Help! I cannot get my Thule Velocompact bike carrier to fit to my ID3 tow ball.

[Lt Fluffski]

Hi all,

First time poster here - I just picked up my second-hand ID3 last month. Since then, I have had the transport hitch/towing ball retro-fitted at my local dealership (£999) and bought the Thule Velocompact 3 bike carrier to fix to it.

However, I'm having huge problems getting the locking lever to depress fully once the carrier is sitting on the towball. I've watched a lot of videos and read a lot of forum posts suggesting jiggling it, attaching at a slight angle, etc. but nothing I try works.

If I still had hair, I'd be pulling it out right now!

Does anyone on here have the same set up - and if so, could you suggest what I need to do?

Thanks!

[Lt Fluffski]

I've just been experimenting with both the tow-hitch and the carrier off the car. It looks to me like the diameter of the *neck* of the tow-hitch (i.e. the bit *below* the ball) is too wide for the clamping mechanism to close.

This seems odd to me, as I have seen other forum posters both here and elsewhere who have managed to get the Thule Velocompact carrier onto the ID3 transport hitch without any problems.

Does anyone know if VW manufacture more than one type of transport hitch? For other models (ID4 etc.) perhaps?

[sidehaas]

I've just been experimenting with both the tow-hitch and the carrier off the car. It looks to me like the diameter of the *neck* of the tow-hitch (i.e. the bit *below* the ball) is too wide for the clamping mechanism to close.

This seems odd to me, as I have seen other forum posters both here and elsewhere who have managed to get the Thule Velocompact carrier onto the ID3 transport hitch without any problems.

Does anyone know if VW manufacture more than one type of transport hitch? For other models (ID4 etc.) perhaps?

The ID4 has a tow hitch designed for trailers etc so may be a slightly different design, but I don't know.

[roybosh]

Hi all,

First time poster here - I just picked up my second-hand ID3 last month. Since then, I have had the transport hitch/towing ball retro-fitted at my local dealership (£999) and bought the Thule Velocompact 3 bike carrier to fix to it.

However, I'm having huge problems getting the locking lever to depress fully once the carrier is sitting on the towball. I've watched a lot of videos and read a lot of forum posts suggesting jiggling it, attaching at a slight angle, etc. but nothing I try works.

If I still had hair, I'd be pulling it out right now!

Does anyone on here have the same set up - and if so, could you suggest what I need to do?

Thanks!

I don't know if you've tried this:-

There is a knurled knob near the lever that allows for some adjustment, I had to loosen this knob off a few clicks. The lever was then able to be set in the locked position, I felt the carrier wasn't firmly held so I then loosened the lever and adjusted the knob to a position that allowed the lever to firmly reach the locked position and the carrier felt much more secure

Good Luck

[Lt Fluffski]

Thanks for your reply. I've tried adjusting the tightness, both + and -, with no luck.

I've been in touch with Thule and they state that the distance from the top of the tow ball to the bottom of the thin part of the neck needs to be at least 73mm for the carrier to fit. The distance on the ID3 hitch seems to be just 60mm. But this seems odd as I'm sure the ID3 hitch is standard and you - and many other ID3 owners - are happily using a Thule Velo Compact.

If you (or anyone else) has chance, would you mind measuring this distance on your hitch and seeing of it matches mine?

[img]

[roybosh]

Thanks for your reply. I've tried adjusting the tightness, both + and -, with no luck.

I've been in touch with Thule and they state that the distance from the top of the tow ball to the bottom of the thin part of the neck needs to be at least 73mm for the carrier to fit. The distance on the ID3 hitch seems to be just 60mm. But this seems odd as I'm sure the ID3 hitch is standard and you - and many other ID3 owners - are happily using a Thule Velo Compact.

If you (or anyone else) has chance, would you mind measuring this distance on your hitch and seeing of it matches mine?

[img]

That's exactly the same as mine. 60mm.

[roybosh]

Thanks for your reply. I've tried adjusting the tightness, both + and -, with no luck.

I've been in touch with Thule and they state that the distance from the top of the tow ball to the bottom of the thin part of the neck needs to be at least 73mm for the carrier to fit. The distance on the ID3 hitch seems to be just 60mm. But this seems odd as I'm sure the ID3 hitch is standard and you - and many other ID3 owners - are happily using a Thule Velo Compact.

If you (or anyone else) has chance, would you mind measuring this distance on your hitch and seeing of it matches mine?

[img]

That's exactly the same as mine. 60mm.

I'll take some photos of the hitch/carrier ready to attach and after attachment.

[Lt Fluffski]

Thanks for your reply. I've tried adjusting the tightness, both + and -, with no luck.

I've been in touch with Thule and they state that the distance from the top of the tow ball to the bottom of the thin part of the neck needs to be at least 73mm for the carrier to fit. The distance on the ID3 hitch seems to be just 60mm. But this seems odd as I'm sure the ID3 hitch is standard and you - and many other ID3 owners - are happily using a Thule Velo Compact.

If you (or anyone else) has chance, would you mind measuring this distance on your hitch and seeing of it matches mine?

[img]

That's exactly the same as mine. 60mm.

I'll take some photos of the hitch/carrier ready to attach and after attachment.

Hi @roybosh

Thanks so much for that, it's much appreciated. I've been playing around with it again today and with the carrier mounted on the ball the clamping mechanism lines up perfectly with the narrowest part of the swan neck, so I agree the 73mm distance suggested by Thule is a red herring.

However, that still leaves me scratching my head as to why the lever won't close properly!

[roybosh]

][/img][/img]

Thanks for your reply. I've tried adjusting the tightness, both + and -, with no luck.

I've been in touch with Thule and they state that the distance from the top of the tow ball to the bottom of the thin part of the neck needs to be at least 73mm for the carrier to fit. The distance on the ID3 hitch seems to be just 60mm. But this seems odd as I'm sure the ID3 hitch is standard and you - and many other ID3 owners - are happily using a Thule Velo Compact.

If you (or anyone else) has chance, would you mind measuring this distance on your hitch and seeing of it matches mine?

[img]

That's exactly the same as mine. 60mm.

I'll take some photos of the hitch/carrier ready to attach and after attachment.

4833, the ball being offered to the carrier, I couldn't hold the carrier and the camera so the carrier is on the ground and the tow hitch in my hand
4834, the ball fitted into the 'cup', lever still in the open position. Note the space to the chamfered part and the cup profile.
4835, lever now in the locked position
4836, lever in the open position again
4837, ball overlaying the 'cup' profile.

The photos have uploaded last one first, 4837 to 4833

Hope this helps

[SinglePointSafety]

Strange... my Yakima JustClick rack fits fine on the id3 transport hitch ball and also on my id4 fitted with a detachable TowTrust towbar: the latter looks like the measurement from ball top to the machined 'narrow section' is about 55 mm, so even less.

[Lt Fluffski]

Update: Thanks to everyone for your posts, they're much appreciated.

I took the rack to Halfords today to get one their engineers to look at it and he also couldn't get it to lock in place. But he tried a 2-bike model and that fixed in place first time. So it seems there was something wrong with the mechanism. I've ordered a replacement.

[roybosh]

Update: Thanks to everyone for your posts, they're much appreciated.

I took the rack to Halfords today to get one their engineers to look at it and he also couldn't get it to lock in place. But he tried a 2-bike model and that fixed in place first time. So it seems there was something wrong with the mechanism. I've ordered a replacement.

Excellent news.