Regarding the towbar installation mentioned above by BigEjit. Can I add that the  "coding" needed on such an install tells the car a trailer/caravan is attached when plugged in and that some very important changes are enabled in the below modules.

 

1. It adds vehicle and trailer stability control to ABS brake system. 

 

2. On a dsg gearbox it disables ECO driving mode which normally allows this gearbox to coast in neutral.  

 

Please consider if you find a car with towbar, having the coding checked with VCDS. 

 

 

Been in touch with the last people to fit a tow bar to my car, they were excellent.

Asked about a basic fit, was about the same as last time. They came back to say, its best to fit Vehicle Specific Electrics to vehicles 2014 or newer, was £200 more, but ties in with cars electrics.

Just to clear up one little thing i wrote about car not fitting in garage, was reading the tape measure wrong. I fitted a Passat in there 20yrs ago, so an Octavia should go in.

On the , manual or auto discussion , looks like Auto box wins hands down.

35 minutes ago, NZ100 said:

I fitted a Passat in there 20yrs ago, so an Octavia should go in.

 

The current Octavia at 1814 mm excluding mirrors is wider than the Passats of 20 years ago: 1714 mm for the B4 model and 1740 mm for the 1996 onwards B5 model. (not cm as stated in my earlier post!).

Good to hear towbar installer recommending properly integrated to electrics. 

 

It can charge caravan when attached and also if plug is disconnected and your car is locked the alarm goes off. 

 

 

On 11/09/2019 at 19:35, BigEjit said:

184 DSG Auto is super smooth on pull away and gear changes are near instant plus you can hold it in gear like a manual. That reduces any jerkiness in the trailer/ car combo through the gear changes. 

 

Also 4x4 versions can haul a larger trailer up to 2000kg braked.

 

Westphalia Tow bar fitting for the DIY confident - these are the bits needing removal to fit the tow bar....

Rear lights out

Bumper off and open a hole for the tow bar (premarked on back of bumper skin)

Rear crash bar off,

Drop the exhaust hanger for access,

Fit and torque the tow bar and elec socket,

Refit bits above except crash bar. 

 

Elec install without factory prep...

LHS boot trim out,

LHS sill and bonnet pull-handle trims out,

LHS rear seat back and cushion out,

Route the electrical harness through from boot to glovebox fuse panel,

Plug 2 harness pins to Ecu connector and others into fuse panel.

Plug in 2 tow harness ECU connectors to supplied tow electrics ECU and secure. 

Secure the 2 harnesses into position and refit trim. 

 

Recode ECU for full tow electrics operation. Basic functionality works without coding though. 

 

Just fit a swan neck towball and 13 pin electrics, no need to cut bumper

On 11/09/2019 at 21:37, NZ100 said:

Still looking at cars. Was talking to the guy at Listers , and i said, i was looking for a manual because i was towing. He said the Auto's are just as good .  Any comments appreciated.  Thanks.

The "auto" in skodas is a 6 speed DSG.  This is two 3 speed gearboxes each with its own clutch with a robotic changer so there are no overheating torque converters to worry about that might put you off towing with a traditional Auto.  You are always in a specific gear with a traditional clutch engaged so no slippage.

As mentioned above the DSG is smooth and can be changed manually if you want.  

I have had no issues towing with mine on a 135 KW diesel.

 

Trevor

Hi, can any scout owner give me the height to the centre line of the wing mirror? Thanks. 

I asume you mean door mirrors.  In my world Wing mirrors are mounted on the front mudguards or wings like a lot of 70s and 80s japanese cars.

midline of door mirrors = indicator repeater is 1050 mm

widest point of mirror 1080mm

Edited 17 September, 20196 yr by trevh
spelling

Hi Trev, obviously showing my age. Thanks for the info. 🙄

On 12/09/2019 at 07:53, paulski said:

Regarding the towbar installation mentioned above by BigEjit. Can I add that the  "coding" needed on such an install tells the car a trailer/caravan is attached when plugged in and that some very important changes are enabled in the below modules.

 

1. It adds vehicle and trailer stability control to ABS brake system. 

 

2. On a dsg gearbox it disables ECO driving mode which normally allows this gearbox to coast in neutral.  

 

Please consider if you find a car with towbar, having the coding checked with VCDS. 

 

 

 

Have been looking at a car that has a tow bar fitted already.

I got intouch with dealer and asked about whether the tow bar electrics were vehicle specific , he checked and said it was dealer fitted, would that mean the same ?

I'm now the owner of an Octavia with a removable and lockable tow bar. 

Have looked in the manual, and it just says remove cap where the tow ball goes onto. 

Question is, does it just pull out? Thanks.