Hi all

I've ordered a Westfalia detachable tow bar after reading positive reviews on here. The company I ordered the bar from offers a 'vehicle specific' wiring kit but don’t seem to have any knowledge of what's included. Has anybody fitted anything similar, and if so, did it cancel the reverse sensors when a trailer is connected?

Usually I would just buy a socket and cable and wire it up myself... If I do this again, is there a known way of having the reverse sensors disabled? It's not the end of the world, but if it's simple enough it would be nice not to have constant beeping when reversing with a trailer.

Assuming the sensors can't be dissabled, are there any other benefits to a vehicle specific kit other than ease of fitting?

Cheers

Phil.

I fitted a bypass relay to mine as VAG for some reason did not make life easy and wire in a specific socket.

Didn't take too long to glean the appropriate info from the web for wire colours and then fit and saved a packet on the cost of a specific kit.

Yes the sensors do chime when reversing a trailer but I can live with that

Usually I would just buy a socket and cable and wire it up myself... If I do this again, is there a known way of having the reverse sensors disabled? It's not the end of the world, but if it's simple enough it would be nice not to have constant beeping when reversing with a trailer.

Assuming the sensors can't be dissabled, are there any other benefits to a vehicle specific kit other than ease of fitting?

Hi Phil,

Timely post this as I fitted a detachable Westfalia towbar to my Roomster yesterday, and (aftermarket) reversing sensors too. I know yours is a Superb but the principal should be similar.

The "vehicle specific" wiring kit is a pleasant enough thing but at thirty quid it doesn't justify itself in my opinion and I won't be getting another one. As you have wired up "universal" sockets before with success then that's the route I would take.

It is nice to simply plug and play with all new sockets and cabling but you still have to remove both rear lamp clusters to gain access (I would normally enter the loom in the boot and make all connections there - not with scotchlocks though) It takes a fair bit of time to thread the new cables and plugs through the bodywork to reach the lamps.

The Westfalia supplied socket does automatically cut off your rear foglamp when the trailer is attached (that's probably standard these days on all sockets)

As far as the reversing sensors go - if you can access the cables (power supply cable or buzzer supply cable) why not insert a small on/off slider switch to kill the rev sensor when you are towing ? I'd think you could find somewhere close to the towbar (inside the boot) to fit a switch so that it is handy for turning on/off when you couple up the trailer. So when you take off the towball cover you slide the switch and vice versa when you're finished.

Incidentally, the fitting instructions stated the wiring job should take 45 minutes - try doubling that by the time you've taken everything apart and put it back.

If the towball and electric socket fit behind a cover in your bumper (as on Roomster) be aware that the shape of the Westfalia socket hinged lid (it has a wedge shaped profile rather than flat or slightly domed) does not fit inside the available space. I had to swap it for one borrowed from my son's car.

Good towbar though - well made and worth the money, but the dedicated lecky kit - not a bargain.

Cheers.

Edited 26 May, 201016 yr by tuscan30

Hi all

I've ordered a Westfalia detachable tow bar after reading positive reviews on here. The company I ordered the bar from offers a 'vehicle specific' wiring kit but don’t seem to have any knowledge of what's included. Has anybody fitted anything similar, and if so, did it cancel the reverse sensors when a trailer is connected?

Usually I would just buy a socket and cable and wire it up myself... If I do this again, is there a known way of having the reverse sensors disabled? It's not the end of the world, but if it's simple enough it would be nice not to have constant beeping when reversing with a trailer.

Assuming the sensors can't be dissabled, are there any other benefits to a vehicle specific kit other than ease of fitting?

Cheers

Phil.

I Have put a key switch on the negative of the reverse sensor control unit so I can switch the sensors of when I require, but depending on which socket you buy you can get one with a contact that is opened when the plug is pushed in, this is ment to disable the fog lights when a trailer or caravan is being towed but I can't see why this cant be used to switch the sensors off or even control a multi contact relay to control both the sensors and fog lights. just an idea.

http://www.towsure.com/product/446-N-Type_Socket_With_Fog_Cut_Out

I used to have this kind of wiring on my previous car. In general, it's a waste of time. Towbar wiring needs to be robust and simple in order to work when you need it. Foglamp defeat switches in 7 pin sockets are notoriously unreliable by the time they have been bashed around, covered in mud and left wet.

I think in several years' use of my previous towcar, I only ever towed in thick fog once (and I use my trailers a lot) and not disabling the vehicle fog(s) is hardly a problem. For the reverse sensor, just put a switch in the boot if you can't stand the noise.

Towbars and wiring are agricultural and need to be simple. Luckily the Mk 1 Superb does not have multiplexed lighting.

rotodiesel.