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Dealer installed tow package, beware of cost

BEM-S4

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Yes they actually asked me the first day half way thru (because I waited the first day thinking it would be 2 hrs tops) if I really wanted the wiring and not just the hitch lol, told em it would be hard to tow a light trailer or my motorcycle with no light hookups
Did they give you any idea on the install cost for just the hitch?
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Jb7

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There is a back end tool in the accessory system that gives us an estimated installation time. Some look fairly reasonable, others look really light. It assumes the dealer has installed some of these and is proficient.

The trailer hitch itself is fairly straight forward. Drop the rear bumper, 4 bolts, torque, reinstall bumper. The wiring, IMO, should be much easier than what the Ford instructions are and shouldn't take more than 2-3 hours doing it my way. If all vehicles have the TT factory wiring like I think they do, the install is all done in the back. I'll document when my other right gets here next week.

To the question. If you get an install quote for something they should honor it. I won't give a hard quote on a job we haven't done before. The accessory install time should be used as a guide but it's not realistic. Like I said, my way of doing a 4 pin should take 2-3 hours and the hitch itself, about an hour. Definitely know how they are going to charge prior to doing the work (quoted amount or time and materials). Coming back after the fact and wanting hundreds more usually doesn't fly.
Yes, this was a very honest dealer and stood by there initial quote, he did state this was there first one and cost would def go up for person #2
 

Drew5150

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Purchased tow hitch and wiring from Ford parts and took to local dealer, they said yes we can do that and quoted $125, two days and 16 hrs total labor time later they were complete, said all future labor charges for Bronco tow hitch install would be over $500 charged (they honored original quote for me)ā€¦noted the hitch itself was easy, the wiring was a complete nightmare, has to be run thru the interior etcā€¦..just a heads up donā€™t be shocked if you get a high quote from dealer on theseā€¦..
SO I ordered the hitch already and am waiting on it to come in. What is the factory part number for the wiring harness ? What else will I need, and is it both 4 and 7 pin? Please and thank you.
 
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Did they give you any idea on the install cost for just the hitch?
They did not, took about an hour just to do the hitch, so rest of it was all the wiring, I would guess min 1 hr labor for just hitch
 
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Jb7

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SO I ordered the hitch already and am waiting on it to come in. What is the factory part number for the wiring harness ? What else will I need, and is it both 4 and 7 pin? Please and thank you.
It was the 4 pin wiring kit that Ford has listed under accessories
 

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Drew5150

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It was the 4 pin wiring kit that Ford has listed under accessories
ok thank you, do you have any finished photos of it? Thank you
 

BEM-S4

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They did not, took about an hour just to do the hitch, so rest of it was all the wiring, I would guess min 1 hr labor for just hitch
Got it - so figure $250-$300 for parts and labor that's not horrible.
 

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So, youā€™re looking at 3 - 4 hours total, correct? I donā€™t get much work done at shops but arenā€˜t most shop rates $80 to $125 an hour? That would equate to anywhere from $240 to $500 for install plus parts, right?
Depends on where you are, I've seen rates around here of $175/hr. A lot of places have different rates for different work. List on hitch kit is around $350, tail light module $110 so $700-$800 total would be reasonable-ish. Again, depends on if you're in Cali, a big metro area or in the middle of no where.
 

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I the problem is the days of tapping into the wiring at the back tails lights is gone. The electric circuits are closely designed to only handle the load of a single lamp. That's how the system knows when there is a problem with lamp.
The module eliminates this problem by drawing power from a 12+ source for the trailer lamps and using vehicle lamp signals to switch the power to the trailer lamps.
 

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Purchased tow hitch and wiring from Ford parts and took to local dealer, they said yes we can do that and quoted $125, two days and 16 hrs total labor time later they were complete, said all future labor charges for Bronco tow hitch install would be over $500 charged (they honored original quote for me)ā€¦noted the hitch itself was easy, the wiring was a complete nightmare, has to be run thru the interior etcā€¦..just a heads up donā€™t be shocked if you get a high quote from dealer on theseā€¦..
Gee, I think I mentioned that months ago when everyone thought this would be easy. I'm just an accountant, but when we had to do wiring on my 03 Taco, it was just like that. Huge PITA. My mechanic was shocked! Modern wiring and systems....
 

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SO I ordered the hitch already and am waiting on it to come in. What is the factory part number for the wiring harness ? What else will I need, and is it both 4 and 7 pin? Please and thank you.
This link allows you to get local install pricing. Just hit the ā€œ get local pricing ā€œ link. I was told you have to purchase and have it sent to the dealer to lock in install price. Shop around on this site as dealer install price varies

https://accessories.ford.com/kit-trailer-hitch-electrics-10797.html#2021/Bronco
 

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