Sent a message to my ordering dealer after reading this thread and this is the reply.

 

I have just spoken to one of my colleagues and they were asked the same thing last week.  He had it confirmed that the tow bar is fully operational on all electric pins so is a 13 pin socket. 

We've just received our estate with towbar, it's very neat.

Just lift the handle at the rear of the boot floor, the towbar drops down from under the back bumper, then just rotate it into position by hand until it locks in place.

Pulling the same handle then lets it fall back down again, and you just push it back under the bumper until it locks again.

There's an LED on the boot floor edge that goes green when locked in place, or red when it's hanging loose.

I've just ordered a S3 with factory fitted towbar. Can you confirm that the electrics socket is 13 pin?

It is.

It is.

Thanks

so I have had a witter detachable swan neck + CAN electronics fitted to my previous superb II combi, and the cost of doing it to factory spec (13 pin electrics, CAN connections) in ireland was around 900 euro (13 pin connection, CAN controller to notify ESP and TCS etc), and coded. you can certainly get it cheaper - no CAN connection, 7 pin wiring instead of 13, not swan neck, not detachable etc etc but its not comparable to the factory fitted one.

 

I went factory fit with my new superb III and really like it. its from the factory wired and coded, has 13 pins, is VERY neat (pull handle in the boot to drop it down, snap back up in a second, 13 pin and neat neat wiring, and much much easier than even the witter, which wasnt bad

 

if you are going to use it, go factory. when you compare like for like, its actually a little cheaper, its much neater, and much easier to use. 

I've gone with a factory fit on my personal ease simply because it's a neat solution and with the integrated 13 pin socket even better, for the sake of a couple of hundred on a 4 year lease it's not that bad.

Incidentally I've had 2 previous personal leases and had after market towbars fitted. Hasn't been a problem with the lease companies, to be honest 3-4 years down the road they don't care and I doubt they even knew, they use a 3rd party to pick up, inspect and pass on the car.

So would I just need a 13pin to 7pin adapter to use my towball bike carrier?

So would I just need a 13pin to 7pin adapter to use my towball bike carrier?

Yes you can pick them up for well under £10 delivered on Amazon

Yes you can pick them up for well under £10 delivered on Amazon

Thanks

Hello

 

Factory fit every time

It folds away out of sight when not required

and most importantly its wired into the canbus system.

Its worth the extra money as the last thing I would want is

someone mucking about with a new cars electric's and

having to drill holes,

I have heard of some horror stories regarding electrical

problems.

( this is just my opinion )

 

Good luck.

 

I think I´ll go for the "factory solution", but as a retrofit. Just as on my current 3T.

 

(Factory fit is £1800, retrofit around £600 as a DIY).