I must admit to becoming totally confused by the comments on the various threads on the subject ot towbars. Confusion is mine not the threads. :wonder:

So I suppose that there are two parts to my confusion.

Scenario...........no towbar preparation by Skoda

1) What or where exactly is the problem in fitting any towbar. Skoda, Westfalia or any other make. Is it in the electrics specific to the towing plug or to the electrics in the vehicle itself.

NOTE: Not bothered about any little icons appearing in the radio or wherever

2) Cost. I've seen various figures around. I've been quoted £850 from a dealer but this seems a bit of an overkill for fitting something which isn't exactly new & cutting edge to a vehicle which isn't really in the supercar price league. (Towbar fitting excepted :( )

I must admit to becoming totally confused by the comments on the various threads on the subject ot towbars. Confusion is mine not the threads. :wonder:

So I suppose that there are two parts to my confusion.

Scenario...........no towbar preparation by Skoda

1) What or where exactly is the problem in fitting any towbar. Skoda, Westfalia or any other make. Is it in the electrics specific to the towing plug or to the electrics in the vehicle itself.

NOTE: Not bothered about any little icons appearing in the radio or wherever

2) Cost. I've seen various figures around. I've been quoted £850 from a dealer but this seems a bit of an overkill for fitting something which isn't exactly new & cutting edge to a vehicle which isn't really in the supercar price league. (Towbar fitting excepted :( )

Single or double electrics?

I fitted my bar(a westfalia from jones mcr) and also single electrics all works well but I only tow a trailer , the rear parking sensor beeps on reversing the trailer, don't reverse the trailer much so not a problem(trailer rated at 750kg) suppose the volkume of the parking sensor could be turned down.

total cost less than £200 and about 3 hour s to fit and wire!

more info pm me!

I must admit to becoming totally confused by the comments on the various threads on the subject ot towbars. Confusion is mine not the threads. :wonder:

So I suppose that there are two parts to my confusion.

Scenario...........no towbar preparation by Skoda

1) What or where exactly is the problem in fitting any towbar. Skoda, Westfalia or any other make. Is it in the electrics specific to the towing plug or to the electrics in the vehicle itself.

NOTE: Not bothered about any little icons appearing in the radio or wherever

2) Cost. I've seen various figures around. I've been quoted £850 from a dealer but this seems a bit of an overkill for fitting something which isn't exactly new & cutting edge to a vehicle which isn't really in the supercar price league. (Towbar fitting excepted :( )

Quite a few people have paid around the £500-600 mark with towbar prep. I did and I had the Skoda Westfalia detachable swan neck towbar fitted with the 13 pin "twin electrics"....only it is one 13 pin socket these days. I just use a converter cable to to connect the caravan's twin plugs.

Super car league, no, but that seems to be the dealer going rate with non towbar prep. Wiring should be Yeti specific so the ESP still works with a trailer attached.

You really don't want to be hacking into the Yeti electrics with scotch block connectors etc, as you don't want to do damage to the rest of the vehicle electronics which seem quite sensitive.

Single or double electrics?

I fitted my bar(a westfalia from jones mcr) and also single electrics all works well but I only tow a trailer , the rear parking sensor beeps on reversing the trailer, don't reverse the trailer much so not a problem(trailer rated at 750kg) suppose the volume of the parking sensor could be turned down.

total cost less than £200 and about 3 hour s to fit and wire!

more info pm me!

To shut up the sensors, just needs a few clicks with VCDS.....and at the same time, switch off the fog light and put the graphic on the screen.

Thanks. Noted Frenchtone but to be honest DIY isn't really my forte. :S

All I'm interested in is a simple towbar to tow a small trailer say 6 times a year. It would be convenient to have a towbar attached but for the sums quoted I'd probably be better hiring a tow vehicle.

Scotch locks. Hate em but surely there must be some other way. The thread showing the mobile fitters in N.E. England. That seemed acceptable to the party concerned and a good job done for more reasonable money.

ESP.......just want the lights to work on the trailer. That's pretty much it.

ESP.......just want the lights to work on the trailer. That's pretty much it.

You really want the Electronic Stability Program to work on the car when towing especially in case you lose control of the vehicle, or the trailer starts to wag the car......then the ESP cuts in to try and stop the wagging trailer, though it shouldn't be so much of a problem with a 750kg trailer, but it could happen.

A fixed bracket with fully functioning 13 pin electrics will be fitted to my Yeti before I collect it. The price around £350 from the same specialist who has fitted a towbar to my last three vRS's. They have all done the job required (ie towing a caravan on more than a dozen trips a year) and the electrics have worked perfectlty too, including powering the ALKO ATC system I have on my caravan.

In fact I will only be paying £150 for it as my dealer was offering £200 off accesories when I ordered and they kindly let me use this aginst the cost of the towbar even although they are no supplying or fitting!

A fixed bracket with fully functioning 13 pin electrics will be fitted to my Yeti before I collect it. The price around £350 from the same specialist who has fitted a towbar to my last three vRS's. They have all done the job required (ie towing a caravan on more than a dozen trips a year) and the electrics have worked perfectlty too, including powering the ALKO ATC system I have on my caravan.

In fact I will only be paying £150 for it as my dealer was offering £200 off accesories when I ordered and they kindly let me use this aginst the cost of the towbar even although they are no supplying or fitting!

Must agree with the 400 quoted, my supplier in Worcester would have used a towbar fitting co from Cheltenham for the stated figure, because of time probs, a quick return to france, i opted for the box of bits and did it myself at home here in Finisterre

This is what we had last week.

Wesfalia detatchable bar (which means it fits into the pre-formed holder under the floor).

No towbar preparation in the car to start with.

13 pin electrics.

Removable cover trim, and inner holding frame.

£500 at our friendly Skoda dealer. They seem to use one local installer under sub-contract to them to do the actual fitting which cuts down SUK workshop time charges. They supply the OE parts, subbie fits them.

My only problem was "someone" forgot to code it, and I'm awaiting a reply from the salesman, who I know is on holiday this week.(Shark coded it yesterday for me)

Edited 26 August, 201114 yr by marcusfordus

£350-£500 seems much more reasonable & would mean that I could afford a nice set of winter tyres.

Well I contacted a wll known firm of towbar fitters up here in the frozen north (Edinburgh) & they came back with what seemed a remarkably cheap quote. When I queried this & pointed out that I did not have the Skoda factory preparation for a towbar they came back with the following:

" I have priced for our universal electrics.There should be a plug in your vehicle for us to attach the plug in electrics,if your vehicle does not have this you would need to contact your skoda dealer.

To supply and fit a detachable towbar with o/e plug in single electrics is £585+vat(witter towbar).

To supply and fit a fixed two bolt flange towbar with o/e plug in single electrics is £396+vat(witter towbar).

To code the vehicle after fitting is £60+vat.

The parking sensors only operate when the vehicle is in reverse."

So they would propse to charge me £702 + the cost of a Skoda loom + of course the cost of making the Skoda loom viable. All in all certainly not cheap & they really wouldn't appear to know what they're doing as regards Yetis & towbars.

There must be someone somewhere with a reasonble knowledge of the vehicles & can fit a towbar for reasonable money. It's got to the stage where I'd be willing to travel a reasonable (a lot of reasonables :wonder: )distance to have the job done

Anyone any suggeestions. Note that I'm north of Edinburgh but as they say will travel.

Marcus, are you saying that you didn't have the factory prep, and the Shark re-code has sorted out your display ?

When the wiring was installed, did they connect to the RH fuse box by the steering wheel, or did they just splice in a relay box at the rear of the car :wonder:

Marcus, are you saying that you didn't have the factory prep, and the Shark re-code has sorted out your display ?

When the wiring was installed, did they connect to the RH fuse box by the steering wheel, or did they just splice in a relay box at the rear of the car :wonder:

Um...........was that intended for me? :no:

Hi Breckie, no it was intended for 'marcusfordus'

Well I contacted a wll known firm of towbar fitters up here in the frozen north (Edinburgh) & they came back with what seemed a remarkably cheap quote. When I queried this & pointed out that I did not have the Skoda factory preparation for a towbar they came back with the following:

" I have priced for our universal electrics.There should be a plug in your vehicle for us to attach the plug in electrics,if your vehicle does not have this you would need to contact your skoda dealer.

To supply and fit a detachable towbar with o/e plug in single electrics is £585+vat(witter towbar).

To supply and fit a fixed two bolt flange towbar with o/e plug in single electrics is £396+vat(witter towbar).

To code the vehicle after fitting is £60+vat.

The parking sensors only operate when the vehicle is in reverse."

So they would propse to charge me £702 + the cost of a Skoda loom + of course the cost of making the Skoda loom viable. All in all certainly not cheap & they really wouldn't appear to know what they're doing as regards Yetis & towbars.

There must be someone somewhere with a reasonble knowledge of the vehicles & can fit a towbar for reasonable money. It's got to the stage where I'd be willing to travel a reasonable (a lot of reasonables :wonder: )distance to have the job done

Anyone any suggeestions. Note that I'm north of Edinburgh but as they say will travel.

Hi Breckie,

Don't know if you've got your towbar sorted out but if not, it might be worth having a chat with West End Garage in Broxburn. I asked about the possibility of fitting a towbar to my year old SM which doesn't have any of the factory prep and they quoted around £450 for a detachable towbar with single electrics. They say it does all the important stuff about reprogramming the EPS, disabling the rear parking sensors etc. when a trailer is attached.

As I say,I haven't had it done myself but it may be worth checking out.

Phibes.

Thanks Phibes. Nope not got a tow bar yet. To be honest I got P***ED off with the whole thing. So I've got a trailer about forty miles away that's stuck there until I hire something with a towbar. :( :( :(

Your "quote" doesn't sound too bad but with my previous experience I'd be mighty wary until I know something definite. If you go ahead I'd like to know how you got on.

I agreed a £700 fixed cost for a Skoda Dealers fitting a genuine fixed towbar as I need twin electrics and have no towbar prep. So far the garage have had the car a day and a half and reckon it wont be finished till tomorrow night so its taken them 20 hours to fit it. Glad I'm not paying by the hour and me thinks they've not fitted a Yeti Towbar before. God knows what state the car will be in when I get it back.

Thanks Phibes. Nope not got a tow bar yet. To be honest I got P***ED off with the whole thing. So I've got a trailer about forty miles away that's stuck there until I hire something with a towbar. :( :( :(

Your "quote" doesn't sound too bad but with my previous experience I'd be mighty wary until I know something definite. If you go ahead I'd like to know how you got on.

In the end, we did decide to get a tow bar but it's coming attached to a shiny new Yeti :-). I believe it's more or less the same procedure i.e. it's all taken care of by the garage once the car has been delivered so if you can hang on until March (hopefully), I can let you know how things worked out.

Phibes.

I agreed a £700 fixed cost for a Skoda Dealers fitting a genuine fixed towbar as I need twin electrics and have no towbar prep. So far the garage have had the car a day and a half and reckon it wont be finished till tomorrow night so its taken them 20 hours to fit it. Glad I'm not paying by the hour and me thinks they've not fitted a Yeti Towbar before. God knows what state the car will be in when I get it back.

The glue on the cut out fitting needs a day to cure.

tom

The glue on the cut out fitting needs a day to cure.

tom

No sign of my car back from the garage. Techie is off sick and no one else will touch it. So far 4 days in there and no guarentee it will be done by friday. I'm hacked off

Thanks Phibes. Nope not got a tow bar yet. To be honest I got P***ED off with the whole thing. So I've got a trailer about forty miles away that's stuck there until I hire something with a towbar. :( :( :(

Your "quote" doesn't sound too bad but with my previous experience I'd be mighty wary until I know something definite. If you go ahead I'd like to know how you got on.

Brekie

Try these people http://www.homefit-towbarsscotland.co.uk/ they appear to be the only NTTA approved company in Scotland and they use a wiring system from a company called 'Right Connections' - (http://www.rightconnections.co.uk/viewpage.php?page_id=1) which I have fitted to my Yeti and EVERYTHING works perfectly, including caravan electrics etc. - (Don't know if they have the kit for vehicle coding though)

Incidently I paid just £355 for a swan neck (fixed) Westfalia towbar with full 13 pin electrics fitted at my home in just 3 hours!! (I'm in Cheshire)

Regarding your trailer - (roughly) where do you want it moving from, and where to ? I'm in Scotland soon on business and may be able to help

Richard

We are now 5 days and 20 hours labour down the line and still my towbar is not fitted. Turns out they havent fitted one before and now they have had the wrong wiring instructions from Skoda.

Has anyone else had problems with taking so long fitting a towbar? They think it might be finished by Thursday

We are now 5 days and 20 hours labour down the line and still my towbar is not fitted. Turns out they havent fitted one before and now they have had the wrong wiring instructions from Skoda.

Has anyone else had problems with taking so long fitting a towbar? They think it might be finished by Thursday

20 hours for a job that can be done by one man in about 3 hours !!! or in a couple of noted cases by 3 men in 1 1/2 hours and at about half the price quoted too !!! - see the other tow bar thread that's running at the moment...

If the car doesn't have the electrical prep done, then half of the interior has to be removed to get the loom down the side of the car, plus the glue for the rear bumper cut-out takes 12 hours to cure. So sorry Millstone, your 3 hours work is a bit "unlikely".

It is about 3 hours just to fit the actual bar and fit just the basic electrics on a prep'ed car.

I fitted a genuine Skoda tow bar and twin electrics to a brand new yeti last week in six hours and was taking my time fitting the relay nicely in the ebox so nothing was connected directly to the battery. I added some rivets to the flap at the back as the sticky backed frame just ends up falling off after a while.

Car had no prep btw

Brekie

Try these people http://www.homefit-towbarsscotland.co.uk/ they appear to be the only NTTA approved company in Scotland and they use a wiring system from a company called 'Right Connections' - (http://www.rightconnections.co.uk/viewpage.php?page_id=1) which I have fitted to my Yeti and EVERYTHING works perfectly, including caravan electrics etc. - (Don't know if they have the kit for vehicle coding though)

Incidently I paid just £355 for a swan neck (fixed) Westfalia towbar with full 13 pin electrics fitted at my home in just 3 hours!! (I'm in Cheshire)

Regarding your trailer - (roughly) where do you want it moving from, and where to ? I'm in Scotland soon on business and may be able to help

Richard

Thanks Richard that looks like something I can seriously consider.

+

Many thanks for the offer on the trailer. Unfortunately the logistics involved are a bit more than A - B & it's likely to take a couple of days to sort out.