Tow Bar

[DamianW]

So I pick up my Sportline Estate today (just a tad excited) and need to get a Tow Bar fitted in the next 3 months. Was thinking Witter detachable (£571 fitted) as seems to come with the module for integration into CAN bus, however it also says (Requires a software update to provide all legally required towing functions - which may be chargeable).

So anyone know what they mean by that - I assume something to be done over VCDS?

Any other Towbar recommendations?

[James@RRG_Skoda_Rochdale]

You might find that the adaption needs to be carried out by a dealer to release the new functions and VCDS won't help.

[Coops]

22 hours ago, DamianW said:

So I pick up my Sportline Estate today (just a tad excited) and need to get a Tow Bar fitted in the next 3 months. Was thinking Witter detachable (£571 fitted) as seems to come with the module for integration into CAN bus, however it also says (Requires a software update to provide all legally required towing functions - which may be chargeable).

So anyone know what they mean by that - I assume something to be done over VCDS?

Any other Towbar recommendations?

 

I had a towbar fitted through PF Jones. It's a Bosal detachable one (https://www.pfjones.co.uk/skoda-superb-towbar-bosal-detachable-2015-onwards.html?currency=GBP)

 

They came to work and fitted it, and the price included dedicated electrics (a must as far as I'm concerned) and full coding to the vehicle. This activates all the features such as reversing sensor disable when towing etc. All in my cost £530.

 

 

 

12 hours ago, James@Pentagon_Seat said:

You might find that the adaption needs to be carried out by a dealer to release the new functions and VCDS won't help.

 

Not the case James. The PF Jones fitter had all the equipment with him and coded the car in situ.

 

 

[GeorgeB]

Had mine fitted to my SE L 190ps 4x4 estate in February by my local (ish) tow bar fitting company Towbex in Lancing West Sussex (who have fitted tow bars for me on the previous 4 cars) , Bosal detachable with 13pin socket & dedicated electrics including reprogramming the ECU for towing, so all legal requirements met. total cost £700.00

 

Just one thing to note, when you couple up your trailer/caravan, be sure to plug in the electrics with the engine turned OFF, when I first towed with the Superb I had all sorts of warning lights on mostly rear lights not working, yet they were, Cruise control not active & not able to select ECO for the auto box. worried, so I phoned the tow bar fitters who said, strange it was all working correctly when we fitted it & asked me to drop it in so they could take a look, but I was in Devon at the time collecting a boat for a charity.

 

So I then phoned my dealer, who said yes we've come across this before, did you have the engine running when you hitched up, after careful thought I answered yes, then they asked, has the engine been turned off since hitching up, no I replied, did you have any problems getting your trailer plug into the socket they asked, as a matter of fact yes I answered, Ahh came the reply, just switch off the ignition & turn it back on & all should be OK, & sure enough it was!

 

It was all because I couldn't get the plug into the socket correctly & kept pulling it back out & re-inserting, apparently when the engines running it plays havoc with the ECU as it just doesn't know what's happening & then goes into "denial" mode!

 

[RickTT]

5 hours ago, GeorgeB said:

Had mine fitted to my SE L 190ps 4x4 estate in February by my local (ish) tow bar fitting company Towbex in Lancing West Sussex (who have fitted tow bars for me on the previous 4 cars) , Bosal detachable with 13pin socket & dedicated electrics including reprogramming the ECU for towing, so all legal requirements met. total cost £700.00

 

Just one thing to note, when you couple up your trailer/caravan, be sure to plug in the electrics with the engine turned OFF, when I first towed with the Superb I had all sorts of warning lights on mostly rear lights not working, yet they were, Cruise control not active & not able to select ECO for the auto box. worried, so I phoned the tow bar fitters who said, strange it was all working correctly when we fitted it & asked me to drop it in so they could take a look, but I was in Devon at the time collecting a boat for a charity.

 

So I then phoned my dealer, who said yes we've come across this before, did you have the engine running when you hitched up, after careful thought I answered yes, then they asked, has the engine been turned off since hitching up, no I replied, did you have any problems getting your trailer plug into the socket they asked, as a matter of fact yes I answered, Ahh came the reply, just switch off the ignition & turn it back on & all should be OK, & sure enough it was!

 

It was all because I couldn't get the plug into the socket correctly & kept pulling it back out & re-inserting, apparently when the engines running it plays havoc with the ECU as it just doesn't know what's happening & then goes into "denial" mode!

 

 

Some of these prices make the factory fit option seem worth it for the hassle factor.

[Coops]

34 minutes ago, RickTT said:

 

Some of these prices make the factory fit option seem worth it for the hassle factor.

 

Not everyone has that option though.

[GeorgeB]

1 hour ago, RickTT said:

Some of these prices make the factory fit option seem worth it for the hassle factor.

 RickTT,

I would agree that the factory option is probably the best way to go, but when you're buying a used one, finding the exact spec you want isn't always possible & Superb 190ps 4x4 estates with a factory fitted tow bar are about as common as rocking horse poo!

[RickTT]

Fully agree.. which highlights anyone thinking of saving a few hundred notes on a factory order that its not worth the hassle.

[James@RRG_Skoda_Rochdale]

16 hours ago, Coops said:

 

I had a towbar fitted through PF Jones. It's a Bosal detachable one (https://www.pfjones.co.uk/skoda-superb-towbar-bosal-detachable-2015-onwards.html?currency=GBP)

 

They came to work and fitted it, and the price included dedicated electrics (a must as far as I'm concerned) and full coding to the vehicle. This activates all the features such as reversing sensor disable when towing etc. All in my cost £530.

 

 

 

 

Not the case James. The PF Jones fitter had all the equipment with him and coded the car in situ.

 

 

I'd be very surprised if they used VCDS and not a Bosal specific supplied tool - which is my point though. 

 

Actually their website says they fit a bypass relay - the last superb III I dealt with that had a bypass relay fitted kept dropping in to limp mode and the customer said they couldn't tow with it (no surprise trying to tow a 1.5 tonne caravan with a 1.6 TDI!?) and they traded up to a 190 tdi.

 

Have you used your towing function yet Coops?

Edited 14 April, 2017 by James@Pentagon_Seat

[DamianW]

22 hours ago, Coops said:

 

I had a towbar fitted through PF Jones. It's a Bosal detachable one (https://www.pfjones.co.uk/skoda-superb-towbar-bosal-detachable-2015-onwards.html?currency=GBP)

 

They came to work and fitted it, and the price included dedicated electrics (a must as far as I'm concerned) and full coding to the vehicle. This activates all the features such as reversing sensor disable when towing etc. All in my cost £530.

 

 

 

 

Not the case James. The PF Jones fitter had all the equipment with him and coded the car in situ.

 

 

Thanks Coops - was looking at PF Jones to fit either a Bosal or Witter removable Sean neck. Would you rate the Bosal one. 

[Coops]

9 hours ago, DamianW said:

Thanks Coops - was looking at PF Jones to fit either a Bosal or Witter removable Sean neck. Would you rate the Bosal one. 

 

 

Well it does the job. Unlocking mechanism is easy to use. Stows in the boot when not in use.

 

In fact have just used it with by bike carrier!

 

 

[Coops]

16 hours ago, James@Pentagon_Seat said:

I'd be very surprised if they used VCDS and not a Bosal specific supplied tool - which is my point though. 

 

Actually their website says they fit a bypass relay - the last superb III I dealt with that had a bypass relay fitted kept dropping in to limp mode and the customer said they couldn't tow with it (no surprise trying to tow a 1.5 tonne caravan with a 1.6 TDI!?) and they traded up to a 190 tdi.

 

Have you used your towing function yet Coops?

 

Yes used it about 2 hours ago with my bike carrier.

 

It's not a Bosal tool but a handheld Westfalia coder he had:

 

Oh and it's definitely not a bypass relay fitted but dedicated / integrated wiring.

[James@RRG_Skoda_Rochdale]

Yes, that's the sort of tool I'm on about. so it has westfalia electronics and westfalia make the original skoda control units for towing and use the same programming. 

 

The tool looks like the old Sykes picavant ARC4 

 

 

[Hozz]

On 13/04/2017 at 09:00, Coops said:

 

I had a towbar fitted through PF Jones. It's a Bosal detachable one (https://www.pfjones.co.uk/skoda-superb-towbar-bosal-detachable-2015-onwards.html?currency=GBP)

 

They came to work and fitted it, and the price included dedicated electrics (a must as far as I'm concerned) and full coding to the vehicle. This activates all the features such as reversing sensor disable when towing etc. All in my cost £530.

 

 

 

 

Not the case James. The PF Jones fitter had all the equipment with him and coded the car in situ.

 

 

I am looking to fit a towbar to my Superb Estate to carry bikes.

What make of bike carrier do you use please and would you recommend it?

I have two heavy eBikes to carry.

Looking at your link to PFJones, there seems to be a wide choice of pins and adaptors.

I am a bit of a novice at this so don't quite understand what is needed just for a bike carrier.

 

[DamianW]

Hi Hozz,

 

i have Ave a Thule Bike rack. I like it because it tilts away from the car so you can open the boot. You can even do it with all the bikes on. 

I go for removable town at so when I don't need it I can remove it (saves your shins) and you wouldn't even know your car had a towbar. 

[Coops]

3 hours ago, James@Pentagon_Seat said:

Yes, that's the sort of tool I'm on about. so it has westfalia electronics and westfalia make the original skoda control units for towing and use the same programming. 

 

The tool looks like the old Sykes picavant ARC4 

 

 

 

Yes all Westfalia electronics,  so virtually original Skoda !

[Coops]

3 hours ago, Hozz said:

I am looking to fit a towbar to my Superb Estate to carry bikes.

What make of bike carrier do you use please and would you recommend it?

I have two heavy eBikes to carry.

Looking at your link to PFJones, there seems to be a wide choice of pins and adaptors.

I am a bit of a novice at this so don't quite understand what is needed just for a bike carrier.

 

 

I have a Sparkrite carrier which does the job for us. Carries 4 bikes with ease.

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/374597-sparkrite-tow-bar-cycle-carrier/#comment-4406432

 

There are plenty of carriers available,  have a search round and see which is best. Ask on here as others have different ones.

 

As far as tow bars go, when I had mine I think only the Bosal was available as detachable so I went for that.

[Hozz]

On 2017-4-14 at 22:19, Coops said:

 

I have a Sparkrite carrier which does the job for us. Carries 4 bikes with ease.

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/374597-sparkrite-tow-bar-cycle-carrier/#comment-4406432

 

There are plenty of carriers available,  have a search round and see which is best. Ask on here as others have different ones.

 

As far as tow bars go, when I had mine I think only the Bosal was available as detachable so I went for that.

Just to say that thanks to Coops I went for a PF Jones supplied and fitted detachable towbar (their own make which is the same as Witter) with dedicated electrics (Westfalia) and all works brilliantly.

Total cost £518.

I also bought the Bosal Traveller 2 bike carrier which seems to work well and folds easily.

[dubzter]

On 2017-4-13 at 21:36, GeorgeB said:

 RickTT,

I would agree that the factory option is probably the best way to go, but when you're buying a used one, finding the exact spec you want isn't always possible & Superb 190ps 4x4 estates with a factory fitted tow bar are about as common as rocking horse poo!

Took me a few months to find my one with a factory towbar and hence the 1000+ mile round trip to pick it up. Haven't towed with it yet but when I do it will be mainly a trailer rather than a caravan but it will also be used for a thule 2 bike carrier.

[Coops]

On 2017-6-10 at 12:20, Hozz said:

Just to say that thanks to Coops I went for a PF Jones supplied and fitted detachable towbar (their own make which is the same as Witter) with dedicated electrics (Westfalia) and all works brilliantly.

Total cost £518.

I also bought the Bosal Traveller 2 bike carrier which seems to work well and folds easily.

 

Excellent,  happy to help 

[superbeire]

Looking for a second hand tow bar kit for my 2018 estate sportline. Probably westfalia or witter most preferable.  Thanks 

[Tin82]

I fitted the bosal towbar with dedicated electronics myself. And coded it with vcds myself. It all works. 

 

I e-mailed bosal with the question how to code it and they sent me instructions. Good service.  I have an MY18. 

[J.R.]

On 13/04/2017 at 15:45, GeorgeB said:

 Bosal detachable with 13pin socket & dedicated electrics including reprogramming the ECU for towing, so all legal requirements met.

 

Could you or anyone enlighten me on what these legal requirements are as regards reprogramming the ECU, connection to the vehicles electronic systems etc please?

[superbeire]

Does anyone know if there is a "best" and most suitable detachable tow bar for the skoda superb mark 3 estate sportline? 

Pricing at minute.  Not cheap.  But i want to make sure I get the best one. 

[edwards]

15 minutes ago, superbeire said:

Does anyone know if there is a "best" and most suitable detachable tow bar for the skoda superb mark 3 estate sportline? 

Pricing at minute.  Not cheap.  But i want to make sure I get the best one. 

 The 'best' is the OEM drop down one. I think they can be retro-fitted but I also suspect it would be ruinously expensive.

 

Other than that, people on here seem to like the westphalia one.