Installing a Hitch on a Kia Soul!
It's been awhile..
I haven't posted a lot of car repairs lately due to the traveling and such. However, I had the opportunity to install a trailer hitch on a Kia Soul today. Kia Soul...random right? My parents are making the move to Idaho in a few weeks so they are going to be pulling a small trailer to being a few belongings. Anyways, the installation was smoother than some of the others i've done in the past. Shout out to Kia for having factory drilled and tapped holes to make this easy.
After making sure I had the correct hitch that was ordered, hop to it. First I removed the plastic push pins out of the fender liner and under the rear bumper. These plastic push pins are manufactured directly by Satan himself. Often times the plastic threads are stripped and you just have to pull it out.
Next I took down this box that houses all kinds of fun stuff in it. This had 3 nuts on it that need to be removed. Removing this makes it a little easier to work in the small space.
Next the exhaust needs to come down. I was glad this wasn't a northern car, because exhaust and rust isn't my favorite thing in the world. I just sprayed a small amount of WD-40 on the grommet and wiggled it out.
Now that all of that is out of the way I needed a second hand to hold up one side of the hitch while I put a bolt in to hold it up. After all the other bolts are loosely in, I pulled it all the way back on each side to make sure it is not crooked and tightened all the bolts. Lastly the bolts called to be torqued to 49 ft-lbs.
That was all there is to it! I put everything back in place, and that was it. Of course not every car and truck is the same, so don't follow this if you're putting a hitch on a Ford Ranger. This is just how I did it for this particular vehicle. Theres plenty of Youtube videos out there that are helpful as well. Hopefully once we are back in Idaho I can go back to posting some car content. Until then, enjoy!
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Thanks for the post @drobinson. Looks like you like all things related to automotive, a car that can be made to be unique and different from the usual is a fun thing, let alone be able to attract the attention of people when we drive it. Congratulations @drobinson, hopefully what you do in accordance with expectations.
Jackpot! I'm so glad you posted this, because I actually have a Soul back home and have often wondered what, if anything I could tow with it!
My dad is a mechanic, and he LOVES working on the soul because it generally gives him no trouble, and hardly ever needs anything other than basic maintenance. Love that little workhorse!
No way! That's awesome! Amazon has all sorts of hitches, that's where this one came from. I'm sure they can't tow much, but I could be wrong.
That's awesome! I am as well, but I have not had to do anything with a Soul yet. Maybe I will in the future. Kia has stepped up there game!
You're SO right. Dad is a BMW master technician, and he's fallen in love with that car LOL, so if kia can win him over they must be doing something right.
I remember they were a pretty rough manufacturer for awhile.
Any idea the size of the trailer your parents will be pulling with it?
Haha, for sure!
Yeah, they weren't anything to brag about, lol.
I believe they are looking into a 4'x8' or a 5'x8'. I went for a test fit today and it appears the ride height is still within reason, so it shouldn't be too weighed down. However the Uhaul guy told me today the cargo weight on the trailer shouldn't exceed 1,100 pounds since they are using such a small vehicle.
Got it, that's a good benchmark to keep in mind- thank you @drobison!