Here you go:

 

Thanks for taking the time to post the picture - I know the hitch is about $200 more than a after market - any idea what Toyota is charging for the black bumper part with the cut out?? - I guess a person could just cut theirs - or maybe this is what Toyota is doing???

 

You can also have the black fascia painted to match your HL before you install it by a body shop if you want to go to the expense.

You need to have a body shop do it as they add a flex component to the paint.

The factory hitch has a nice clean look if you can convince yourself to spend the extra money...

 

Thanks for the pic PL. It does look extra snazzy! However, the lower fascia on my HLH is silver, so I guess I'll have to have it painted if I want to maintain the look. <Sigh>

 

Harly, did you order the hitch online or directly from the dealer? I was thinking about installing one myself. How much did the hitch cost and was it difficult to install yourself? Thx.

 

Thanks for posting that pic. It pretty much sums it up in my mind. I think I am going to go with the factory hitch. Yes it is $200 more, however I like the clean install look.

I wouldn't doubt it if they just cut the fascia. I looked under my HL with factory installed running boards and they just cut all the plastic cover pieces under there to install it. Kinda cheesy, but what are you going to do.

 

I wouldn't doubt it if they just cut the fascia. I looked under my HL with factory installed running boards and they just cut all the plastic cover pieces under there to install it. Kinda cheesy, but what are you going to do.

You get a new fascia with the Toyota hitch. It is black and if you have a Sport or Limited you may want to have it painted to color match the original fascia. Click on link below

Toyota Hitch instructions

 

For your interest, that is what the Australian Kluger (Highlander) tow bar look.

 

PLamarine-
With the Factory Tow Hitch, how much does the hitch stick out beyond the bumper w/o the reciever installed?

I just received the Draw Tite hitch, which I am going to install myself. I can see that it will stick out about 4". The hitch is v-shaped to get around the spare tire, so it sticks out like that. Not ideal for me, as I would rather have it flush...which would be cleaner, and I wouldn't have to worry about banging into it, specifically in the garage, where I have a tight fit.

I assume the factory hitch has this same issue getting around the spare, but wanted to check. I am coming from a Nissan Murano, where I also installed a Draw Tite hitch, and did not have this issue at all.

Thanks,
Andy

 

There is a You Tube Video on hitch install for 08' Highlander, it will show how to install Valley/Drawtite hitch & how it looks after install. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLrZUN1h80Y

 

The question about how much the factory and after market hitch (without reciever) sticks out - I will agree that the aftermarket will most likley stick out a little futher... the OEM goes behide the facia - this is why it has to be cut - it will hide a little easier - the aftermarket 'may' be a little more of a bump hazard - However, right now, I am just about $$$$$$ out and I still have body side molding, mud flaps and rubber rear cargo mat to go.. So, if I can save at least $200 on the hitch - This is what I will do and that is installing it my self - If I have Toyota install the factory hitch - more $$$$$, my dealer included the needed harness after I bitched about them saying it was included - it is NOT.... anyway,,, they treated me nice... picked up the HL Limited last night... Very nice SUV, much bigger than the Avalon, lol... cleaning the windshield is more work for the wife and washing/waxing will keep her busy...And she loves to wax - or at least how the car looks afterwards... step ladders/stools here we come....

My hitch will be here in a few days,,, I will post pictures of it installed looking DOWN from above, showing just how much does stick out.. Would like to see a pic of the OEM from this angle.... I will have the wife hold a yard stick against the bumper / next to the hitch... this should answer all questions...

 

My dealer was not offering any price break on the factory hitch $450 or the wiring harness $120 if you have the tow prep package, plus they wanted $285 for installation. I purchased the Valley hitch from etrailer.com $144.95 +.99 for shipping and the factory wiring harness from toyotapart.com for $105.83 thanks to reviewing other members posts and surfing the web. You can find the factory hitch online for around $375, but I did not check on shipping costs.
The hitch took about 45 minutes to install by myself and the wiring harness about 30 minutes. I would estimate that the Valley hitch only sticks out past the plane of the rear bumper about an inch. So the possibility of hitting your leg on it is very limited.
The factory hitch definitely looks cleaner more integrated in my opinion, but not enough for me to justify the extra cost.

 

My dealer was not offering any price break on the factory hitch $450 or the wiring harness $120 if you have the tow prep package, plus they wanted $285 for installation. I purchased the Valley hitch from etrailer.com $144.95 +.99 for shipping and the factory wiring harness from toyotapart.com for $105.83 thanks to reviewing other members posts and surfing the web. You can find the factory hitch online for around $375, but I did not check on shipping costs.
The hitch took about 45 minutes to install by myself and the wiring harness about 30 minutes. I would estimate that the Valley hitch only sticks out past the plane of the rear bumper about an inch. So the possibility of hitting your leg on it is very limited.
The factory hitch definitely looks cleaner more integrated in my opinion, but not enough for me to justify the extra cost.

I could not agree more. My dealer did include the harness after my bitching/whining (lol) - My Hitch is on the way and should be here by Monday. Thanks for the info on how much it sticks out. Enjoy...

 

Sorry, I didn't go with the factory hitch and instead purchased a Valley hitch from etrailer.com for $144.95 + .99 for shipping. However, I did search for a factory hitch and the lowest price I could find at the time was at http://toyotapartsdelivered.com/ for around $375. I have no idea what the shipping would be. You can use their part number search option and search on PT228-69080. Good luck with your search which every way decide to go.

 

Thank you for the website. I will probably go with the factory hitch. It has a cleaner look.

 

Just installed the "Etrailer" Draw-tite hitch - could not have been easier and I did it by myself... actually spent more time removing the plastic covers and tow hooks... Super easy install - Yes it does show a little more than the factory but I still need to buy Body side molding, rubber cargo mat and mud flaps - SO, the $200+ savings on the hitch will come in handy... Right now I see the hitch but in 6 months it will just be part of the back and no big deal.. Only concern the wife had was the possilbe bump hazard by sticking out - non issue...

 

I installed the Draw-Tite hitch yesterday along with the factory wiring harness. It was an easy install for the most part. For the wiring, it was difficult to get one of the rear boards out, but in the end I was able to do it without removing that.

I was concerned with hitch sticking out. It ended up about 1.5" out past the vertical plane of the bumper. It looks like it is sticking out more than it actually is...due to the shape of the bumper. I would have liked it not to be sticking out like this, but it doesn't seem like much of a bump hazard.

Other than that I ended up taking off the chrome exhaust tip (I have a Sport). The hitch fit around it, but the tip was resting on the hitch, and I thought that may cause vibration.

Before installing the hitch, I removed the Draw-Tite and Etrailer stickers. Those seem to come off over time, and they just draw attention to the hitch. I then cleaned off the hitch with acetone, and primed all of the areas where the paint was scratched or chipped. The hitches are not packaged well for shipping. I finished up with 2 coats of Rustoleum gloss black. I did this a few years back with another hitch, and it held up quite well.

So, here are pictures of the final product.

Andy

 

I installed the Draw-Tite hitch yesterday along with the factory wiring harness...I ended up taking off the chrome exhaust tip (I have a Sport). The hitch fit around it, but the tip was resting on the hitch, and I thought that may cause vibration.

Just a note that the Valley hitch runs the hitch above the exhaust instead of below, as with the Draw-Tite. This means there's no potential vibration issue with the chrome exhaust tip, since there's nothing below the tip for it to rest on.

 

I agree about the "stickers" on the hitch - made it Jump out at ya... took off booth - my paint was fine -

 

Too bad about the chrome tip having to come off...that is a really nice touch on the Sport.

 

installed the Toyota harness today after a much disapointing day at the Dealer - they said they would install it, so why not... After it sat untouched for two hours and then being told it was a 2.5 hour job and they would need it all day (had an app and was told at 0900 it would be done in 1.5 hours) I had them give me the part and I left pissed... Went home, had lunch, cooled down and read through the inst and installed it my self in under 1 hour and I was taking my time...

This is a super easy plug and play install... should have Never allowed the dealer to try and install, not worth the upset feelings and time involved (dealer is 22 miles away).

Thanks to "mdadson" for his help and guidance..

 

question?

Hey what do you guys tow with your new highlander? I'm getting ready to install the factory hitch myself and looking forward to seeing how it pulls my 18 foot crownline boat this spring!


Just curious of the loads your hauling!

 

Nothing fancy on my end. I just have an 8' foot utility trailer that I have had for years. I use it for all types of hauling for my home improvement projects from building materials to landscape materials. Currently I am finishing my basement, so I have brought home 2x4's, 2x6's, insulation, drywall, trim, you name it. I would rather hook up my trailer than put mulch, shurbs and pinestraw in the back and have to protect the carpets and clean it out. I will say the Highlander tows it much better than Chrysler Town & Country it replaced.

 

Any boat towers?

If anyone pulls a heavy load or a boat with there new 08 Highlander tells us how she does??

 

If you can wait a few months, I'll give you an answer. I plan on getting a Casita travel trailer (www.casitatraveltrailers.com) this spring. It weights about 2,400 pounds dry. Main problem is where to mount the electronic brake control unit. Most people mount it below the dash next to the steering column. But this will interfere with the driver's knee airbag. If anyone has come across this problem, I would appreciate how you mounted the control unit. Also looking for a good buy on the Toyota hitch and converter. So far, http://toyotapartsdelivered.com/ has the best prices.

 

Idea on Tow hitch

Im planning on buying the factory hitch for my HL. Im thinking about cutting the fascia that is on the vehicle now and not using the black one they supply with the hitch. I have the sport with pearl white so by keeping the same color might just work. Anyone see a problem with this idea?

 

Im planning on buying the factory hitch for my HL. Im thinking about cutting the fascia that is on the vehicle now and not using the black one they supply with the hitch. I have the sport with pearl white so by keeping the same color might just work. Anyone see a problem with this idea?

As long as connectors/connecting points are the same, it should be a simple matter of being very careful with some tin snips to cut through the plastic fascia. And if you do screw up for any reason, you always have the black one to fall back on.

 

More Pictures of the Toyota OEM Hitch

After seeing the pictures posted by others, I decided to buy the overpriced Toyota hitch because I really prefer the look of the receiver integrated into the bumper. It also avoids potential issues with the exhaust tip and results in the receiver being higher off the ground so there are no ground clearance issues (like I had on a previous vehicle).

I am not a mechanic (I haven't even changed the oil myself on a vehicle since they started making the oil filters so hard to reach) but I had no problems with the installation. The biggerst problem was the illegible instructions which came with the hitch (bad photocopy - photos/diagrams were too dark to read). The Wiring Harness instructions were missing from my kit. I resolved both issues by printing the PDF version of both sets of instructions I found in this forum (thanks guys).

I decided not to paint the facia because I like the look of the black facia (the vehicle has a black pice of rubber protecting the top of the bumper anyway so I don't think it looks out of place).

The facia does extend out to cover the hich so cutting the origional is not an option as mentioned in a couple posts above.

I've included several angles in the pics below so that you can get a feel for the new profile.

 

Thanks, BDinVA, for the pics... That helped me decide on the factory one as well

 

Also leaning toward the factory look

Folks,
after much debate and reading and re-reading of many of these posts (and thanks to all those who have included pics!!!) I think the factory hitch / wiring assembly is the best route.
It seems to keep the hitch from protruding and has the cleanest overall install and look (in my opinion).

That being said, where is the best place to pick one of these up?
I have not yet consulted my local toyota dealer(s), but I have my doubts they're going to be cheap or reasonable and I have no problem lying on my back and doing this in my garage.

Any help or insight would be appriciated.

JC

 

you'll pay shipping.

Folks,
after much debate and reading and re-reading of many of these posts (and thanks to all those who have included pics!!!) I think the factory hitch / wiring assembly is the best route.
It seems to keep the hitch from protruding and has the cleanest overall install and look (in my opinion).

That being said, where is the best place to pick one of these up?
I have not yet consulted my local toyota dealer(s), but I have my doubts they're going to be cheap or reasonable and I have no problem lying on my back and doing this in my garage.

Any help or insight would be appriciated.

JC

just got mine last weekend (factory hitch) I installed it my self, it was easy but you need somebody to help you.

I got it from my Toyota dealer, mine accepts AAA discouns which is a 10% savings not bad, I did not pay for shipping. I think you can get it for 375 somewhere , not sure where you located, but shipping will cost you another $60 so you really did not save any.

 

jscurtiss, I got my hitch and wiring harness from a Dallas dealer, Cowboy Toyota and paid exactly $500 delivered to Washington State. Good luck!