Hi, bought a Fabia 3 combo which has a removable tow hitch. Can’t find any key, or then the key is in the lock? Any ideas of how to remove the neck?

Have you tried fitting the blade of your ignition key into that lock, probably after spraying some lock lub or release oil into it?

 

I would expect any factory fitted towing hitch fitted with a lock barrel to have the same lock as the car - or am I wrong, no doubt someone out there with a factory fitted removable towing hitch will know the answer to that - and to where to find the lock barrel "number" if you now need a key because it was not factory fitted.

 

Getting hold of a copy of "CAR DATA" for this car, would let you know if that towing hitch was factory fitted.

Sorry that might have been duff info as you can buy a "lock cylinder with keys" for that tow hitch under Skoda part number EEA 770 011, it seems, 5J0 804 968 for the actuating lever cylinder lock and keys, or also another number for the cylinder lock and keys 5JO 803 928 !

Edited 18 February, 20251 yr by rum4mo

I can see that taking it off might look better.

Personally i would leave on as they do protect from 'Touch parkers' a bit.  Rear end protection.

8 hours ago, Ootohere said:

I can see that taking it off might look better.

Personally i would leave on as they do protect from 'Touch parkers' a bit.  Rear end protection.

I think it’s a 50/50. Whilst I agree it does mean any touch Parker will come off worse, having had someone run into the back of my car, which had a towbar fitted, which caused extensive  damage. All the impact went through the towing hitch into the fixing points of the towbar.  Without the towbar the impact would have been absorbed by the deformable bumper and rear crumple zones. Also with the removable hitch in place should you be unlucky enough to touch something when reversing, even a light tap with a towing hitch will do more damage than with a deformable  bumper.

(Google translate)
Good morning.
I have a Fabia 3 with a towbar fitted as standard.
The photo shows the lever in the down position, and the red push button pressed. This is already the position to remove the neck by pressing the neck down. 
In this position, the lugs which hold the neck in the hitch are retracted, and the nock must come out. 
The lock is only used to prevent the lever from being operated. In your situation, operating the lock will not solve your problem.
Have you tried using a little force?
If you can't do this, in my opinion, the system is seized or out of order.