Hi,

 

I've read the wiring for the estate is different then my Hatchback when fitting a towbar.  

( An estate has main relay wire has to be run from the battery.. ? )

If I get the towbar in the link,

1,  Are the holes already underneath to fit the towbar straight onto ? 

2,  Is it a matter of taking the under tray off, removing back lights. And unscrew bumper from inside boot and screws where back lights come out ?

3,  Can I tap straight into each wire in the boot ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/OCTAVIA-2004-2013-Hatchback-Electric-Parking/dp/B01N8SOSQ2/ref=sr_1_3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1525019810&sr=1-3&keywords=skoda+octavia+2+towbar+with+electrics

 

Any help greatly appreciated. 

Most tow bars fit both hatch and estate, at least the witter i just fitted and the detachable one i removed did, you will need a 12 volt supply for the bypass relay, best taken from the fuse box, all other connections can be made to the wires in the boot feeding the rear lights, 

 

You can find fitting instructions on the PF JONES website.

Thanks for your help.

PF Jones website has lots of info on it.  Though it shows a fixed flang tow bar for mine £128.70, and only shows the ball/coupling..  Not the complete tow bar.

And the dedicated wiring is - 7 pin - £117.25.  And I'd have to take it to a garage to have it coded afterward.. 

It's looking more expensive then I thought..  

I'll ask a garage will they just do the wiring and coding, then I could put the bar on myself.. 

Some fitting companies are asking over £500  in London !  It could even be worth me driving out to a small garage somewhere.  Got a mate in Dorset who pay's very little to get anything on his Skoda sort at a small local place out in the countryside.. 

All seems far to expensive ATM..  

Thanks again for the heads up Crynut..  

I've bought my towbar in Germany.

 

I only had to run a wire to the battery, but since I already had an amplifier installed i've just used that wire. 

 

My car doesn't have PDC, so there was no need to code it.

The kit I've bought did look exactly like the image you showed, but in fact, I received it in a 'brown' oem box. The kit was both towbar, mount (huge heavy solid piece of steel) and a wiring kit. Think the image is only for advertising purposes, but I don't care for a full-color box which i'll dump anyway

 

(Mine: https://www.ebay.de/itm/Anhangerkupplung-starr-SKODA-OCTAVIA-II-5-Tur-2004-2013-E-SATZ-7-polig-NEU-TUV-/171193962706 )

 

The above ebay listing also has some manuals for installing it (PDF) on it. I've managed to install my towbar in approx 3,5 hours. I expect you can do it in <2 hours, but with an older car I had to face some issues: Rust, dirt, and screws which were almost gone... so I had to use my Dremel multiple times to 'recreate' anything usefull to fit my screwdrivers on.. 

 

As for the pricing: I've paid 130 eur in total, including shipping to the Netherlands.  This matches your price, and the description on the amazon page clearly says: SET CONTAINS: Towbar, Towball, Electrics, Bolts and Manual

Altough the image only displays the towbar itself, its rather clear to me it contains the whole package (steel bar, towbar and cabling)

You need to look again, full swan neck towbar,

https://www.pfjones.co.uk/skoda-octavia-estate-combi-02-2004-06-2013-brink-swan-neck-towbar.html  cost £89.23

 

Wiring kit will cost about £25 for a basic one with a bypass relay, i.e. no coding required but you dont get the extra safety features you get with a dedicated wiring kit like stability control, reverse sensor deactivation or fog light cut out, but a dedicated kut is about £130 and needs vcds to code it, if you only intend to pull a small trailer or bike rack then a bypass will do.

 

Good info, Thanks DJ Smiley, --- Crynut.. 

I intend pulling a small caravan.. Not bothered about reverse sensor as I have to buy one thats gone, so don't use them..  Not sure about the stability control or fog light cut out..   

Can i use a board on the back of a caravan to keep it simple ? 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/272769700489?chn=ps&adgroupid=56153641092&rlsatarget=pla-401360603661&abcId=1130076&adtype=pla&merchantid=101767705&googleloc=1006886&device=c&campaignid=1029035693&crdt=0&var=571906455571

I fitted and removed my Westfalia detachable swan neck and dedicated 13 pin electrics.  On my 2010 Scout the holes were there.  Rear lights out, rear bumper off, I had to drop the rear exhaust hanger to allow access to one of the crash beam bolts.  Then wiring goes to a hideaway box in the boot with about 8 wires then running to the front fuse box.  Coding on VCDS was simple.  I chose the13 pin as there are added features, specifically to do with something it does with the 4wd.  I've still got it and will have it up for sale shortly, 6 months old with all the bits