Folks, need the wisdom/knowledge of all towbar users.

 

I may require the fitting of a towbar over the next three years and need to know if the decision to take the Towbar Prep option now (while my car is pre-build) is critical.

 

Essentially, how much money/hassle will it save me if having a towbar fitted later, if I tick the prep option?

 

Thanks

As far as I remember - the factory fit towbar prep integrates better with the alarm, reverse sensors and stability control systems than after market tow bars.

 

 

Chris

I was advised by dealer not to bother as they could do it cheaper and fully integrate it which they have. Also if you look at asterix next to pre fit, it says this is a single electrics unsuitable for split charging. So if you want fridge and battery charger it is no good. So i got the westfalia detachable and 13 pin electrics fitted by dealer before collection.

We only started towing by chance and had no intention to do so when picking the car so the one I picked (dealer manager's runabout) didn't have towbar prep.

 

We bought a folding camper so I subsequently had a local company fit a Witter detachable towbar with dedicated electrics and it's fully integrated with the car.

 

When the ball is fitted It doesn't interfere with the reversing sensors and when towing it correctly disables the car's fog light and shows a picture of an A frame when selecting reverse.  It also turns the caravan running lights on when I put the car lights into the automatic position.

 

It cost me a few pennies under six hundred quid.

Towbar prep is just that all wires for the towbar has been run all the way to the rear left in boot. So when fitting a (OEM) towbar it´s just to plug in the box in the boot, connect box to socket for towbar, coding, and job done.

 

The result when mounting an OEM towbar on a car without the prep is the same, you will just have to run the wires to the CAN-gateway/fusebox in fron of the car yourself. And that means taking some of the interior apart.

We only started towing by chance and had no intention to do so when picking the car so the one I picked (dealer manager's runabout) didn't have towbar prep.

 

We bought a folding camper so I subsequently had a local company fit a Witter detachable towbar with dedicated electrics and it's fully integrated with the car.

 

When the ball is fitted It doesn't interfere with the reversing sensors and when towing it correctly disables the car's fog light and shows a picture of an A frame when selecting reverse.  It also turns the caravan running lights on when I put the car lights into the automatic position.

 

It cost me a few pennies under six hundred quid.

 

Can I ask which Towbar fitter you used? 

Can I ask which Towbar fitter you used? 

 

It was the Rotherham Towbar Centre (first result when you Google the name).  Witter quoted 699 through their online system for the same fitter but when I went direct to RTC they quoted 599.  Mine's a detachable flange (ooo pardon vicar) rather than the usual detachable swan neck.

 

I had to take the car back a couple of days later as they'd not coded the reversing function and about 18 months later found that the bumper had been fitted a few mm out on one side and the bottom of the door had rubbed on it.  They rectified both minor issues with no hesitation.