Junk In My Trunk
THE TRUTH ABOUT UHAUL
Hitches, Installation, and MY Story
In the winter of 2003 I searched for a "Class I" trailer hitch reciever for my 2000 Mazda 626. I tried HiddenHitch.com and JCWhitney.com. But neither one could get one for me. I didn't know where else to look, So I went to Uhaul. They said they could order one for me. (so far, things are good)
One week later I went in to get the hitch installed. I picked up my car 2 hours later and behold I had a hitch! I was happy, I was on top of the world because my car could pull a trailer! I was looking at the wiring set, and then I noticed that durring instalation the
"Uhaul Hitch Mechanic"
must have broken both the retaining screws for the left side of the plastic shield in the back of my trunk. I knew they were intact before, now one was broken and the other was gone(first sign of trouble). I went to a local Auto Zone to see if they had any , they didn't . I went to Advance Auto Parts to see if they had them, they didn't. I bought the closest thing I could find and stuck those in my trunk.
O.E. Fasteners
My Own Fix
Two days later some of the wires started to hang down from the shield. I removed the shield and "zip-tied" the wires. IF the "Uhaul Hitch Mechanic"
had exercised a little attention to detail and used a couple of "zip-ties" he could have saved me alot of trouble. One week after the trailer installation, I went to pick up my trailer. I had rented a Uhaul 5x8. I towed that trailer from Jacksonville, NC to Tallahassee, FL. At the end of the trip the hitch was already chipping and rusting. I had only had it for ONE WEEK! I wonder if Uhaul has ever heard of two part paint? I was certified for Corrosion Control in the Marine Corps so I know a little about rust and paint.
One year later My wife and I needed to tow some things in town. So I called Uhaul to rent a 4x8 trailer. I rented it for one half a day for $10 plus $5 for insurance (cheapest way to move in town). When I went to pick it up the Uhaul employees said that my wiring set was inproperly installed and that they needed to check it. They proceeded to pull on the plastic shield in my trunk without removing the screws. I yelled at them to stop and removed the screws myself. (WHY DON'T THEY TRAIN THESE GUYS!). After they checked it, they found out it was the trailer and not my car that had the problem.
About 6 months later while I was on my way to look at a house, I was rear ended and my trunk was badly dammaged. The body shop that repaired my trunk, replaced some of the missing fasteners, and used about 5 zip ties to keep the wiring in place in my trunk. Yep that's, right! A BODY SHOP, working for a pre-set amount of money from the other guy's insurance company did a better job than the "Uhaul Hitch Mechanic" who I specifically paid to do the same job!
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