etrailer | Setting up the Hidden Hitch by Draw-Tite Trailer Hitch Receiver on your 2018 Audi Q5

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Hi, John with etrailer. Today, we're gonna be taking a look at some of the features and how to install Draw-Tite Hidden Hitch Class III Receiver Hitch on our 2018 Audi Q5. Now, the number one question that we get with the Audis and the trailer hitches is: Will the kick sensors still work I've just unlocked it. Yes, the sensor still works, regardless if you have the receiver tube installed in the bumper or not. The best feature of this hitch that I think is that when you are done towing, or done biking, or done with your cargo rack, anything that you would use this hitch for and you don't want it on the vehicle anymore, it comes right off. And I am a sucker for blow-molded cases.
This has a nice case to store your receiver tube in and it's gonna go right back to the factory fit and finish. There's absolutely nothing back here that you see that's out of the ordinary. Now, let's take a close look at the receiver tube. This is all included with your hitch here. The hitch is able to lock the receiver tube on.
It comes with two sets of keys. That's, I think, a nice feature. The other nice feature is it includes an anti-rattle J-pin to lock in your accessories with, and it comes with tools as well. All of this fits inside the blow-molded case. This is just a nice feature.
It's able to keep everything together when you're not using it, and then when you need it, it's easy enough to install. You'll come down and you have an opening under the bumper here. (accessory clattering) Simply push up (accessory clicks) and lock it down just like this. If you like to lock it, you can lock it here. While it's on, let's get some measurements and see how it fits on our Audi.
Now, our Audi today has 20-inch wheels on it, just to give you an idea. We'll check the ground clearance. We'll go from the ground up to the inside collar, and we're at 15 inches off the ground. So that number is important if you're gonna be choosing the ball mount, whether or not you need one with a slight rise to it to match up with your trailer or for accessories, like cargo carriers and bike racks. That's quite a bit of ground clearance, so we're okay there. The other measurement that we like to get is from the center of the pinhole to the edge of the bumper. And obviously, since this thing sticks out from the bumper just about four inches, you're not gonna have any issues with any accessories that have a stowed position, like a fold up position. So we don't have to worry about any accessory like that impacting the back of our car. Now, your safety chain loops are tucked in under the bumper here, but they seem pretty accessible still. So they'll take the standard S-hook. Or even if you have a a heavier duty clevis style, there's still enough room. The Q5 has a factory opening already for this hitch, so there was no trimming required. And there's plenty of room to get your chains on and off. Now, speaking of accessories, let's talk about some of the capacities of this hitch. As far as the tongue weight rating, that's gonna be the force pushing down on this hitch, we're looking at 350 pounds. That's plenty of room if you have a multiple bike rack or if you have a cargo rack that you load up with a generator. As far as towing capacity, we're looking at 3,500 pounds, so that's gonna be the weight of your trailer plus anything you put in it or on it. Now, you wanna check with your owner's manual on your Audi just to make sure how much weight you can actually tow. Now, as far as installation of the hidden hitch on our Audi, they do rate this a 10 out of 10 for the difficulty. And I'll tell you that there is no drilling that you have to do. There's also no cutting or fabricating or welding. It's just that the rear fascia does have to come off. That's gonna involve disassembling some of the body panels on the side over here, the wheel wells on both sides. And once we bring the fascia out, we can't disconnect any of the sensors over on this side, but it is possible to get this done in your garage or a shop. There's not a whole lot of stuff that needs to be done underneath. Most of the hitch and everything bolts up from just the back here. So if you want to see how we installed it on this Audi, stick around and we'll show you. Now, to begin our installation, you can open up the hard case that you get with the kit. In here, you have the receiver tube and the receiver housing. They also store the pin and clip in here, which is nice. And this is an anti-rattle pin and clip. So this would be nice once it's mounted on the car. Gonna take this out. Your keys will be zip tied to the