Hi have just fitted a witter towbar to my Octavia estate 2011. Used witter dedicated wiring kit which states coding will be required . Does anyone know approx cost to get this done at dealer? Thanks in advance for any replies!

Kaspian

             check this list out    https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/262215-list-of-vcds-owners-previously-known-as-vag-com/ I'm sure someone would help out, cheaper than the dealers !!!

+1 get someone with VCDS to code it for you and get some extras done at the same time. 

Mine was done by a local lad much cheaper than going to a dealers or tow bar fitter. 

 

BTW the tow bar electrics will work without coding but the alarm extension won't and the reverse sensors and fog light with not be deactivated whilst you a trailer connected. 

Hi and thanks for replies. Wiring now completed - worst installation of a dedicated wiring kit I have ever undertaken . Very poor instruction supplied on a disc by manufacturer . For a basic spec car , a cheap bypass relay box would have been installed in half the time. Results are , for my 7 pin installation, everything works with no warnings on dash without further coding . SE spec car , manual ,so no need for parking sensors  gearbox shift pattern etc to be modified. still have not figured out how to remove light switch assembly as threads on youtube etc did not work for me but the supposed need to remove all fuses from the fusebox to allow the locking plate at rear to be unlocked proved false as insertion of new wiring to fusebox rear  worked without removal of fuses. You live and learn! 

I did mine on the Tiguan last week ... nightmare as it kept chucking out "sporadic communication" with trailer module. A quick call to Westfaila Tech all sorted conversation went like this....."Have you followed the instructions ? Yep, you'll have them in the wrong fuse holders" !! It needs a permanent live for the three additional wires.

        Glad you got it sorted 

Kaspian, a little confused with your fitting problems although I do remember the can bus wires were incredibly small and fat fingers made it a pain in the backside. Anyway your all sorted which is what counts. 

Got it in one Cward! Trying to connect to the tightly twisted pair of wires  that is the canbus lying upside down looking up into the dash with only one hand able to fit the space available is great fun ! So is having to remove half of the trim inside the car to route the new loom to the fusebox area. A few weeks ago fitted a dedicated wiring kit from Hyundai to an Ix35. Fitted in 2 hrs including stop for tea. Perm. Live comes from fusebox at battery and all wiring has double plugs where you unplug the light cluster plug that into new socket on harness then plug corresponding new plug into light cluster. Simples! I remember fitting a towbar to my Cavalier years ago and that had a wiring plug  in boot to connect towbar socket wiring to .. Wiring took all of 2 mins. And no broken rattly trim  left either! Such is progress...

and no doubt your fuse box layout was different to key provided. 

I have just fitted a towbar to my 2011 Estate, what a mission to get to everything!! I used a bypass relay which I hope I have connected to the right wires!

Wish I had gone down the  bypass relay route - would have been £80 better off and could have had the job done in half the time! The Witter dedicated loom also fits a few  vag group cars so you end up with around 5 feet extra at dashboard to lose under dash as end already have crimped on fuse panel connectors.And as Cward says data is somewhat inaccurate lets say.......

I did look at a dedicated wiring loom, but it would have cost more than the towbar and universal electrics did!

On 27/03/2017 at 13:49, seccles81 said:

I have just fitted a towbar to my 2011 Estate, what a mission to get to everything!! I used a bypass relay which I hope I have connected to the right wires!

hi i've just seen your comment regarding towbar, i'm thinking of fitting on to my 2010 estate. did you tow a caravan? i no its a few years back now but prices for supply and fit have doubled since covid. thanks

 

Hi,

Originally I towed a 400kg unbraked trailer but now I have a 1000kg braked box. Tows nicely, even if the mpg makes you weep 😂

Just now, seccles81 said:

Hi,

Originally I towed a 400kg unbraked trailer but now I have a 1000kg braked box. Tows nicely, even if the mpg makes you weep 😂

have you still got the car?

 

Yep! 7.5 years now!

Just now, seccles81 said:

Yep! 7.5 years now!

wow, I bought mine in Jan 2023, great car but now I'm thinking of buying a caravan and trying to work out the options. did you have to have it recoded? what make tow bar did you use and did you have to connect everything to the main fuse box.  hope you don't mind me asking questions thanks

Not a problem. I used a universal wiring kit, then when I upgraded from 7pin to 13 pin I  just added the additional relay to the car.

Ran the positive wires through to the fuse panel next to the battery and connected in there. Used a ground beneath the tail lights.

Beware, it is a mission to get the plastic bumber off! Swapping the beams over takes 2 mins, plus at least an hour to get the boot trim off, and the tail lights off, just to get the plastic bumper off! Right PITA! Needs a T45 bit to get the bumper bar off the back.

Not had it remapped, though I feel it could probably benefit from another 20 or so hp and a bit more torque just for day to day driving. 

I got an Umbra Rimorchi removable swan necl towbar from ebay, though I left it on a couple of years ago and cannot get the damn thing off now 🙄

3 minutes ago, seccles81 said:

Not a problem. I used a universal wiring kit, then when I upgraded from 7pin to 13 pin I  just added the additional relay to the car.

Ran the positive wires through to the fuse panel next to the battery and connected in there. Used a ground beneath the tail lights.

Beware, it is a mission to get the plastic bumber off! Swapping the beams over takes 2 mins, plus at least an hour to get the boot trim off, and the tail lights off, just to get the plastic bumper off! Right PITA! Needs a T45 bit to get the bumper bar off the back.

Not had it remapped, though I feel it could probably benefit from another 20 or so hp and a bit more torque just for day to day driving. 

I got an Umbra Rimorchi removable swan necl towbar from ebay, though I left it on a couple of years ago and cannot get the damn thing off now 🙄

god it does sound a mission to do,  i've been trying to find a video on youtube etc to see but haven't come across any decent ones. i'm quite hands on and know i can fit it all just the what i had to do with the electrics 

Prob only took me a day to do overall. The hardest part is getting to the bolts that hold the plastic bumper on! Fixings everywhere. Just work through it systematically and it'll go fine

Just now, seccles81 said:

Prob only took me a day to do overall. The hardest part is getting to the bolts that hold the plastic bumper on! Fixings everywhere. Just work through it systematically and it'll go fine

 

Just now, seccles81 said:

Prob only took me a day to do overall. The hardest part is getting to the bolts that hold the plastic bumper on! Fixings everywhere. Just work through it systematically and it'll go fine

thanks soo much, you have been very helpful 

Not a problem, any more questions just ask!