I’m considering getting a towbar fitted to my car, a detachable swan neck for when I’m not using it. Whilst it’s in place how do I switch off the reverse sensors so that it doesn’t drive me mad!

If the trailer is attached it’s done by itself, the coding done to the car ensures that. If the bar is fitted and nothing is attached it doesn’t interfere with the sensors.

2 hours ago, SashaGrace said:

If the trailer is attached it’s done by itself, the coding done to the car ensures that. If the bar is fitted and nothing is attached it doesn’t interfere with the sensors.

The key thing here is ensuring you have dedicated towbar electrics fitted along with the towbar. Do not accept having the electrics spliced in.

 

It cost me around £600 just before Christmas.

Edited 18 February, 20197 yr by wg100

I have a factory towbar and leave it on the car sometimes. The sensors can’t see it. 

9 hours ago, Mee said:

I’m considering getting a towbar fitted to my car, a detachable swan neck for when I’m not using it. Whilst it’s in place how do I switch off the reverse sensors so that it doesn’t drive me mad!

Both @SashaGrace & @wg100 have said, get the proper electrics & get it coded properly. Not only will this stop any sensor issues but, it will also engage all the trailer software control, so no one can steal your trailer, when you brake the car will automatically adjust the braking for towing & you won't be able to coast down hills in ECO mode with heavy weights attached.

 

All stuff you DO actually need.

6 hours ago, wg100 said:

 

It cost me around £600 just before Christmas.

Was that at a Skoda main dealership? And were the parts included or bought separately?

sounds a good deal either way 

 

fair bit of work still to do on my car, but this is top of the wants list for afterwards 

8 minutes ago, Mee said:

Was that at a Skoda main dealership? And were the parts included or bought separately?

sounds a good deal either way 

 

fair bit of work still to do on my car, but this is top of the wants list for afterwards 

A dealership will most likely refer you to a local independent fitter. That was certainly the case when I enquired about having a towbar fitted when I bought the car as an ex-demonstrator.

I bought the kit and installation at a local fitter from www.witter-towbars.co.uk, but ended up having a https://www.tow-trust.co.uk/ towbar fitted instead, as the Witter supplied towbar didn't clear the trim on the Scout. Took about half a day for the fitting to be done. Coded the electrics myself though. That would add another £60 onto the price.

pfjones is a good shout, I got my westfalia detachable plus all the correct kit control box for £50 cheaper than the next closest.

7 hours ago, JohnnyType2 said:

pfjones is a good shout, I got my westfalia detachable plus all the correct kit control box for £50 cheaper than the next closest.

 

Thats where I got mine from as well.  I fittted and coded myself.  The fiddliest bit was unpicking the wires from the back of the fuse box - I'd recommend getting the relevant tools for £8 on line to do that.

10 hours ago, ScoutCJB said:

 

Thats where I got mine from as well.  I fittted and coded myself.  The fiddliest bit was unpicking the wires from the back of the fuse box - I'd recommend getting the relevant tools for £8 on line to do that.

 

 

yes getting at the BCM is a job for small hands,

About 10 years ago I had a tow bar supplied and fitted to a 1.9 Ambiente by a Skoda dealer and it cost about £550. So if it's only £600 now that sounds a good deal.

Don't be cheap like my mum did with her A8 as she can't use her reverse sensors at all now 

 

blimmey I never knew there was such a cost to having a towbar fitted Im just about to buy a scout mk2 2007 and it does not have a towbar and I need one, not so sure this would be the right car for me if its going to cost £600 :(

Edited 8 April, 20197 yr by sealover1

13 minutes ago, sealover1 said:

blimmey I never knew there was such a cost to having a towbar fitted Im just about to buy a scout mk2 2007 and it does not have a towbar and I need one, not so sure this would be the right car for me if its going to cost £600 :(

 

DIY it takes 2 hours costs about £300-400 depending on the bar and type of electrics you chose. I have found PFjones to be consistently the cheapest for OEM.

 

if a bodger like me can do it so can you 

Edited 8 April, 20197 yr by JohnnyType2

6 minutes ago, JohnnyType2 said:

 

DIY it takes 2 hours costs about £300-400 depending on the bar and type of electrics you chose. I have found PFjones to be consistently the cheapest for OEM.

 

if a bodger like me can do it so can you 

 

Yea I got a mate who can fit most things and he has a mate that works for skoda so he is going to get the part numbers and cross reference them and see what is can find on ebay he's only charging me £50 for the fitting

3 minutes ago, sealover1 said:

 

Yea I got a mate who can fit most things and he has a mate that works for skoda so he is going to get the part numbers and cross reference them and see what is can find on ebay he's only charging me £50 for the fitting

 

 

thats reasonable for 2-3 hours work. the electrics are the trickiest part as you need VCDS and theres a little work around the BCMs and fuse box, the correct module settings will come with the towbar instructions from PFjones if you buy from them.

Edited 8 April, 20197 yr by JohnnyType2

yea its due to him buying my old car, I keep reading that towbars mess with the reversing censers, do they all do that or do you need to buy a detachable towbar?  

My fixed Westfalia row hitch does not interefere with the reverse sensors.

10 hours ago, sealover1 said:

yea its due to him buying my old car, I keep reading that towbars mess with the reversing censers, do they all do that or do you need to buy a detachable towbar?  

 

Do you mean "do the reverse sensors pickup the towbar and beep when selecting reverse when there is no trailer attached" ?  Neither my Oct 2 (Westfalia detachable) or Oct 3 (factory detachable) picked up the detachable towbar when fitted when selecting reverse (when nothing attached) on mine.

10 hours ago, sealover1 said:

yea its due to him buying my old car, I keep reading that towbars mess with the reversing censers, do they all do that or do you need to buy a detachable towbar?  

It may potentially mess with the sensors if you get a non-OEM equivalent loom which is spliced into various bits of wiring at the back of the car. A dedicated loom will have a tow bar module, be plugged into the canbus and programmed into the vehicles coding.

9 hours ago, ScoutCJB said:

 

Do you mean "do the reverse sensors pickup the towbar and beep when selecting reverse when there is no trailer attached" ?  Neither my Oct 2 (Westfalia detachable) or Oct 3 (factory detachable) picked up the detachable towbar when fitted when selecting reverse (when nothing attached) on mine.

Only when its bodged job, I think a 2007 superb won't have trailer saftey software so, if you can get around the reversing sensors you'll be fine.

 

All Mk3 Octavia's have towing saftey software so, don't be a **** & get it coded properly, might just save someone's life

when I think of it I might just disconnect them if they do beep with a tow bar on, i,m one of them rare drivers that dont need them to reverse lol

16 minutes ago, sealover1 said:

when I think of it I might just disconnect them if they do beep with a tow bar on, i,m one of them rare drivers that dont need them to reverse lol

Well when your car is 11 years old you probably have a different opinion of what the car "needs" to have

On 09/04/2019 at 10:30, themanwithnoaim said:

Well when your car is 11 years old you probably have a different opinion of what the car "needs" to have

 

it would not bother me if it were brand new  I dont need them to park, managed 40 years so far with out them lol

Tow bar on my current one is factory (not dealer) fitted. It works how it should. Unlike my last one.

 

The tow bar can stay in place and the reverse sensors work fine. When there is something plugged in then the sensors are deactivated. It is not the tow bar the sensors see it is the trailer or caravan etc. attached to it.

 

Dedicated electrics are fine but I cannot see why people don't buy the proper thing from Skoda, there are differences, (had some side by side on the bench) the price is about the same . There are two part numbers depending on whether you have tow bar prep or not, and a third for full 13-pin use. You can then use whatever Ironwork takes your fancy.

 

As I found out, if the tow bar is not coded correctly, the stability control can do exactly the wrong thing to correct a snaking trailer. It was more luck than skill that helped me avoid the ditch. After a couple of decades of towing everything I thought I had seen it all.

 

Not something to be messed with or taken lightly in newer generation cars.