I have had a towbar/ball fitted to my car for using a cycle carrier.

Reading up it seems to be recommend to remove the paint from the ball when towing or using a friction pad based stabiliser.

My question is, do I need to remove the paint for a cycle carrier and have you removed yours?

Why do they paint them it you then need to remove it, if it’s for rust prevention then an anti rust coating would suffice?

they paint them because the purpose of a tow ball is to tow.

Using clamp on types is not the intended purpose and frankly a bodge, hence why you have to remove paint or overtighten. Sadly its seen as a fashion faux-pas to get a tow bar with a mounting plate behind and so its even harder to find racks that mount behind the ball hitch too, a much better solution if you can go that way tho.

Using a Thule 2bike on MrsLugz’s Jetta. Swan neck towball, still painted, rack hasnt fallen off yet.

Neither has the caravan come to think of it.

If it bothers you, you could always take the paint off and get a towball cover.

My tow ball is painted and my rack hasn’t fallen off yet.

the bloody paint falls off after a few tows.

Never even considered it, 4 bike Thule rack and no problems. Yours will of course now fall off the first time you hit a motorway.

Put you bike rack on your new swan neck towball. Load it up fully. Clamp it tightly. Now rock the end of the rack sideways. You will find that the paint has come off the ball precisely where it clamps.