This is a continuous journal of my Model Y shopping experience. Day 1 and Day 2.
One reason I wasn’t too concerned about the gaps in my Model Y’s panel was that I was going to take apart the entire backend to install a third-party tow hitch. Obviously I’d rather Tesla do it, but their tow hitches weren’t available with my car delivery. However, they are now available to order.
What is my rush? We were headed to Vermont this weekend and we wanted to bring the bikes …
I went with a popular Torklift third-party trailer hitch that cost $ 322 shipped, about a quarter of Tesla’s price. Tesla’s trailer package comes with a standard 7-pin NA connector for electricity / lights and takes advantage of its towing mode software, so it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison at all. It also comes installed, which is a great advantage. But I’m only using the bike hitch for now, so the Tesla package is probably overkill.
Torklift Model Y Trailer Hitch Installation
The Torklift ‘EcoHitch ™ shipped in about a week on FedEx Ground and arrived a few days before my Model Y. It weighs approximately 35 pounds. and picking it up shows exactly why Tesla didn’t make it a standard feature. A lot of extra weight is added to the car for something that only a few people can find valuable.
The process of taking off the rear of the car, including the bumper, was very scary, especially since it was a new car. The Torklift instructions were a bad 14 page Xeroxed instruction guide that left a lot to be desired. His fast-paced YouTube video wasn’t much help either.
Fortunately, there were already a couple of good YouTube videos (1, 2) that helped connect the dots.
I channeled my internal Rich Reconstructions and went to work yesterday afternoon. My father’s tools were mostly fine for the job, but I highly recommend getting a 5/8 ″ or 15mm deep socket to remove the heavy duty bolts on the inner bumper. Last night I ran to the hardware store and grabbed it along with a longer, stronger pipe wrench for $ 30.
You may also want to put Model Y in the shots. I didn’t, but it would have been nice to have a little more space when removing the bottom screws.
Overall, it took me about 4 hours, but if I had to do it again with what I learned, I could probably do it in 1.5-2 hours. I didn’t make a video because you can see the ones already on YouTube above and not see my silly mistakes. But here is some of the butchery:
Model Y Trailer Hitch Notes
After digging in the car, I can see why it is so difficult to nail holes in the panel. Most of this is plastic mounted on steel and any curvature or break in that plastic gives the whole look. I ended up making everything back to be at least as good as it was before, but it took a bit of adjustment. There were some examples of excess glue and insulation, as well as some bent parts that I hope I can address. However, he didn’t have the cross thread screw in the pan problem that the other YouTubers had.
Overall, I’m happy that I saved about $ 900 doing this myself, but I’m pretty sure I would have had Tesla put his own if it were available last week. I gained a much better understanding of the inner workings of the Model Y, which may or may not be useful later.
One thing I’d like to do in the future is add a little more soundproofing to the rear of the car to help reduce road noise and suspension.
I have a Thule bike mount with a 2 inch receiver and it fits well. Unfortunately, after all that work, I noticed that my children’s new bikes don’t ride well, so I might get a flat hitch.
The EcoHitch supports the same 350-pound, 3,500-pound towing weight as Tesla, so there should be no problem carrying some bikes. You could probably even launch an electric bike there. It is super solid in my limited tests. It doesn’t feel flimsy at all.
Model Y range with bicycles?
My biggest concern now is how many hits my range is going to have on the bikes. I’m also concerned that the Model Y triggers rear alerts since I don’t have an official Tesla “towing mode” option. I’ll be able to prove and document that this weekend on the way to Vermont, which is approximately 180 miles.
Until then, enjoy some photos of my work.
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