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Thread: Towbar Information

  1. #11
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    Feb 2009
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    Thread Starter

    The manual is correct - shows 2200kg. B pillar and towbar show 1500kg.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
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    Users Country Flag
    Quote Originally Posted by vanDub View Post
    My manual has supplement "Passat, Passat estate - edition 01.2008" containing "information on those modifications and additions that have been made since the vehicle wallet was printed".

    It contains:
    Drawbar load - maximum weight permitted on the ball coupling must not exceed 90kg.(up from 85kg).

    Trailer weights with brakes up to 12% gradient = 1,800 kg
    Trailer weights with brakes up to 8% gradient = 2,000 kg

    The only problem is that the supplement applies to 103 KW diesel versions only and makes no mention of my 125 KW diesel.

    Does your R36 manual have a similar supplement to show the transport people if they query your trailer weight?
    Yes. 3.5 Supplement and Technical Data Passat, Passat Estate, Passat R36 at page 33 states that it can theoretically tow a trailer weight of 2,200kg (with brakes, gradients up to 12%, same for up to 8%), or 750kg without brakes. However, it only has a maximum tow bar (or 'draw bar' as VW call it) loading of 85kg, which would limit practical towing capacity to about 850kg, due to the low draw bar loading limit. A trailer weight of 2,200kg would usually have a much heavier draw bar loading than 85kg.
    Last edited by R36; 21-08-2009 at 09:23 PM. Reason: Correction

  3. #13
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    Jun 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Swallowtail View Post
    Just sent this to VW:

    I have a 'genuine' towbar fitted to my Passat R36 sedan. The towbar and B pillar labels read "braked trailer maximum 1500kg".

    This is the maximum trailer weight for all of the other Passats, but according to the Passat R36's ADR vehicle certification information (located at http://rvcs-prodweb.dot.gov.au/perl/...2008083244.cmd) the R36 sedan has a maximum braked trailer weight capacity of 2200kg.

    I assume that a standard Passat towbar kit is being supplied by dealers - why is it not being correctly labelled? If I get pulled up by Transport Department inspectors for having a braked trailer over 1500kg I am going to have all sorts of fun trying to explain to them that the car IS actually allowed to tow the heavier weight.

    Can VW please supply the correct labels for my vehicle's towbar and B pillar so that the correct maximum weights are shown as per the vehicle's Australian-government-certified capabilities.

    Thank you.
    <golf claps> will be interesting to see if you get a reply Swallowtail!
    Gone...........R36 Icelandic Gray Wagon

    Specialising in off-topic discussion

  4. #14
    Join Date
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    Location
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    Thread Starter
    Reply received:

    "The towing capacity for the R36 is 1500 kgs for a braked trailer. The information on your vehicle is correct in this regard. These details are reflected in the Passat R36 technical specifications available through the Volkswagen Australia website."

    So we are stuck with 1500kgs.
    **********
    Now on a separate note - trailer wiring.

    The 13pin euro connector on the Passat is supplied with an adapter to 7 pin flat for Aus.

    Of the 13 pins, 7 are drawn from the connector (13pin connector pin numbers):

    1. Yellow L/H indicator
    2. Blue fog light
    3. White earth
    4. Green R/H indicator
    5. Brown R/H side tail lights
    6. Red Brakes
    7. Black L/H side tail lights

    1, 3, 4 and 6 are straight through connected to the equivalent 7 pin flat same colours.

    2. Goes to the Brakes pin 5 in the 7 pin flat.

    5 and 7 from the 13 pin are each fed into a IN5404 rectifier, and then joined together and connected to the 7 pin conenctor number 7 - which is for tail lights. The rectifiers have a reverse impedance of 1.7kohms.

    See here for 7 pin numbering - http://www.campertrailers.org/traile...ng_diagram.htm

    When my trailer is connected to my car, the car sees a bulb out L/H trailer tail light. Apom's car does the same with my trailer, with either his adapter or mine.

    My trailer has a resistance between pins 7 and 3 (just measured trailer off between tail light circuit pin 7 and earth pin 3) of 2.8 ohms. That seems low to me... ?

    Any electrical gurus out there tell me what I need to do so that teh car does not see the tail light load as being a blown bulb?

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
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    Quote Originally Posted by Swallowtail View Post
    Now on a separate note - trailer wiring.

    The 13pin euro connector on the Passat is supplied with an adapter to 7 pin flat for Aus.

    Of the 13 pins, 7 are drawn from the connector (13pin connector pin numbers):

    1. Yellow L/H indicator
    2. Blue fog light
    3. White earth
    4. Green R/H indicator
    5. Brown R/H side tail lights
    6. Red Brakes
    7. Black L/H side tail lights

    1, 3, 4 and 6 are straight through connected to the equivalent 7 pin flat same colours.

    2. Goes to the Brakes pin 5 in the 7 pin flat.

    5 and 7 from the 13 pin are each fed into a IN5404 rectifier, and then joined together and connected to the 7 pin conenctor number 7 - which is for tail lights. The rectifiers have a reverse impedance of 1.7kohms.

    See here for 7 pin numbering - http://www.campertrailers.org/traile...ng_diagram.htm

    When my trailer is connected to my car, the car sees a bulb out L/H trailer tail light. Apom's car does the same with my trailer, with either his adapter or mine.

    My trailer has a resistance between pins 7 and 3 (just measured trailer off between tail light circuit pin 7 and earth pin 3) of 2.8 ohms. That seems low to me... ?

    Any electrical gurus out there tell me what I need to do so that teh car does not see the tail light load as being a blown bulb?
    My car does the same - permanent left hand tail light fault light. When I pulled the VW 13 pin plug apart, there's no connection to the left hand tail light circuit from the 7 pin flat. My guess is that the car sees the difference in resistance between the 2 sides and then works out which one draws the current through. My fix, if VW does nothing, will be to put a bridging link in from the LH side to connect the 7-pin tail circuit.

    Bearing in mind I'm mechanical, not electrical...
    MY08 Passat 2.0 TDI Wagon
    Trialling golf ball aerodynamics theory - random pattern, administered about 1550 on Christmas Day, 2011.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Brisbane
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    Thread Starter
    Quote Originally Posted by passatpout View Post
    My car does the same - permanent left hand tail light fault light. When I pulled the VW 13 pin plug apart, there's no connection to the left hand tail light circuit from the 7 pin flat. My guess is that the car sees the difference in resistance between the 2 sides and then works out which one draws the current through. My fix, if VW does nothing, will be to put a bridging link in from the LH side to connect the 7-pin tail circuit.

    Bearing in mind I'm mechanical, not electrical...
    OK, checked some stuff using VCDS last night, and one of the things I noticed was that the Trailer controller (69) was coded for Rest of World, not Australia. Changed it to Australia, towed today, and no warning light about bulbs out. Remains to be seen if it hasn't just disabled the bulb check functionality entirely LOL, I'll have to do some testing with removed bulbs etc, but at least it's not popping warnings at me. All the trailer lights still work as intended.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    365
    I had another shot with my trailer the other night, and didn't get any error messages at all. Since I've last towed, the car's been through a panelbeater getting a column scrape sorted out, and the auto-elec disconnected the airbags for the panelbeaters. I'm wondering whether he changed the coding while reactivating the airbags..
    MY08 Passat 2.0 TDI Wagon
    Trialling golf ball aerodynamics theory - random pattern, administered about 1550 on Christmas Day, 2011.

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Perth, WA
    Posts
    5
    Hi folks, hope it's ok to post a question in a sticky

    We have a Passat 125tdi, 2008 i think. Having just shelled out the $160 for the 13 pin round - 7 pin flat cable from the stealer in order to tow a couple of trailers of mulch, there was an issue.

    Soils aint Soils trailers have LED's - no issues on the car side, all work fine. But all of the trailer lights just flashed constantly. Haven't read another report of the same thing yet.

    Thoughts?

    Cheers
    Brad

  9. #19
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    Feb 2009
    Location
    Brisbane
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    Thread Starter
    Fairly common problem with Euro cars and trailers with LEDs. See this thread: http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/f75/...ues-31703.html

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    ivanhoe vic
    Posts
    950

    can you just buy the towbar only i.e. tongue and if so where from - really want to put a bike rack on. Saw a green TDI wagon towing a newish trailer last night no problems with brakes or indicators.
    B6 Passat Wagon No KESSY

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