I would like to again bring up the costs of fitting towbars to Yetis. The Skoda quoted price, as of today from the Dealer, is £713. This is based on a labour time of 4 hours. (a previous quote was for 2 hours but Skoda have found that 4 hours is more realistic due to the considerable time taken in threading and fitting the electrics harness)

Is there anyone who has had a recent quote? Particularly if the electrics were not fitted at the factory and would have to be fitted by the Dealer.

I have discussed this cost with my Dealer and the quote is based on the Skoda menu system for estimating work.

I am not happy with this price but I would have insisted on the Skoda electrics to protect the system in the car.

I would like to again bring up the costs of fitting towbars to Yetis. The Skoda quoted price, as of today from the Dealer, is £713. This is based on a labour time of 4 hours. (a previous quote was for 2 hours but Skoda have found that 4 hours is more realistic due to the considerable time taken in threading and fitting the electrics harness)

Is there anyone who has had a recent quote? Particularly if the electrics were not fitted at the factory and would have to be fitted by the Dealer.

I have discussed this cost with my Dealer and the quote is based on the Skoda menu system for estimating work.

I am not happy with this price but I would have insisted on the Skoda electrics to protect the system in the car.

Hi Terfyn,

I recently had a detachable towbar fitted at Rainworth Skoda, £412 all in, including panel.

It's a Westfalia unit and really is very neat. On the previous thread on this topic I have posted pictures of the finished job.

Hope this helps.

Tony

Forgot to add, I don't think the car had any 'tow bar preparation' as it was Rainworths ex Demo and I can't imagine they paid for that when they ordered it.

Hi Terfyn,

I recently had a detachable towbar fitted at Rainworth Skoda, £412 all in, including panel.

It's a Westfalia unit and really is very neat. On the previous thread on this topic I have posted pictures of the finished job.

Hope this helps.

Tony

Can I ask which electrics were fitted? Did they fit the Skoda wiring loom or did they Scotchlock the elecrics to the rear light cluster?

I ask because I have been told that the estimated time was doubled due to the difficulty of wiring in the new loom for the trailer electrics.

Do you have a quote that you could share?

Can I ask which electrics were fitted? Did they fit the Skoda wiring loom or did they Scotchlock the elecrics to the rear light cluster?

I ask because I have been told that the estimated time was doubled due to the difficulty of wiring in the new loom for the trailer electrics.

Do you have a quote that you could share?

In all honesty, I don't know. I went to a Skoda dealer as I did not want a 'botch job' and decent come back if there were any issues going forward. I know they used a combination of there own technicians and a subcontractor fr the work.

The price did include 13 pin electrics for a caravan.

Sorry to be vague but again hope this helps.

Cheap hardware shown here on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SKODA-Towbar-YETI-2009-SwanNeck-Fixed-Tow-Bar_W0QQitemZ170451077042QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item27afad07b2

Witter now have prices out:

SK24 fixed £167.00

SK24Q removeable £349.00

The second one amazes me. It would be cheaper to buy the official Skoda towbar from a Skoda dealer (£220.00).

tom

I would guess that the electrics are a simple "plug and play" system, as most manufacturers now realise that people do want to tow with cars, and modern electrics just won't work with the old "snaplock" system. They may still need the ECU reprogramming however.

I would like to again bring up the costs of fitting towbars to Yetis. The Skoda quoted price, as of today from the Dealer, is £713. This is based on a labour time of 4 hours. (a previous quote was for 2 hours but Skoda have found that 4 hours is more realistic due to the considerable time taken in threading and fitting the electrics harness)

Is there anyone who has had a recent quote? Particularly if the electrics were not fitted at the factory and would have to be fitted by the Dealer.

I have discussed this cost with my Dealer and the quote is based on the Skoda menu system for estimating work.

I am not happy with this price but I would have insisted on the Skoda electrics to protect the system in the car.

This is getting truly ridiculous Terfyn!! I have ordered my Yeti (on line) with factory fitted tow bar prep (£155) Today I also phoned the local Skoda dealer who will do my servicing, etc and he was as confused as I was with the brochure prices. When I have received the vehicle with towbar prep the retailer fitted accessories to give me my tow bar would be £150 for electrics and £224 for detachable tow bar plus labour at about £120. That in all comes to £649 from factory and dealer combined to me driving away with a tow bar and 13 pin electrics.

Now if I hadn't ordered the tow bar prep and asked the dealer to do it for me when I presented the vehicel to him it would come in at £163 for the now 2 part electrics, £224 for the detachable tow bar and he wasn't sure about the labour but said it could be as much as £200 so that comes to £587.

The infuriating part is not only the differing costs but the fact that the SKODA DEALER couldn't tell me exactly what the factory two bar prep consisted of other than it was a wiring harness of some sort from front to back which only provided single electrics and didn't know if the bumper cutout and cover was included.

If I had been as flaky with the actual facts when facing my customers when I was working I would have been out on my ear!!!!!! Apologies for venting the proverbial. Somebody needs their backside kicking.

Edited 3 March, 201016 yr by Pityaka

This is getting truly ridiculous Terfyn!! I have ordered my Yeti (on line) with factory fitted tow bar prep (£155) Today I also phoned the local Skoda dealer who will do my servicing, etc and he was as confused as I was with the brochure prices. When I have received the vehicle with towbar prep the retailer fitted accessories to give me my tow bar would be £150 for electrics and £224 for detachable tow bar plus labour at about £120. That in all comes to £649 from factory and dealer combined to me driving away with a tow bar and 13 pin electrics.

Now if I hadn't ordered the tow bar prep and asked the dealer to do it for me when I presented the vehicel to him it would come in at £163 for the now 2 part electrics, £224 for the detachable tow bar and he wasn't sure about the labour but said it could be as much as £200 so that comes to £587.

The infuriating part is not only the differing costs but the fact that the SKODA DEALER couldn't tell me exactly what the factory two bar prep consisted of other than it was a wiring harness of some sort from front to back which only provided single electrics and didn't know if the bumper cutout and cover was included.

If I had been as flaky with the actual facts when facing my customers when I was working I would have been out on my ear!!!!!! Apologies for venting the proverbial. Somebody needs their backside kicking.

Thanks for that. It looks, from what you said, that the quoted costs which include VAT are not far out. I was quoted £232 for labour (4 hours) BUT £713 for a towbar - Its not a Rolls!!!

Have a look in the general guides section as I have put a link for fitting a Wesfillia towbar and electrics. cheers - Stuart

Have a look in the general guides section as I have put a link for fitting a Wesfillia towbar and electrics. cheers - Stuart

Thanks for the informative link.

Unfortunately my question still remains - have you had a current quote for fixing a towbar using Skoda electrics? The problem is that the electrics will need to be compatable with the Yeti ECU and Skoda's arguement is that it takes a long time to install the wiring harness. I think the price I have been quoted - based on the Skoda "menu" of labour and materials - is very high.

I was wondering if anyone else had been quoted a price recently. (since 1st March)

Thanks for the informative link.

Unfortunately my question still remains - have you had a current quote for fixing a towbar using Skoda electrics? The problem is that the electrics will need to be compatable with the Yeti ECU and Skoda's arguement is that it takes a long time to install the wiring harness. I think the price I have been quoted - based on the Skoda "menu" of labour and materials - is very high.

I was wondering if anyone else had been quoted a price recently. (since 1st March)

Hi Terfyn,

We had 13 pin electrics and detachable tow bar fitted from scratch at Skoda dealer... took ages I saw it half way through wires everywhere from dash and rear looked very odd without lights etc...Quote was £850 but pushed down cost was £750 ish but know its done "right" and it got a 3 year warrenty :yes: as pre collection fitted- if we'd had it done after collection would only have got a 2 year warrenty

regards

Lady Penelope

Edit- I am going outside to check what the manual says as no idea what make ...brrr its cold out there -2 my other half just going to work in it but quick look seems to be a Skoda coupling with an Audi 13 pin fitting?!?

Edited 4 March, 201016 yr by Lady Penelope

Just had a quote from Claybank Skoda, Manchester.

£425 for single electrics detachable westfalia tow bar includes cover.

Third party fitter similar to Rainworth.

See you have a Sirion lady penelope, my partner has one.

Great little car, bags of room inside and over 50mpg

Just had a quote from Claybank Skoda, Manchester.

£425 for single electrics detachable westfalia tow bar includes cover.

Third party fitter similar to Rainworth.

See you have a Sirion lady penelope, my partner has one.

Great little car, bags of room inside and over 50mpg

But does your quote include the Skoda electrics at £184 +VAT? The total materials cost from Skoda is £375+VAT

I am told that if the Skoda electrics harness is not used then problems with the ECU will occur. "Skotchlock" connectors to connect the 7 pin socket to the rear light clusters (I am told) causes problems and invalidates the 3 year guarantee.

But does your quote include the Skoda electrics at £184 +VAT? The total materials cost from Skoda is £375+VAT

I am told that if the Skoda electrics harness is not used then problems with the ECU will occur. "Skotchlock" connectors to connect the 7 pin socket to the rear light clusters (I am told) causes problems and invalidates the 3 year guarantee.

My quote for a newly ordered Octavia 4x4 is £375 +VAT plus £500 fitting.

My quote for a newly ordered Octavia 4x4 is £375 +VAT plus £500 fitting.

Again I am told that Skoda underestimated the time required to strip the panelling away in order to insert the electrics harness from the boot through the car to the fuse box. The overall job time has been increased from two hours to four hours with a consequent increase in the cost of labour.

But does your quote include the Skoda electrics at £184 +VAT? The total materials cost from Skoda is £375+VAT

I am told that if the Skoda electrics harness is not used then problems with the ECU will occur. "Skotchlock" connectors to connect the 7 pin socket to the rear light clusters (I am told) causes problems and invalidates the 3 year guarantee.

I doubt it would include a harness. To be honest I had all the same arguments when I wanted a tow bar on my VW Eos. The ECU will fail, the roof wont work, the sensors wont function. My VW dealer arranged for a third party tow bar fitter to install the tow bar (detachable westfalia) and three years later:- no problems whatsoever.

That said I would only have the Yeti bar fitted at a Skoda dealer that way if there was a problem there is comeback.

Edited 16 March, 201016 yr by fuzzybunny

Just posted some pictures of my towbar in the Members Pictures thread:

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/144075-yeti-forum-members-picture-thread/page__st__140

Still not sure exactly what you get with the factory towbar prep (which I had) - looks like it'll be one of life's great mysteries... Not sure final bill yet but with Allams rewards card I get discount on parts. They did a nice job though. Now to finish the aeroplane and try towing it!

Not sure about the latest position, but when I posted here in October 2009:

"Checked with a couple of towbar specialist before I ordered mine but no-one had one for the Yeti at that time. So decided to get dealer fitted detachable. One Skoda dealer quoted me a special price of �415 if I ordered the car from them (supplied & fitted with single electrics). I think this was a good deal for the actual towbar, but the dealer I ordered from gave me a better deal on the car plus the towbar, front & rear mudflaps, floor mats and rubber boot liner for �599. Both dealers told me the factory towbar preparation was not necessary. "

Not sure about the latest position, but when I posted here in October 2009:

"Checked with a couple of towbar specialist before I ordered mine but no-one had one for the Yeti at that time. So decided to get dealer fitted detachable. One Skoda dealer quoted me a special price of �415 if I ordered the car from them (supplied & fitted with single electrics). I think this was a good deal for the actual towbar, but the dealer I ordered from gave me a better deal on the car plus the towbar, front & rear mudflaps, floor mats and rubber boot liner for �599. Both dealers told me the factory towbar preparation was not necessary. "

Ordered my Yeti yesterday, the towbar (non-detachable) was quoted at £320 including the wiring harness. It will be ready on Tuesday.

Ordered my Yeti yesterday, the towbar (non-detachable) was quoted at £320 including the wiring harness. It will be ready on Tuesday.

Hi and welcome to the SMOC.

take it your Monster is from stock or ex demo?

Regards,

TP

Hi Briskoda forum,

I understood when I bought my towbar that factory fitted electrics were only needed for twin electrics.

I had the Westphalia detatchable towbar fitted for £500. The car goes back after Easter because they jammed the wires under the bumper causing it to distort and foul the tailgate. Also the reversing sensor is not disabled when the electrics are connected to the caravan and only when I got home (the 'van is in storage) did I realise that the indicator did not bleep. Some extra work there then!

Edited 29 March, 201016 yr by Thompson2

Hi Briskoda forum,

I understood when I bought my towbar that factory fitted electrics were only needed for twin electrics.

I had the Westphalia detatchable towbar fitted for £500. The car goes back after Easter because they jammed the wires under the bumper causing it to distort and foul the tailgate. Also the reversing sensor is not disabled when the electrics are connected to the caravan and only when I got home (the 'van is in storage) did I realise that the indicator did not bleep. Some extra work there then!

Welcome...

Was the towbar fitted by the Skoda dealer themselves?

tom

The towbar was fitted at the dealers by a 3rd party fitter that they use for all their towbars. I expressed my concern at the time that it be done right as other VAG owners on my caravan forum had also had problems with 3rd party towbars. One Audi dealer had even removed the reversing light from the caravan to rectify a fault with the light being on all the time! A specialist towbar company changed the control box for a VAG one and all was resolved.