Volvo hitch and base unit

[kersti]

I plan to have the Volvo square hitch put on my new XC. It seems to require a base unit to be purchased to accommodate the bike racks and ski racks which I assume are Thule. The Thule catalog has bike racks and ski racks that go directly into the square hitch. Has anyone bought the Volvo system? What are the advantages to going for the Volvo accessories over the Thule ones. I would really appreciate any help if others have considered, bought or researched.

Kersti

[Low Tide]

As far as I kow, they are one in the same still.  The unit that attaches to the car is Volvo, but the accessories are all Volvo/Thule hybrids made by Thule.  

That being said.  If you can't get a waranty from the dealer or a significant discount, I'd buy Thule branded from a Thule dealer.  Why?  Well, there is a basic 5 year warranty from the Manufacturer v. 1 year from Volvo (if not purchased at the time of the car)  How this is treated in your OSD case, I am not sure.  Thule direct tends to be cheaper when the products are listed at full price (unless offset by a rebate from Volvo)  

You can do much WORSE than buying from a place like REI- which will honor an unconditional return guarantee if you are a member for the LIFE of the product.  They have an anniversary sale coming up in about a month.... look for 20% off then via coupons given to members.  

As for the individual accessories, I am not familiar with the hitch- others here are.  I have looked at Thule's hitch kits and they are equally as rugged as the roof racks.

Make sure you get the security protection for the hitch accessories- stuff is easier to steal when on a hitch if you are not careful about locking it up properly.

Does any of that help?  Send SPECIFIC questions and I'll figure it out... I need to call Thule and chat with the tech guys this week anyway.

-LT  

PS:  Have you binoculars out watching for the Isolde?  Where is it now?

[picklehead]

Kersti,

I hope that the Thule unit mounts on the volvo square hitch. I've scheduled my car for installation of the hitch on 5/12/03. I was quoted 4 hours of labor for installation of the hitch and 6 hours of labor if I had the electronics run as well. The hitch was quoted at $187.00. I chose to go the nonelectrical route since I only intend on using the rear mounted Bike carrier that is a Thule brand. The dealer did not believe that there would be any problem using the thule carrier, he seemed to believe that the square receiver was "universal".

Very Respectfully,
Jim Miller

[Low Tide]

WOW!  Holy Cow!  4 hours?  Wouldn't some crossbars and some bike carriers be a LOT cheaper?  Are you towing anything ever?  

Crossbars:  $169-198 depending on where you buy them
Carrier: $70-125 each depending on the model
Labor:  Free DIY, 1.5 hours, including recycling the boxes
Rebates: $30 for Volvo brand, $0 for Thule

[barrysharp]

kersti:

Does the Forum's Resources Tow Hitch Installation (http://www.v70xc.com/resources/how-to/hitch-install.html) help you any.

I also believe one of the posters was looking at installing a tow hitch as well -- maybe this can help them also.

Good luck. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[picklehead]

Low Tide,

I would agree with you if we did not already own the 4 bike unit from Thule (fits our current Jeep Grand Cherokee). It would be difficult to get four bikes on top of the car. I plan on getting the carrier package for the top for extended trips. The four hours of labor included removing the bumper assembly and attaching the unit to the frame. My dealer gets $75.00 an hour so I did not believe that it was a bad estimate. In terms of electronics, since I do not tow a trailer, I thought that this was the best option. If I decide to tow a trailer for a limited time, those big tail lights will probably be just fine for a short trip.

Very Respectfully,
Jim Miller

[Low Tide]

Fair enough Jim... it just scared me.   I wish our labor rate was $75 an hour....

Barry's DIY suggestion was a great one BTW.  Not that you can't help support our economy and you local Volvo dealer... $300 saved would pay for the roof rack though....

Hang in there and let us know how it turns out.

[budrichard]

Kersti et al: I have the Volvo factory 2" hitch installed and the base unit with load basket. You do need the base unit for at least the load basket and I believe the other items. The base unit actually pivots to allow you to open the rear hatch without taking the unit off. It and the platform are engineering marvels and to me are definately worth the price. The base unit attaches to the 2" hitch by a treaded bolt with an o-ring seal and a lock so it cannot me removed. I used to purchase only Yakama but after purchasing the Volvo base unit and load basket, I am now going to purchase the Advanced Trailer Hitch Bike Carrier. My kayaks and canoes will still go on top with the Yakama top rack which is coming off the 99XC onto the 03XC. Try to obtain the Volvo Accessories catalog. -Dick

[kersti]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I had been given a quote of $700 for the hitch installation hopefully that means electrical too. I will have to check on that. Thanks Barry but I am not a diy'r so even though it is expensive I would like Volvo to do it and quarantee the work.  I want it basically for bicycles but also to have the ability to tow a small trailer if necessary. Considering that the dealer had promised me 20% off on accessories and with the volvo rebate the price between buying a Thule or similar from Volvo is about the same, so it is more a matter of which will work better. I like that Thule has a 2 bike version that can be expanded while I believe Volvo only has a 4 bike. The upcoming REI sale though could sway it towards buying the Rok'N'Lok Thule. I am hoping I can find a place to see the units and how they operate to help make my decision. Dick, it was good to hear that you have the base unit and like how it operates. LT, if you get any feedback from the Thule rep on his recommendations for hitch equipment I would appreciate it, main thing is ease of use and easy access to trunk area.

Thanks, Kersti

[Low Tide]

FYI---

Call 1-800-550-5658 to request ANY Volvo print materials. They will priority mail them to you at no charge. The Accessories book is harder to find for some reason.

[barrysharp]

Kersti:

If you are prepared to spend the ~$700 for the tow hitch and its installation I would suggest you ask your dealership if they participate in VCOA discounting on parts and labor.

My dealership provides 15% on both parts and labor to bone fide VCOA members. Thus if I were faced with the $700 expense as you are and would be asking my dealership to do the work the savings would be significant. That is, essentially 15% of $700 or $105 in savings.

If you aren't a VCOA member today it will take approx 4 weeks to become one. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Good luck and keep us posted on how you get along with this tow hitch installation.

[kersti]

Unfortunately the dealers out my way are not participating in the VCOA discounts.  I did call the Volvo Shopper line and they are sending me a current accessory book.

Kersti

[budrichard]

Kersti, the Volvo 20% rebate expired 3/31/2003. If you know of another, please let me know because I would like to order the Advanced Trailer Hitch Bike Carrier (Part # 8682218) or if you find a good source for one, let me know where and price. thanks, Dick.

[Low Tide]

There is a new rebate that starts April 1 and runs to Oct 31,2003.

It is a flat "money back" offer based on the part number.

Ie- hitch accessories are all $25 back, roof accessories are $10 back. Boxes are $50, rails $50.

The certificates are avail at your parts dept or online. Certificates were also mailed out to all VCNA Finance customers.

"Some" dealers and definately Jaffarian http://www.volvopartsworld.com  offer 20% off.  You can add the rebate on top of that for a pretty fair price.  

As for REI  http://www.rei.com - 20% off will be on "one item at regular price" during the Anniversary Sale (begins May 21st)  Yakima gear will be on sale across the whole line.  Presently only the Yakima SKS upright bike carriers is on sale.  The 20% off Thule sale ended 2 wks ago.

[kersti]

My dealer when I ordered last December said that would honor the 20% off available in December on accessories when I pick up the car after OSD delivery. We will see???

[rkestner]

first, let me just say what a great site this is!  i continue to be amazed at the information available to help me have a good xc experience.

kersti - i just had the factory hitch installed at the dealer.  only the second one installed (my understanding) at my el paso, tx dealer.  i decided on the factory hitch after reading everything i could find here and on the brickboard sites.  i am using a rhode gear bike rack on the 2 inch mount.  did not need the base unit.  i did have the wiring harness installed even though i did not anticipate using it for towing.  the info from one posting about a short in the wiring zapping out the car computer got me to thinking about the warranty coverage, volvo parts, dealer installation, etc.  i had good luck talking to my service rep at the dealership and suggesting that 4 hours seemed a little excessive for a pre-drilled hitch mount.  he agreed and gave me a fixed, lower labor price.  i sent in the flyer from the parts counter for a $25 rebate on the hitch from Volvo, but it was returned from the new jersey address.  will follow up on that today.  

good luck in your efforts.  hope my experience is helpful to you.

rich

[kersti]

Thanks Rich,
So bottom line, how long does it take the service department to mount the hitch and put in the wiring? Might give me some bargaining power.
Kersti

[rkestner]

i seem to remember the service manager quoting me 4 hours for the installation.  as i noted, he did not believe it would take that long, but it required removing the bumper.

[picklehead]

Well they installed the hitch today,

    Total labor without the electrical was 3.5 hours, I opted for the nonelectrical route since I will only use the hitch for a Thule bike carrier.  The service manager told me that the electrical could be hooked up at any time with an additional 1/2 hour of labor.  Total cost, including the hitch, was $471.00.  The hitch looks great and the Thule carrier fits with no problems.  The technician was not able to get rid of the rattle in the folding cup holder in the center counsel, he thinks that there is some loose plastic in the base unit.  He ordered a new unit, told me that the rattle was definitely too annoying to have on a new car.  All in all thumbs up to my dealer, Lovering Volvo, Concord NH

Very Respectfully,
Jim Miller

[budrichard]

Be sure to get the rubber Volvo marked hitch plug! -Dick

[Hiro's XC]

I can attest to the 4+ hours for the job. I have now got the photos and the instructions (factory) on my computer and available for a few$ to cover the burn and the mailing if anybody wants them. Thanks to a fellow board member who proder me long enough to get him a copy! It is a 6-7 hour job for the lay-man due to the dificulty in removing and reassembling the bumber and getting it RIGHT. There a lot of little clips and connection that need to be attached or it won't sit right upon reassembly. One note, the factory instructions I have are crossed off and marked up FOR the XC in particular. You would have a tough time reading them for the other Volvo cars. I did this to EXPIDITE the procedure as there are instructions for 5 cars comingled together.

Email me and I can send the hard CD or if you have an email server big enough (60M) I can email them.

Jason

[kersti]

Hi Jason,
Do you know if having the reversing radar complicated things?

Kersti

[barrysharp]

kersti & others:

I'm seriously considering a tow hitch -- not so much for the towing function but rather being able to attach and haul two bikes for wife and me.

I want to be able to remove whatever structure is mounted into the tow bar that enables the bikes to be carried after the bikes are removed as I don't like the idea of leaving a pointed and dangerous piece of gear sticking out the back. I've seen too many small kids almost poke their eyes out on the protruding pointed metal bars.

Questions:

1. What type of bike carrier attachment fits my requirement.
2. Should I go for Volvo or OEM product.
3. What's overall cost -- parts & labor separated.
4. Is Volvo warranty just 1 year.
5. Does rear metal skid plate cause any problems when fitting the tow hitch.

Thanks.

[kersti]

Buying either the volvo unit or other should allow you to easily remove the unit from the square 2" hitch. There is a cover plate that you buy to cover the opening when not in use. As I understand it the rear skid plate does not interfer with attaching the hitch.

Kersti

[picklehead]

Barry,

   The volvo hitch unit looks great, does not lower the ground clearance, and has a cool rubber volvo plug that seals the unit when it is not in use.  I do not know what the volvo bike carrier is like, but the Thule unit (4 bike carrier) we have from an old Grand Cherokee fits with no problem.  The unit also has a reclining feature that is easy to use and allows the rear lift door to still open.  The Thule unit looks like it was designed for the car so I am quite happy.  On a separate note, when the technician came out with me to investigate a rattle, I asked him if he had installed the hitch.  When he said yes, I told him that I thought it looked great and that he did a great job.  He thanked me and beamed from ear to ear, it appeared as if he does not get many compliments.

Very Respectfully,
Jim Miller

[wiz]

And you will get some good work done on the car the next time it is in the shop, picklehead! http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif