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I'm looking to get a towbar fitted to our VW Touran (2019) for the purpose of adding a bike rack. Also it would be good to be able to tow a small trailer if needed.
It seems that a towbar with proper electrics rather than a bypass is going to be £600 and then a rack could be £400.
Can this be done any cheaper?
i got a tow bar recently fitted to a hinda civic, between that and the bike rack, wasnt much change from £650.....but it has been a vast improvement in the ability to transport 4 bike and the family to places.....
now if the rain would kindly stop so i can start to go to those places 😀
PF Jones for towbar - £600 sounds about right for proper electrics and coding.
You can get a rack for cheaper.
I think that's about the size of it. Especially if you want the electronics sorted on the car, so your parking sensors don't go mental every time you stick it in reverse.
I looked at getting one fitted to my estate car when I bought it last year, rather than new roof bars for the cycle racks I already own. But, it was looking to be about £6-700 for the towbar fitted.
I think I asked on here & a few people said you can get one & fit it yourself for £12.50, but I'd rather get something fitted at a reputable place & have some peace of mind it's not gonna a) bugger up the car, b) fall off on while on the motorway. 🙂
Remember that the rack isn't car-specific so it's not like you have to buy a new one if you change the car.
Wetfalia Detachable towbar here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292412519686 £209
13 pin vehicle-specific electrics here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293885417894 £134
Mobile fitting here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280910939368 £303
£600 seems about right
If you are not going to tow a caravan or trailer do you need full smart stability control electrics?
More basic setups are more like £350
Not much cheaper if you want it all wired in fully and 'properly'. Bypass works well and is cheaper.
If you are carrying a bike rack and also going to be towing, then you have to make sure the tow ball is entirely grease-free and dry before fitting the bike rack, but also greased up when used for towing.
but also greased up when used for towing
Easy tiger - some trailers have hitches which need a dry ball too e.g. Alko
If you are not going to tow a caravan or trailer do you need full smart stability control electrics?
More basic setups are more like £350
This, I had a detachable towbar with 7 pin electrics supplied and fitted last year for £360 by a mobile fitter. Id already picked up a 2nd hand Thule 3 bike carrier for £100.
Electrics arent coded, just a inline fuse in the passenger footwell, but I only take the bike rack or my tiny trailer full of waste to the recycling centre so didn't need full electrics or it coded.
I agree its a lot of money but think you also have to put in the context of what you could be carrying on it. Could easily have nearly £15-20k on a 4-bike rack and I think in those circumstances I'd be reluctant to be too frugal...
If you could live without towing the small trailer, what about roof racks?
I use roof and tow bar mounted. IME (and I know folk disagree on this) a roof rack is a lot less hassle in terms of loading and unloading than the tow ball rack. I have the tow ball rack because I don't trust the ebike on the roof, but for other bikes I use the roof.
Am I really looking at the best part of £1k to get a towbar and rack?
I just spent over that on a shed 🙁
I could have bought a new bike for that!
(Towbar and rack transformed our biking as a family. The rack just moves between cars now, we buy second hand cars and so we look out for ones with towbar now.)
Easy tiger – some trailers have hitches which need a dry ball too e.g. Alko
Interesting, I wasn't aware of that...
Nope
£80 for an aftermarket tow bar.
£25 for the bypass electrics kit.
And a leisurely afternoon to fit it. Exact amount of faff depends how much drilling and cutting needs to be done for your car/that tow bar. Couple I've done needed a credit card sized bit trimming from under the bumper, an access hole in the wheel well trim to get to the chassis and a bit of de-burning with a big cone drill of the mounting holes on the chassis.
The same Aiston rack I've had for over a decade.
Downsides would be turning on/off things like reversing sensors if needed.
I just sold my van, but with the self-imposed proviso that I needed roof bars and tow-ball mounted bike rack on a big estate instead.
My local garage sent me to a local independent fitter who did an excellent job of fitting a Witter towbar and proper 13 pin VW-specifics electrics for £490 plus £18 for the number plate.
They even did a pre-fitting test to make sure the towbar didn't set off or mess with the reversing sensors (which it doesn't) and the whole set-up is excellent. The car knows when the rack is fitted and everything works.
I chose the extra for 13 pin because had I gone for the £50 cheaper 7 pin, it would only be a matter of time before I wanted to tow a 13 pin trailer. Now I'm safe in the knowledge that I won't be asked to.
4 years ago when we were getting quotes for towbar fitting (swan neck & electrics) they ranged from £266 to £552.
We filled in the quote thingy on here https://www.ntta.co.uk and went with whoever could fit us in first.
I think your pricing is about right I was quoted similar late last year.
DIY the fitting? its often really not hard. I got a brink (previously thule) towbar and dedicated electrics from eurocarparts - was £180 and a fairly easy afternoon for myself to fit it. Didn't need coding in (vauxhall) - but for a lot of manufacturers you can code it yourself with a cable and a laptop.
I then spent £20 on a second hand thule express towbar mounted rack, so a total spend of ~£200.
Cost myself £350 ish to get a tow bar and 7pin plug for bike rack fitted to a new 2019 Tiguan at plyline towbar centre in Carlisle, no issues with reversing cameras or parking sensors - they still work same as before.
I fitted a detachable swan neck with dedicated electrics to my S-max and coded it myself for less than £300. Took an afternoon on the drive. Spent what I'd saved getting a thule tilting carrier which was worth every penny.
Absolute pain in the backside. We have seen some towbar installs come in at £1500-2000 🙂
On a new commercial vehicle a towbar comes under IVA. If the towbar is fitted by main dealer (Doing it properly) then the towbar must be fitted EXACTLY as per type approval from factory. What most dealers dont realise is this also means things like cooling fans, alternators and whatever else the factory will alter if you tick the towbar option MUST be changed for it to be legal. What most do in reality is fit a towbar using the vehicle specific loom and claim it to qualify.
We just got sick of it and unless its factory, then we dont do it. I dont care how much money is involved. I have seen 1/2t wielding units come off towbars before and miss killing people by inches.
If the customer wants a towbar and wont wait for a build there are plenty of towbar fitters around who will do an admirable job. They must fit the electric kit and usually come in at about £250-300 + VAT. At the end of the day at least if you do this and something happens, they will have public liability insurance.
My local fitter i have used for 20yrs. Fits over 1000 towbars every year and is where i would go if i wanted one done personally. Plyline Northwest - 07810313622 Covers the carlisle and surrounding areas.
For £1k couldn't you just get an old Berlingo for someone to follow you about in and bring the bikes?
I think that’s about the size of it. Especially if you want the electronics sorted on the car, so your parking sensors don’t go mental every time you stick it in reverse.
It really is quite annoying reversing the caravan with the parking sensors going mental!!
It really is quite annoying reversing the caravan with the parking sensors going mental!!
Is there not an off switch?
It really is quite annoying reversing the caravan with the parking sensors going mental!!
my car (2015 zafira) detects a towed item whether or not you have electrics plugged in - one of my racks is an xpress 970 (really good) that doesn't use a lighting board, and it auto-turns off the rear sensors as soon as you pull away for the first time.
£80 for an aftermarket tow bar.
£25 for the bypass electrics kit.
Can you show some links please?
£80 for an aftermarket tow bar.
£25 for the bypass electrics kit.
Can you show some links please?
Not directed at me but there are several cheap aftermarket options. I CBA to check the exact model and year but...
This, I had a detachable towbar with 7 pin electrics supplied and fitted last year for £360 by a mobile fitter. Id already picked up a 2nd hand Thule 3 bike carrier for £100.
yeah, I think I paid about £400 for something similar. Parking sensor goes off but I can live with it.
I made an appointment with a fitter; dropped my car off, went to work, picked it up and gave them some money. super easy.
I'm a big fan of the proper electrics BUT I also tow.
In my previous car (DSG Passat) the dedicated kit and reprogramme adapted the behaviour of the stop/start, parking sensors, gearbox shift pattern and possibly I'd guess the esp and abs.
Well worth it imo.
Current car is running 13 pin electrics which i did because I wasn't sure what configuration I'd have for new lighting boards and trailers. Leaving aside whether you need 13 pin it's a much better and more reliable connector IMO.
Iirc most of the Thule and Ateranracks are 13 pin but it's easy to get an adapter.
In a VWG car I'd always go with the OEM stuff: westfalia bar, their dedicated electrics. The canbus units are stupendously sensitive as I found out to my peril. Even a supposedly dedicated connects+ loom fitted by a Skod dealer rendered my yeti lobotomised and without a warranty (it was two weeks old).
It really is quite annoying reversing the caravan with the parking sensors going mental!!
Handy for reminding you you’ve got the rack attached though!
I decided not to fit the wire that disabled the sensors, probably saved me a couple of times from backing the bikes in to a wall.
Is there not an off switch?
What do you think?
Handy for reminding you you’ve got the rack attached though!
One would assume unless driving a wide, panel Van with obscured rear windows that the driver might, just might see it when looking where they were going in reverse?
Where do you work @littlesthobo? Are you a Vw main dealer? Surprised it’s only £2k for an install!
If there are bikes on the rack then hopefully they will see them, but if the rack is empty then it is entirely possible that it is invisible when reversing in many cars.
Got a Berlingo and there is an option to disable the parking sensors so they get deactivated as soon as I finish attaching the rack.
Went with the bypass solution and it makes a grating noise whenever the indicators are activated so there is an audible reminder that the bike rack is attached.
Overall, very pleased with the solution as it allows the rack to be fitted and bikes, bodies, camping and canoe gear to be carried pretty easily.
The VW Group use two wiring looms, later cars iirc have the breakout loom installed. MOTs are supposed to check wiring for tow bars.
My Altea was a grand over 10 years ago. I put them on the roof 😀.
Is there not an off switch?
My 17 plate VW Sirocco has an on/off switch for park assist & you can turn the parking sensor volume down via a touch screen menu.
What do you think?
I think most modern cars haven't been designed by people in the real world, who load kids / bikes / shopping / caravans / fix engines / pull out of odd angled junctions and more.
Thanks for all the replies. Still wondering whether to go for it.
In a VWG car I’d always go with the OEM stuff: westfalia bar, their dedicated electrics.
A VW OEM wiring kit?
Also the Westfalia bar for the Touran requires a bumper cut, but the bumper has a cut out already. Other bars don't seem to need to cut the bumper
Also the Westfalia bar for the Touran requires a bumper cut, but the bumper has a cut out already. Other bars don’t seem to need to cut the bumper
I wouldn't let bumper cutting put you off. It's usually so low down that you will never see it untill you get under the car. Think about it, have you ever seen a tow bar with a visible hole in the bumper?
E.g. my current Berlingo was noted as needing a bumper cut, this entailed taking about 1cm off the underside to allow the bar to drop down from where it's mounted behind the bumper and a hole in the wheel arch trim on each side to allow access to some bolt holes.
My thinking was that the Westfalia can't be that suited to VW if they have to cut the bumper. @hot_fiat seemed to imply that Westfalia is VW's preferred option?
There's a cut out pre marked on the bumper. It's legit. Westfalia are VW OEM for towbars.
And there was me worrying about the 4 bike Thule roof rack, and possibility of shelling out for new 'feet' if I changed the car. I haven't changed the car. TBH, I wouldn't want to be lifting bikes on a roof rack on anything other than a standard saloon/estate car. Not even going to attempt the extra foot in height on the Mrs 'crossover'.
There’s a cut out pre marked on the bumper. It’s legit. Westfalia are VW OEM for towbars.
Bit more Googling and I see this is the case. Only the detachable Westfalia needs additional cuts too.
Is there an approved wiring kit? Do Westfalia make this too?
Yes, westfalia make the whole kit and caboodle: rear crash structure, wiring and the bar. VW rebadge it as their own, sometimes they don't even do that. If there's a bumper cut needed westfalia usually supply the template, glue and a removable hatch to hide it all away when detached.