Superb estate L&K mk3 DCC towing

[stevogsi]

Hi guys I'm in the process in purchasing a mk3 superb estate L&K 2018 2.0 tdi, it has no towbar & I'm abit concerned if I can actually fit a towbar & tow a caravan with the DCC suspension, as I have seen other topics people mentioning the DCC suspension is not good for towing?!

Can you advice with this please.

Thanks 

[Fr13ndlyGhost]

Just had my 2019 2.0tsi 4x4 sportline with DCC fitted with an OEM towbar even though no towbar prep

was specced with the car. Dealership didn’t want to do it because importer said “no”. Found a VAG specialist who went the extra mile and called with Germany, where they were told the car just needed an extra wiring loom

of €69,95. 
Now I have an OEM folding towbar on a car that was not possible according to the local Skoda dealership, that looks and works as if it came OEM from the factory. 
 

DCC shouldn’t be the limiting factor here! If coded correctly the car should recognize what it is towing (bike rack or caravan/trailer) and adjust its systems accordingly. 

[komoornik]

DCC configs are surely possible with towbar.

 

There might be some coding that affects both working together, yeah.

 

But surely there's nothing like "car will recognize what it's towing" 😉 The plug for the towbar does not have capabilities like that at all.

[Fr13ndlyGhost]

In EU there’s different kinds of plugs 7pin and 13pin, don’t know if that’s also in the UK?

The 13 pin gives much more information about what it’s towing (caravan have more lights and stuff going on). My car now at least recognizes it’s towing a bike rack and not a caravan or trailer, so it doesn’t start the trailer assist guidance. 

[J.R.]

My caravan has the same lights as all my trailers, exactly the same lights as the bike rack and the towing board!

[komoornik]

29 minutes ago, Fr13ndlyGhost said:

In EU there’s different kinds of plugs 7pin and 13pin, don’t know if that’s also in the UK?

The 13 pin gives much more information about what it’s towing (caravan have more lights and stuff going on). My car now at least recognizes it’s towing a bike rack and not a caravan or trailer, so it doesn’t start the trailer assist guidance. 

That recognition is not based on the plug - but the image from the camera.

 

There's nothing in the plug to recognize what's connected.

 

[ApertureS]

2 hours ago, komoornik said:

DCC configs are surely possible with towbar.

 

There might be some coding that affects both working together, yeah.

 

But surely there's nothing like "car will recognize what it's towing" 😉 The plug for the towbar does not have capabilities like that at all.

Whether 7 or 13 pin plug, it could very easily know that something is detected by a basic continuity test across a lighting circuit  

[ApertureS]

1 hour ago, komoornik said:

That recognition is not based on the plug - but the image from the camera.

 

There's nothing in the plug to recognize what's connected.

 

There doesn’t need to be anything in the plug, there’s lots of lighting circuits that can be used! 
The camera doesn’t detect a Towbar connection; it’s just a reverse camera. Especially when you can have a car specced with a tow bar and no camera 

[Stonekeeper]

1 hour ago, komoornik said:

That recognition is not based on the plug - but the image from the camera.

 

There's nothing in the plug to recognize what's connected.

 

 

 

Pin 9  and pin 10 ?

 

Maybe,

[Stonekeeper]

2 hours ago, J.R. said:

My caravan has the same lights as all my trailers, exactly the same lights as the bike rack and the towing board!

 

Does your trailer have a fridge?

[komoornik]

11 minutes ago, ApertureS said:

There doesn’t need to be anything in the plug, there’s lots of lighting circuits that can be used! 
The camera doesn’t detect a Towbar connection; it’s just a reverse camera. Especially when you can have a car specced with a tow bar and no camera 

 

What I meant is that the Trailer Assist being available is based on a detection from camera. And that is the case, you need a special version of the camera for Trailer Assist to work.

 

And the system works heavily basing on the camera.

[stevogsi]

Thank you for all your comments, so I shouldn't worry if the car has DCC I will be able to fit a towbar & obviously get it coded correctly.

Will a towbar of a hatchback fit an estate?!

This is the part n⁰ 3V0 803 801 A

TIA

[J.R.]

2 hours ago, Stonekeeper said:

 

 

Pin 9  and pin 10 ?

 

Maybe,

 

Why would this mythical stabilisation system that is supposed to save all your lives when towing be concerned about whether the vehicle being towed has a fridge and has it switched to 12v or is using the feed to charge an auxiliary battery like on my tipping trailer?

 

2 hours ago, Stonekeeper said:

Does your trailer have a fridge?

 

The one that I am typing this from listening to the rain beating on the roof, yes it does!

 

And it will not work on 12v from the massive leisure battery when switched to 12v, that power feed has to come from the towing vehicle, I am replacing fuseboards at present so there are power cuts for a couple of hours, I really would like that fridge to work off 12v even though all it does is try and usually fail to maintain the temp within, the 12v heating element is not powerful enough to reduce the temperature.

[Stonekeeper]

23 minutes ago, J.R. said:

 

Why would this mythical stabilisation system that is supposed to save all your lives when towing be concerned about whether the vehicle being towed has a fridge and has it switched to 12v or is using the feed to charge an auxiliary battery like on my tipping trailer?

 

 

The one that I am typing this from listening to the rain beating on the roof, yes it does!

 

And it will not work on 12v from the massive leisure battery when switched to 12v, that power feed has to come from the towing vehicle, I am replacing fuseboards at present so there are power cuts for a couple of hours, I really would like that fridge to work off 12v even though all it does is try and usually fail to maintain the temp within, the 12v heating element is not powerful enough to reduce the temperature.

 

 

Just trying to establish how my car knows to disable the parking sensors and rear fog lights when the caravan is attached.

 

No idea what happens with a small trailer or toy rack because i have never tried.

 

 

I thought ESC was a mandatory thing since 2014 in the EU. I think the marketing about needing dedicated wiring for it to work with the caravan attached is sales spin, it should work regardless.

 

 

The 12v will not reduce the temp of the fridge but it should keep it cool if pre-cooled unless you keep opening the door.

Edited 29 March by Stonekeeper

[ApertureS]

3 hours ago, komoornik said:

 

What I meant is that the Trailer Assist being available is based on a detection from camera. And that is the case, you need a special version of the camera for Trailer Assist to work.

 

And the system works heavily basing on the camera.

Have you got anything to back that up? as i dont think thats the case at all.

[J.R.]

2 hours ago, Stonekeeper said:

Just trying to establish how my car knows to disable the parking sensors and rear fog lights when the caravan is attached.

 

No idea what happens with a small trailer or toy rack because i have never tried.

 

The answer is probably that it reacts in exactly the same way, there is no sane reason for it to know if you are towing a caravan rather than a trailer even if it were possible.

 

On the 13 plug units I believe the socket can be wired to detect when a plug has been inserted, it pay need a plug with 2 contacts linked, some of the 7 pin sockets have a similar but very crude switching arrangement to disconnect the feed to the vehicles rear fog light when towing to avoid reflected dazzle.

 

Any detection is most likely to be done by the bulb monitoring circuit detecting a lowered resistance on both rear lights simultaneously.

 

Like you I am very sceptical about the marketing claims of increased safety with the manufacturers towing package but it 100% achieves its purpose of extorting money from owners judging by the evangelical responses on here, if it were a necessary and effective safety measure then not much point if it relies on crappy trailer lights or the exact same lighting board units that were rubbish 50 years ago and far worse now that they have been cheapened to the point of being completely shonky.

 

Or relying on AI to decide whether the image from a fish eye lens smothered in road dirt is a bicycle, trailer or towed vehicle with a lighting board.

[komoornik]

1 hour ago, ApertureS said:

Have you got anything to back that up? as i dont think thats the case at all.

https://www.bosch-mobility.com/en/solutions/assistance-systems/trailer-tow-assist/

 

Otherwise, what would be the system based on?

 

Also from my testing:

 

1. connecting and mounting towbar bike rack with 13 pin plug - Trailer assist won't activate

2. connecting and driving with a regular trailer with 7 pin plug (via adapter) - Trailer assist activated

 

In both cases parking sensors were disabled.

Edited 29 March by komoornik

[Stonekeeper]

11 minutes ago, J.R. said:

 

The answer is probably that it reacts in exactly the same way, there is no sane reason for it to know if you are towing a caravan rather than a trailer even if it were possible.

 

On the 13 plug units I believe the socket can be wired to detect when a plug has been inserted, it pay need a plug with 2 contacts linked, some of the 7 pin sockets have a similar but very crude switching arrangement to disconnect the feed to the vehicles rear fog light when towing to avoid reflected dazzle.

 

Any detection is most likely to be done by the bulb monitoring circuit detecting a lowered resistance on both rear lights simultaneously.

 

Like you I am very sceptical about the marketing claims of increased safety with the manufacturers towing package but it 100% achieves its purpose of extorting money from owners judging by the evangelical responses on here, if it were a necessary and effective safety measure then not much point if it relies on crappy trailer lights or the exact same lighting board units that were rubbish 50 years ago and far worse now that they have been cheapened to the point of being completely shonky.

 

Or relying on AI to decide whether the image from a fish eye lens smothered in road dirt is a bicycle, trailer or towed vehicle with a lighting board.

 

I just thought it used the 12v permanent feed because if my caravan is unplugged with the car locked, the car alarm goes off

[Stonekeeper]

19 minutes ago, komoornik said:

https://www.bosch-mobility.com/en/solutions/assistance-systems/trailer-tow-assist/

 

Otherwise, what would be the system based on?

 

Also from my testing:

 

1. connecting and mounting towbar bike rack with 13 pin plug - Trailer assist won't activate

2. connecting and driving with a regular trailer with 7 pin plug (via adapter) - Trailer assist activated

 

In both cases parking sensors were disabled.

 

This may help

 

If you try to order a superb sel which does not appear to have reversing camera as standard, add a towbar with trailer assist £1210 it adds park package and the cameras and adds £1930 to the total not £1210

Edited 29 March by Stonekeeper

[komoornik]

 

There's also this topic.

[J.R.]

2 hours ago, Stonekeeper said:

 

I just thought it used the 12v permanent feed because if my caravan is unplugged with the car locked, the car alarm goes off

Forget the caravan, the alarm would be activated whatever towed wheeled appliance was attached to the lights which are connected through the 7 or 13 pin plug, the lights do not have to be illuminated for the bulb monitoring system to know there is a resistance across the rear light feed and chassis earth, removing the plug or cutting the cable removes or shorts out the resistance and the anti-theft system will operate.

 

I suspect that is one feature that my £100 towbar set up does not have, frankly a bonus because leave a trailer plugged in over night and at least one bulb contact will go open circuit before the morning 🥴

 

I will test it soon to see if it reacts, I know it does if the car is jacked up.

[globalste]

See my thread on mad suspension assistance springs, I’d definitely recommend them for towing a caravan (the main tech guy at mad suspension has a superb estate with DCC).  If you have a Sportline then only the Westfalia detachable will fit under the bumper.  When towing keep the DCC set to normal.  You should definitely get the towbar completely coded and by a reputable dealer otherwise it will wreak havoc with your ACC and other stuff, coding does amongst other things disabled side assist and remote boot to stop you trashing your tailgate.  Finally, not all towbars have a 90-100kg noseweight, don’t want to find yourself limited to 75kg and then struggling to balance the van.

Edited 12 April by globalste