Towbar Coding UPDATE

[Gizmo]

My problem now is the 300 mile round trip if I return to the dealer to get it done :thumbdown:

Or if you can get to Shark's premises on the morning of Wednesday 31st (providing Ben does not mind) I will code it for you whilst he is doing my car.

[marcusfordus]

Or if you can get to Shark's premises on the morning of Wednesday 31st (providing Ben does not mind) I will code it for you whilst he is doing my car.

Incoming PM

[g6zru]

LATEST REPLY FROM SKODA UK.

Dear Mr Southwell

Thank you for your letter of 22 August 2011, addressed to our Director. Mr Hazelwood has asked that I respond to you directly on

his behalf.

I would advise that Will Fisher is currently on annual leave until Tuesday 30 August 2011. I have passed your enquiries on to

Technical Support in the meantime, and I will request that Will contacts you once a response has been received. I hope that this

is acceptable to you.

In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me on 08457 745 745, should you require any further assistance.

Kind regards

Shelly Lynch, Customer Relations Manager - Executive Office

[briwy]

We are about to order a Yeti from somewhere and I have been asking everyone to include the towbar prep in the price assuming that it is necessary for a towbar to be fitted.

Confusingly , I have now been told by one dealer that it is a waste of money as the towbar contractors don't use it. This has also been confirmed by a towbar specialist who has given me a fitted cost for the towbar.

Does the towbar prep include the panel required for a removable bar?

I'm not really bothered about stuff showing up on the screen. I generally know when I'm towing something but I do not want the rear sensors going off all the time.

So, is the general consensus that the towbar prep is needed or not? If not then I'll put the money towards the towbar cost.

[rockhopper]

We are about to order a Yeti from somewhere and I have been asking everyone to include the towbar prep in the price assuming that it is necessary for a towbar to be fitted.

Confusingly , I have now been told by one dealer that it is a waste of money as the towbar contractors don't use it. This has also been confirmed by a towbar specialist who has given me a fitted cost for the towbar.

Does the towbar prep include the panel required for a removable bar?

I'm not really bothered about stuff showing up on the screen. I generally know when I'm towing something but I do not want the rear sensors going off all the time.

So, is the general consensus that the towbar prep is needed or not? If not then I'll put the money towards the towbar cost.

It is worth it if towing a caravan or in hot places as it would appear to include bigger engine cooling fans. The dealers (and SUK) do not seem to know what is included in the towbar prep. I went for it. The wiring loom just plugs into a socket around the rear wheel arch, so there is no need for an independent to break into the wiring/fuse box to add their not quite genuine skoda yeti stuff. Why the independents don't use it, if it is there is plain stupid to me...but that is my opinion....instead of taking half the car to bits when not necessary.

[Gizmo]

Why the independents don't use it, if it is there is plain stupid to me...but that is my opinion....instead of taking half the car to bits when not necessary.

Someone more cynical than me might suggest it would be a way of adding another couple of hours worth of labour when they remove half of the cars trim, when in fact all they have needed to do is plug into the Skoda loom, thus saving themselves a couple of hours work yet still getting paid for it.

If and only if an independents loom gives as much functionality as the towbar prep (does the towbar prep include any trailer stability?) and was cheaper than the factory fit price then it may be a cheaper option to go for.

[rockhopper]

Does the towbar prep include any trailer stability?

Nothing physical.

I suspect that either factory or independent will get the ESP to work with the van wagging its tail

[briwy]

Well, gone ahead and got the new Yeti ordered today.

Got a price of £522 for a Westfalia detachable bar from the dealer which I thought was good as I had been given a cost by an independent of £500 for after market fitting.

I guess it will be fitted by a local fitter but am assured that all coding etc will be sorted out OK so pretty happy with that and it will covered by the warranty.

Just got the wait now.

[marcusfordus]

Well, gone ahead and got the new Yeti ordered today.

Got a price of £522 for a Westfalia detachable bar from the dealer which I thought was good as I had been given a cost by an independent of £500 for after market fitting.

I guess it will be fitted by a local fitter but am assured that all coding etc will be sorted out OK so pretty happy with that and it will covered by the warranty.

Just got the wait now.

You wont know until you get home if it works, just like myself.

I called round to Shark performance and had Ben have a look this morning. Nothing switched on at all, so I paid him the money to do it right and he also gave me the very large MPH central display, what a plus that is seeing a large 30 when you have to guess what the other is doing. Start up sweep was just showing off, but a big thumbs up from me and rotten tomatos for sub-contractor towbar fitters.

The Westfalia is an excellent addition and fits very well, the blanking cover hides it all when not needed.

[g6zru]

LATEST REPLY FROM SKODA UK.

Dear Mr Southwell

Thank you for your letter of 22 August 2011, addressed to our Director. Mr Hazelwood has asked that I respond to you directly on

his behalf.

I would advise that Will Fisher is currently on annual leave until Tuesday 30 August 2011. I have passed your enquiries on to

Technical Support in the meantime, and I will request that Will contacts you once a response has been received. I hope that this

is acceptable to you.

In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me on 08457 745 745, should you require any further assistance.

Kind regards

Shelly Lynch, Customer Relations Manager - Executive Office

FINAL UPDATE! 8/9/11

Latest,and hopefully last.

Hello Will,

Thanks for your phone call today, I was in the garden! I'm using email to reply as I won't use 0845 telephone numbers especially for customer services which I consider should free.

Your reply that the towbar cover is not available has mystified me. You either misunderstood or you have been misinformed again.

As I understand it, if Towbar Prep has been specified there is a removable cover in the rear bumper that you (the car owner) take off to fit the removable swan neck towbar. It is already in place ready for when the towbar is fitted.

The removable swan neck towbar fits into a socket that is part of the towbar support underneath the bumper and has a drop down socket for the electrics alongside it. When removed the swan neck towball fits into a moulded receptacle that is contained inside the spare wheel (where supplied).

The cover then clips into the bumper to cover the hole when not in use, very neat but a bit fiddly to use.

Now we come to cars with no towbar prep. In this case the removable cover in the bumper is not provided and when the towbar is fitted the cover has to be added. It IS a Skoda part and is supplied with a frame that it clips into. So the towbar fitter has to cut the bumper, fit the frame and cover as well as all the towbar parts.

My original question "What does Towbar Prep comprise?" has been answered in a roundabout way.

Most of the answer has come from other Yeti owners and some from you.

I do however think that when an option is listed for any car the potential owner should be told what exactly they are getting for their money. Towbars may be a small market but that is not the point, if an item is offered as an option, any item, then the information about it should be easily available.

--

Fred. Nr Brighton U.K.

Reply from Will Fisher;

Dear Mr Southwell

Thank you for your email. I am pleased that you now have the information you require although I am sorry that my responses were

not as expedient or informative as I had hoped.

I have discussed your concerns with our Technical Department who are preparing a briefing regarding all aspects of factory fit

and retailer fit towbar preparation, to ensure that there is no confusion in future.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to investigate your concerns. In closing, please allow me to wish you many years of

reliability and enjoyment from your SKODA.

With warm regards

Will Fisher, Customer Relations Manager

Nuff said I think.

Fred

[900000]

I have discussed your concerns with our Technical Department who are preparing a briefing regarding all aspects of factory fit

and retailer fit towbar preparation, to ensure that there is no confusion in future.

The standard reply these people give to ANY question... I wonder if this "Technical Department" even exists?!?!

Brick wall. Total brick wall that place.

:no:

[g6zru]

The standard reply these people give to ANY question... I wonder if this "Technical Department" even exists?!?!

Brick wall. Total brick wall that place.

:no:

I agree but my head won't take any more bashing against it.

I seem to remember from my brief contact with computer programming something called a "recursive loop". I think this applies!

Fred

[kesy]

We are about to order a Yeti from somewhere and I have been asking everyone to include the towbar prep in the price assuming that it is necessary for a towbar to be fitted.

Confusingly , I have now been told by one dealer that it is a waste of money as the towbar contractors don't use it. This has also been confirmed by a towbar specialist who has given me a fitted cost for the towbar.

Does the towbar prep include the panel required for a removable bar?

I'm not really bothered about stuff showing up on the screen. I generally know when I'm towing something but I do not want the rear sensors going off all the time.

So, is the general consensus that the towbar prep is needed or not? If not then I'll put the money towards the towbar cost.

hi i had the towbar prep fitted it included the front fans the removable panel at the back and a plug in box inside the the rear passenger wheel arch.i fitted the witter removable towbar myself in about 3 hours it would have taken a lot longer if it went to an independent fitter and i know the job is done properly i had to get it coded from a dealer but all is ok!