Has anybody had their bumper cut in the Sheffield area? I am fitting the tow bar myself but really want to have the bumper cut with the correct tool not with a jigsaw like Westfalia suggest.

The dealer i bought the tow bar from (not Sheffield) said they wouldn't do it as they need to ensure everything lines up..... even though the bumper is marked with exactly where to cut and its the official towbar. They also suggested buying the tool would be over £200 so want to avoid that if possible although they may have been trying to scare me into accepting their £800 quote to let them do it.

Many Thanks,

Wayne

P.S. I plan to take pics of each step and write a guide if people will find it helpfull, there seems to be alot of towbar related questions and not many answers on the web

Which model Fabia? Apparently you can't fit one on a vRS...

If i know the markings for the cut out/hole is in the correct place.

I just drill the holes near the corners after masking around the outside of the hole.

Use a freezer marker pen to highlight the lines to cut and stay inside, never wonder over the line to the ouitside. when cutting, ie, staying within the area. Easy to get the edges neat,

I use a Drimmel with a good cutting wheel. Be careful of heat and melting plastic.

or i use a fine saw blade.

File and tidy working up to the masking tape.

Then use the matching touch up paint to put a few neat coats around the edge of the hole.

Just take time, and never go outside the marked and taped area.

Do not take it for gospel the towbar matches that markings on a bumper.

Often it does not.

Small 3-4" square hole in the middle first is a good idea to see how its going to line up.

2 people to lift and hold up the bumper and sight and check, line up, and double check, then check again helps.

george

PS, EDIT.

Remember to make your insurance company aware the towbar is fitted, and you are towing.

Or its for a cycle carrier.

Check the car is Type Approved for fitting a towbar, and has a towing limit, & what that is.

Depending on the car, the audible warning and lights might need plugging in to a suitable reader (vag-com) to work or accept your wiring kit.

Good advice there - just take it steady and don't rush.

As my Dad always says "you can take off but you can't add on!"

Car is an 09 1.4tdi. So nobody need panic about type approval ive noted that is the number 1 rated tow bar discussion. Although I am only getting it for a cycle carrier for the moment anyway.

Thanks for the advice, I'm good when it comes to bolting things together etc but when it comes to things like cutting freehand I am hopeless! So I really want to avoid taking that approach.

Having the ecu modified was going to be my next thread when everything else is done although with an Ibiza and a polo in the family I may just buy the hardware.

Well been to a differnet dealer, who didn't have the tool but i did get a proper price quote for the tool and it comes in at about £85 so i think i'm jsut going to buy it, If i found a dealer with 1 they would probably want an hours labour and i can always sell on the tool or hire it out on the forum or something.

I've not ordered it yet as i'm going to go back to the dealer i get 10% off with and order it there.

I've now fitted the towbar, electrics, cut the hole & glued the frame. I haven't fitted the cover into the bumper yet as it suggests waiting 48hr after glueing but hopefully all is well.

Left to complete are painting the cover and coding the ECU. Paint i will do my self and so far i have got one quote for coding the ECU from a friend of a friend who wanted £50. Seems a bit much to me.

So far I've come in roughly £500 below Skoda's quote

£50 sounds like robbery to me, Definately not mates rate.

Local Skoda dealer did neighbours ecu coding on a 2009 Fabia Estate for £25.

Any update to this thread?

I want to add a towbar to ny fabia but i dont want to pay 1000gbp..

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Well I haven't had the ecu coded yet or the removable hatch colour coded but the tow bar is on and has been used a good few times now.

What do you need to know, I'm happy to guide you through the process. Assuming your happy to work on your car yourself it's not a difficult job.

Well I haven't had the ecu coded yet or the removable hatch colour coded but the tow bar is on and has been used a good few times now.

What do you need to know, I'm happy to guide you through the process. Assuming your happy to work on your car yourself it's not a difficult job.

Thanks.

First of all my car have the lowered monté carlo suspension and also reversing sensor. Would any of this matter?

How far have skoda prepared the leads in the car? Where would i find them when looking.

What more than cutting and actually mounting the towbar is required to get it all working and through a MOT?

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I had my 1 year old Fabia fitted with a tow bar and the necessaty electric bits by a Skoda dealer last year. The total cost was around £600!

The electric socket is difficult to fit the trailer plug onto. Skoda fit a 13 pin socket and then supply a 7 pin adaptor. It works OK but is not easy to put together.

Similarly, the removable towing hitch is a struggle to fit. Anyone with weak fingers or arthritis in their hands can foget it. Also the hitch is limited to a 50kg download. So towing a large-ish caravan might be a problem. My car is rated for trailers up to 1.2 tonne but with a 50kg hitch load this makes the tow very sensitive to side winds.

The dealer fitted the inner plastic frame onto which the cover plate fits using double sided tape. The tape came off after putting the cover back on twice. I got some stainless bolts and fixed the plastic frame with 6 of them which works much better. Sorry if that sounds a bit naff but I would rather have something whihc works than lose the cover plate after a few months of towing.

The diesel Fabias should be excellent tow cars - lots of low speed torque etc. But my 1.6 car is too high geared making pulling away with a heavy trailer a problem even on a flat road. Also reversing, the car wants to go too fast even at idle. Disappointing.

Finally, there is nowhere to attach the safety link other than the detachable hitch. I got a local trailer company to supply a short chain to fit onto the car chassis so that the safety link has something other than the hitch to attach to.

All this said, I am a great fan of the Fabia. Just be aware of potential problems with the product as supplied.

Good luck to all.

SlowBloke

Thanks.

First of all my car have the lowered monté carlo suspension and also reversing sensor. Would any of this matter?

How far have skoda prepared the leads in the car? Where would i find them when looking.

What more than cutting and actually mounting the towbar is required to get it all working and through a MOT?

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I'm not 100% sure on the Monte Carlo but doesnt that come with a diffuser with the removable hatch already built in? Or is that only on the older sports kit? Reversing sensor are not a technical problem, but you will need the ecu updating if you dont want them to go off constantly when you are reversing with a trailer.

Electrics depends on if you need a 12v accessory supply or not, i don't as i will only be using a bike rack / small trailer so i left this wire disconnected, The wiring i didn connect is all in the boot, to do it i removed the rear seat backs, the plastic cover across the boot entrance, the white d pillar covers and the side panels of the boot. then all the wiring is plug and play.

I dont beleive there are any other requirements for the MOT, i may be wrong on that one but i don't expect any problems.

I had my 1 year old Fabia fitted with a tow bar and the necessaty electric bits by a Skoda dealer last year. The total cost was around £600!

The electric socket is difficult to fit the trailer plug onto. Skoda fit a 13 pin socket and then supply a 7 pin adaptor. It works OK but is not easy to put together.

Similarly, the removable towing hitch is a struggle to fit. Anyone with weak fingers or arthritis in their hands can foget it. Also the hitch is limited to a 50kg download. So towing a large-ish caravan might be a problem. My car is rated for trailers up to 1.2 tonne but with a 50kg hitch load this makes the tow very sensitive to side winds.

The dealer fitted the inner plastic frame onto which the cover plate fits using double sided tape. The tape came off after putting the cover back on twice. I got some stainless bolts and fixed the plastic frame with 6 of them which works much better. Sorry if that sounds a bit naff but I would rather have something whihc works than lose the cover plate after a few months of towing.

The diesel Fabias should be excellent tow cars - lots of low speed torque etc. But my 1.6 car is too high geared making pulling away with a heavy trailer a problem even on a flat road. Also reversing, the car wants to go too fast even at idle. Disappointing.

Finally, there is nowhere to attach the safety link other than the detachable hitch. I got a local trailer company to supply a short chain to fit onto the car chassis so that the safety link has something other than the hitch to attach to.

All this said, I am a great fan of the Fabia. Just be aware of potential problems with the product as supplied.

Good luck to all.

SlowBloke

I agree with most of what you are saying here, its fiddly getting the hitch in and out, and the access for electrics isnt brilliant. I also have the 7 to 13 pin adaptor. Perhaps without the adaptor its fine.

The nose weight of 50kg i beleive is car specific not towbar specific so the detachable mount is jsut as good as a fixed mount in that respect.

The hatch frame uses sticky pads to be positioned and should be glued with a permenant polyurethane adhesive (i have part numbers) I have done this with mine and it isnt shifting anywhere so your problem is down to the fitter not the product (but you probably already figured that out)

Finally the towbar itself has recently been supersceded with a new model number, mine has on the right of the tow ball a metal loop which i assume is for the safetly link or an anti-snake device (sorry i'm not up to speed with caravan / large towing so not 100% sure).