Doubt it's illegal to fit the bar itself, just using it for it's intended purpose may be :eek:

I doubt a bike-rack would cause a problem (then I must admit in all honesty, I doubt responsibly towing a trailer wouldnt be either, more than likely)

I would clarify things with your dealer however, as there is currently no type-approved (ie legal to use for towing) towbar available for the vRS in the UK

Hmm.

I think Skoda need to get their act together.

I appear to have two Skodas now that I can't tow with.

Got a 2.0 TDi Octavia Estate a couple of months ago and looking on the Skoda website its got the same NA for towing.

The Octavia hatch is OK

How bloody stupid can it get.

Ill check the Octavia handbook tomorow but I shall be seriiously unamused if the Octy Estate is a no no as well.

What makes it even more stupid is the PD100 Fabia is in Praticle Caravan Magazine's best budget towcar section.

Lee

I would be surprised if the Estate couldnt tow (Octy). That would be very wrong.

I can just, at a push, imagine the Furby vRS not being approved, the Octy vRS however should be as it hasnt got extended bumpers IIRC (I may be wrong )

It's like you say - not like the car cannot handle it, Skoda just hasn't put it through the type approval process :(

I would complain if the Octy couldnt pull a trailer.. In writing, that is. Perhaps the policy/current situation will be reviewed then. Just wondering how many people are driving around with an un-approved towbar pulling their caravan or trailer now :eek:

Now had al look in the Octy tech data.

Bit confusing but it does appear that its OK to tow with an Octy Estate. At least it doesnt say it isn't.

Seems strange about the NA on the web site though.

Might give customer service a ring sometime and see what they say.

I have a VRs fitted with a tow bar which was supplied by the dealer at the time of purchase so I assumed no problem.

The bar is used generally for carrying a bike rack.

So' date=' my question is, is it simply not legal to tow with a VRs or is it not legal to actually have the bar fitted to the car?[/quote']

From the Witter site:

"The towbar must be certified even if not used for towing! Otherwise it does not comply with the Road Traffic Act."

You should return to the dealer and ask for it to be removed at no cost to yourself.

Slightly off topic i know,but my Octy came with a towbar fitted that has two electrical points, one white socket and one black one....whats are they for/whats the difference?

Slightly off topic i know,but my Octy came with a towbar fitted that has two electrical points, one white socket and one black one....whats are they for/whats the difference?

Black one does all the lights apart from reversing lights.

White one does reversing lights, supplies 12V to the fridge in the caravan, gives 12V power supply to caravan lighting etc and a 12V supply to charge a caravan on board battery.

Cheers

Lee

Someone earlier mentioned a dealer fitted towbar in his vRS, well that is perfectly possible and possibly even legal. That is because at least in Finland law states that cars registered before 01.01.2005 can have a non-type approved towbar IF the towbar clears the general EU approval for towbars. So, if UK has ratified the law the same as Finland, which I believe should be the case through all of EU, all owners of vRS registered before 01.01.2005 are clear to tow.

I advice you guys to check this issue in UK as this would really open up doors for many lucky vRS owners.

As for the type approval, I have personally checked with Skoda Finland, Sweden and Skoda factory and all state that vRS isn't type approved cuz it's a sports car. It also mean pretty much that they never will type approve it... Sad as it may be, it is the god honest truth.

So, pre-2005 registered vRS owners, check the local laws carefully and you just might be able to slip away with this one. I certainly hope so!

- Juha

Someone earlier mentioned a dealer fitted towbar in his vRS' date=' well that is perfectly possible and possibly even legal. That is because at least in Finland law states that cars registered before 01.01.2005 can have a non-type approved towbar IF the towbar clears the general EU approval for towbars. So, if UK has ratified the law the same as Finland, which I believe should be the case through all of EU, all owners of vRS registered before 01.01.2005 are clear to tow.

I advice you guys to check this issue in UK as this would really open up doors for many lucky vRS owners.

As for the type approval, I have personally checked with Skoda Finland, Sweden and Skoda factory and all state that vRS isn't type approved cuz it's a sports car. It also mean pretty much that they never will type approve it... Sad as it may be, it is the god honest truth.

So, pre-2005 registered vRS owners, check the local laws carefully and you just might be able to slip away with this one. I certainly hope so!

- Juha[/quote']

You are partly correct. Cars after 1998 "S" registration must have an EU approved towbar but don't have to be type approved for that specific model.

Where the Police have got you is the towing limits. It's an offence to tow more than the manufacturers maximum limit and for the vRS its 0kg. As soon as you put anything on the back you are towing more than the manufacturers recommended limit.

Cheers

Lee