Towbar on VRS

[GordonH]

Does anyone have any photos of a towbar installation (OEM/Aftermarket/different types)?

 

Do you have to cut the rear valance/bodywork?

 

Any advice on best deal/options to get fitted in East Midlands welcome.

 

Thanks.

Edited 28 April, 2015 by GordonH

[matrix2020]

Mine was done by the dealer (car was a pre-order) and it’s great.  No sign of it, no cuts, easily removed.

[Sandancer]

I've just done my Elegance and there was an outlne in the inside of the bumper showing where to cut out. Sharp knife made short work of that.

Witter detachable towbar / full Westfalia electrics, both from PF Jones, cost about £340 as the car didn't have trailer prep. The bottom just peeks out when removed.

Fitting the towbar was the easy bit, as was installing the wiring at the back end. Connecting into the fuse box, multiway plugs and through the engine bulkhead for the caravan battery/fridge supply was a nightmare.

If you're going for the full install like I had to, get someone else to to it! Mind you, now I've done it once, it'll be a bit easier next time!

[sjrainsford]

Witter detachable same as Sandancer on my Elegance estate:

 

[Miz]

I've just done my Elegance and there was an outlne in the inside of the bumper showing where to cut out. Sharp knife made short work of that.

Witter detachable towbar / full Westfalia electrics, both from PF Jones, cost about £340 as the car didn't have trailer prep. The bottom just peeks out when removed.

Fitting the towbar was the easy bit, as was installing the wiring at the back end. Connecting into the fuse box, multiway plugs and through the engine bulkhead for the caravan battery/fridge supply was a nightmare.

If you're going for the full install like I had to, get someone else to to it! Mind you, now I've done it once, it'll be a bit easier next time!

£340 to fit yourself or £550 to have it fitted at the factory, would be a factory fit every time for me, I only had towbar prep on mine as that was all that was available at the time.

[fatbelly33]

Can I please jump in on this post.

We intend to buy a Caravan to be towed by our 2014 Octavia Estate 1.6 TDI.

We've never had a Van or towed before always having smaller Cars.

 

How do we find out what weight Caravan our Octavia can tow? Caravans all have something called MTPLM.

What is the best type of Towbar for a Van?

​Thanks in advance 

[jbyrnes82]

I've just ordered a westfalia detachable with dedicated electrics for 509 all in fitted etc

 

i understand that there will be the requirement of cutting a panel in the black under section of the rear bumper for installations not done at the factory

[Sandancer]

Can I please jump in on this post.

We intend to buy a Caravan to be towed by our 2014 Octavia Estate 1.6 TDI.

We've never had a Van or towed before always having smaller Cars.

 

How do we find out what weight Caravan our Octavia can tow? Caravans all have something called MTPLM.

What is the best type of Towbar for a Van?

​Thanks in advance 

 

The recommended method of determining what your car can tow is working out the ratio of the MTPLM of your caravan to 85% of your car's kerbweight.

 

In the case of your Octy 1.6TDI estate, I understand the manufacturer's kerbweight figure to be 1247kg, so therefore the 85% will be 1060kg.

 

Now, caravans have two weights, the Mass in Running Order (MRO) (aka kerbweight or unladen weight), and the Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM) (aka fully laden weight).

 

So, going by recommendation, your Octy will not be able to tow anything with a MTPLM greater than 1060kg, which as all seasoned caravanners know, this restricts things a fair bit.

 

However, as an example, my car has a manufacturer's kerbweight of 1255kg but when I put it on the local weighbridge, it was actually 1440kg!

 

So, what I suggest is to get your car weighed (unladen except for driver and 1/2 tank of fuel) and see what the actual figure is. From that you will have a better idea of what you can tow.

 

Once you've got some decent experience of towing under your belt, there is nothing to push past the 85% limit, as by law you can tow up to 100% of your car's weight, as long as you don't exceed the car's maximum weight (which is 1600/1800kg for an Octy) or exceed a total mass (Car max weight + MPTLM) of 3500kg. By this time you will understand the best nose weight for your van, how to correctly load and balance the van and able to not get yourself in, or know how to get yourself out, of trouble.

 

As for towbar, Witter or Westfalia. You can get away with bypass electrics, but I'd recommend the full Westfalia kit (which is what I understand Skoda use) which connects fully into the car's electrical system. Fixed or removeable towbar is your choice - depends whether you want to keep you shins or not!!

[Mikebham]

I've just ordered a westfalia detachable with dedicated electrics for 509 all in fitted etc

 

i understand that there will be the requirement of cutting a panel in the black under section of the rear bumper for installations not done at the factory

 

Where did you order that from?

[jbyrnes82]

Where did you order that from?

 

a company called united towbars 

 

www.unitedtowbars.co.uk

[sjrainsford]

Can I please jump in on this post.

We intend to buy a Caravan to be towed by our 2014 Octavia Estate 1.6 TDI.

We've never had a Van or towed before always having smaller Cars.

 

How do we find out what weight Caravan our Octavia can tow? Caravans all have something called MTPLM.

What is the best type of Towbar for a Van?

​Thanks in advance 

 

The towing capacity of the car and what you should tow (especially if inexperienced) are two different things.  The maximum capacity for the 1.6D estate from memory is 1400kg. This can be found in the manual, or on the plate under the bonnet. The MTPLM of our 4 berth caravan is 1100kg and the car tows it really well.  As mentioned above they recommend around 85% of the cars kerb weight for those that are inexperienced. 

As far as tow bar type goes it's more down to what you like the look of.  I went for a removable as I don't really like it stuck on the back of the car all the time.  However then you really require a caravan with a hitch type stabiliser which is built in, otherwise you need to attach a bracket to the tow bar to use an external stabiliser.

Drop me a PM if you want to ask any more.  Happy to help.

[Mikebham]

a company called united towbars 

 

www.unitedtowbars.co.uk

 

Have you had it fitted now, and does it all work as it should do etc?

 

Also, what kind of pin arrangement (7pin, 12n+12s or 13 pin) are people going for these days, I'm new to this towing malarkey! 

 

I'm planning on borrowing my parents caravan which is 7 pin, but wanted to leave options open if I decide to buy my own one day.

Edited 27 May, 2015 by Mikebham

[h3srr]

Hi all

I had a detachable tow bar fitted last year to my vRS estate. Yes the black plastic panel need to be cut - a hole 3x10 inches approx. the marking are on the underside of the panel to help the fitters. You can not see that it's been cut, just to help those of you who are concerned.

Steve

[h3srr]

Sorry missed the bit about the socket - it's a 13 pin one, that folds up under the rear valance when not used. You can get a 7 pin to 13 pin converter. I use mine for towing my trailer in France, which is where it lives.

Steve

[sjrainsford]

Mine has a 13pin newer type socket too.  I just use an adapter for my older caravan.  Mine doesn't turn off the parking sensors either but that doesn't bother me, it's a company car anyway so I got what I got.

[Bead]

Phone service manager at dm Keith hull for any tow bar related question. He is a caravaner and very helpful. Also cheaper than other dealers.