Towbar wiring

[gerd39]

Hi all,

 

Has anyone wired up a towbar to there Fabia if so how was the internal wiring done please? 

 

Many thanks in advance.  

 

 

 

 

[furbyPD100]

Scotch blocked mine in never had a problem done plenty like it before

[gerd39]

Thanks for the speedy reply,

 

I have never done one before so any further information you have would be very much appreciated, currently I have fitted towbar itself also wired the trailer socket and have wire running through grommet into the spare wheel area. Where do I go from here is it the Passenger side lights? Cheers.

[furbyPD100]

Passenger side lights, done mine a while back but I believe all lives needed can be found on the passenger side of the car

[gerd39]

Ideally id like to do it myself but without more information or a diagram I do not feel Ill have the confidence.

[garethw]

How quickly do you need to do it, I have been meaning to wire up one of my cars for a while, but it won;t happen this weekend for certain.

[gerd39]

Not in any huge hurry but at the same time if I knew how to do it id have it done in the next week or so.

[garethw]

OK, I'll try to put some pictures together.  Do you have the power accessory socket in the boot ?

[VWD]

Quick Google reveals this- http://www.watling-towbars.co.uk/wiring_guides_watling_towbars.html

 

Decent ratchet crimping tools are not expensive- Screwfix at £12.50 for a 1-10 mm tool. Maplin do crimps which have a heatshrink to extend the cover, although i'd think it cheaper to buy crimps and heatshrink ( large enough to cover crimps) seperately. Don't know the opinion on it, but I've found that ( if you take care) it's possible to get two wires into one end of a crimp.,and one into the other of a crimp designed for that size of wire. Far better (IMHO) than relying on an IDC type connector (Scotchlock) to carry any current.

[sparky2]

If you scotchlock the wires directly into the existing ones it could overload the bulb fail sensors or wiring thats controlled by CANBUS ? you can use a '7 way universal bypass relay' TEB7AS which uses the normal car wiring as triggers for the outputs to the trailer and puts minimal loading on the car wiring,the only thing is you need to give the bypass unit a separate supply ! hope that helps somebody. cheers Stuart

[gerd39]

OK, I'll try to put some pictures together.  Do you have the power accessory socket in the boot ?

I think I do actually yes, that would be great thanks! 

[gerd39]

Quick Google reveals this- http://www.watling-towbars.co.uk/wiring_guides_watling_towbars.html

 

Decent ratchet crimping tools are not expensive- Screwfix at £12.50 for a 1-10 mm tool. Maplin do crimps which have a heatshrink to extend the cover, although i'd think it cheaper to buy crimps and heatshrink ( large enough to cover crimps) seperately. Don't know the opinion on it, but I've found that ( if you take care) it's possible to get two wires into one end of a crimp.,and one into the other of a crimp designed for that size of wire. Far better (IMHO) than relying on an IDC type connector (Scotchlock) to carry any current.

Thanks, I have the socket wired and am told by everyone that a relay is not needed is purely optional. I have a crimping setup here etc its just I do not know what to actually do. Also the wires in my 2006 fabia light loom are old type which are dual colour wires not single colour.

[gerd39]

If you scotchlock the wires directly into the existing ones it could overload the bulb fail sensors or wiring thats controlled by CANBUS ? you can use a '7 way universal bypass relay' TEB7AS which uses the normal car wiring as triggers for the outputs to the trailer and puts minimal loading on the car wiring,the only thing is you need to give the bypass unit a separate supply ! hope that helps somebody. cheers Stuart

Hi Stuart, It seems best practice to use a relay but all the people in the know insist it is not required at all. I discovered this speaking to suppliers and fitters when initially pricing/purchasing the towbar itself. 

[sparky2]

Hi 'gerd' It all depends on what you are going to tow,if its a small trailer then you would get away with it but if you towed a caravan (myself) for some long periods then you could overload the car wiring, and looking at the car wiring its just looks big enough to carry the normal bulb currents ! cheers Stuart (electrician)

[Updown789]

Its also a bit of a legal issue fitting a towbar to a vrs. If its a non vrs you're fine, however.

[garethw]

Can you let me know if you car is right hand drive or not ?

[Bowkes]

I fitted a tow bar to my VRS,they do a wiring harness that fits in to the back of the rear lights then to the trailer plug.It takes 5 mins to fit and theres no cut of wires so no need for a wiring diagrams.The biggest problem is the bumper cut.

[Updown789]

I fitted a tow bar to my VRS,they do a wiring harness that fits in to the back of the rear lights then to the trailer plug.It takes 5 mins to fit and theres no cut of wires so no need for a wiring diagrams.The biggest problem is the bumper cut.

Problem is, a vrs isn't type approved to tow, so you're breaking the law

[Bowkes]

That is true but because on your V5 (log book ) it doesn't have a kerb towing weight.I used it for camping dragging a little trailer for about 6 year's never had a problem and i told my insurance that I had if fitted.

[garethw]

I think we could debate that point for a very long time. Discussions I had with the dealers all seemed to revolve around warranty claims for DMFs.

 

Here are the wiring connections ,(figures in brackets are the the connector pin no which is on the face of the connector)

 

Left Hand Tail Light cluster :-

 

Black/Grey  (2) => Towbar Black  = Left Hand Side Light

Black/White (5) => Towbar Yellow = Left Hand Indicator

 

Right Hand Tail Light Cluster :-

 

Red/Grey (2) => Towbar Brown = Right Hand Tail Light

Green/Black  (5) => Towbar Green = Right Hand Indicator

Red/Black (6) => Towbar Red  = Brake Lights

Grey/White(3) => Towbar Blue = Fog Lights

 

The white lead from the towbar 7 core cable needs to be connected to a suitable earth.

 

I elected to drill a hole in the bodywork and use a self tapper with a star washer to get a good connection.

 

More to follow when I sort out the photos of what you need to do.

 

If someone has access to the proper wiring diagram then some of my b-colors may need reversing.