Sorry to keep coming back to the same subject but I need to know a) how to tell if the used towbars I have been offered are type approved or not and whether there were underbody changes which affect the fitting of one years Felicia Hatchback towbar to another from a different year. My Felicia is October 1998, just after t/a came into force.

I have been offered one, repainted off a P or N regd. and another from an S regd but no guarantee that it was not secondhand from an earlier vehicle.

Seems inconceivable to me that towbar makers would not have anticipated t/a otherwise they would have had unused and unsaleable stock in 1998.

This is a budget car so a new towbar is not justified.

many thanks DF

There should be a type approval sticker on the towbar, with the manufacturer, the noseweight, etc., on it.

Like this:

You may think it inconceivable, and it probably is, BUT if you have an accident with a non-TA towbar, you could have invalid insurance. And the cost of that will be a bit more than a towbar.

As for telling, they should fit onto your car's bodyshell with NO modifications of the shell needed AT ALL. IF there are, then the towbar can't be TA. That's not to say that it is if it does fit without, but it's definitely not if it doesnt.

There should be a type approval sticker on the towbar, with the manufacturer, the noseweight, etc., on it.

Like this:

You may think it inconceivable, and it probably is, BUT if you have an accident with a non-TA towbar, you could have invalid insurance. And the cost of that will be a bit more than a towbar.

As for telling, they should fit onto your car's bodyshell with NO modifications of the shell needed AT ALL. IF there are, then the towbar can't be TA. That's not to say that it is if it does fit without, but it's definitely not if it doesnt.

many Thanks Briskodian,I have never seen a ta sticker. I aim to be legal safe and insured hence my question and your reply. I will leave the sh towbars alone if the sticker etc is not present

DF