b67

He is lying to you about the bumper - its just a few plastic pieces that come off, you slap the hitch on, plug in the harness, zip tie and put the plastic facia pieces back on.

When buying the car I got to a point were they wouldn't come down anymore on price so I negotiated in the roof rack cross bars and remote start. I should have maybe went for the hitch instead of the cross bars...

I think mine looks fine, doesn't take away from the appearence, adds some ~40lbs to the car. No road noise or anything...

mdv

That is not true on factory hitch you have to remove bumper and take out al frame member and hitch replaces that. The factory hitch is very will made not like after market hitches

adamalbert

Ahhh, the problem with forums. I ask a question, and I get two very different answers. How do I know which is correct?
Never the less I thank both of you for your input.
Adam

mdv

Because I installed it myself. You have to remove bumper and frame member but really is a nice hitch designed for the car. I don't think the other guy install the Lexus hitch

afpj

mdv,
Just to clarify you installed an OEM Lexus hitch? Was contemplating Curt hitch as it looks straightforward, but it only calls removing then replacing the tow hooks, no frame members (unless you consider tow hooks as part of the frame. So for the OEM, remove bumper frame and cover/energy absorbing stuff? or just bumper cover? ALso, for the frame member, are we talking about a crossmember, or the part of the side rails. I'm trying to get as much info as I can before delving into it. THanks.

b67

Adam, I installed the curt hitch - I think it's nice, should be less prone to rust than the other brands (I hope)

MDV, sorry, I spoke too soon maybe, I just couldn't envision the OEM hitch being more complex - I looked at 3 aftermarkets and none needed the bumper off.

mdv

Best bet is to go to your dealer and have him print out installation sheet for you. Then you can decide if you want to do it. Also have them so you the hitch there is a big differents beteew the two

afpj

Indeed, the Oem receiver mounting requires removal of rear bumper. Bumper cover and foam put back on but the rear metal bumper "beam" is replaced by the receiver. If towing close to the 5000 lb limit, the OEM seems more secure. For my purposes, the aftermarket receivers look adequate given the price difference.

b67

Where did you get the 5000lb towing limit? I'm pretty sure it is only 3500lbs

afpj

You're correct, 3500 lbs is the tow limit...I must have had a delusion of grandeur regarding the RX. My Chevy can tow 5000 lbs just hooking the ball mount to the bumper; must have been thinking about that at the time as I can find no other reason for the 5000 figure to fall out of my brain.

adamalbert

All,
I decide to use the Curt hitch.
I installed it this morning in the drive way. Total time was about 2 hours: taking my time and working alone. I did not jack the car up, and found plenty of room beneath the RX to work.
It was a little tricky getting the hitch up while working alone, but with the help of a box, a jack stand, and extra care not to scratch anything, it went in beautifully.
Thanks

afpj

Very nice adamalbert. May I ask what you did with the wiring? I've been told it just plugs in from below (you just unplug a connector then put in an adapter), but there remains a question of how to secure the end. Thanks for any info

adamalbert

The Curt wiring harness comes with tie straps and a rubber plug. There were more than enough places under the car to secure it. You can see the rubber plug on the bottom left hand side of the receiver. Since then I purchased a plain rubber receiver cover ($5.99) that has a built in cover for the wiring. I am every sensitive to noise and rattles, and there have been none.

rerut

New member to the forums, I have a 2010 RX 350 FWD - NO Tow Prep package - have been looking at the posts and like the CURT hitch, but cannot find a confirmed answer on the wiring plug that is located under the bumper - driver's side. I have located the plug, but some posts seem to indicate that even though the plug exists, it is not LIVE without the tow prep package? Can anyone confirm this? Has anyone with a 2010 RX without the Tow Prep package confirmed a wiring harness that works?
thanks in advance for any help!

darkstalke

This particular forum topic was very helpful to me in deciding if I should pay the dealer to do mine for $1000, get Uhaul to do it, or do a self install. I ultimately decided to give the self install a try even though i know nothing of cars. My buddy let me borrow his shop and his tools since i do not have any of my own and it literally only took 20 minutes to do so.

It took longer for me to install my Softride Bike Mount than it did to do the Hitch receiver. Attached are pictures of the install. I hope this helps anyone else out.

$140 Curt Class III receiver
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ef=oss_product

$16 wiring harness
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ef=oss_product

$340 Softride Bike Mount
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ef=oss_product

Thanks all for your helpful posts!