeah that's probably the case. I used to have a Jeep Liberty, though, and I had them put on fog lights and a trailer hitch after the fact and I don't remember it costing me that much, though. Both of them put together equal about what the dealer wanted to put the hitch on the E. Maybe it's a Honda thing, who knows? Maybe it's because they don't charge extra for "options" but charge extra for "dealer installed accessories". I dunno....

B

[quote:afbd500a08="wr70beh"]Maybe it's because they don't charge extra for "options" but charge extra for "dealer installed accessories". I dunno....

B[/quote:afbd500a08]

Seems like Dealer installed accessories is getting to be a bigger and bigger part of the profit for dealers, they realize that the profits on the car itself is shrinking.

When I mentioned the hitch to my dealer, he looked at the Honda price, and then immediately called an aftermarket vendor he often refers cutomers to. Now that's service.

Take a look at the way the Hidden Hitch bolts up to the subframe, I think it uses one bolt on each side. With the Honda hitch, there is a bracket which bolts to the frame with two bolts on each side and may be a stronger mount. Both hitches use the tow loop with a U bolt to fasten in the center. To me it looks like the Honda version may be slightly stronger? Any engineers out there have any comments?