On Thursday, April 2, 2015 at 4:03:04 AM UTC-4, wrote:
I was quoted $3,500 to $4,000 by the Mercedes Benz dealer to install a factory tow hitch on to a ML 350 Bluetech 2011! I was wondering if anyone else had this happen and if so, where did you go to have the work done and were you happy with it? I live in Southern Cal.

I've done 5 hitch installs (2 on Honda Odysseys and 3 on various flavors of VW). eTrailer is the go-to place to figure out what's involved. For the ML350 here are the parts required at minimum:

http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitc...eid=2011308187

http://www.etrailer.com/Vehicle-Wiri...eid=2011308187

In round figures, $300-$400 worth of parts if you include towbar and ball etc. However, the installation is more tricky than most:

- The hitch requires lowering the exhaust and trimming some plastic and possibly heat shields. When eTrailer says a 10/10 in difficulty and 1:40 to install, figure 2 hours of shop time minimum.

- The wiring requires a separate power supply routed to the front of the vehicle plus the usual tapping into circuits. Figure 2 hours here to be conservative.

So, I would guess that an aftermarket shop that bills out at $120/hr for labor would probably quote you somewhere either side of $1,000 including ordering the parts for you.

Erik Mann (P3)