Hello,

 

I am looking for some information on what prices others have paid/been quoted by dealer to have a detachable towbar fitted to a car without the factory prep?

 

I have had quotes from our nearest dealer for £715, and £760 from an independent fitter.

 

 

 

Seems a tad expensive and just wondering is this the norm?

Edited 8 January, 201511 yr by branwell

Electric kit c.£200

Towbar at least £200

Coding: dealer would probably do it for free maybe , otherwise about £40

Plus about 1/2 day to fit

Soon adds up!

Out here, mine was dealer fitted for ~ half that.

Perhaps if the OP put their location in their details someone might be able to point them at a suitable local fitter. Certainly members here have had it done (properly) for cheaper than the figure quoted.

I had fixed fitted(7 pin elecs) via p f jones for 1/2 that price, the fitter worked from derby, offered a slight reduction when dealt with direct! - pm me for more info!

Perhaps if the OP put their location in their details someone might be able to point them at a suitable local fitter. Certainly members here have had it done (properly) for cheaper than the figure quoted.

Perthshire, though i suspect there is not the same choice in fitters available here as in other areas.

Might be worth contacting PF Jones to see if they have a recommended fitter nearer you.

They fitted the Westfalia (Skoda approved) one to my Yeti as the supplying dealer had never fitted one & said PFJ are the experts. Even then mine was the first one PFJ had fitted to a Yeti.

 

You need to consider whether you want 7 pin or the new standard 13 pin electrics. Adaptors are available to convert between them so it's not the end of the world, but all new trailers/caravans now have to have the 13 pin version.

 

The Westfalia ball height is slightly higher than Witter, but Westfalia is neater. If the Westfalia detachable "hook" is too high for your trailer, you can substitute a Tiguan hook for the Yeti one. The mounting is identical.

There's plenty of advice on the forum about towbars. See previous threads on this topic.

 

Good luck!

Not wishing to hijack the thread,

13 pin v 7 pin

Are the 6 extra pins for trailer/caravan stability control?

Recently had a Westfalia bar fitted at Winchester Skoda at a cost of £718.00 all in including a loan car for a couple of days.  

 

Cheapest independent quoted £700.00 for the same bar but could have supplied a Witter slightly cheaper.   

Extra pins are for reverse lights, fridge, and charging the caravan battery, ATC + earths  On the factory fit these are not connected.

Edited 8 January, 201511 yr by g7eor

Not wishing to hijack the thread,

13 pin v 7 pin

Are the 6 extra pins for trailer/caravan stability control?

 

The original UK 7 pin covered the basic lights of the trailer (12N)

The additional 7 pin (12S) included battery charging and fridge operation, and later stability control.

 

The Euro 13pin puts it all into one unit. The unit is more secure and seems to suffer from much less corrosion problems.

Am I right in thinking it costs more to get a tow bar fitted to a used Yeti than it costs as a option on a new Yeti?

I converted my trailer to 13 pin. The adapters are ok......ie ok.....not ideal

Mine was fitted by a mobile firm for just over £500.....including coding....but needed a second visit to do this as they only had one coding machine across several fitters.

Am I right in thinking it costs more to get a tow bar fitted to a used Yeti than it costs as a option on a new Yeti?

Not for me out here.

Am I right in thinking it costs more to get a tow bar fitted to a used Yeti than it costs as a option on a new Yeti?

 

Probably yes.

My 'bar' was made in the 'land of the long white cloud'.

I think they did me a favour as it only cost around £300 ~ 8 months ago.

You get what you pay for. From memory the factory fit is c£450

Just remember there are also warranty issues to consider if the car is less than 3 years old

You might think of saving a couple of hundred quid is a good idea now until the Skoda service manager looks a you an says sorry pal, you're on your own.

The problem I found with third party fitters is you have to keep a close eye on them. I'm not sure what the dealer mark up on parts is, but I have my doubts about cheap quotes unless you are in the same lodge

I gave up with my last car and fitted the damn thing myself-I figured if there is an issue I am the only one to blame -so I better get it right!

So when you get a quote make sure you're comparing like with like. I would say anything around £550 using genuine parts--snatch their hand off!

Edited 8 January, 201511 yr by yetiscot

The only down side with my dealer supplied/fitted one was the fact that they kept the blanking panel thus eliminating the removal option prior to sale.......didn't really matter as if I sell/trade it will be WITH it .

So do you not have a clip in blanking plate?

On mine the bumper was cut, a frame fitted on the inside to which the removable blanking panel clips in and out

So do you not have a clip in blanking plate?

On mine the bumper was cut, a frame fitted on the inside to which the removable blanking panel clips in and out

Nah.

I thought it was a bit 'previous' (D) of them to dispose of it though.

The only down side with my dealer supplied/fitted one was the fact that they kept the blanking panel thus eliminating the removal option prior to sale.......didn't really matter as if I sell/trade it will be WITH it .

 

You could have only removed the tow bar if they had also given you the internal crash bar that is removed to fit the tow bar.

You could have only removed the tow bar if they had also given you the internal crash bar that is removed to fit the tow bar.

Is that common to all 'bars'?

My 'bar' was made in the 'land of the long white cloud'.

I think they did me a favour as it only cost around £300 ~ 8 months ago.

 

Thanks for your inpurt but i am not sure that the fitting cost in Australia is really much use to us here in the land of the many clouds

According to the F/L handbook, if you have a tow bracket fitted, then the rear towing eye disappears - presumably it is part of the original crash bar/bracket.

So, if you remove the towing bracket, a crash bar/bracket needs to be refitted otherwise there would be no rear towing eye, and presumably, the integrity of the rear of the car is compromised in the event of an accident.

 

Although Westfalia's fitting instructions tell the fitter to dispose of the crash bar/bracket when fitting the tow bar, I feel that it should be handed to the vehicle owner so that it could be refitted at a later date. On the other hand, when the removable hook isn't in place, the rear of the car is so neat (assuming the lower bumper cover plate is in place) that I suspect the value of the car isn't affected because the majority of people won't realise the car is fitted with a tow bar anyway.

Clouds aside, I'm wondering why yours are so much more exy?