Hello everyone

 

New to these forums, been reading for a couple of weeks though, trying to find information about a particular issue.

 

I'm in need of an towbar installation on my 2015 Octavia (1.6TDI/4x4).

Talked to my official dealership in Norway about programming a Westfalia complete kit,

and was told that while they could program the car, it would need to have the cooling system rebuilt.

Got quoted 5500EUR for the rebuild + original towbar and electronics, and I almost fainted 😰

 

As far as I can see from my sticker in the boot, I do not have the factory towbar prep, code says 1D0.

I was under the impression that this meant no existing wiring, so that job will have to be done by myself or an independent shop,

but I've never heard about cooling systems that have to be rebuilt.

 

For those of you who installed a Westfalia or other aftermarket towbar, did you need to upgrade the cooling?

 

My best regards, Tim

 

this is quite common that the radiator and other components are right-sized for the car, and towing increases the cooling requirements (as it increases the load on the engine, especially for mountains, high altitude and high temperatures). There's no testing completed for lower weights, so they assume full use and then work from there. It may be just the radiator, it may also be the fan or a transmission oil cooler.

 

I would talk to your vehicle inspection places about what options you have, maybe with a limited towing weight. If you need the full thing, then swapping the car is probably the cheaper route.

 

 - Bret

50 minutes ago, brettikivi said:

this is quite common that the radiator and other components are right-sized for the car, and towing increases the cooling requirements (as it increases the load on the engine, especially for mountains, high altitude and high temperatures). There's no testing completed for lower weights, so they assume full use and then work from there. It may be just the radiator, it may also be the fan or a transmission oil cooler.

 

I would talk to your vehicle inspection places about what options you have, maybe with a limited towing weight. If you need the full thing, then swapping the car is probably the cheaper route.

 

 - Bret

 

Hello

 

They basically told me that the whole engine cooling system had to be swapped; pipes, hose, radiator, fan etc., because apparently the 1.6TDI is PIA when it comes to towing.

Searching the internet, I found a document from Skoda regarding towbar installation on a 2018 Karoq with the same 1.6TDI engine, no need to swap anything there.

Considering the Karoq is probably a couple hundred kilos heavier than the Octavia, I find that really strange.

 

But yeah, probably will need to sell the car and get something with towbar already attached. 😔

the engine itself isn't the issue, nor the gearbox, but the idea that there is a certain amount of reliability to be attained when a towbar is attached. This also means that - potentially - at 90% of max load and 90% of max towbar weight, temperature constraints must be held while ambient is >30C - that kind of thing. And since most cars don't get the towbar, if they don't need the better cooling, they won't get it. The Karoq may have a different design and / or assumption that it's built in from the start. I suspect we'll see more of this in the interest of weight saving and efficiency, because every gram of CO2 starts to count.

 

 - Bret

13 hours ago, octavia_nor said:

Hello everyone

 

New to these forums, been reading for a couple of weeks though, trying to find information about a particular issue.

 

I'm in need of an towbar installation on my 2015 Octavia (1.6TDI/4x4).

Talked to my official dealership in Norway about programming a Westfalia complete kit,

and was told that while they could program the car, it would need to have the cooling system rebuilt.

Got quoted 5500EUR for the rebuild + original towbar and electronics, and I almost fainted 😰

 

As far as I can see from my sticker in the boot, I do not have the factory towbar prep, code says 1D0.

I was under the impression that this meant no existing wiring, so that job will have to be done by myself or an independent shop,

but I've never heard about cooling systems that have to be rebuilt.

 

For those of you who installed a Westfalia or other aftermarket towbar, did you need to upgrade the cooling?

 

My best regards, Tim

 

I have installed a Westfalia detachable, granted on a Vrs 2.0Tdi but no other changes.

Overall fitted in around 6 hours on my own including all the coding, while  also walking away at points wishing my hands were smaller.

 

The instructions did not state anything other than what I did needed to be changed. 

5 hours ago, DEZMONDE said:

I have installed a Westfalia detachable, granted on a Vrs 2.0Tdi but no other changes.

Overall fitted in around 6 hours on my own including all the coding, while  also walking away at points wishing my hands were smaller.

 

The instructions did not state anything other than what I did needed to be changed. 

 

Good morning

 

Yes, this is the impression I had also, that everything you need comes with the Westfalia kit.

I've contacted Skoda Norway, and they will look into the issue, because the lady there was somewhat surprised when I told her the price.

 

 

Good luck, hope you manage to get it sorted.

On 24/06/2020 at 02:50, DEZMONDE said:

I have installed a Westfalia detachable, granted on a Vrs 2.0Tdi but no other changes.

Overall fitted in around 6 hours on my own including all the coding, while  also walking away at points wishing my hands were smaller.

 

The instructions did not state anything other than what I did needed to be changed. 

This is a 2.0TDI 135kW vs a 1.6TDI 81kW. There is a massive difference. 

 

The smaller engine may or may not be set up for towing; that's partly what the towing prep pack is for, to reduce the amount of stuff that needs done. Just because you get to do it in the UK also doesn't mean that you're legally in the clear elsewhere, either. Here, I don't have to go to inspection afterwards, I know I would in Germany. There's also liability questions at play here. 

It's not necessarily as simple as "yes, it's just someone being awkward".

 

 - Bret

more hearsay: 

Reading the German forums, it seems actually quite common that dealers require this.

 

 - Bret

 

Also in Romania for the 14tsi 110kW one dealer said it needed to upgrade the radiator - fitting the OEM tow bar. Another dealer did not mention this, but I sent an email stating that the only reason I wanted the tow bar was the bike rack. 

 

The maximum towing weight on the 1.6CR is lower than on 2L models as the car weighs less. Means you not able to tow the same weight.

I have the Westfalia tow bar (from new - fitted by supplying garage). However, we don't have to climb high mountains in England and that is probably the important difference.

When I worked in Southern California and drove up into the Sierras, it was the altitude that was the problem. I guess in your country you also see reduced engine power at altitude, and working the engine flat out may be the reason you need better cooling. Also, thinner air has reduced cooling effect because it is the weight of air used for cooling that matters.

 

It also depends what loads you want to tow.