Customer Reviews - Torklift Ecohitch Hidden Subaru Outback 2015-18 2 in. Receiver
[TC_X7266]

$523.66 $476.05

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by Dennis O'Leary | Date Added: Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Product Rating

Installed on 2018 Outback 3.6R Limited.
Easy one person installation if you review the step-by-step Torklift installation video and paper instructions and....

*Wearing a camping headlamp makes seeing everything so much easier in the wheel wells and under the bumper.

*Measure to confirm the center line of the bumper with the metal tailgate latch or anything that is not on the bumper (I explain below)

*I hung the lights up and out of my way with a bungee cord from the tailgate lift brackets, rather than risk damaging a bulb or clip to remove each bulb.

*There is one wire harness connector clip (for the backup sensors) on the driver's side, under the light, that can be disconnected, from underneath, before removing the bumper. You can remove the bumper first, but then you have to support the bumper and un-clip the harness. The clip is secured by a white slip clip to an adjacent metal bracket. It is the first one you see when looking under the corner of the bumper.

*Must have a 14mm DEEP SET socket (6 pin) to remove the bumper beam nuts. Standard set is too short and won't reach the nut.

*Don't forget to bend the center metal tab up before placing the hitch onto the bumper beam bolts.

*Do use a level to center the hitch before tightening the bumper beam nuts. I lined it up with the chrome tailgate latch. (The hitch has some left and right play). Now, when you measure your cut for the bumper fascia, the hitch will line up in the middle of the bumper contours.

*Before cutting the fascia, confirm your measurements so the "mark out" is in the middle. After making the cuts, you have to carefully shave or whittle down the remaining thick push pin edge to get the Trim-Lok to fit.

*I suggest starting at one end and carefully pushing and squeezing the entire Trim-Lok in place, inch by inch, at the same time crimping it with a pliers to make it stay in place (it has a thin sleeve of metal inside). There will be extra to trim off.

*Don't bother trying to re-install the foam pad. I tried to put the bumper fascia on over the foam pad. The fascia tabs would not line up on the sides. Just throw it away - like the video says.

*When re-installing the mud flaps make sure to keep the black metal screw tabs over the holes. The screws, and the mud flap, will not be secured going into plastic alone. The tabs are hard to see as they are black on black plastic.

Took me about 2 1/2 hours because I was pausing the installation video on my iPad and was deliberately slow and careful.
It is solid and looks great!

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by George Burkhardt | Date Added: Friday, January 19, 2018

Product Rating

The installation was straight forward thanks to Torkfit video and written instructions. Talking time to study additional videos reinforces understanding of the process. Using a pry tool on bumper facia clips eased their removal. The hitch itself is well designed as it is specific to the car brand and model.

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by Michael Franz | Date Added: Thursday, May 25, 2017

Product Rating

Awesome!. Easy enough to install yourself in under 90 minutes.

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by Jon Harvey | Date Added: Monday, April 24, 2017

Product Rating

The Hitch arrived in a few days, well packaged and appears well made. The installation instructions were clear, though a couple of additional points would help with a smoother installation. First, you will need a deep 14mm socket to remove the bumper nuts. Second, the metal tab referred to in the instructions is one of the "push clip" (plastic rivet) receive tabs on the chassis that would otherwise interfere with the hitch. it just need to be bent out of the way. You also need to be careful when reinstalling the bummer cover so it doesn't get damaged. There many snap points that could pinch or jam, causing some misalignment. I would recommend this hitch and save some money over the factory install.

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by Alan Leonard | Date Added: Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Product Rating

Clear instructions were easy to follow and the project probably took an hour and a half total for me. Nothing that a modestly mechanical person can't handle on their own.

The hitch looks great on the car. I've only used it to haul a swing away bike rack, but have plans to do some light hauling with it.

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