Trailer not recognised by car?

[JAB]

I wonder if anyone can help. I connected my trailer up to the factory/dealer fitted tow bar and electrics today and was surprised that there was no indication that the trailer electrics were connected. There was not light on the dash, no buzzer when I used the indicators and the rear parking sensors were still switched on (I thought the Skoda electrics disabled the rear parking sensors). I also thought that connecting a trailer enabled a towing stability program. The external lights on the trailer all work as they should do but it seems like the car does not know that a trailer is connected. Is this normal or have the dealers not coded the car correctly?

[Caravan_man]

I wonder if anyone can help. I connected my trailer up to the factory/dealer fitted tow bar and electrics today and was surprised that there was no indication that the trailer electrics were connected. There was not light on the dash, no buzzer when I used the indicators and the rear parking sensors were still switched on (I thought the Skoda electrics disabled the rear parking sensors). I also thought that connecting a trailer enabled a towing stability program. The external lights on the trailer all work as they should do but it seems like the car does not know that a trailer is connected. Is this normal or have the dealers not coded the car correctly?

Mine is similar in that there is no indication that anything has changed when the caravan is connected. I have raised with Skoda UK, who say no change in indicator (turn signal) buzzer noise is legal, but there will be an indication if there is an turn light failure - I suppose the only way to be sure is to try removing a bulb and see the effects. I doubt whether Skodas advice is correct but have no faith in Skodas technical advice anyway! With no caravan connected but the tow bar in place, selection of reverse means a constant buzzing - the bar is detected as an obstruction - another thing that shouldn't happen. I am not bothered about this and treat it as a warning to remove and store it! The main issue for me is trying to get Skoda to resolve the non-connection of pins 10 and 11 so I can charge while on the move - still not solved since early March.

Brian

[JAB]

Thanks for your reply. I have spoken to my dealer and they (after some discussion) have said that there should be an audible signal when turn signals are activated and they want me to take the car in to investigate. They say that I will have to put up with the rear parking sensors sounding when the trailer is connected as they are not disabled by connecting the trailer electrics. Although page 115 of the owner’s manual says: ‘If the vehicle is equipped with a factory fitted towing device, the sensors are deactivated when towing a trailer. The driver is also informed by the radio or navigation by graphic display (vehicle towing a trailer) on the display.’

The dealer also says that the rear fog lights are not disabled despite on page 58 ‘Only the rear fog light of the trailer lights up automatically when you are towing a trailer using a factory-fitted towing device which is fitted to the rear fog light.’

When I connected my trailer the bulb failure light came on, on the dash because I had not connected the lighting board properly (7pin N connector at the rear of the trailer)

I find the lack of dealer knowledge frustrating when you are paying so much for a Skoda factory fit tow bar which is supposed to integrate fully with the car.

PS does the Superb have a trailer stability programme? Or have I just imagined this?

PPS I am also annoyrf about the missing connections although i only run a fridge because i have a trailer tent.

[kynastonp]

A neighbour bought a octy estate from a dealer ,and asked for a towbar to be fitted by the supplying dealer .The towbar had just been wired in parallel with the rear lights and none of the reprogramming work on the reversing sensors/foglights had been done .

If a proper skoda system has been fitted there should be a module mounted above the LHS rear wheelarch and cables run to the fusebox and light switch .

sorry just realised this is a Superb thread so position of unit may be different

[splat]

On the Octavia (and I suspect its the same with the Superb), with an after-market towbar and dedicated wiring kit:

- No re-coding of the vehcile was required.

- There is no audible turn indicator, but the bulb-failure light should come on if there is a failure (I didn't believe them either, but tried it by pulling a bulb from the lighting board, and it worked!).

- The rear fog light on the car is disabled (i.e. only the one on the trailer lighting board comes on), to prevent dazle in the mirrors. This is the quickest way of checking the car has acknowledged that a trailer is attached.

- The car has no way of telling that the detachable towbar has been fitted, only that the lighting board has been connected, so leaving the towbar attached with no trailer WILL cause problems with parking sensors.

- No idea about the effect on the stability programme stuff. Anyone else?

[simonsheil]

Going on my mk 1 octavia which was completly different but used a genuine loom.

Rear fog only came on trailer, not on car (must have been voltage sensing as there was no relay etc)

Turn signal out was indicated by rapid flash, same as any indicator bulb out (so no buzzer/lamp normally)

Reversing sensors disabled. There was a microswitch in the socket on the car (see if yours has one) that disabled the reversing senosrs but reprogramming via vag-com was required.

[Caravan_man]

You should also read the other threads about factory/dealer fitted Skoda tow bar electrics, and appreciate that salesman, dealers and Skoda UK personnel are next to useless on this subject. They seem to sell the benefits of the Skoda tow bar electrics by reading the brochures and give any story to fob you off if it doesn’t work. The removable tow bar should be detected and should change the reversing sensors pattern. The car should switch of the sensors with the Euro socket connected to the towed vehicle. If it can do that it should also switch off the fog light. These could be software rather than hardware problems. My Superb doesn’t do these things either but that’s not a concern yet as it also doesn’t have any wiring through the car to power pins 10 and 11 of the output socket so I can’t charge the caravan battery or operate the fridge - a much bigger issue for me. I have been waiting since March to have this corrected, and I know another has been waiting since January. Skoda UK and my dealer now tell me at long last the new wiring will be available for retrofitting in the first week of August. If not, it will go to a third party specialist for a non-Skoda fix. Then I can start on the other more minor issues!

I don't know if the Superb ESP deals with trailers - my caravan has it's own stability controls operating on the van brakes - the excellent Al-Ko system, powered by pin 9 on the Euro socket. Overall car/van stability is so good I haven't felt it operate yet. Brian

[tim-spam]

On mine, the parking sensors detect the removeable towbar when fitted and alter their pattern accordingly - I tried reversing up to the wall of my house and it actually starts the continuous sound a little further from the wall than when the towbar is not fitted. With the trailer connected, the rear fog lights and rear parking sensors are disabled. As regards the missing pins in the socket, I am also waiting for the modifications to be made. However, in the meantime I have wired in a switch and relays in the caravan to enable the fridge to work from Pin 9 - I just have to remember to switch it off when I stop. A benefit to this is that I could leave the fridge switched on with the engine off for short stops, even after the missing pins have been fitted. Skoda UK tell me that Pin 9 is rated at 20 amps, so this should be plenty.

I ordered my Superb with towbar + factory prep - perhaps it's factory prep that makes it all work?

[jcblincs]

I have a skoda bar fitted by an independent using a westfallia vehichle specific wiring kit and this is what i get :

1) no audible noise when indicating

2) bulb failure light if indicator bulb removed. system behaves as if trailer lights are part of car...ie rapid flashing if bulb removed.

3) fog light de-activation

4) rear park sensor deactivated and picture of car pulling a trailer appears on columbus screen

5) parking sensors work fine with bar left on - no false alarms

6) trailer stability prog activated -supposedly but how do i tell ?

7) park assist disabled

8) full fridge and Aux charging all working

re-coding of the car was required

all the above only work when electrics are connected. not sure how the poster above can say reversing sensors are different when bar is connected - how does the car know ? the trigger is usually the electrics being plugged in

comedy moment - driving though Oakham on holiday with towball mounted bike carrier and 3 bikes...spotted long parking space to park in ....pressed park assist to make it easier...warning message "park assist disabled - trailer connected !" . i did laugh !!

nice to see appropriate use of the exclamation mark in the error message as well !!

although - to qoute james may-it might have been even funnier if a warning light "with a picture of the end of a bell" came up !!!! LOL (think about it......!)

[tim-spam]

If the sensors "see" the towball in the expected position, couldn't the electronics alter the distance at which the alarm sounds?

Obviously when the electrics are plugged in, this triggers the disabling of the rear sensors.

[patnmand]

I have a skoda bar fitted by an independent using a westfallia vehichle specific wiring kit and this is what i get :

1) no audible noise when indicating

2) bulb failure light if indicator bulb removed. system behaves as if trailer lights are part of car...ie rapid flashing if bulb removed.

3) fog light de-activation

4) rear park sensor deactivated and picture of car pulling a trailer appears on columbus screen

5) parking sensors work fine with bar left on - no false alarms

6) trailer stability prog activated -supposedly but how do i tell ?

7) park assist disabled

8) full fridge and Aux charging all working

re-coding of the car was required

all the above only work when electrics are connected. not sure how the poster above can say reversing sensors are different when bar is connected - how does the car know ? the trigger is usually the electrics being plugged in

comedy moment - driving though Oakham on holiday with towball mounted bike carrier and 3 bikes...spotted long parking space to park in ....pressed park assist to make it easier...warning message "park assist disabled - trailer connected !" . i did laugh !!

nice to see appropriate use of the exclamation mark in the error message as well !!

although - to qoute james may-it might have been even funnier if a warning light "with a picture of the end of a bell" came up !!!! LOL (think about it......!)

Just out of interest, how much did that cost? Mine is a nearly new without factory electrics, and the dealer quoted me £900 for the Skoda one including fitting.....

[Spiralis]

On my car everything works "as normal" with a trailer conected with the exeption of rear sensors that are disabled and the Columbus monitor shows not only a picture of the car, but a picture of the car and the front end of a connected trailer. Sweet !

Edit:

Just discovered that if I remove the elecrical connection to the trailer when the car is locked the alarm goes off! That was very clever.

Edited 27 August, 2009 by Spiralis