lsp85

I installed an after marker trailer hitch on my '08 and it works fine. Today I saw an R with a built-in trailer hitch. The hitch receiver was inline with the exhaust tips and the 2" and recessed into the lower gray fender skirt. Looked real sharp.

My after market hitch is below the fender skirt (not recessed) and the receiver is well below the exhaust tips.

Does anyone know if the 2009 R had a factory hitch option? and if so, do you think that the factory hitch and lower fender skirt can fit my '08?

Luckily I do not need the hitch electrical hookup as I only use it for a bicycle rack.

Thanks

mercdriver

My 2010 has it. And I believe the 2009's do too. The hitch can also be installed by dealers. The 2009/2010 fender skirts have a "knockout" for the hole for the hitch. No new fender skirt is necessary for those years, at the very least.

The wiring is also integrated into the car. Simply plugging in the trailer also tells the car to:
1. Monitor all of the trailer lights.
2. Shut off the rear proximity sensor (so the alarm doesn't go off every time you back the trailer to the left or right)
3. Alter the Stability Control programming to compensate for, and monitor the trailer for excessive swaying.

The wiring is also dealer installable.

lsp85

Thanks Merc....

Its my belief that the frame and body style is the same for the '08 and '09 model years.

That being said, does anyone know if factory parts for an '09 (hitch, brackets, etc...) were ordered through MB, would they be able to be bolted on the '08 frame? I'm also assuming that in order to do that, an '09 fender skirt with knockout and cover would also have to be ordered to replace the '08 skirt.

R KLASSE

I have an '08 and went to the dealer asking about the OE hitch and was told there is no OE hitch for the R. I then told the clerk I found info on this site from owners that had an OE hitch installed on their R's across the country. He then told me, manager confirming they could not legally install a hitch on my R because it was not designed to have one. All I want to do is haul bikes myself, not pull a trailer. I too have seen R's with hitches installed from the factory (the hidden type) and every GL/ ML I've ever seen had a hitch too (I thought the R, ML & GL) were all built from the same platform so it doesn't make sense why the R can't have one.

mercdriver

I believe the owner's manuals for pre-2009 cars specifically state that the R is not to be used for towing. Hitches were available as a factory option and as a dealer installed add on beginning with the 2009 model year. So, perhaps, the 2008 and the 2009+ have some structural differences?

lsp85

And that is the $64,000 question, are they the same or different.

If they are the same, it should be a no brainer, as the parts should work on both model years.

lkchris

It's not as if they built in the required electronics anyway when they weren't offering hitches.

"Only going to mount a bike rack" is irrelevant in that context.

socketman

R Do not come with hitches and benz does not offer one.

lsp85

They didn't with the '08, but with the '09 they did. If the frames are the same for both years, then why wouldn't a OEM hitch work? Again, knowing that the lower fender skirt would have to be replaced for the hitch cutout.

mercdriver

Not true. My dealer installed the factory hitch and wiring after I took delivery of the car.