[Bertman]

It was easy to carry bicycles on top of my last car, a VW Jetta Sportwagen, but the Taos is too tall for me to carry bicycles on top, particularly my wife’s E bike which is a hefty 60+ lbs. So I needed to install a trailer hitch receiver. First I checked with my dealer to ensure VW wouldn’t assume I was using the hitch to tow a trailer and thus deny any warranty claims (not a problem). Then I found the proper Curt hitch #13496, listed for $350 on their website. Kinda pricey, so a search for a better price led me to Napa online at $198. Sweet. Before I could complete the transaction, a message popped up to apply a code for an additional 20% discount. Thanks Napa! That brought the price down to $158 which included free shipping. Great price. I knew I couldn’t mount the hitch myself, so I tried a few shops in Denver and settled on Lampert Hitch in Arvada. They installed it quickly and cleanly for $145. If you are in Denver, I recommend them. They said the Curt #13496 fit perfectly on my 2022 Taos AWD and they only had to trim a small part of the underside of the bumper, which is completely out-of-sight. Now, when the hell is that Tour de France, anyway.

 

[k.aoi]

Installing the hitch is fairly easy, I have in another thread I installed the draw-tite one myself, took about an hour total- and I use mine for actual towing!

 

[davidmdaniels1]

After taking out about 14 screws I was able to loosen the bumper cover enough to be able to flex it around the hitch to get it in front of the metal plate and push it up onto the bolts for it to fit. This is a Curt hitch on my 2022 VW AWD Taos. Minimal cover trimming with a Dremel tool.

 

[AlexVaz]

I placed 2 bikes in the truck bed, in front of the hitch, toward the front wall of the bed. I placed an old blanket between the two to prevent scratching. On the slide concept, I put a large piece of card board next to the window, then the bikes, and last the recliner. I moved the handle bars around 180 degrees to accommodate a better fit. With only the two of us camping, putting the bikes in the slide area worked perfectly. So to speak, our 5er bumper hitch bike rack had seen better days. We chose this concept over purchasing a new bike rack because they appear to wear out.

 

[mconrad]

It was easy to carry bicycles on top of my last car, a VW Jetta Sportwagen, but the Taos is too tall for me to carry bicycles on top, particularly my wife’s E bike which is a hefty 60+ lbs. So I needed to install a trailer hitch receiver. First I checked with my dealer to ensure VW wouldn’t assume I was using the hitch to tow a trailer and thus deny any warranty claims (not a problem). Then I found the proper Curt hitch #13496, listed for $350 on their website. Kinda pricey, so a search for a better price led me to Napa online at $198. Sweet. Before I could complete the transaction, a message popped up to apply a code for an additional 20% discount. Thanks Napa! That brought the price down to $158 which included free shipping. Great price. I knew I couldn’t mount the hitch myself, so I tried a few shops in Denver and settled on Lampert Hitch in Arvada. They installed it quickly and cleanly for $145. If you are in Denver, I recommend them. They said the Curt #13496 fit perfectly on my 2022 Taos AWD and they only had to trim a small part of the underside of the bumper, which is completely out-of-sight. Now, when the hell is that Tour de France, anyway. View attachment 1217

Was Lampert ok with you bringing your own hitch to them for install?

 

[Bertman]

Was Lampert ok with you bringing your own hitch to them for install?

Yes, they didn’t even question it.

 

[Cecil]

What if your 2022 Taos is a front wheel drive? Does that make a difference? I'd like to use mine for towing a small boat and trailer. First place I called said installing Curt Hitch # 13496 was no problem, but they don't deal with German cars as the wiring can be finicky. Anyone ever hear that? (I had a Saturn Vue that drove a place crazy getting the wiring right).

So the warranty can be voided if towing is done, or not?