fixed - detachable towbar fitting

Hi all,

I've read a lot of threads about difficulties in attaching the detachable towbar and getting it to click into place.

I had a similar issue 2 years ago and after drilling out the lock, faffing on loads , and lots of wd40 into the mechanism I finally got it to click in place.

Having not used the towball since then , and with it stored in the boot, I had a similar issue today.

Once again I gave it a spray with wd40 and worked the mechanism by pressing in the tiny ball bearing on the shaft of the connector. Despite that I was sure the mechanism was working but it wouldn't click fully when inserted to the fitting on the car.

Eventually I worked out there must be something wrong with the fitting on the car so having a look with a torch I could see some loose flakes of rusty paint inside the hole.

A good scrape with a flat screwdriver and a small wire brush I cleaned it up and got quite a bit of loose flakes of surface rust out and after a blast of wd40 and a wipe with a rag the towball fitted straight in with positive clunk.

So if you are having issues connecting a detachable towbar check the fitting on the car and not just the towball. The tolerances must be surprisingly tight with regard to the aperture which any loose surface rust will affect.

Cheers