So, with a little extra money available I thought I'd take e plunge and get a towbar fitted. I have no specific plans to tow, but have had occasions where a towbar would have been really handy. I trawled all of the topics and various suppliers and in the end went for Towbar Express; not cheap, but convenient.

I ordered a removable swan neck with vehicle specific 13 pin wiring and very clearly told them (both on the vehicle enquiry and over the phone when booking) that the car had towbar prep (and that this meant the bumper was already cut and there was a wiring loom connection in the boot).

The fitter turned up today and said "you know I'll have to cut the bumper?" to which I replied, "it's already done". He set about the car and had clearly done a lot of them before, which he confirmed; in no time at all the bumper was off and the interior panels removed. He fitted the ironworks and then went to fit the wiring. When he pulled the wiring kit out he said "they've sent me a non-towbar prep one"; in other words, one that was long enough to reach the dashboard and connect to the various points there. He then said it was ok, as he could just cut off the excess wiring and wire it into my car's loom in the boot. When pushed, he said this would be by means of stripping and splicing wires. I had specifically told them about the wiring prep and had ordered the car with it to avoid just this scenario. He went on to state that the people who make this aftermarket wiring are the biggest suppliers around and don't make a kit for the towbar prepped Yeti, since it is quite a rare option. They do do kits for other towbar-prepped VAGs (in fact he showed me an Audi A6 kit he had). I was unwilling to have the wiring spliced and he had no other kit, so he just fitted the bar and reassembled the car and left.

After he left I noticed a couple of marks on the car... most I could overlook but there is a noticeable scratch on one rear light cluster. I also spotted he'd left the fuse box cover off by the driver's A pillar... luckily I noticed before shutting the door and crushing the lid. Finally I got in and turned the ignition on and got a bulb failure warning for the right rear fog light. I checked the bulb and even swapped it for the known-working brake light bulb, but the warning remains and the light doesn't come on.

So now I have a car with:

- a towbar but no electrics

- a malfunctioning fog light

- a new scratch.

As you can imagine, I am not pleased and am writing this as I await a call back from them about what they're going to do about it. In the mean time I have found you can get the genuine VAG wiring loom and module online and it looks like a reasonable job to do, with just the coding needed by Skoda (I assume).

So, if you're thinking about getting a towbar and have towbar prep, apparently the only wiring kit that will fit properly is a VAG one. And if you can help me on the bulb failure warning, I'd be grateful!

Really sorry to read these issues.

 

I would be straight back to them to get someone senior to respond. Register your complaint with the firm concerned as you are/have done. 

 

In the meantime I would check the bulb across a battery just to be sure.

 

It is interesting that the fog light is showing as failed. The towbar electrics connected disables the fog light....any connection?, no pun intended

 

Check putting the car in reverse....does the parking sensor indication change to 'trailer'?

As I said, no wiring was fitted as they didn't have the right loom.  The rear light clusters had to come out to get the bumper off and the guy did probe the wiring plug in the boot to confirm it was connected and fused, but as far as the car should be concerned, the wiring is exactly the same as before he arrived.  Also, I swapped bulbs between connectors on the light cluster and still the foglight won't work (whilst the brake light works with whatever bulb is in it, confirming the bulbs are OK).   The light was fine before.

OK, part of the mystery is solved. I traced the non-functioning foglight to a blown fuse... number 9 (which also covers the interior lights, that I hadn't noticed we're also not working). Off to find a 10A blade fuse and hope it was a one off thing rather than a wiring problem that has been introduced.

So along with everything else he did, this fitter managed to blow a fuse too. And this without (apparently) fiddling with the electrics. I agree with 33q; get to the highest level you can. Good luck.

Fuse replaced.... all good. I suspect that during his probing of the wiring connector for live signals he may have inadvertently shorted something. The good thing is, I now have some spare fuses and know how to get at the rear bulbs!

No contact from the supplier yet... I suspect this may be a hiding to nothing, but I'll still follow it through.

and what did you pay for that little saga if we may ask.

I hope you paid by credit card?

I wouldn't bank on any Skoda dealer doing the ECU updates that will turn off the reversing warning, enable the on screen display of a trailer in the head unit and (most importantly) modify the stability control when a trailer is connected.

 

I have had 2 different dealers attempt to do this (including the supplying from new dealer - where the towbar was fitted) - both have failed.

 

Tomorrow I'm off to see a friendly Briskoda member who has a VCDS cable and can do the necessary for me.

Thanks - I had assumed I would swing by a dealer... may have to find a VCDSer locally.

By the way, my understanding was that the coding only did the parking sensors, Bolero image and rear foglight cancel and that the trailer stability system was already active, requiring only that a trailer loom is detected.

By the way, my understanding was that the coding only did the parking sensors, Bolero image and rear foglight cancel and that the trailer stability system was already active, requiring only that a trailer loom is detected.

 

Coding does:

 

switches off reversing sensors when trailer attached

switches off car rear fog light when trailer attached

enables trailer stability when trailer attached

extends bulb failure system to trailer, which then gives the legally required failure of indicators when towing

extends the theft alarm system to the trailer when attached

senses the extra load required to adjust the flasher rate when trailer attached

alters in-car display to show trailer icon on screen when in reverse.

In this post...

Most of the stuff works when you use the Skoda branded wesfalia unit. You just miss out on the convenience stuff like the reverse sensors turning off, bulb check, etc.

There is a check to see if trailer stability is activated. I think the stability light takes 2 seconds longer to turn off after you turn on the ignition. No programming is required for that to work. I never checked that the stability was working by losing control or anything, just the light check. Mine was programmed a few days later.

...disagreeing with some of what you said, and apparently based on hands-on experience.

OK - so here is my experience to date.

 

Ordered car from new with Tow Bar prep

Asked supplying dealer to fit towbar

They subcontracted work out - with the assurance that they knew what they were doing.

 

On collecting the car I had no way of checking if ECU updates had been done - and as it was a saturday afternoon no access to a mechanic to check.

 

Have used the towbar for bike racks since and all lamps operate as expected - but I do not get the trailer symbol in the head unit.

 

When the vehicle was due its first service I asked my Local Skoda dealer to fix the problem.

They said they could not "connect" to the towbar and thus make the relevant changes.

 

Today I visited a very knowledgeable Briskoda member who attempted to apply the required updates.

Initially he got the same "cannot connect" to the towbar error.

 

According to him when the towbar (a Witter one) was fitted it did not have the correct electronic bits so that the ECU could recognise it completely.

 

Eventually we have got it configured to adjust the Stability Control and ABS, but could not get it to disable the Optical parking sensors (i'll have to push the button on the dash) - nor does it display the trailer symbol on the radio head unit.

 

My next step is to make a warranty claim against Lookers who have failed to supply me with a car that was configured correctly.

I'm not holding my breath however..

 

I'll update as I get further info....

Has this topic been hijacked.

 

There now appears to be 2 tow bar sagas.

 

Non of which are commenting on the expenditure to date.

Has this topic been hijacked.

It's a towbar thread!

There now appears to be 2 tow bar sagas.

And...?

 

Non of which are commenting on the expenditure to date.

Er, no. Any reason why they should, necessarily? You're obviously free to add a cost comment/question if you wish.

It's a towbar thread!

 

It says My Towbar experience started by weasley...

And...?

 

Never start a sentence with And...

Er, no. Any reason why they should, necessarily? You're obviously free to add a cost comment/question if you wish.

 

Just interested...and I did, I asked.

Edited 23 May, 201412 yr by DonjSZ5

And...?

 

Never start a sentence with And...

It's totally OT and unforgivably nit-picking so I should resist...  

But I think you'll find that my usage was actually a valid fragment and not a sentence. And, in any event, the 'And' 'rule' is one to be broken. It is what I believe Fowler called a grammatical superstition or fetish invented by some 'Latin-obsessed 17th century introverts' and frequently debunked as a grammatical myth.

 

But back to Yetis and towbars, where were we: Ah yes the cost. Sorry I don't know, but if I do decide to order another Yeti (though it probably won't happen as a minimum until SUK relent and allow some other seat colour than brown in the L&K) I'm very tempted to specify the towbar this time around.

Edited 23 May, 201412 yr by prodata

Having read so many comments / threads about tow bars being fitted post delivery and the ensuing problems, I can only say that I'm so glad I had it factory fitted on my Yeti.

If or when I come to replace my Yeti with another new vehicle, should I be so fortunate, it too will have a factory fitted towbar. It's worth the extra cost just for the peace of mind.

And ..... By the time you've run back n forth, phoned dealers, SUK, etc, it is probably cheaper.

And......my grammar is correct for me just like my spelling. I writes n talks how I want to n do it to give somebody something to bitch about!

Then he should have stuck to building steam engines

Edited 23 May, 201412 yr by DonjSZ5

Factory fitted tow bar does not come with wiring or terminals for caravan fridge or caravan battery charge. Found out by experience.

I would gladly have ordered a factory-fitted towbar if they were offered when I ordered mine, but they weren't and the best I thought was possible was the towbar prep, which surely must save plenty of hassle at figment time, right.......?!

Correct, and should be possible to fit an approved wiring kit rather than a generic type with all the possible attendant cabling problems.

Fred

Factory fitted tow bar does not come with wiring or terminals for caravan fridge or caravan battery charge. Found out by experience.

So far in the three years of towing different caravans with an Astra, then an Octi and now the Yeti ( best tow vehicle so far) we've not needed the power source for the fridge.

Left the site this morning with a tub of ice cream in the freezer compartment and a cool pack - put in there for storage - 4 hours later after floating back down the M1 and M62 (Tad wet) everything was still frozen solid. But we do stay on sites with hook-up.

So far in the three years of towing different caravans with an Astra, then an Octi and now the Yeti ( best tow vehicle so far) we've not needed the power source for the fridge.

Left the site this morning with a tub of ice cream in the freezer compartment and a cool pack - put in there for storage - 4 hours later after floating back down the M1 and M62 (Tad wet) everything was still frozen solid. But we do stay on sites with hook-up.

If your journeys are short, as above, I would also go the route of not bothering with the power to fridge. When you have a 12-15 hour run it is a different matter and that extra supply is essential. This is when the "fun" starts in trying to decide who can or will do the required fit and electrics. It is as many have found out not a simple situation to solve. Search the forum, as I am sure you have, and you will find different dealers will offer different solutions. It is all very confusing and potentially expensive.

 

Colin