Valley Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class III - 2"

Valley Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class III - 2 - V82111

by: Jon R11/19/2011

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2008 MDX. Ridiculously fast shipping. Installed myself in 1.5 hours without jacking the car up and all with basic tools. Ratcheting wrenches help to get the heat shields off. Tight, but perfect fit. This site knows how to provide a great product at a fair price and provides superb service. 27175

by: Frank S.07/13/2011

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The quality of the hitch receiver was outstanding. It fit so perfectly in the designated space under my car that I had to tap it into place with a rubber mallet to move it into position. The hardware was complete and also of high quality. My only complaint about the product is that the main support arm is too close to the bottom rear bolt on each side. Because of this, it was impossible to get a socket onto the bolt head to tighten it. Even after the nut was tightened (a very tedious process done an 1/8 of a turn at a time using a crow foot wrench), there wasn't enough space between the bolt head and the support arm to get a socket completely onto the bolt head. This is required in order to torque the bolt to specifications. An eighth of an inch would have made all the difference here. The instructions were too rudimentary and the illustrations were too simple. It was not at all clear how to remove the rubber muffler hangers from their supports. Photographs of the complete installation process using more steps would have been very helpful. It would have been REALLY nice to know that the bolt head size is 22 mm, but this was not stated anywhere in the instructions. The product description in your online catalog should mention the tools needed to complete the installation, namely the aforementioned 22 mm socket, and a torque wrench with a capacity of at least 116 ft-lbs so the customer can have these on-hand. Despite these difficulties, the hitch is excellent quality and a great value. 19330

by: Pat L.07/05/2011

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I installed on a 2011 Acura MDX tech ent. The hitch itself is great and fits well once you get it lined up with the holes, but it isn't quite as easy as the directions let on. I took the spare out first. The directions then say to remove the exhaust brackets to let the exhaust hang down. They are rubber and the trick to slide them off is hand soap. There are two on each side. After that you should remove the heat shields; three small bolts on each side. The third thing I recommend (not in the instructions is to take down the lower bumper panel bracket (see picture) which is two little screws per side. Without doing this there is very little clearance and caused me to scratch my hitch (just underneath which is no big deal) before I decided to remove those too. After all that was removed, I put the hitch on a jack to line up the holes. This is a bit easier said than done because the hitch fits VERY tight between the frame rails (good for a secure fit but hard to jimmy back and forth). It required me using a small pry bar to get the holes lined up just right (about an extra 30 min of work). Once I got it lined up it fit great. The four bolts fit in well and three of them are easy to get torqued but the last one on each side (lower most rear) is really tough because there is no clearance for the wrench. Once I got them torqued I put everything back that I removed which was easy. The spare tire fits fine with the hitch but you do need to tilt it up and hook the one side under the hitch before cranking it up to it's rightful place. All in all the hitch looks great but for a novice like me who is comfortable with tools but not a car guy, it is a little harder than the instructions lead on. About an hour and a half for a professional looking jobs. I've attached some pics to see how it looked as I progressed. 18511

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by: Pat L.07/04/2011

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I installed on a 2011 Acura MDX tech ent. The hitch itself is great and fits well once you get it lined up with the holes, but it isn't quite as easy as the directions let on. I took the spare out first. The directions then say to remove the exhaust brackets to let the exhaust hang down. They are rubber and the trick to slide them off is hand soap. There are two on each side. After that you should remove the heat shields; three small bolts on each side. The third thing I recommend (not in the instructions is to take down the lower bumper panel bracket (see picture) which is two little screws per side. Without doing this there is very little clearance and caused me to scratch my hitch (just underneath which is no big deal) before I decided to remove those too. After all that was removed, I put the hitch on a jack to line up the holes. This is a bit easier said than done because the hitch fits VERY tight between the frame rails (good for a secure fit but hard to jimmy back and forth). It required me using a small pry bar to get the holes lined up just right (about an extra 30 min of work). Once I got it lined up it fit great. The four bolts fit in well and three of them are easy to get torqued but the last one on each side (lower most rear) is really tough because there is no clearance for the wrench. Once I got them torqued I put everything back that I removed which was easy. The spare tire fits fine with the hitch but you do need to tilt it up and hook the one side under the hitch before cranking it up to it's rightful place. All in all the hitch looks great but for a novice like me who is comfortable with tools but not a car guy, it is a little harder than the instructions lead on. About an hour and a half for a professional looking jobs. 18480

by: Rob C.06/17/2011

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The installations went very well and was on in about 3 hours. It would have been faster but I didn't have the right tool to get the bolts in. 10 inch extender is needed to get those hidden bolts. Excellent service from Etrailer and great support with the videos!!17213

by: Doug W03/10/2011

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Excellent service and product. 8966

by: Albuquerque Acura MDX customer03/06/2011

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Very good product at a very good price! Installation took more time than I thought it would on Acura MDX. Folks might want to consider using a small car jack to help press the hitch into place. I suggest everyone read the trailer installation tips, as this was a great benefit for me. THANKS8632

by: Bob02/24/2011

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Company is great. Fast shipping. 7749

by: J2401/18/2011

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Perfect! Highly recommended. Fit perfectly on our new 2011 MDX. Nice cosmetics. Hitch fits right up against the bottom of the bumper cover and just above the level of the bottom of the tailpipe tips. Installed in about 45 minutes just like the video shows. Went on without at "hitch"!5623

by: Snapranch01/03/2011

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Fit perfectly on my 2011 MDX Product arrived well packaged and ready to install. The only issue was dropping the mufflers and heat shielding. From there, you just align the holes, bolt things up and torque the bolts to spec. The hitch tucked right under the bumper cover without having to cut it. Took about 2.5 hours to install with most of that wrestling it into place (tight fit between the frame rails).4959

by: ABC05/19/2010

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Great hitch for the price I installed this hitch on my 07 MDX after considering other brands including the Acura OEM. Considering the price, this hitch is best in value. It was relatively easy to install. It took me a good part of the afternoon since I did the install all by myself. A couple of issues I noted were that the box it arrived in was damaged due to the weight of the hitch. Also, the paint on the hitch was chipping off as I installed it so I hope that it won't rust. I only plan to use it for a bike carrier so I was looking for a light use hitch.3044

by: Ron Y.03/27/2010

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Easy installation, great price Wonderfully easy to install thanks to the video on the web site. Hidden well under the bumper, yet extremely functional. Great deal. FYI: to get a bumper with a hitch from Acura I was quoted over $2000!!! I did this myself in an hour after spending less than $200!!2870

by: Michael03/30/2009

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Why Pay More?? I will echo all the other reviews. Well made and nice finish. I found that you only need to remove one side of the heat shield and dropping the muffler. The fit was extremely precise. It took a few whacks with a rubber mallet to get it into position and the bolt alignment took about the most time of the installation. It was easy to use a ratchet and torque wrench with extensions to tighten to spec. The appearence is perfect, most wouldn't now it was there unless you told them. I got a hitch cover from the Acura dealer to finish it off. The wiring was simple and plugs into existing ports. For less then a 1/4 of what if would cost the dealer to install, this was a great solution. 1698

by: Brian12/01/2008

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Recent installation summary This is a good alternative to the OEM hitch since it is much less expensive, less conspicuous, and allows you to have the MDX rear bumper garnish. You will need a metric socket set, large torque wrench that goes to 116 ft-lbs, a shallow depth 7/8" socket for a 1/2" drive ratchet, and a rubber mallet. I rented the torque wrench for free from the local AutoZone. I did not need to lift the vehicle. The most difficult parts of the installation are removing the rubber exhaust mounts (I used a short piece of 1x2 wood to help pry them off), wedging the hitch in between the vehicle's frame rails (this is where you need the mallet), aligning the bolt holes (inserting a large screwdriver into the holes and pushing against the mounting plate helps) and accessing the lower rear bolt. There is very little room for the socket and ratchet head between the mounting plate and the hitch tubing at the lower rear bolt (I don't know how the etrailer guys get an impact wrench in there in their demo video!). A couple of negatives with the Valley hitch are that the instructions said the bolts are 14mm, however they are actually 7/8" (or maybe 23mm) and that the hitch receiver has a few weld burrs that I'll have to file out before inserting a draw bar.1442

by: eujinc05/29/2008

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Unbeatable value Excellent hitch. Highly recommended for the 2nd gen MDX (07-08). Installation is very easy and sits inconspicuously under the rear bumper. Allows for the installation of the rear garnish trim which the OEM hitch will not allow for. Note that this hitch works with the donut spare but has no space to allow for a full size spare.914

by: Christian05/06/2008

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Solid, inexpensive & blends This product fits very nicely with the MDX. If you want a simple hitch that blends well with the look of the vehicle at a very good price, this is the one. Took me more than 45 mins to install. One of the welded nuts where the hitch is screwed was slightly off, which required a lot of tinkering to fix. Note that in order to properly tighten the bolts to 116 ft. lbs., you will need a very long torque wrench which is tough to use if the car is not jacked up. The rubber doughnuts that hold the mufflers are somewhat difficult to remove. I had to use a crow bar and serious elbow grease. :) The hitch fits also very tightly. I had to use a helper and a hammer and block of wood to fit it in place. In the end, great product at a good price. 826

by: murano04/22/2008

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Better than Acura original Great advantage over the oem acura hitch enough space to install the Acura Rear Lower Garnish as well. 785

by: Joekids08/05/2007

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Best choice for 2007 MDX Best choice for my 2007 MDX,only the reciver shows not the rest of the hitch.Easy install with a helper,about 45 min.332