Factory Fit Towbar Option

[Truthseeker]

Ooh I can, they will expect you to pay extra for electrics, wouldnt be the first car manufacturer to do that.

£400 all in sounds too good to be true, there again I am an old cynic!

Lets hope someone gets one fitted for £400 at the factory soon and all will be revealed!

£400 sounds about right for Skoda/VAG as my VW (factory) removeable westfalia tow bar, including 13 pin electrics, was around the £350 mark 3 years ago.

[33q]

I paid £560 for a Westfalia detachable including dedicated electrics, coding and towbar cover. 13pin

[fuzzybunny]

£400 sounds about right for Skoda/VAG as my VW (factory) removeable westfalia tow bar, including 13 pin electrics, was around the £350 mark 3 years ago.

Wow! short of fitting it yourself I can't imgaine how you could get it so cheap, Well done!

There was no factory fitting 3 years ago so must be a dealer fit.

[Truthseeker]

There was no factory fitting 3 years ago so must be a dealer fit.

There was because I ordered it as a listed VW option on my T5 Multivan factory order and saw the van the day it was delivered from Germany (towbar included).

[P10ant]

Thanks for all the responses on this thread.

I had been in touch with my dealer last Friday who was already aware of this as a new factory fit option for 2013. He did some checking and agreed to change my order to add this option. My build week is March.

If you go to the UK Skoda website this morning, they have issued a new Yeti Brochure which is effective from February 2013. The brochure also contains the details for the new L&K specification.

Whilst no technical details are published in the brochure, the following is confirmed as as a factory fit option:

*** not available on 1.2 TSI DSG or Greenline II

• Towbar, removable and lockable - £400 (incl VAT)
  

Hope this helps.

[Merlinman]

At that price it's a 'no brainer'

[fuzzybunny]

There was because I ordered it as a listed VW option on my T5 Multivan factory order and saw the van the day it was delivered from Germany (towbar included).

Ooh not sure we can really compare a VW T5 van with a Skoda Yeti!

I was quoted over £900 from the dealer when I needed a towbar on my VW Eos back in 2007.

Until someone orders a £400 tow bar on their yeti and we find out what they get its all speculative.

Looking forward to finding out though.

[yetiscot]

Ooh not sure we can really compare a VW T5 van with a Skoda Yeti!

I was quoted over £900 from the dealer when I needed a towbar on my VW Eos back in 2007.

Until someone orders a £400 tow bar on their yeti and we find out what they get its all speculative.

Looking forward to finding out though.

Well I should imagine the minimum will be a tow bar and the electrics to go with it, so you can use the tow bar with a trailer-- Edited 21 January, 2013 by yetiscot

[Truthseeker]

Ooh not sure we can really compare a VW T5 van with a Skoda Yeti!

Why not - a tow bar is a tow bar no matter what vehicle it is fitted to, and the cost will always be roughly the same. There is no more work involved in fitting to a VW van or Yeti, whether factory or dealer fitted.

[fuzzybunny]

Why not - a tow bar is a tow bar no matter what vehicle it is fitted to, and the cost will always be roughly the same. There is no more work involved in fitting to a VW van or Yeti, whether factory or dealer fitted.

I agree with you but manufacturers tend to charge whatever they know they can get away with hence the wide variations in price.

[yetiscot]

I agree with you but manufacturers tend to charge whatever they know they can get away with hence the wide variations in price.

Is this the 5 minute argument or the full 1/2 hour?

That's not an argument that's mere gainsaying of everything I say! [Monty Python]

Phew!

Edited 22 January, 2013 by yetiscot

[freedie]

No it isn't.

[Truthseeker]

I am bowing out now as I can see this thread getting stupid and insulting.

[fuzzybunny]

I am bowing out now as I can see this thread getting stupid and insulting.

Me too before someone quotes Monty Python about being 'too silly'

[yetiscot]

Calm down guys, it was my attempt [misplaced possibly] to be humorous--no insult intended

[Llanigraham]

With no criticism to anyone:

Gone are the days when tow bars were a simple bolt-on jobbie.

Nowadays any tow bar fitting has to be subjected to numerous Approval tests, often destructive, both on and off the vehicle. There is very little, if any, uniformity between makes or even similar models, so what may look suitable for one particular model may not be for another. A good example is the Ford Smax Titainum Sport x, which although seemingly the same as the non-Sport model does not have an approved tow bar fitment.

[Splooter]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread with a factory fit towbar query

I got my new L&K earlier this week complete with factory fitted (Westfalia) towbar. To answer earlier queries within this thread - there is a removable cover in the lower bumper to access the towbar fittings, and the 13 pin electric socket swings down from there too. 2 keys, blanking plugs and a '13-7' pin adapter were included.

I wondered if anyone else had one so far, and if so, had they worked out how to store the detached towbar in the boot ? There appears to be part of the moulded box below the boot floor (to the right of the spare wheel) specifically for the towbar, but you have to unscrew the spare wheel retainer and lift the wheel slightly in order to get the bar into it ! Seems a bit odd as I wouldn't have expected to disturb the spare wheel every time I used the towbar. Am I doing something wrong ?

Also, previous detachable towbars I have had have came with some sort of bag to put it in when not in use (to cover the greasy bit ). Asked the dealer about this and he said none was supplied, which may be correct since there is a proper storage area in the moulded box, but thought I'd check that others just got the same as me.

The bar attaches and detaches really easily, and was an absolute bargain at £400, so despite my storage 'issue' I would highly recommend it to anyone.

[ED51]

I have the factory fit tow-bar but no spare wheel - I have a space in the under carpet polystyrene where it fits nicely, no bag though. The factory fit tow-bar is a real bargain, but I can't remove the bumper cover without skinning my knuckles on the drive.

[Brijo]

As the detachable bit is a thumping heavy piece of steel, mine lives (in its bag...) in the garage when it's not in use.

[33q]

Mine was fitted after delivery and was supplied with both a canvas bag and a plastic bag

i find the tow bar fits in the lower box 'the wrong way round'. No need to move the spare wheel then.

[Llanigraham]

Certainly they used to come with a bag, with the bar manufacturer's logo on it. However I think mine only lasted a couple of uses. I now use a Tesco's bag!

Brijo.

Not much use in the garage if you want to stick a tow rope on it, to pull out the poor BMW owners who couldn't cope in the snow.

[Silverhead]

Sorry can't work out the 'quote' function, but my L&K with spare wheel has the towball stored under the wheel. My caravan is fitted with an ALKO stabiliser and according to the manufacturer, use of grease on the towball is a definite NO-NO as it reduces the effect of the friction pads in the hitch that provide the stabilising effect.

[Splooter]

Thanks for the various responses.

i find the tow bar fits in the lower box 'the wrong way round'. No need to move the spare wheel then.

I think I did try this unsuccessfully, but will give it another go tomorrow.

As the detachable bit is a thumping heavy piece of steel, mine lives (in its bag...) in the garage when it's not in use.

Hadn't considered this, but see your point, why carry it around all the time. I might just stick it in the shed if the aforementioned 'wrong way round' option doesn't work.

...... my L&K with spare wheel has the towball stored under the wheel. My caravan is fitted with an ALKO stabiliser and according to the manufacturer, use of grease on the towball is a definite NO-NO as it reduces the effect of the friction pads in the hitch that provide the stabilising effect.

Thanks Silverman - so the towbar is meant to be stored under the wheel it seems. By the way, the greasy bit I was referring to was the end that attached to the car, not the towball