..I was quoted £750 for a towbar when I got mine, (main dealer)....in the end we did not bother as we gave up the idea of caravaning anyway!

I've never had a towbar fitted but a friend had one fitted to his Yeti by a local fitter and had no end of problems with erratic behaviour of electrics. One thing I remember was that the rear beepers did not recognise a caravan was there and continually activated, apparently the system should be programmed so that when a caravan is hooked up the beepers are automatically deactivated, I remember he had other problems as well but my aged brain has forgotten the details... 

Do a quick search on this forum and I'm sure you will find plenty of advice.

Edited 23 October, 20205 yr by Expatman

36 minutes ago, Expatman said:

I've never had a towbar fitted but a friend had one fitted to his Yeti by a local fitter and had no end of problems with erratic behaviour of electrics. One thing I remember was that the rear beepers did not recognise a caravan was there and continually activated, apparently the system should be programmed so that when a caravan is hooked up the beepers are automatically deactivated, I remember he had other problems as well but my aged brain has forgotten the details... 

Do a quick search on this forum and I'm sure you will find plenty of advice.

He probably had bypass wiring done to save a few £ instead of the dedicated electrics 

2 hours ago, Dale_Stevens said:

I’m phoning a few places for towbars with dedicated wiring. Not sure if Skoda dealers fit them but they would probably charge a fortune. 

 

They do.

 

But...

 

Genuine Skoda towbars are Westfalia.

 

And...

 

Most dealers sub it out to an independent.

 

So you may as well just get a trusted independent to do it.

 

As you have approved used warranty under no circumstances get a bypass relay install.

There is a mobile fitter works out of Derby, he installs for PF Jones Mc/r, I had a Westfalia fitted and coded by him - all works fine!

He also works privately if you are interested, I can probably find a tel no for him!!

North West Tow Bars have come highly recommended in the past and even used a Yeti in one of their videos, also PF Jones, a nationwide mobile company, have a good reputation and have been used by many members.

And go for the dedicated wiring loom and NOT the by-pass system. That is much better and allows full integration with the car's electronics.

5 minutes ago, Frenchtone said:

There is a mobile fitter works out of Derby, he installs for PF Jones Mc/r, I had a Westfalia fitted and coded by him - all works fine!

He also works privately if you are interested, I can probably find a tel no for him!!

 

Thanks, If you find a number then I'll ring him

 

 

5 minutes ago, Llanigraham said:

North West Tow Bars have come highly recommended in the past and even used a Yeti in one of their videos, also PF Jones, a nationwide mobile company, have a good reputation and have been used by many members.

And go for the dedicated wiring loom and NOT the by-pass system. That is much better and allows full integration with the car's electronics.

 

NW Towbars have also been recommended elsewhere, I rang them the other day and they quoted me 

fixed towbar £450 with dedicated wiring

detachable £600 with dedicated wiring

 

Jut need to ensure the relevant 13pin is connected to power caravan fridge and battery charger.

4 hours ago, Dale_Stevens said:

He probably had bypass wiring done to save a few £ instead of the dedicated electrics 

Probably, I seem to remember his wife complaining that he should have spent more to have the job done properly in the first place rather than having to pay twice to get it sorted out!

They are very good at that I am told!

9 hours ago, J.R. said:

They are very good at that I am told!

Amen to that!

Incidentally can I make a plea that you fit a concealed or removable tow bar and Not a fixed one. Fixed bars present a dangerous tripping hazard and are lethal in minor bumps causing untold damage. I had an Octavia before the Yeti's and someone with a fixed towbar gently reversed into the front while parked at a supermarket and the towbar did major damage costing more than £1000 to put right.

So please fit a removable tow bar.

27 minutes ago, Expatman said:

Incidentally can I make a plea that you fit a concealed or removable tow bar and Not a fixed one. Fixed bars present a dangerous tripping hazard and are lethal in minor bumps causing untold damage. I had an Octavia before the Yeti's and someone with a fixed towbar gently reversed into the front while parked at a supermarket and the towbar did major damage costing more than £1000 to put right.

So please fit a removable tow bar.

 

But no doubt the tow bar prevented any damage to the other car?

 

2 hours ago, Expatman said:

Incidentally can I make a plea that you fit a concealed or removable tow bar and Not a fixed one. Fixed bars present a dangerous tripping hazard and are lethal in minor bumps causing untold damage. I had an Octavia before the Yeti's and someone with a fixed towbar gently reversed into the front while parked at a supermarket and the towbar did major damage costing more than £1000 to put right.

So please fit a removable tow bar.

 

Giving towball poisoning to inconsiderate parkers or brake testing tailgaters is precisely the reason that I remain with a fixed towbar as well as that they are cheaper and that I need the bolted flange to fit a Nato hitch for some of my trailers.

 

Not sure about lethal damage unless you run someone over in reverse.

 

This projects further than a standard towball, is more of a visual deterrent and protects the rear more if shunted from behind.

 

 

2 hours ago, J.R. said:

 

Giving towball poisoning to inconsiderate parkers or brake testing tailgaters is precisely the reason that I remain with a fixed towbar as well as that they are cheaper and that I need the bolted flange to fit a Nato hitch for some of my trailers.

 

Not sure about lethal damage unless you run someone over in reverse.

 

This projects further than a standard towball, is more of a visual deterrent and protects the rear more if shunted from behind.

 

 

Well, what a considerate driver you are - as long as you are okay then sod the rest of motorists. Perhaps that’s why Caravanners are so universally disliked. Oh, and the other driver reversed into my car while it was parked.

Edited 24 October, 20205 yr by Expatman

4 hours ago, Dale_Stevens said:

 

But no doubt the tow bar prevented any damage to the other car?

 

I would think so as there was just a clear hole where the towball had hit my car. He, of course. had vanished by the time I got back.

What have I said that would lead you to conclude that I am anything but a very considerate driver Xman?

 

I have never reversed into a parked car except one that had boxed me in (which happens all the time where I live) and the guy was drunk and belligerant (he had driven to a bar) and refused to move forward even 6", laughed at me (playing to an audience) and said (in French) what are you going to do about it! So I showed him.

 

Were you to live here you would realise what a massive problem tailgating is, and I mean almost rubbing paint tailgating, slowing down just exasperates, a dab of the brake lights makes them even more determined, a full on emergency stop does the trick, since fitting the larger more visible Nato coupling it happens a lot less.

 

I have had severe rear end shunts 3 times over the years, never through brake testing but the inattention of the other driver, 3 cars written off insurance wise, 6 if you include theirs, all of mine have been easy repairs because thanks to the towbars fitted the damage has been relatively cosmetic, the impact dissipated evenly between the 2 chassis rails, the bumpers usually pushing out & needing minimum paintwork.

 

I dont hate caravanners or any group. My choice of tow coupling is for my needs and not to minimise the self inflicted damage done to the vehicles of inattentive, aggressive or selfish drivers.

 

I do know a couple of young children (adults now) who have broken their legs whilst running around playing too close to a parked vehicle with a towball, in that respect the swan neck removable are much more dangerous while they are fitted because they stick out much further, and many people do seem to leave them fitted, the flange on my towbar is so tight to the bumper that have had to drill clearance holes for the few threads that project from the bolts and have to use wedges in order to even get the nuts in position, with a standard towball fitted its flush to the bumper, the one in the photo by its nature sticks out more but less than most swan neck balls.

6 minutes ago, J.R. said:

What have I said that would lead you to conclude that I am anything but a very considerate driver Xman?

 

You live in France.....case closed m'lud....

 

 

You have got me there, it must rub off!

We've always had fixed towbars as they are cheaper, and to give us some protection from other motorists driving into the back of us.

Edited 24 October, 20205 yr by Dale_Stevens

50 minutes ago, xman said:

 

You live in France.....case closed m'lud....

 

 

Nothing wrong with France. They produce excellent wine, some fine cheeses and have bloody excellent roads.

And as for removeable tow bars; no-one makes one for my car, so tough luck sunshine!

 

"Well, what a considerate driver you are - as long as you are okay then sod the rest of motorists". 

 

It's not just other motorists, as you will agree if you've ever tried to cross a busy road, concentrating on the traffic, and cracked your shin into a towing hook.  "You should be looking where you're going" isn't really an answer when we've got an increasingly ageing population and more people with less than perfect eyesight.

I am blind in the left eye (am hoping for a miracle next Tuesday though) and frequently bash my hip whilst squeezing amongst stuff in my workshops but never outside, I always try to leave a decent space on my blind side, when I cant I will be looking down with my head turned sideways.

 

If an adult cracks his shin while walking behind a car then he is very close to it and should know better than to walk out into traffic on a busy road from behind a parked car, children are a different matter, they will be chasing each other around and scraping past everything breaking things along the way, sometimes breaking themselves, its all part of growing up.

 

Be truthfull how many of us like myself headbutted the rear of parked cars (or a van in my case) whilst cycling & not looking where we were going? And we didn't even have smartphones to be staring at.

 

If any adult walks into my tow coupling its likely that they will have been staring into a phone.

I understand the desire for others to have and use removable towbars if someone has found their vehicle damaged in a car park but it also works the other way, after recieving many parking bumps to the rear bumper often while we are sat in the vehicle we would wish that we had a towbar.

15 minutes ago, J.R. said:

 

Be truthfull how many of us like myself headbutted the rear of parked cars (or a van in my case) whilst cycling & not looking where we were going?

 

Count me in there...   It was a yellow VW beetle and I was watching the chain alignment on the rear cassette

Snap!

 

I was also making blipping the throttle downshift noises when I remodelled the back of the 105e van