Forum Discussion

Bill_N1's avatar
Bill_N1
Explorer
Feb 12, 2014

Anyone install Blue Ox BX1703 Base Plate on Chevy Sonic?

Have just bought a Blue Ox Alpha tow bar and a very nice used Patriot brake system. Now for the car. We are 95 percent sure it will be a 2012 or 2013 Chevy Sonic which uses a BX1703 base plate. Anybody had any experience putting one on or having it put on. Wondering what the labor charges were if installed in a shop. I think I am too old to be wrestling with the front end of a car.
  • I recently had a base plate and electrical harness installed on a 2006 Saturn Vue at a local shop that specializes in this sort of thing. They installed the base plate, ran the electrical wires, installed a power plug on my RV and my toad and sold me a cable that went from the RV power plug to the toad power plug. I had previously purchased the tow bar, base plate and safety cables. They put it all together for me, showed me how to hook up the toad and made me drive it around the block to make sure all was OK. Cost of install and electrical cable: $615. I had already spent about $500 on the Blue Ox tow bar (used), Blue Ox base plate (new) and Camco Safety cables (new). I don't have to but want to get a brake assist device. Probably $800-$1,500. When all is said and done it will have cost me at least $2,000 to 'Toadize' my vehicle, which is about what I expected to spend.
  • IMHO take it to an RV shop or RV dealership, CW, etc. These guys have done tons of them and are very experienced at it.

    For me, when the ordered base plate listed for my car didn't fit THEY took care of getting the correct one and making any adjustments because they had the experience and had seen it happen before.

    Many forum members have had luck doing at a local auto shop but it's just 'my' advice to go to an experienced RV shop. Just saying, it definitely was a plus for me that my car was at an RV shop.