A friendly, step-by-step guide for first-time installers
The X6098S for the 2024–2026 Audi Q6 e-tron is more than a simple bolt-on — you’ll loosen the fender flares, pull the taillights, and take the rear bumper off to reach the frame. But here’s the good news, and I mean it: none of it is hard. It’s just a longer sequence of small, straightforward steps, and I’m going to walk you through every single one.
Think of me as the installer standing right next to you at the vehicle. I’ll tell you what to expect before each step, point out the spots where people tend to slow down, and keep you moving with confidence. Read this guide start to finish before you pick up a tool, keep your hardware organized in labeled bags, and give yourself an unrushed afternoon. Do that, and you’ll end up with a clean, professional result you can be proud of.
| Good to know: This hitch is rated for a 675 lb tongue weight and a 4,500 lb trailer weight. Always stay within these numbers and your Q6 e-tron’s factory tow rating, whichever is lower. |
Before You Start: Tools & Time
Because there’s a fair amount of disassembly, it pays to gather everything before you begin. Here’s what you’ll want within arm’s reach:
•A way to safely lift the vehicle (a lift, or a floor jack with jack stands rated for the weight), plus wheel chocks
•Torx bits: T25 and T20 (for the fender, taillight, and bumper-cover screws)
•A 10 mm socket, a deep 10 mm socket, a long extension, and a ratchet
•An 18 mm deep socket and an 18 mm wrench (for the factory crossmember and frame hardware)
•A 3/4" wrench/socket (for the 1/2" hitch hardware) and a 15/16" wrench/socket (for the 5/8" adapter bolt)
•Plastic panel and trim tools (protect the finish when releasing clips and pins), plus a flat-head screwdriver
•A torque wrench — required for tightening every bolt to spec
Time needed: plan on about 2 to 4 hours for your first install. A second set of hands is a big help here — especially when it’s time to lift the bumper off and set it back on.
| Heads-up: Only raise the vehicle on Audi’s approved jacking points, rest it on jack stands, and chock a front wheel. Never work under a vehicle supported by a jack alone. |
What’s in the Box
Lay everything out and check it against this list before you begin. A quick inventory now saves you from stopping mid-install to hunt for a washer later.
| Part | Reorder SKU / Item # | Qty |
| X6098S hitch assembly | X6098S-A1 | 1 |
| Receiver adapter | XA3001S-W1 | 1 |
| 1/2" x 2" x 3/16" fender washer | 4623 | 2 |
| 1/2" bolt fisher (threading tool) | 3818 | 1 |
| 1/2"-13 x 1-1/4" carriage bolt (Grade 5) | 6027 | 2 |
| 1/2" split lock washer | 9302 | 2 |
| 1/2"-13 hex nut (Grade 5) | 6022 | 2 |
| 5/8"-11 x 3-1/2" hex bolt (Grade 5) | 11185 | 1 |
| 5/8" split lock washer | 6023 | 1 |
| 5/8" flat washer | 9943 | 1 |
Note: the receiver adapter (XA3001S-W1) and its 5/8" hardware install last, in Step 15, once the hitch is bolted up and the bumper is back on.
Step 1: Lift the Vehicle Safely
First things first — get the Q6 e-tron up in the air and rock-solid before you climb underneath.
•Raise the vehicle using jack stands, ramps, or a hoist.
•Set the parking brake and chock a front wheel so nothing can roll.
Step 2: Loosen the Rear Fender Liners
We’ll start around the rear wheels. Removing a few screws here lets the fabric fender liners flex inward so you can reach the fender-flare fasteners in the next step.
•At each rear wheel well, remove the three screws from inside the fender liner using a T25 Torx (Figure 2.1).
•Push the fabric panels inward to open up access to the wheel-opening screws.
•Do this on both sides of the vehicle.
Figure 2.1 — The three fender-liner screws (arrows).
| Pro tip: Keep a small parts tray or labeled bag going from the very first screw. On an install with this much disassembly, staying organized is the single biggest thing that keeps it easy. |
Step 3: Remove the Fender Flares (Wheel Trim)
Now you’ll take off the plastic wheel trim, or fender flare, on each side. It clips on, so it comes off with steady, working-upward pressure once the screws are out.
•From inside the wheel well, remove the three Torx screws on each side (Figure 3.1).
•Starting at the front bottom of the fender flare, remove the T20 Torx, then work upward, gently popping out the wheel trim until it’s fully removed (Figure 3.2).
•Repeat on the other side of the vehicle.
Figure 3.1 — The three inner wheel-well screws (arrows). | Figure 3.2 — Work the wheel trim upward to release it. |
| Don’t worry: The flare only feels stuck because of its clips. Ease it out a little at a time from the bottom up — if a spot resists, it’s just a clip that hasn’t let go yet, not something broken. |
Step 4: Free the Upper Bumper Corners
With the flares off, you can reach the screws that hold the top corners of the bumper cover.
•Remove the screw securing the upper corner of the bumper cover on each side of the vehicle using a T25 Torx (Figure 4.1).
Figure 4.1 — The upper-corner bumper screw (arrow).
Step 5: Remove the Taillights
Next we head to the taillights. Taking them out gives you access to more of the bumper’s hidden fasteners. It sounds intimidating, but it’s really just a couple of small covers and a few screws.
•Remove the taillight screw covers just inward of each taillight, on both the driver and passenger sides (Figure 5.1).
•Remove the two screws per side that hold the taillights in place, using a T25 Torx (Figure 5.2).
Figure 5.1 — Screw cover inward of the taillight. | Figure 5.2 — The two taillight screws (circled). |
Step 6: Unplug and Set the Taillights Aside
Now the taillights come out. The connectors have a small safety lock — once you know the trick, they release easily.
•Pull each taillight outward and disconnect its wiring-harness connector.
•To release a connector, first flip up the red safety tab, then press the release tab and pull.
•Gently pry up and remove the bumper retainer clip (Figure 6.1).
Figure 6.1 — Pry up the bumper retainer clip.
| Pro tip: Set each taillight on a towel where it can’t roll off — the lenses scratch easily. Don’t tug on the wires; press the tab and the connector comes right apart. |
Step 7: Remove the Trunk-Pan Nuts
A few of the bumper’s fasteners are reached from inside the trunk. You’ll fold back the cargo trim and remove four 10 mm nuts.
•Fold up the inner trunk cargo cover.
•Gently pull up the rear trunk sill plastic to release its clips (Figure 7.1).
•Using a deep 10 mm socket and a long extension, find the two center access holes in the rear trunk pan and remove the two 10 mm nuts (Figure 7.2).
•Remove the two round plastic covers in the trunk, behind where each taillight sits, to reach and remove the two outer 10 mm nuts.
Step 8: Remove the Lower Bumper Screws
Now for the last of the bumper fasteners — the ones underneath, along the rear underside of the cover.
•Remove the screws on the underside rear of the bumper cover, using a T25 Torx and a 10 mm socket (Figure 8.1).
Figure 8.1 — The underside bumper-cover screws (arrows).
| Don’t worry: It feels like a lot of fasteners, but you’re almost there. Once these are out, every screw, nut, and clip holding the bumper is free — the bumper is ready to come off next. |
Step 9: Remove the Rear Bumper
This is the moment to grab your helper. The bumper is large; you don’t want it swinging or dropping while you free the last of the clips.
•Double-check that all bumper retaining hardware is removed.
•Starting at the corners, carefully pull the bumper away from the body. Bumper-removal tools and an assistant are strongly recommended. Repeat on the opposite corner.
•Use caution so you don’t damage the clips.
•Disconnect the wiring harness that runs from the driver side of the frame to the bumper (Figure 9.1).
•Set the bumper aside on a padded surface to protect the finish.
Figure 9.1 — Disconnect the driver-side bumper harness.
| Don’t worry: The bumper only feels stuck because of its clips. Once the corners release, it comes off with steady, even pressure. If one spot resists, recheck for a fastener you missed rather than forcing it. |
Step 10: Remove the Factory Crossmember
With the bumper off, you’ll see the factory crossmember bolted across the frame. The hitch mounts up to this area, so the crossmember comes out and stays out.
•Remove the four factory bolts on both sides of the rear crossmember, using an 18 mm deep socket and an 18 mm wrench (Figure 10.1).
•Remove the crossmember from the vehicle. It will not be reinstalled.
Figure 10.1 — The four crossmember bolts per side (arrows).
| Important: Support the crossmember with one hand as you remove the last bolt so it doesn’t drop. It’s heavier than it looks. |
Step 11: Move the Pedestrian Alarm
On the driver side you’ll find the pedestrian alarm (the speaker that makes the low-speed sound). It just needs to be unbolted and moved out of the way.
•Unplug the pedestrian alarm.
•Remove the three 10 mm nuts holding the pedestrian alarm on the driver side of the car (Figure 11.1).
Figure 11.1 — The three pedestrian-alarm nuts (arrows).
Step 12: Mount the Hitch to the Crossmember Studs
Here’s the payoff — the hitch goes on. You’ll pull two rubber grommets, lift the hitch up onto the factory studs, and start the bolts. The key word for now is snug: get everything started so it holds, but save final torque for the next step.
•Remove the smaller rubber grommet closest to the rear of the car on the driver’s side.
•Remove the larger rubber grommet from the passenger side (Figure 12.1).
•Lift the hitch up over the factory crossmember studs and reinstall the factory bolts you removed earlier.
•Snug the bolts down — don’t final-torque yet.
Figure 12.1 — Remove the driver- and passenger-side grommets.
| Pro tip: Have your helper hold the hitch up on the studs while you start the first couple of bolts by hand. Once two are threaded, it hangs on its own and the rest go quickly. |
Step 13: Run the Frame Bolts with the Bolt Fisher
This step looks tricky the first time, but it’s actually the clever part of the whole kit. Because you can’t reach inside the frame with your fingers, Torklift includes a “bolt fisher” — a flexible coil that threads onto a bolt so you can pull it through the frame from the inside out. Do the first side and the second feels easy.
•Insert the coiled end of the 1/2" bolt fisher through the lower hole where the grommet was removed, and feed it through the end of the frame.
•Attach a 1/2"-13 x 1-1/4" carriage bolt to the bolt fisher.
•Carefully pull the wire end of the fisher back through the frame until the bolt protrudes from the hole.
•Remove the fisher, then secure the bolt with a fender washer, a split lock washer, and a hex nut (Figure 13.1).
•Repeat on the opposite side.
Figure 13.1 — Frame bolt secured with fender washer, lock washer, and nut.
| Torque values (Step 13): 1/2" hitch hardware → 65 ft-lbs (88 Nm)Factory hardware → 85 ft-lbs (115 Nm) |
| Don’t worry: If the bolt fisher slips off, just re-thread it and try again — no harm done. Go slow and keep light tension so the bolt follows the coil right out the hole. After the first one, you’ll have the feel for it. |
Step 14: Reassemble the Rear End
The hard part is behind you. Now you’ll put the vehicle back together by reversing what you took apart.
•Reinstall the bumper, taillights, mudflaps, and all clips in the reverse order of removal.
•Be sure to reconnect the wiring harness, pedestrian speaker system, and the taillight plugs.
•Turn on the lights and test the taillights for proper function before moving on.
| Pro tip: Reconnect the bumper harness before you seat the bumper fully — it’s much easier to reach now than after the clips snap home. Test the taillights while everything is still easy to get back to. |
Step 15: Install the Receiver Adapter
Last step. The X6098S uses a receiver adapter that slides into the hitch and gives you the standard receiver opening. It’s a quick job — one bolt and two washers — but the torque here matters, so grab your torque wrench.
•Slide the insert adapter into the receiver hitch.
EcoHitch X6098S Install Guide | 2024–2026 Audi Q6 e-tron | Page 11 of 13
•Secure it with one 5/8" split lock washer, one 1-3/16" OD flat washer, and the 5/8"-11 x 3-1/2" Grade 5 hex bolt (Figure 15.1).
•Torque the bolt to 112 ft-lbs (152 Nm).
Figure 15.1 — The receiver adapter, washers, and 5/8" bolt.
| Important: Retorque the adapter bolt to 112 ft-lbs before each use. This is normal for a receiver adapter and takes only a few seconds — make it part of your pre-tow routine. |
You’re Done — Installation Complete!
That’s it — and honestly, that’s a real accomplishment. You just did a full fender, taillight, and bumper removal, mounted the hitch, ran the frame bolts with the bolt-fisher trick, and set the receiver adapter. Take a look underneath and confirm the work: the 1/2" hitch hardware at 65 ft-lbs, the factory hardware at 85 ft-lbs, the adapter bolt at 112 ft-lbs, the bumper reseated evenly, and every harness reconnected.
Before your first tow, remember to stay within the 675 lb tongue / 4,500 lb trailer ratings — or your Q6 e-tron’s factory tow rating if it’s lower. And don’t forget: retorque the adapter bolt to 112 ft-lbs before every use. Great job.
| Final checklist: 1/2" hitch hardware torqued to 65 ft-lbs • Factory hardware torqued to 85 ft-lbs • Receiver adapter bolt torqued to 112 ft-lbs • Driver-side bumper harness and taillight plugs reconnected • Taillights tested and working • Fender flares, mudflaps, and bumper reinstalled with all clips and screws |
***IMPORTANT NOTICE:
While EcoHitch® trailer hitches are built with high-strength materials and tested for exceptional weight ratings, your vehicle’s factory towing capacities are the ultimate limit. Always refer to your vehicle’s owner’s manual to determine its maximum towing and tongue weight ratings. No aftermarket hitch or accessory can increase your vehicle’s factory-rated towing capacities.
Using hauling accessories like extensions, cargo trays, bike racks, or other accessories that extend the load out from the trailer hitch, will significantly reduce the tongue weight capacity of your hitch system.
To estimate how your setup will affect tongue weight, we recommend using our Maximum Hitch Weight (Tongue Weight) Estimator before hauling your payload (cargo trays, bike racks, etc).
Disclaimer: It is the user’s responsibility to ensure safe towing practices and to confirm that all loads fall within the limits of the lowest-rated component in the towing system. Torklift is not liable for any damage or injury resulting from the misuse or overloading of towing/hauling equipment.