When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
While it is probably true that you can see the cutout in the bumper cover for a traditional hitch, we shouldn't assume that the same is true for a hidden hitch. Here are photos of a Stealth Hitch installation on a SQ5, which is very clean (and didn't require any cutting):
Until we see the mounting instructions or installation photos for a B9 hidden hitch, we don't know what a cutout would look like. A reviewer of the Allroad StealthHitch posted "I also like the bumper facia cutout approach on the Allroad compared to other hitches I’ve seen. It’s just a simple extension of the existing profile which I find simpler and more attractive than the asymmetric shapes and holes other hitches propose." So some trimming is likely for the B9, but not a notchy cutout like traditional fixed hitches. I also wouldn't worry about additional exposure to road salt, as bumper covers typically don't provide a tight seal against the elements anyway.
Stealthhitches offers a B9 A5 hitch which I would assume would be the same as our B9 A4. There is some fascia trimming involved in the A5 stealthhitch ~ 11" x 3" cutout.
I did purchase the Kurt hitch, but have yet to install after 2 years. I still keep a dedicated VR6 Jetta for mountain biking. Combination of not wanting to cut the fascia, have a hitch receiver sticking out, and keeping my B9 clean.
My 2 cents- hitches are the way to go... my 1upUSA hitch has been flawless after 5+ years of use. So easy to remove and install.
After a really rough day of mountain biking, I could definitely see myself pulling into my garage and forgetting about my mountain bike on my roof rack. Many times I am rushing out to the trails and back before my hall pass from the wife expires...
mplsbrian, or anyone who's used a roof rack with an A4: Could you comment on how much noisier is the open-sunroof experience with the rack but NO BIKE vs no roof rack at all? How about with roof bars but no bike carrier? And let's say at slower speeds (below, say, 50; I dont do long highway drives with the roof open).
I could potentially consider a roof rack if the rack-only (no bike) setup were only minimally noisier than with no rack.
mplsbrian, or anyone who's used a roof rack with an A4: Could you comment on how much noisier is the open-sunroof experience with the rack but NO BIKE vs no roof rack at all? How about with roof bars but no bike carrier? And let's say at slower speeds (below, say, 50; I dont do long highway drives with the roof open).
I could potentially consider a roof rack if the rack-only (no bike) setup were only minimally noisier than with no rack.
I have the Thule Aeroblade setup and it's noisy enough that I rarely drive around with the sunroof open (at least on the highway), but the B9 has such good cabin sound isolation that I do not notice them at all with the sunroof closed and the sunroof cover closed no matter what speed I'm going. If I open the sunroof cover but not the glass, I can hear them slightly and at highway speed but it's still quieter than a Camry with no bars on it. I don't run a fairing on the bar... maybe that would help and I love the look but I'm just not sold on paying as much as Thule wants for a piece of plastic over such a non-issue.
The good news is that the bars install/uninstall in less than 5 minutes once you've got the initial setup/bar and tower spacing dialed in. There are factory holes on the lower side of the roof rail into which the tower clips go, so you can line them up in seconds with perfect positioning every single time.
As such, I don't run bars full time. I'll pull them off when handwashing/waxing the car, when traveling long distances without a need to carry gear e.g. road trip, and in the shoulder seasons between MTB and ski months. It's a really nice system because once removed, you'd never know they were there...except for the barely-noticeable clear PPF I applied where the towers sit to protect my paint...but even those will peel off with a heat gun (or just park in the sun on a hot summer day). The Thule system is also universal so the entire solution should easily transfer to my next car with little more than a different $60-or-so fit kit and some simple bar spacing adjustments.
I have the Thule Aeroblade setup and it's noisy enough that I rarely drive around with the sunroof open (at least on the highway), but the B9 has such good cabin sound isolation that I do not notice them at all with the sunroof closed and the sunroof cover closed no matter what speed I'm going. If I open the sunroof cover but not the glass, I can hear them slightly and at highway speed but it's still quieter than a Camry with no bars on it. I don't run a fairing on the bar... maybe that would help and I love the look but I'm just not sold on paying as much as Thule wants for a piece of plastic over such a non-issue.
Cheap hack to get rid of the roof rack sound: wrap a bungie cord or rope around the cross bar. This is enough to break the airflow and sound and any howling/noises... at least worked for me on a previous car.
Also regarding the hitch: if the dealer notices this, can they deny you of warranty, i.e. if they suspect you of using it for towing? A family member ran into this issue; he wanted to install a hitch on his Honda Odyssey for bikes, but the dealer wouldn't do it without installing a transmission cooler, with the presumption of towing. That, or invalidate the car's warranty.
@chych... i've heard of that bungie hack. Good tip.
Re: transmission cooler, fun fact-- the B9 S4 already has one from the factory. Airflow is directed to it through this inlet, behind which is a small radiator. (You'll notice on the other side of the car, this super inconspicuous inlet doesn't exist and is instead a blank plate.) Not sure if the 6MT A4s have this cooler too (doubt it as I believe the 7DSG A4s do not), but OP could certainly stoop down and peek when he considers taking delivery. Not that any of that changes the perfectly valid warranty consideration he should make, of course, but again just a fun fact.
Lots of good info here, thanks!
I would not have thought about warranty risk but it makes sense. You can theoretically tow >3000 lbs with just a 1-14" hitch.
Hmmm, trunk rack. So simple. Maybe once the car has enough nicks and dings LOL.
mplsbrian - what do you think of the SeaSucker system? That's not a serious question. https://www.seasucker.com/
SeaSuckers are a popular option. I've heard of them used on everything from 911s to R8s with no issues. They do lose vacuum over time and there are cases where they have failed, and you also can't fit a basket or a cargo box to them and drive 4000 miles across the country to go skiing for 3 weeks when MTB season ends, which is a thing that I do. I would question why anyone would do SeaSucker on a car that offers factory crossbar mounting points. You can even buy the crossbars from Audi...which I believe is still just a rebranded Thule system that is slightly different, slightly crappier, but yet of course more expensive because Audi.
Your name has skiing in it so I assume you ski...why not get a system that checks all your boxes? Here's a photo from my stop at Crested Butte this January. This was stop #1 on that road trip I mentioned. It dumped a foot the second night we were there.
Yes, I ski. I saw the CO plate in your pic and wondered where it was. Crested Butte rocks. I dont need a roof box - am perfectly content with skis in the pass thru. 97% of the time I'm solo and 3% I have one passenger. The bike roof rack doesnt tick all the boxes but it's a consideration. Won't have to decide immediately tho as the A4 should be able to swallow the bike, slight PITA as that may be. It's encouraging to learn the roof rack cross bars can be taken off quickly. And in half the time if you only do the one over the sunroof, silly as that would look LOL.
Where do you ski when you're not cross country road tripping?
The passthrough is functional. When I fly places I try to rent SilverCar and that's what I'll usually do with my ski bag that I check on the jet. The A4 trunk with the 60/40 seat fold is just long enough for 2-3 of them with room for me and 1, maybe 2 friends plus all our stuff. Can't as easily do that on the S4 though... the back of the diamond stitched sport seats in mine are unfortunately an easy-to-scratch plastic and I don't want them dicked up so roof box it is + clothes and boot bags in the trunk. My boot bag is heated, so I tap that 12V accessory outlet back there for that + boot dryers on the way back to the hotel. It's really the perfect ski car.
As for where I ski... last year I went to every US place on the Mountain Collective pass, in previous years it's been Epic, this coming winter I'm doing Ikon. Only two places I might not get to this year are Squaw and Mammoth...though I'm certainly going to try. Gonna skip Eldora too and let the locals have that...not enough vert for me.
You go out west enough and you can't ski in the Midwest anymore. But when I have to, it's Lutsen. That's usually a pretty rager of a weekend and skiing isn't really the focus, though.
08-06-2018, 03:29 PM
