Ok I'll make this short and sweet.

I know these really nice people that have an EX and they bought what they thought was a factory optional bike rack. Well spring time rolls around and they go to use their bike rack, low and behold the part number the sales man provided to the parts guy was for an FX. Long story short the FX bike rack does not allow the hatch to open.

So my question to you outdoorsy EX owners is, have you found an adequate device for carrying at least two full size adult bicycles. I was surprised to see that there was not an OE trailer hitch for the EX to mount a bike rack.

Any input you guys have on this would be greatly appreciated.

Hey Steve,

Check out this thread:zerothread?id=313836

HTH,David

I've been disappointed in the lack of accessories for the EX35. I know the car is not a high volume seller but Infiniti has really short-changed its owners. My biggest frustration with the car is that I cannot find a suitable solution for my dog. The car is so small that even the super super small barrier that I scoured the internet to find and buy would not fit back there. Infiniti Europe has a dog barrier specifically designed for the EX35 but when I contacted them they said that the European EX35 is built with hooks in it and the barrier can only be used in vehicles with the hooks. Why on earth would the US version not have this same thing. We cart our dogs around everywhere here. So I haven't really been bringing my dog with me. Tried keeping her in the hatch but she crawled out. Now I have to lower the seats and lug her crate and put her in there in the back. Otherwise she'll shed all over the place and try to climb up front with me.

~David- Thanks for the link, and no I often do not use the search feature. It's easier to make a new thread to see if anything new has changed, and what some of the other members have used. G35Driver sucks and I don't bother going there even if that answers my question.

Bmore- http://www.petsmart.com/produc...53751 This isn't the best solution for your dog carrying needs but being universal it might work. I would be curious to see if this works and although it's not really cheap it's cheaper than the dealer would be. It may require some modification but if you allocate some time to setting it up correctly it sounds like it should work.

The hitch seems like the best way to go plus that opens up a world of possibilities for accessories.

Steve,

I've been in search of someone to install a hitch on my EX here in DC. Already been to one detailer shop that didn't sell Curt and I'd rather go to someone who better understands the install procedures for the EX. So I'm guessing that I could call Service and have that arranged?

Mike

Mike, You will not likely find people willing to install this type of device on a car they know nothing about. I will help any of the EX owners here out, but a blind call to a dealer may yield confusion. If you are interested in getting a hitch installed feel free to email me and I can help.

These are not the best pictures at all, sorry. My cell phone doesn't like taking pictures anymore.

One of the EX members here is getting this installed tomorrow maybe I will actually take my camera to work and try to reshoot these.

I've got to say I was surprised that even with the rack installed it does not make the sonar sensors freak out.

You will also notice that since the camera is offset so even with a large rack installed the picture on the monitor is clear. However when a bike is added I have a feeling that it may get in the way.

All in all it was a really easy install. I would not advise doing this in the driveway as it takes a fraction of the time being able to stand under the car, plus that really simplifies final fitment. The hitch comes with supplied bolts although the are standard heads,and the factory ones more than suffice when used with the supplied washers. The torque spec is surprisingly low,so i added some Lock-Tite and gave all the bolts an extra 1/4 turn after they were torqued.

That's going to be me tomorrow

Although I haven't decided on which bike rack I'm going to buy yet. It's down to that Thule 970 Helium (the one in the photo maybe?) or the Thule 990 Doubletrack.

Decisions, decisions.......

I got to take some pics of my new Curt 11510 hitch and Thule 970 Helium rack setup this weekend. So far so good. The rack is relatively lightweight, easy to take on and off, and has a built-in locking cable for security.

If you're interested in something similar, just know that while Thule says the 3-bike 971 model can be used with a 1-1/4" hitch, the manual in the box actually says the max capacity for a Class 1 hitch is 2 bikes. I'd get the 970 to be on the safe side.

Thanks to Steve the Tech for the hitch install!








Modified by SalsAsianMike at 4:49 PM 5/25/2009

Looks cool and professionally done. Nice job!!!