I have a sloped driveway myself and haven’t had a problem with it scraping. Your mileage may vary depending on the angle of your driveway though.

You can see from the pictures above that the hitch receiver is pretty snug up underneath the bumper. It only hangs down from the bumper about 2″. If you can get in and out of your driveway with about 2″ of space to spare under the lip of your rear bumper you should be OK.

When the drawbar is inserted in the receiver it extends out but it doesn’t reduce the clearance any unless you are at a real extreme angle.

– Dave

I found this doing a google search for “VW golf trailer.” I’m looking for a trailer to pull a motorcycle (1977 RD400) if and when I break down and need to get the bike home. This blog has the best info I could find. I’m on the vortex (vwvortex.com), but that site has gotten so big, it’s hard to find relevant info in a search. I think this blog has convinced me to go ahead with the install. Have you ever had problems with the hitch hitting the ground? I have a 2.slow Golf, and worry about pulling out of some driveway with a little slope and dragging along the ground.

Thanks for the great info. This page is bookmarked.

I forgot to mention that I found a trailer light tester for about US$3 that can help you verify that the correct signals are going to the trailer wires. I used it as a sanity check after I installed everything. You can also use a multi-tester.

I’ve been happy with etrailer. Prices are always good and shipping is quick. Glad they were able to save you the duties.

You should be good to go with a TDI.

Have a good trip!

– Dave

I just finished hooking up the wiring harness for my new hitch. I bought a Reese 3 wire to 2 wire trailer light converter- part #74209- at Canadian Tire for $27 and the .11″ female disconnects- also at Cdn Tire- for $1.50.

If it wasn’t for your blog, I don’t know if i would have attempted the process. It was the easiest thing i had to do. I haven’t received my hitch yet, but i have had confirmation that it is on the way. I’m not sure if i am going to hook it up myself, or shell out the $80 to have it installed. Living in an apartment with little space to work and lack of equipment is enough to lay down the cash. Thanks to your info, I purchased the hitch from etrailer and they have sent it from an Ontario warehouse to avoid duties. I saved about $60 there and saved another $150 in parts and labour for the wiring.

Now I’m just about ready for the trek back east. My wife and I are taking a uhaul back to the Maritimes. I read up on the other suggestions you had pertaining to the trip, so I am going to get an oil change before we leave and we’re not packing too much weight in the trailer. I have the TDI torque to rely on, so hopefully it will be a smooth trip with some timed stops along the way to give the ol’ girl a break.

Thanks a million!

I just finished hooking up the wiring harness for my new hitch. I bought a Reese 3 wire to 2 wire trailer light converter- part #74209- at Canadian Tire for $27 and the .11″ female disconnects- also at Cdn Tire- for $1.50.

If it wasn’t for your blog, I don’t know if i would have attempted the process. It was the easiest thing i had to do. I haven’t received my hitch yet, but i have had confirmation that it is on the way. I’m not sure if i am going to hook it up myself, or shell out the $80 to have it installed. Living in an apartment with little space to work and lack of equipment is enough to lay down the cash. Thanks to your info, I purchased the hitch from etrailer and they have sent it from an Ontario warehouse to avoid duties. I saved about $60 there and saved another $150 in parts and labour for the wiring.

Now I’m just about ready for the trek back east. My wife and I are taking a uhaul back to the Maritimes. I read up on the other suggestions you had pertaining to the trip, so I am going to get an oil change before we leave and we’re not packing too much weight in the trailer. I have the TDI torque to rely on, so hopefully it will be a smooth trip with some timed stops along the way to give the ol’ girl a break.

Thanks a million!

Lock tite is a thread locker compound. It keeps bolts from loosening due to vibration.

If you get the female spade connectors wiring is about as easy as you can get. There is no cutting of wires required, you just have to plug the female spade connectors in the correct place on the harness.

I don’t have any pics available except of the bulb holder above.

– Dave

I am in the initial stage of research for a hitch and installation for my ‘03 golf. Just wondering if you disconnected your battery or fuses before getting into the wiring? Also, what are lock tites?
Any way you can give a step by step for the wiring? Even if you had a photo of your aftermath so i can get a visual.

Yeah, the high side goes up above the muffler and bolts to the floor of the trunk on the driver side. On that side you will have to drill two 1/2″ holes.

The low side bolts to the tow hook on the passenger side on the tub that holds the spare tire.

What I did was I unbolted the muffler mounts and bungee-corded it out of the way so I had room to work. Then I test fit the hitch and drilled 2 small pilot holes. Then I finished the holes from the top inside the trunk. Then I finished up all the hardware and tightened it down (using loc tite so I didn’t have to worry about them loosening on their own).

No tools are really needed besides a socket set and the 1/2″ drill bit. The bumper can stay on, but get the car up on some ramps or jackstands so you have enough room to work. When working with the hitch under the car a friend would be helpful to help steady the hitch because its a little awkward and heavy when you are under the car.

I used my hitch for a bike rack as well, it worked well.

– Dave

also i was wondering about what it takes to install, do you have to remove your bumper or any of that stuff to get at it? i have a 2 door tdi and i just want to put a small bike carrier on it..this should be ok right.

thanks a million aaron