does anyone know about the towbar situation for the superb II ? in the brochure there is a factory option of "towbar preparation" for £130. then in the dealer fit accessories section it quotes "electrics for towbar" £160 (£150 for vehicles with towbar prep) and £235 for the removeable towbar.

does this mean you only save £10 by having the towbar prep fitted during car build ? if you get towbar +electrics form the dealer this comes to a total of £395 which is actaully a good price. but do i have to include the towbar prep price as well ?? im confused

my local towbar supplier tells me they havent got an after market towbar yet but he suspects it wont be too long.

and then there is the issue of the electrics - i believe the european 13 pin socket that is fitted in the factory might not have the aux wires for fridge and battery charging fitted unless specifically requested (i have read stories of poeple who have had factory fit towbars from Audi and VW and when they get their car the fridge in the caravan doesnt work and they have had to go to a local towbar specialist and have extra wires added !!!)

i could just wait for the aftermarket towbar but wondered if the factory fit one would be a neater solution. any advice welcomed thanks.

I asked about this when I was ordering my car, but as I didn't have an immediate need for the towbar, I didn't bother.

My understanding is that the prices in the catalogue are for the parts only. The dealer is allowed to levy a fitting charge. If I was you, I'd have the electrics factory fitted. It is cheaper, and it will make fitting the towbar much easier.

Another plus point, is that the dealer doesn't have to go messing about with the electrics in the car. Some of the bodge jobs I've seen in this respect are the stuff of nightmares.

Bagpuss.

The price in the brochure is for parts and fitting in on top of those prices. It takes several hours to fit a towbar so it ends up being fairly pricey.

Best bet is too either order it as a factory order or have a good aftermarket one like a Witter fitted by a specialist once you've taken delivery.

i think bosal are the preferred towbar for VAG cars . i am confused about the "factory order" as this is not mentioned in the brochure. you can only factory order the towbar preparation (i presume this refers to the electrics only ?). i need to do some digging around for the correct EU spec for the wiring as i dont want to end up with the wrong wiring. this one could take a while to sort out as it needs to be very accurate so as not to cause issues the first time i hook up my caravan !!

I was advised that factory fit towbar preparation (mainly electrics) is strongly recommended as there are a lot of cables about the rear end. Although (some?) dealers apparently now have some basic accessories in stock (i.e. rear window sunblinds was mentioned to me) the towbars are not yet available.

C

Best bet is too either order it as a factory order or have a good aftermarket one like a Witter fitted by a specialist once you've taken delivery.

but you cant order a factory fit towbar ? all you can order is towbar prep which i presume is the electrics

what confuses the issue is that there are two products liste in the delaer fit accessories that are very similar electrics for car with prep and electrics for car without prep. the price difference is only 10quid so whats the point in ordering the prep to just save a tenner ?

but you cant order a factory fit towbar ? all you can order is towbar prep which i presume is the electrics

what confuses the issue is that there are two products liste in the dealer fit accessories that are very similar electrics for car with prep and electrics for car without prep. the price difference is only 10quid so whats the point in ordering the prep to just save a tenner ?

I'd imagine that 10ner grows when you add labor for fitting...

update : my local towbar retailer advised me not to bother with the towbar prep as it will confuse the issue. any aftermarket towbar will come with a vehicle specific wiring kit so i woudl effectively be paying for the wiring twice. he said he woudl rather work with the system supplied with the towbar as it will be familiar. the skoda system might not be compatible with the after market bar anyway.

i phoned Bosal towbars today and they said their superb bar will be out in 8 weeks time. Westfalia also said they woudl hve on my mid november. Westfalia apparently make a lot of the OEM towbars for VAG

as i dont get the car until december and dont need to tow until march then i reckon i will be ok !!

update : my local towbar retailer advised me not to bother with the towbar prep as it will confuse the issue. any aftermarket towbar will come with a vehicle specific wiring kit so i woudl effectively be paying for the wiring twice. he said he woudl rather work with the system supplied with the towbar as it will be familiar. the skoda system might not be compatible with the after market bar anyway.

If you don't go for the factory prep wiring and a genuine Skoda bar, my understanding is that, the fancy electronic anti-sway won't work.

And you'd be missing out on some simply stunning technology.

If you don't go for the factory prep wiring and a genuine Skoda bar, my understanding is that, the fancy electronic anti-sway won't work.

And you'd be missing out on some simply stunning technology.

not sure i understand ? if you are talking about the Alko trailer control system then this is only fitted to a few very new caravans or as an aftermarket fit. if you go for aftermarket then the car will be retro fitted as well.

i dont need the anti sway thingy anyway as its about £500 and i have a twin axle caravan with a stabiliser.

not sure i understand ? if you are talking about the Alko trailer control system then this is only fitted to a few very new caravans or as an aftermarket fit. if you go for aftermarket then the car will be retro fitted as well.

i dont need the anti sway thingy anyway as its about £500 and i have a twin axle caravan with a stabiliser.

I'm referring to the inbuilt Trailer Stability Program which uses the ESP sensors to bring the car and trailer under control in the event of a 'snake'. I understand this system will only work with the dedicated Skoda loom.

It's also fitted to some top spec Audi's.

didnt know anything about this. are you sure there is a system on the superb ? can you tell me where you found out about this please so i can investigate. presumably the trailer / caravn will need to have something fitted as well in order that the brakes can be applied by the car's electronic systems ?

i dont need the anti sway thingy anyway as its about £500 and i have a twin axle caravan with a stabiliser.

Is your car the 1.8t with DSG? What make of 'van you gonna be towing?

I'm referring to the inbuilt Trailer Stability Program which uses the ESP sensors to bring the car and trailer under control in the event of a 'snake'.

Im interested in this too? Anyone got any info?

i have an old avondale twin axle van. its about 13 years old but is not too heavy for a twin. its about 1300-1400kg fully loaded. i currently tow with a 1.8T manual passat and it tows really well so the superb should be great. the engine is slightly more powerful and has more torque and of course it won towcar of the year !! (the 1.8T narrowly missed out to the 2.0CR)

i have an old avondale twin axle van. its about 13 years old but is not too heavy for a twin. its about 1300-1400kg fully loaded. i currently tow with a 1.8T manual passat and it tows really well so the superb should be great. the engine is slightly more powerful and has more torque and of course it won towcar of the year !! (the 1.8T narrowly missed out to the 2.0CR)

Tho the 2.0 DSG got a bit of flak. Where are you based? Would love a look at it when you get it?

Tho the 2.0 DSG got a bit of flak. Where are you based? Would love a look at it when you get it?

but the petrol is different - its a 7 speed DSG not a 6 speed. i am sure its a totally different drive with the ratios being different and the power / torque curves being different. anyway the testers were muppets - why didnt they just put it in manual mode. A DSG in manual is pretty much like a manual box car without the clutch. I will have the DSG flappy paddles as well which will help.

my name kind of gives away my location !!!

(Lincoln)

dont get the car until december and wont get a towbar until 2009 i suspect

Just to add that Skoda give a 2 year warranty on skoda accessories that are retro fitted or fitted at PDI time by skoda dealers.

Keith

problem is the skoda towbar comes in at about £800 fitted and the info on it is very sketchy. an aftermarket one will be about £450.

i cant get a definitive answer on what exactly you get with the "towbar" prep and my local fitter said dont bother getting manufacturers prep as it will complicate things.

i was lead to belive if you have skoda accessories fitted at PDI you get full 3 yr warranty but if you have them done later then its only 2 years