Graham, you were right

I tried the trailer yesterday - all the lights worked including rear fog. However there was a bulb failure warning, the reverse beeper still worked and no indication the "system" recognised the trailer. Looks like they just plugged the loom in and nothing else.

That's what I've got too Jerry. They just fitted the wiring loom by piggybacking onto the lighting at the rear of the car and didn't reprogram anything. So the car doesn't detect the trailer at all. I don't know if the coding can be done by a fellow Briskoda member with VCDS rather than having to trail back to the dealer.

That's what I've got too Jerry. They just fitted the wiring loom by piggybacking onto the lighting at the rear of the car and didn't reprogram anything. So the car doesn't detect the trailer at all. I don't know if the coding can be done by a fellow Briskoda member with VCDS rather than having to trail back to the dealer.

Yes, the coding can be done by anyone with the relevant bits of trickery.

Why do people "botch" with piggy-back wiring when Skoda actually provide a suitable plug in the loom? Plus "piggy-backing" on a CanBus system can lead to problems.

Jerry,

won't be making it on Saturday, SWMBO has arranged us to see a new house in the afternoon!!

Yes, the coding can be done by anyone with the relevant bits of trickery.

Why do people "botch" with piggy-back wiring when Skoda actually provide a suitable plug in the loom? Plus "piggy-backing" on a CanBus system can lead to problems.

Jerry,

won't be making it on Saturday, SWMBO has arranged us to see a new house in the afternoon!!

If they have just connected to the wiring using scotchlocks there will be no control unit to program via vcds/vagcom etc

The control box comes with the cable supplied by Skoda and some aftermarket cables--you will need to find out exactly what the towbar fitter has installed

If they have just connected to the wiring using scotchlocks there will be no control unit to program via vcds/vagcom etc

The control box comes with the cable supplied by Skoda and some aftermarket cables--you will need to find out exactly what the towbar fitter has installed

I don't think you are correct. The reprogramming is of the car's internal computer system, which is why it is done through the VCDS port. The Skoda wiring loom does not contain any control boxes.

The reprogramming includes:

switching of rear fog lights

sensing of increased load for the indicators

sensing for reversing sensors switching

reprogramming of alarm system to sense trailer

alteration to Bolero/etc display

alteration of the stability control system

bulb failure system extended to trailer

Some of the aftermarket "cheap" jobs include a relay box to enable the CanBus bulb check system to sense the trailer bulbs only.

Without the correct wiring loom there is no chance of coding as the trailer module is part of the Skoda loom. The "Plug" that is installed is part of the "Towbar Preperation" option or will be supplied with the full wiring loom.

Without the correct wiring loom there is no chance of coding as the trailer module is part of the Skoda loom. The "Plug" that is installed is part of the "Towbar Preperation" option or will be supplied with the full wiring loom.

+1

I fit these towbars...... Yeti with prep, has wiring to the n/s/r 1/4 , control unit plugs into this and then further wiring out of the control box goes to the towbar socket. This is then coded via a vas machine.

The dealer finally got the correct Skoda loom installed soon after I realised it wasn't right, I know as the boot floor and fixings were in disarray afterwards The car had towbar prep at the factory.

From the conversation I had with them subsequent to trying the trailer, they were uncertain what they had/had not done to the software -(dealer speak for not a clue).

They have now established they have a trailer board, 13-7 pin adapter, so I'm hoping they can now scratch their heads and get it right this time.

If it's not too time consuming for them, they might try to replace the light switch which comes out when pulling for fogs!!

I fit these towbars...... Yeti with prep, has wiring to the n/s/r 1/4 , control unit plugs into this and then further wiring out of the control box goes to the towbar socket. This is then coded via a vas machine.

Out of interest: what do you do to fit a towbar to a Yeti without the prep?

Without prep, there is a more substantial wiring loom which runs to the o/s/f of the interior. Basically the same as the wiring for the towbar prep ( wiring front to n/s/r 1/4. ) plus the towbar wiring, but combined in one loom.

As far as I can tell from the 24 page pdf file I have on the tow bar wiring the box that plugs in is basically a junction box.

However as Fireblade has confirmed the car does need reprogramming!

As far as I can tell from the 24 page pdf file I have on the tow bar wiring the box that plugs in is basically a junction box.

However as Fireblade has confirmed the car does need reprogramming!

That junction box is the trailer control module--that's why the ecu can't be programmed for the trailer electrics until after it's fitted--otherwise I guess the factory could do the necessary if the car was ordered with trailer preparation and the control module was already installed somewhere.

I assume the logic they employ is that you may not go ahead with the full installation of the towbar electrics even though the car was ordered with the preparation and in that case you would have to arrange to remove all their reprogramming,--whew!

IMHO of course!

OK, understand now.

That would also confirm that if the tow bar wiring is just "tagged" into the standard loom then you are never going to get the full functionality, no matter what reprogramming is attempted!

OK, understand now.

That would also confirm that if the tow bar wiring is just "tagged" into the standard loom then you are never going to get the full functionality, no matter what reprogramming is attempted!

Which is, I think, where I came in!

I don't have factory prep, and they didn't run anything forward of the boot area, so I assume that the tow bar has just been piggy-backed onto the existing rear lights, just like they did on pre-canbus cars of old! :'(

Which is, I think, where I came in!

I don't have factory prep, and they didn't run anything forward of the boot area, so I assume that the tow bar has just been piggy-backed onto the existing rear lights, just like they did on pre-canbus cars of old! :'(

It looks like it---so you either have to put up with the situation as it is or get the whole thing redone and then the ecu/canbus coded to recognise the trailer wiring :S

Oh and the original dealer should come to some arrangement to put things right with you---they should be shot for that sort of job on a brand new car

Edited 9 February, 201214 yr by yetiscot

It looks like it---so you either have to put up with the situation as it is or get the whole thing redone and then the ecu/canbus coded to recognise the trailer wiring :S

Oh and the original dealer should come to some arrangement to put things right with you---they should be shot for that sort of job on a brand new car

Dealer:

"But you didn't ask for fully functional trailer wiring. If you had, we would have fitted it, but it would have cost another £120 for the extra loom".

I've also found out that they didn't do the job themselves - they farmed it out to PD Jones of Manchester and it was the first one they'd fitted.

All this will be 2 years ago next month - I'm getting fed up of the whole saga now. It's so easy to be wise after the event, but at the time I had no knowledge of what the different options actually entailed, and as it's turned out, neither did the dealer. I just wish that I'd not been a guinea pig and more importantly I wish that I'd had access then to all the wonderful information that is now available on this forum. Thanks everyone for your help!

Dealer:

"But you didn't ask for fully functional trailer wiring. If you had, we would have fitted it, but it would have cost another £120 for the extra loom".

I've also found out that they didn't do the job themselves - they farmed it out to PD Jones of Manchester and it was the first one they'd fitted.

All this will be 2 years ago next month - I'm getting fed up of the whole saga now. It's so easy to be wise after the event, but at the time I had no knowledge of what the different options actually entailed, and as it's turned out, neither did the dealer. I just wish that I'd not been a guinea pig and more importantly I wish that I'd had access then to all the wonderful information that is now available on this forum. Thanks everyone for your help!

When I fitted a proper wiring loom to my present car from new--a Berlingo--when I insisted, and I had to insist, the main dealer looked at me like I was mad--I was also amazed, when I had arranged with them for a main dealer fit--the main dealer appointed a local towbar company to fit the towbar and the Citroen cable

That was the start a saga which I won't go into --but it took 12 months for the electrics to work properly with 4 visits to the main dealer for recoding etc

So it's not just Skoda they're all a bit crap it seems

I feel that there is alack of competence at most dealerships and when something complicated [or not so complicated] turns up they seem to be either baffled or worse apathetic.

Back from the dealer for the trailer software fiddling. They calmly said it was a "coding issue", then grinned when I said they couldn't have worked it out first time round I'll have to test it out later in the week, but they seem assured they know how to do it.

Light switch auto eject feature seems to have been deleted.

Bonus in that they washed the car including the rubber floor mats :clap:

Sorry to belabour this point, but I'm at the stage where I can change my order: I put it in on Friday last week.

Should I pay £180 and get the towbar prep done? Or will my Towbar Express chums be able to do the whole thing? They did a very good job with my E46 BMW 320d Touring in 2008.

Chris

Ask their advice. Before I had my towbar fitted I was quoted two prices by a local fitting company, one with towbar prep and one without.

I can't remember what the quotes were but they must have been close to the dealers price as that's what I decide to go with.

Fred

Sorry to belabour this point, but I'm at the stage where I can change my order: I put it in on Friday last week.

Should I pay £180 and get the towbar prep done? Or will my Towbar Express chums be able to do the whole thing? They did a very good job with my E46 BMW 320d Touring in 2008.

Chris

Yes and no.

Yes, they will be able to do the wiring, but can they do the CORRECT reprogramming?

No, they will not be able to fit the extra fans etc that come as part of the factory prep.

Towbar Express did the towbar on our Yeti and also did the programming, everything works as it should EXCEPT when the lights are the `auto` position, even in daylight, the trailer sidelights would be on, you have to turn the main light switch off! I have heard this has happened on other peoples Skodas not just Yeti`s. There seems to be a lot of talk regarding extra fans with the factory towbar prep, but Iam not 100% sure that this is in fact the case, all I can say is that we have not got factory towbar prep and have had no issues whatsoever with a lack of cooling. If you go for the twin electrics for the split charging etc, then this is a seperate loom to the front of the car, and is not included in the factory prep. So the choice is yours! my view is that you don`t need the factory prep, it would be nice if Skoda took a leaf out of Land Rovers book and had the loom fitted as standard, simple job to just plug in at the back, job done!

There seems to be a lot of talk regarding extra fans with the factory towbar prep, but Iam not 100% sure that this is in fact the case,

I believe TP checked this out about a tear ago and discovered it in ETKA or something similar.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Made some enquiries over past few days for tow-bar fitting.

It seems that most of the independents are quoting for Witter tow-bars and will do dedicated wiring or generic. I prefer dedicated to avoid potential warranty issues, technical gremlims and to avoid any concerns over how have the piggybacked onto existing loom (solder, scotchlock etc).

To this end, I was really surprised to be quoted by a Skoda dealer for an installation using piggy-back type wiring onto loom, rather than plug-in dedicated wiring. I thought it had to be dedicated wiring and type approved tow-bar (of which all tow-bars are now I understand) to maintain warranty.

Anyone else find this odd?

Any dealer offering that type of NON service should be reported to SUK, as it is against their rules.