Trailer Hitch Installation - 2011 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen - Draw-Tite

How to Install a Trailer Hitch on a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen

Today on this 2001 Volkswagen Jetta Sport Wagon were going to install part number 24866, from Draw-Tite. This is what the hitch looks like once its installed on the vehicle. Next well give you some measurements to help you out when selecting accessories such as a bike rack or a cargo carrier. From the top of the receiver opening down to the ground will be about 10 inches. From the center of the hitch pin hole to the edge of the bumper will be about 4 inch. Now Ill go ahead and show you how the hitch is installed.

First thing were going to do is remove the plastic fascia panel underneath the passenger side of the vehicle. Well remove three fasteners and two plastic nuts. The one fastener at the very bottom edge of the bumper will be reinstalled after the panel is taken out. Now well go ahead and work with the exhaust. We have to lower it.

Therell be two small bolts that we have to remove located here and here. Now Ill take the hanger bracket and pull it down out of the way. Well point out two small tabs. Well take these tabs and bend them up. Thatll give us room to install the hitch.

The two bolts for the exhaust bracket will also be attachment points for the hitch. Now we can go ahead and start installing hardware into the frame of the car working on the passenger side well install a 7/16th carriage bolt and a spacer block. Well pull through the frame with the provided pull wire. Well take our pull wire put it through the attachment point on the side of the frame and run it through our access hole going towards the front. Itll be the oval slot.

With our pull wire through well go ahead and push our block into place and then thread on our bolt. Well pull it through the frame and out the hole. Now Ill take the bolt and push it back in and leave the pull wire in place. Well need that to help hold the wire while we install the hitch later on. Next well go ahead and install a handle nut into the frame. Run that through the access slot and then over to the hole that were going to use to attach the hitch. Our next step well go ahead and take one of the spacer blocks well actually tape it into the inside of the hitch on the passenger side. Now at this point we can go ahead and start installing the hitch. You definitely want to have an extra set of hands to help hold up the hitch while we put it in place and install the hardware. Well take the exhaust bracket and well spin it around backwards to meet up underneath the hitch. That in place itll stay there on its own well go over to the passenger side now and run our bolt through the bottom of the frame. Now that sides secure well go back over to the exhaust bracket and run our bolt through. Well run our bolt and a conical tooth washer. Now well go back over to the passenger side one more time and well pull the bolt through the side of the frame to the outside and then well install the hardware, the conical tooth washer and nut. With all these fasteners loosely installed well go inside the vehicle now. Well remove the spare tire and get access to one of the rubber grommets on the inside. Well need to remove it to install our last fastener. Well take a screwdriver and pry around the edge to loosen it up. Now well go ahead and install our last piece of hardware. Ill take the largest block and take our carriage and well drop it through the hole into the hitch. Its also a good idea to apply some seal around the hole before we tighten it down for good. Then well go ahead and get underneath the vehicle and install the last piece of hardware on the other side. Itll be the conical tooth washer and nut. At this point we can go ahead and tighten down our bolts. Well torque them down as specified in the instructions. Then we can go ahead and reinstall the spare tire components. The plastic fascia we removed in the beginning will be left off. Thatll finish it for our install of part number 24866, from Draw-Tite, on our 2011 Volkswagen Jetta Sport Wagon.