Karoq After Market Tow Bar

[fsec]

This has probably been discussed umpteen times, however, I did not find any answers to my question (although I have not asked it yet 😁 ).

 

I have a 19 reg 1.6 diesel bought lat February from maindealers in Bolton. I now need to install a towbar for occasional light (very light) use. No need for electrics etc as the trailer is very low and lights, number plate etc are easily visible.

 

I have looked at some towbars on eBay and othe rplaces and the cheapest I found was just the curved hook itself for around £150. I know I will need to cut a hole in the rear bumper.

 

Question is: how easy are they to git? Does Karoq come with a ready to connect T-Bar/ bar or anything or would I need to buy the extra attachments?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324370055841

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363330405910

 

All I realluy need is the actual hook itself if possible. The light use is for towing a small row boat and I will attach a reflector bar (red reflectors) at the astern.

[Ootohere]

@fsec  Is your car a manual, and if so is it plated to tow anything, braked or un-braked.

 

If your low trailer without the need for lights is towed on the road that might well be when you would get stopped with a trailer attached that the car is not approved to have on.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/452358-karoq

 

 

Edited 31 August, 2022 by roottoot

[fsec]

It is a manual gear change. No idea about ratings. I have never heard of such a thing. For the past 48 years I have had tow bars on other cars without any 'ratings' etc. What is that supposed to be?

[Ootohere]

Best check your vehicle.

Lots of people will buy cars that they have no idea can not be used for towing by the law.

 

Manufacturers might not 'Approve' all vehicles to have a Towing Capacity' so they can not tow, like Mk1 & Mk2 Fabia vRS.

Like certain Kodiaq's and Octavias recently, and like the 1.6 TDI Manual Karoq if it does not have a plate with the weights.

 

Some might fit a tow bar for a bike rack, but that is a Grey Area.    Towing with a car not Approved to have a towbar fitted is an issue with your insurance. 

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/429261-dont-buy-a-201718-150ps-4wd-man-7-seat-if-you-tow

 

Edited 31 August, 2022 by roottoot

[varooom]

Here you go @fsec this is the information that @roottoot is referring to.

 

Pages from D4B80828146-Trailer_operation_as_of_2016.pdf

[fsec]

Cheers but the list also says my car does not need addblue, however I have an addblue on my fuel inlet and have a notification for adblue after 5000 miles on the display. Its all veery confusing

[varooom]

5 minutes ago, fsec said:

Cheers but the list also says my car does not need addblue, however I have an addblue on my fuel inlet and have a notification for adblue after 5000 miles on the display. Its all veery confusing

That list might be old, or for older Karoq's.

 

You will have AdBlue, so take the above list with pinch of salt.

[Ootohere]

Just check the plate on the drivers side B pillar.

Then you will know the weights and if the car an tow legally. 

[ApertureS]

On 31/08/2022 at 13:49, fsec said:

I now need to install a towbar for occasional light (very light) use. No need for electrics etc as the trailer is very low and lights, number plate etc are easily visible.

The first thing is, the car will most likely throw a tantrum without a correct tow bar setup with electronics. You will probably get faults relating to the ACC and parking sensors.

 

The second thing is, im not 100% sure on this but very light use or not, a trailer needs to have a number plate, working lights and reflectors to be legal. Even if it gets used one day of the year, its still got to conform to all the specs.

 

Youll also want to check your vehicle is legally allowed to tow by looking at the vin plate. 

[nige8021]

On 31/08/2022 at 17:29, roottoot said:

Just check the plate on the drivers side B pillar.

Then you will know the weights and if the car an tow legally. 

 

It is also shown on the V5 logbook  O.1 Braked limit & O.2 Unbraked limit

[fsec]

Booked the car in for a service in early October. I had a chat with the Skoda people and they were surprised as they had not heard anything about it or so they said. They will look into it when the car is in for a service and see whether a tow bar can be fitted (officially and legally) for that model.

Fingers crossed and here's hoping.

[Vlady]

1 hour ago, fsec said:

Booked the car in for a service in early October. I had a chat with the Skoda people and they were surprised as they had not heard anything about it or so they said. They will look into it when the car is in for a service and see whether a tow bar can be fitted (officially and legally) for that model.

Fingers crossed and here's hoping.

Keep us updated please, I might need a tow bar but for carrying bikes not a trailer.

[Ootohere]

@fsec Have you had a look at the plate on the car as you get in and out the car, or the V5 to see what they say on weights?

 

Not surprising that a receptionist at a Skoda Main Dealers Service Desk or on a phone would know nothing about very much to do with Skodas.

They do not employ staff for that jobs because the are trained or qualified technicians or mechanical engineers.

Maybe not even an NVQ in keyboard skills or going to ask a grown up that does know because that is their actual full time job / profession in a Car Dealership. 

Edited 9 September, 2022 by roottoot

[fsec]

58 minutes ago, roottoot said:

@fsec Have you had a look at the plate on the car as you get in and out the car, or the V5 to see what they say on weights?

 

Not surprising that a receptionist at a Skoda Main Dealers Service Desk or on a phone would know nothing about very much to do with Skodas.

They do not employ staff for that jobs because the are trained or qualified technicians or mechanical engineers.

Maybe not even an NVQ in keyboard skills or going to ask a grown up that does know because that is their actual full time job / profession in a Car Dealership. 

In all fairness it was not a receptionist or a telephone chappie/girlie; I actually spoke to the Service people themselves about it. I assumed (righly or wrongly) that they may know about these things since they are the ones that deal with installations also unless they outsource it. The Octavia that I bought off them in 2006 was outsourced for a tow bar so maybe they too do not know much about it.

 

i have not had a look at the plate but will do so today

[Ootohere]

It will be a Technician or Master Technician that will use knowledge to check the car. 

Someone that wears overalls or a coat.

 

Any independent Towbar fitter that does it as a job / profession has on their desk or on a self the books with the info or on their computer / phone about Towbar Fittings.

Reason being they are legal responsible for what they fit / install.

 

[vulcan]

Just call up Peter Bowman towing centre in Bury, cause that's who that Bolton dealer use to fit most of their tow bars!

Brian is the man you want 0161 797 3000

 

 

 

 

[fsec]

Took the car in for service yesterday and had a chat with the service manager who checked the Skoda specs. It seems the spec that cannot use a tow bar is the SEL model while mine is the SE so I am good to go with a tow bar. However, unfortunately I sold the boat that I wanted to tow.

 

AAAAArrrrrggghhhhhhh 😡

 

I may look for a tow bar later in the year or early next year

[FinFerNan]

Hi, just a sidenote on this topic. I recently ordered a brand new (2022) SE L 2.0L 150 DSG. It was a stock car so very quick delivery of 3 days. I then read about some people finding out that the VIN plate was rated "0" kg for towing on cars that didn't have the Tow Prep option ticked. I immediately questioned Skoda UK and the sales guy, Neither of whom had a clue what I was talking about. Luckily the dealership sales manager is a caravanner and totally got me. There was a day of panic, as it was obvious that neither of them had come across this issue before. 

 

Luckily, the sales manager knew which questions to ask and he was able to confirm that my car was  suitable for towing. The VIN plate clearly shows the maximum train weight as being iro 4300kgs. 

 

The towbar has now been fitted, the tow prep being essentially a cable from the front to a plug and play terminal at the rear. The fitter installed the aftermarket version, and all is working perfectly. 

[Rivendell63]

On 06/10/2022 at 15:05, FinFerNan said:

Hi, just a sidenote on this topic. I recently ordered a brand new (2022) SE L 2.0L 150 DSG. It was a stock car so very quick delivery of 3 days. I then read about some people finding out that the VIN plate was rated "0" kg for towing on cars that didn't have the Tow Prep option ticked. I immediately questioned Skoda UK and the sales guy, Neither of whom had a clue what I was talking about. Luckily the dealership sales manager is a caravanner and totally got me. There was a day of panic, as it was obvious that neither of them had come across this issue before. 

 

Luckily, the sales manager knew which questions to ask and he was able to confirm that my car was  suitable for towing. The VIN plate clearly shows the maximum train weight as being iro 4300kgs. 

 

The towbar has now been fitted, the tow prep being essentially a cable from the front to a plug and play terminal at the rear. The fitter installed the aftermarket version, and all is working perfectly. 

Hi FinFerNan,

As you had opted for an aftermarket tow bar, can you provide some pics of the fitment and hole in the rear valance ?

 

Cheers

[JohnD5314]

On 06/10/2022 at 15:05, FinFerNan said:

The towbar has now been fitted, the tow prep being essentially a cable from the front to a plug and play terminal at the rear. 

This is only partially correct - towbar prep also includes upgrades to the grill and cooling fan. When my towbar was fitted I was charged £500 for these upgrades despite asking the service manager to check what 'tow bar prep' consisted of (which my car had). His face was a picture when I produced the email from Skoda Customer Services confirming this, and he had to authorise a refund for unnecessary work.

 

Third party installers need to check whether additional cooling is required for any specific model, especially if you want to avoid problems with potential (related) warranty claims.