Lee Kogel

Hello, Is it possible to add tow package after I receive my new GLE? When I placed order I didn’t inc this option but I’ve heard whispers cars have the wiring etc pre installed.

MOMOSAM79

Yes you have to do the wiring and also coding so you wont get any faults bothering you on the dash.

Lee Kogel

Great Thanks, 👍🏻

GregW / Oregon

This came up when talking to the dealer parts guy the other day. He said it is very expensive, perhaps $thousands.

fabbrisd1

1. On the hitch - at this point early in production there are no aftermarket hitches I know that have been designed yet - you would need to check with Parts Dept if there is a MB hitch listed for the 2020

2. Definitely NO on the "wiring being in there" - in today's manufacturing the wiring installed at the factory for that particular GLE is a wiring harness that is for the planned features for that MB only.

3. A aftermarket hitch (when available) can be installed with basic connection (lights & brakes) by any competent installer - Mercedes "might" have a kit hitch/full-wiring-harness for the V167 at some point - but it takes access to NetStar for the wiring diagram + about 10 real shop hrs + recoding "if" they plan to go that route at all

Lee Kogel

Cheers Guys,
i can add it but it will push my delivery back nearly 3 months.
So I definitely wont be adding it now and hope there’s a decent aftermarket Hitch soon.

GregW / Oregon

Man, these parts shortages are getting ridiculous.

fabbrisd1

In this case - customer has a production order that has been locked down (no changes) - and next "open/changeable" order that dealer has is about 90 days out.. it's not "parts" - it's that that dealer's open/changeable orders.... and especially lower scheduled production of GLE450's I would say 60-90 days not too bad - with 90 a chance that might convert to 2020 with a bit more delay for new MY release,,

GregW / Oregon

So is there going to be a 2020 v2 release?

Devesh Kumar

Finally, I managed to find an alternative - Bought towing combo package from Stealth Hitches ($990) and got it installed ($800). Have been towing an Aliner A-frame popup travel trailer occasionally with it. I can help you with any questions here. It is aftermarket, provides standard 7 point connection to trailer, but does not do any coding on your car. GLE will not be aware of the trailer. So reverse parking sensors will crib. May be a shop with Star/xentry programmer can help me out.

SCEMO

Thanks so much for this info! I'm about to purchase the 2020 GLE63 and it has been hell finding one with a hitch. I would be towing no more than 3500 lbs. Do you feel the stealth hitch is safe? I think I will need to purchase the diffuser that goes with the tow package equipped bumper? The one on the GLC i am purchasing is closed, if that makes sense. Would you mind positing a pic of yours??

I'm going to PM you ...

Thanks!
Stephanie

Devesh Kumar

3500 pounds should not be a deal breaker, Stealth hitches are rated for 8000 pounds. You cannot use a weight distribution with Stealth system as it exposes tow-ball system rather than a hitch receiver (and besides Mercedes discourages the same as it affects the stability). There is an option to expose Hitch receiver and manufacturer recommends not to attach weight distribution system to this. As long as you are comfortable bypassing the weight distribution, you should be okay. Typically you should not experience any sway as long as the trailer is not tall and less than 20 feet. My Aliner RV gives me no issues.

From my experience with 3 months of towing using stealth hitch system:
1. No issues towing 2500 pounds of load. mpg drops by a factor of 4-5mpg. I typically get 17mpg while towing at 55-60mph @ 1700 rpm, D-8 gear, and this is weaker 2.0 litre inline 4-cylinder engine, AMGs will shine bright. Have done upto 7% grades on CA I-5 and Oregon's twisties. Had to drive in sport mode during those times.
2. No sway with trailers 20 feet and below, hence no need for weight distribution.
3. Faster wear and tear of rear tyres. I inflate rear tires to 45psi now. My car is a 7 seater configuration, OEM tires are Bridgestone Alenza extended range RFTs and gas filler lid recommends I fill tires to 47psi on full load. I consider towing setup to put equivalent of 7 seater load (300lbs tongue weight on hitch ball)
4. Airmatic system automatically levels your car. This is another reason you won't need weight distribution on GLE.
5. Stealth system wiring might void your warranty due to "splicing of wires". It's not an electrical hazard but some dealers can make a fuss out of it. Also, stealth system does not have a solution for driving lights output via the 7-way connector. Simply put, they have an issue where your trailer tail-lights and right blinkers cannot work together. I have disabled stealth hitch's brown wire and did custom work to get the trailer tail-lights (brown wire) workin. This is needed for night time driving, where you would need tail-lamps to stay on. It's not a big deal to have it working with workarounds, and you might have to inform the installer about the brown wire issue. I have escalated this to Stealth hitch and they do not have a resolution yet.
6. I used Tekonsha Prodigy RF brake controller that resides on the trailer, since Stealth hitch wiring does not have electric brakes controller harnessed from Mercedes. It's not a deal breaker and most of the trucks also have this setup.
7. The entire setup is hidden from view, you will not lose anything on your rear bumper. The access to hitch is from the bottom part of the bumper. This is my only grudge as I need to lie down on the road to connect the 7-way connector as the access is on the bumper's belly.
8. Minimal tugging while lugging. Braking at times is not smooth and I can feel knocks. I would minimize this by adjusting the braking bias on the trailer (Tekonsha system)
9. I still was able to access OEM kick-to-release-boot feature.

Cost for towing setup:
1. $950 for stealth hitch combo system - Includes standard height tow ball, hitch receiver, 7 way and 4 way connectors with wirings.
2. $800 for installation at stealth hitch's certified installer - 4-5 hours of work on an average
3. $150 for a lower height tow ball (required for some trailers and boats)
4. $50 of fixes for making tail-light work wirelessly
5. $500 - Tekonsha Prodigy RF - Product + Installation on trailer.

References:
https://stealthhitches.com/blogs/new...ustomer-review
https://stealthhitches.com/collections/mercedes-hitches
- Casual browsing tells me that AMG63 is supported till year 2019 only. You might want to call the stealth hitches and confirm kit's compliance for year 2020 or beyond.​​​

SCEMO

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THIS! You're the best ... I just called Stealth and they said their hitch will work with the 2020. I'm going to call an installer they recommended in my area now.

Wish me luck! If you can ... post a pic of yours so I can see?

HaydnM

The Original equipment Merc Benz factory towbar is a Oris one ( electric drop down unit )

So if you are looking for a straight forward fit try & obtain one of these

Devesh Kumar

Hitch receiver that slots into Stealth system

You cannot attach tow-ball or weight distribution to this Hitch receiver.

Tow-ball (Removed) unit that slots into Stealth hitch. This one is lower profile for towing boats

No changes to rear bumper fascia

Underbelly of rear bumper. There is a small rectangular cut performed on the rear bumper bottom side, so that you can access the 7-way trailer socket and slot the Hitch or Tow-ball receiver. This stays out of view when not in use. You will have to lie on the road to comfortably slot in 7-way trailer wire. I would recommend using a velcro tie to hold the 7-way trailer wire in place. The rubber cap protects the stealth hitch cavity from dust when not in use.

Tow-ball receiver slotted into the stealth system

Higher profile tow-ball receiver. Please see that this is direct connection and not extended from any hitch receiver. This is stable and has no play.

How it looks when slotted from underbelly

Hitch receiver plugged in. You are not supposed to add weight distribution to this hitch receiver.

How hitch receiver looks when slotted from underbelly.


As far as I know, for North America/Made in Alabama W167 units always has the hitch receiver exposed. You would then add a tow-ball assembly or directly utilize the hitch receiver to carry something. Electric towbar adds a switch on driver door (Next to boot release), but they are not OEMs for NA W167 models.

mikapen

I just talked to a Parts Manager about V167 tow hitches. They have a Factory Bulletin that says there will be no M-B parts for installing the hitch or wiring components, if the hitch is not factory-installed. At least in the U.S. Market.

I would hesitate (as in Would Not Do It) to install an aftermarket hitch.
On our W164 and W166 ML's, the factory hitch was $575 as installed, but you could buy and install a factory hitch. Cost @ $2500, because it required complete removal of factory bumper, installation of internal chassis reinforcements, and re-installation of the correct bumper. Without the installation of the inner reinforcements, I would not trust the attachments, except for a rack or step. Bolting something to the bumper itself is insufficient.

Likewise the electrical components. I wouldn't want to "splice in" a trailer light socket to a CAN-BUS wiring system. Too much going on there, and it might wreak havoc with some unsuspected functions.

Devesh Kumar

I understand your concern. I had reasons for being confident with after market install. The aftermarket tow bar assembly attaches to the chassis frame (and not bumper, the bumper itself attaches to this frame, hence makes sense to remove this bumper) at 4 points, and indeed replaces the factory bumper stuff. The OEM tow assembly attaches in a similar fashion. There is no reinforcement apart from leveraging these 4 points. There is no additional reinforcement of any kind. I was pretty confident of the stealth hitch quality, but its a personal opinion. It's correct that there is splicing of the 4 wires (left, right, brake, license plate) and this splicing can void your warranty, the signals are optocoupler isolated at the towing controller and do not cause damage to CANBUS or interrupt signals by altering signals, giving back wrong feedback into the lines or, wrongfully terminating them. I have my 20000 mile service coming up, will share my experience with regards to warranty.