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Has anyone had experience fitting an aftermarket Towbar (perhaps to a Tig with an ABT kit or similar)?
The R-Line doesn't have a Towbar option but I'm looking to toe a light trailer etc.
Mainly looking for any advice regarding maintaining the best cosmetic appearance with the r line pack.
Thanks in advance.
Hi TIGR,
Romaniac has a towbar on his R-Line. His dealer fitted a factory towbar for him when he got it (mine wouldn't and still won't with my R-Line). I've been looking at the Hayman Reece towbar - just for a hitch mount bike rack and the occasional garden pruning trip to the tip with a box trailer.
The agent for the Hayman Reece towbar I spoke to has some doubts about whether he could fit their towbar if VW won't fit one - I think the issue was the lack of a cutout panel in the rear bumper for the towbar to pop through, and concern re the clearances with the R-Line bumper. If all else fails I think this is the only path available realistically (unless I make a long trip to Romaniac's dealer down in Melbourne that is - an 8 or 9 hour drive for me, much longer for you!). I tried VW Australia for comment but didn't get much in the way of an answer from them.
Romaniac is overseas at the moment but said he'd upload some pictures when he's back. I'm going to try the dealer again once I've seen the photos. Be keen to see how you get on since I'm in exactly the same boat (and I suspect there will be a number of others with the same issue in the near future).
Thanks for the info clarko.
Yeah i asked the dealer in Brisbane who was adamant that there would be no way to fit a towbar to the R-Line.
Im actually in the process of moving to the ACT, so if you do find someone locally I'd love to know.
I'll hit up Romaniac with a message as well. :)
I certainly know it can be done, like this one http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...id=15403&stc=1 just looking for someone who'll do it in Aus.. might have to be a drive to Melbourne....
Appreciate the info, thanks again :)
hi guys I'll post a photo tonight when I get home, just got back from overseas on the weekend. The dealer that done it for me was VW Bayford Camberwell Vic, speak to Sam Jacques P. 03 9811 1888 M. 0410 547 194
Attachment 15417Attachment 15418
Here are the pics. Also came with the genuine VW square trailer adaptor, total cost was $1800
Thanks Romaniac! I'll try the service department at the dealer and see what they say now.
Is much visible when the tow ball attachment is removed?
I haven't removed the towball so not sure how it looks, but it's an Australian style towbar not like the European one posted in the picture further up
My old man just got a R-line fitted with a decent tow ball thats completely hidden when taken away. Struggled with a few dealers on it but found one willing to help. Its a European gooseneck style one made by ExecuHitch | The Automated Tow Hitch of the Future. However i cannot find it on their site but could get some photos if you want.
I have a R-Line, live in the ACT and have been researching tow-bar options.
Currently negotiating with Westfalia but there is some uncertainty concerning the clearance between the ball and the rear bumper bar when the removable goose neck is fitted due to the slightly different dimensions of the R-Line rear bar.
Westaflia supplied the tow bar on my Audi SQ5 and we pioneered the fitment of that on the SQ5 and it has proved to be an excellent option - beautifully engineered and unless the goose neck is fitted there is no external evidence of having a tow bar fitted.
The cost of all the Westfalia bar hardware and wiring loom for the Tiguan is around $1000.
Dingah
Thanks Dingah, I would be interested in seeing how you go also, and who fits it for you etc, as i'll likely get this done in the ACT as well.
And again, any pics etc - greatly appreciated :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by romaniac
Thanks romaniac - just looking at that pic a bit more closely, is your trailer light adapter hooked up via your boot??? or have you just sat it there for the photo?
Take a look at the Westfalia web site then give Tammy at Westfalia a call on 03 9466 7941.
She is a legend!
They have a solution and it's around $1000 delivered with loom.
Perhaps confirm that it is ADR compliant which is most likely the case.
Dingah
nah it's not, the plug is under the bumper. I just put it there to show the adaptor that came with the towbar
Just for those that are interested here is the towbar fitted to my old mans tiguan.
Sorry for bad photos was raining.
Under bumper shot. Note the harness plug actually will swing up to the left and out of the way.
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...awgmq2hi-1.jpg
Tow-ball goose-neck
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...hhpwwww2-1.jpg
Installed
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...shnmekcl-1.jpg
Thanks for those pics...
I guess I've only really had experience with Hayman Reece style tow bars before..
I'm assuming that the gooseneck style are all compliant?
Thanks to everyone for their inputs, let's see how it goes.
Cheers
That looks like the swing away towbar they fit in Germany. I've never seen that towbar type used in Australia. I'd double check the ADRs with the distributor I thinkQuote:
Originally Posted by Back Door Shenanigans.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanman
The website says they are compliant
Any idea how much does this cost?Quote:
Originally Posted by Back Door Shenanigans.
Regards
J
Between $600 and $1200 depending on the model plus fittingQuote:
Originally Posted by SciroccoJ
Shop | Towbars Australia
Westfalia in Melbourne will ship you a full towbar kit including loom for $1064.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hillbilly
Dingah
$1040 plus GSTQuote:
Originally Posted by SciroccoJ
I'll find out but it was through the dealer and another third part tow place so you'd assume so.Quote:
Originally Posted by TIGR
So I've had a 2000kg Hayman Reese fitted to the R-Line by the guys from Canberra Towbar Fitters Canberra Towbar Fitters Towbars of Woden - We come to you!
Really happy with the overall look, and will be doing some towing with it this weekend.
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...id=16317&stc=1
With the bumper off, there is a blank bar in place.
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...id=16318&stc=1
Hayman Reese bar in place
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...id=16319&stc=1
Finished product
That's a really neat job TIGR. What did they do with respect to wiring? I'm looking into having a towbar fitted in Canberra too, but have been talking to Westfalia. One of the Canberra agents has come back with a quote, but has said "the wiring we use utilises its own ECU and power to run the trailer lights, rather than CAN bus wiring". I've been reading in the car's manual about the benefits of CAN bus compliant wiring (bluemotion control, trailer stabilisation, alarm, bulb monitoring, etc) and think I would like some of these these. Does your Hayman Reese setup provide some or all of these benefits?Quote:
Originally Posted by TIGR
Looking good TIGR! I think I'll be doing the same (and I work in Woden atm which should make it easy). I prefer the Hayman Reese bar for the straight square hitch for the bike carrier I want. Do you know if it works ok with LED lights on a trailer/bike rack? The trailer I have has LED lights but is only used for the occasional trip to the tip with garden prunings and the like and the bike carrier has an LED light bar as an option. The genuine VW bar needs an extra box to be used with LED lights.
So this setup is using its own control module, and is attached to each of the taillights.
I also read the trailer module bits and pieces but ultimately, i don't do that much towing to justify the hassle. (I really just wanted a be able to carry a bike rack, and occasionally get a trailer from Bunnings etc)
I currently dont have any parts with LED lights to test it with.. But I've got a VCDS cable, so can always disable the globe checks if needed.
Just had an after market tow bar fitted to my wife's new R-Line as per TIGR's post above.
Canberra Towbar Fitters Towbars of Woden - We come to you! are the folk concerned.
Fast, efficient, good product and what appears to be a very careful and professional fit.
I do not accept second rate and would strongly/high;y recommend this fitter.
What's even better he comes to you and it took about 90 minutes including the sourcing of another wiring ECU as the kit he had had been delivered to him without that part.
Great job.
Left in all in black without fancy chrome bits so that it blends in with the underside of the car.
Why did I not go with Westfalia?
Having pioneered the fitment of a very good, smart and beautifully engineered Westfalia bar on my Audi SQ5 I couldn't face the going through the same exercise again.
The cost of the Hayman Reese tow bar fitted and wired up ready to go with compliance plate fitted and a life-time warranty was less than the cost of the Westfalia bar alone, delivered but not fitted.
Secondly, unlike the SQ5 there is no access plate on the underside of the Tiguan's rear bumper, hence whether I have a Hayman Reese as fitted or a Westfalia set-up there will need to be be a hole permanently cut in the rear diffuser.
As you can see from the photos below the hole is minimal and almost entirely filled by the receiver hitch and wiring.
Apparently this is wired such that it is good for either incandescent or LED trailer lights - I have both so will find out in a few weeks when we do the next trailer run.
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...n-img_0208-jpghttp://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...n-img_0209-jpghttp://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...n-img_0207-jpghttp://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...n-img_0206-jpg
Dingah
Had the same tow bar as Dingah put on my R-Line today also from Canberra Towbar Fitters. Fitted in the carpark over the road from where I work (above and beyond the call of duty when it's a -7 degree start to the day). I'd add photos but they'd be identical to Dingah's (my R-Line's white too). Very happy with the job, it's a pretty neat and unobtrusive solution. Will have a trip to the tip with the trailer this weekend to see how it goes.
So I'm trying to decide if I go the dealer route or Hayman Reece for my Tiguan towbar. Have read everything I could find on the web concerning this, but am still confused by exactly what the proper VW wiring pack does for me that the HR doesn't...
1. Switches parking sensors off - tick.
2. Includes trailer in alarm system - tick.
3. Shows globe faults on the trailer - tick.
4. None of the above are a big deal for me, at least not when the dealer is quoting $1800 versus $815 fitted from the local HR agent. But what I am interested in is the reported safety features that affect handling & braking, especially as I'm planning on towing a camper trailer. But this is where it gets confusing. There seem to be widely varying views as to what this does. First I've read there's some kind of active monitoring of vehicle handling and then real-time control over the ABS and 4Motion system to affect handling - so if the trailer starts to sway then the car will react and bring it under control. Then someone else said that there's no active monitoring or control, that the Tiguan just loads a different weight distribution 'map' and the systems react accordingly whether it's a bike rack or a two tonne caravan actually hitched to the back. And then I've even seen someone say that none of the towing features are activated on Australian vehicles anyway even if you get the proper VW wiring kit!
Obviously the first scenario would be worth having, but the other two probably not, so I'd be real interested if someone can shed some light on this topic! Thanks.
Looks like we may need to have an ACT Tiguan R-Line meet up!Quote:
Originally Posted by clarko
So I towed a large 8x5 enclosed trailer to Sydney to pick up some furniture and back, and while it was perfectly ok, boy does it burn fuel!
Just as a heads up :)
For PerthMTB's comment - i was the same... There were so many comments that it just came down to the path of least resistance...
It is true about the parking sensors.. but yeah, you can silence the buzzer if you're doing alot of reversing with the hitch fitted (which i dont)
PerthMTB, I have looked into both a Westfalia bar, which I am led to believe is the factory bar in Europe, and the dealer fitted bar, which is not a Westfalia bar. The two Westfalia authorised dealers in Canberra told me they do not use the factory wiring and I was explicitly advised by the dealer in Canberra (Lennock Volkswagen) that the features mentioned in the manual are not available in Australia. I too am now trying to figure out what is truth and what is fiction.Quote:
Originally Posted by PerthMTB
In this thread, Nicko from Tassie is connecting the factory wiring and he gets some good advice from a couple of knowledgable VWW members about both the wiring and coding, so I suspect they know. I haven't asked them yet as I have been distracted by other things, but that was going to be my next course of action.
Ultimately, my preferred setup (if it was possible) would be a HR bar like the ones installed by the gentlemen above, but with the factory wiring and coding to provide the ESP benefit you (and the user manual) describe.
BTW, the Westfalia bar was much more expensive than even the dealer fitted option.
I have towed vans, trailers for years with several VW products Diesel Golf, Gti and high performance Gti and now Audi SQ5 and RLine Tig.
The diesel and the performance Golf each had different tow bars - one factory fit and one after market.
There was absolutely no discernible difference in performance and no issues were ever encountered using or not using ECS/ESP functions.
If you need the ESP benefits, as marginal as they are most likely to be, you are likely towing at or beyond the edge of the envelope.
Dingah
Hi arcadelt, thanks for your reply. That's looking like my favourite option at the moment as well. I want the flexibility of the standard square hitch receiver of the HR, but the safety features of the VW wiring. But if what you say below is true then I might as well just go the whole HR solution for the sake of cost and simplicity.Quote:
Originally Posted by arcadelt
Wish I could find a definitive answer to that - anyone?Quote:
The two Westfalia authorised dealers in Canberra told me they do not use the factory wiring and I was explicitly advised by the dealer in Canberra (Lennock Volkswagen) that the features mentioned in the manual are not available in Australia.
Yes I see your point Dingah. And afterall there's thousands of Toyotas (and other makes) out there towing every day that seem to do it safely enough without the fancy VW towing features. But, if there's an added safety feature already available in the car, and it'll only cost a couple of hundred extra to use it, I'd say why not? The big question for me is whether paying the extra for the VW solution does actually get me anything extra - as per this quote from arcadelt's post above...Quote:
Originally Posted by Dingah
Quote:
The two Westfalia authorised dealers in Canberra told me they do not use the factory wiring and I was explicitly advised by the dealer in Canberra (Lennock Volkswagen) that the features mentioned in the manual are not available in Australia.
Lennock are certainly not the Holy Grail of engineering advice on VW products.
I just do not believe that the extra cost and potential drama if not coded correctly is worth the investment of dollars and heart beats.
Your choice though.
Dingah
Towbar Discounts (Canberra) have just fitted an aftermarket Heavy Duty bar to a brand new 2015 R Line Tiguan (still in pre delivery). Here is some photo's just so you can see what they are like.http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...id=17619&stc=1http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...id=17618&stc=1
Hey TowbarDiscounts, that's a neat looking installation. Is it a Hayman Reese? And how much did it cost?
Under $1000 supplied and fitted.
Dingah
Hey PerthMTB, I just had the same towbar fitted to my 155 by Canberra Towbar Fitters. I took the advice from the guys on this forum that had posted about them. I called around town and they were the best price and great service the guy that came out really knew the in's and outs. So thanks to Dingah and others on here that put me on to them. Agree with Dingah it was under $1000. I also took at as a bigs thumbs up that Canberra Towbar Fitters did not come on here and advocate but their customers did. That gave me alot of confidence and it was worth it. They will do a good job if you go with them. First time I have posted but I love the R line and was really impressed with Canberra Towbar Fitters.Quote:
Originally Posted by PerthMTB
Yeah, as i mentioned previously - Canberra Towbar Fitters were great to deal with, and took the time to do a really neat install.
I did find that the parking sensors sound continuously when reversing with the hitch in place, anyone got a resolution for this? (i tried a few forum suggestions from elsewhere using VCDS to no avail)
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...id=17882&stc=1
If anyone in Sydney needs a tow bar on their R-line, I had one done by John at TowBars2U Sydney yesterday. Very neat job, very happy with the outcome.
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...id=18868&stc=1