Hi

I have just recently joined up and the information on the forum has been of great help to me, many thanks to all contributors

I noticed a few questions about towbars and hence though I should contribute a few comments based on my very recent (Last night) spanner weilding.

My VRS Hatchback has had a dealer fitted towbar on it from new in June 2001, this is the detachable (? - see below) type.

GOOD-

The dealer fitted towbar when detached is invisible and cannot be seen without crawling under the car.

The bumper is cut to make it fit but the cuts are in the lower horizontal parts of the bumper and out of sight to anybody unless you have just reversed over them.

The electric socket is on a spring loaded bracket which flicks in and out from behind the bumper when needed.

All in all a very neat installation.

BAD -

As I have the towbar fitted as "protection" and seldon tow it is on the car all the time. Woe betide you, if like me, you eventually wish the remove it 6 years down the line! Totally rusted solid in place, the locking mechanism U/S - this eventually falls out of the "hole" in the locking pin. Having inserted an appropriate metal bar in this hole the end of the locking pin then snaps off! - Moral, make sure you dismantle & grease everything at least once a year. (Obviously not part of the Skoda service schedule) Surpisingly the actual bolts holding the towbar to the chassis came out OK.

Rustporoofing - there isn't any on the towbar. Obviously it was painted with watered down Dulux and the complete towbar is a mess of rust. Major session with wire brush and Hammerite called for.

Bumper support - In fitting the towbar the dealer had to remove the normal strengthening beam in the bumper. He then failed to supply this "extra" upon delivery of my car (no doubts sold to some poor unfortunate who has been rear ended!) which now means if I remove the towbar the bumper is left with all the integrity of an empty plastic coke bottle - Beware if you get a car that has "had" a towbar.

CONCLUSION -

The towbar is neat & tidy but suggest ensuring you maintain it and if you are keeping your car and intend towing something heavy you better give it a coat of paint before it dissapears in a cloud of rust.

HELP -

Anybody know where I can get the necessary replacement locking mechanism for the towbar? if I ever manage to get the "removable" part removed! (I am now getting ready for session with gas axe, angle grinder etc - yes it is off the car!)

Welcome to Briskoda and a nice write-up on the towbar.

Is it a Skoda part or aftermarket - dealers don't always fit genuine parts in this case, not that there is anything wrong with aftermarket

What does a tow bar protect you from? :confused:

Towbar protects you from people like my wife who two weeks ago rammed the front of my Skoda into the back of a Discovery with a towbar. Discovery 1 - Skoda 0

Needless to say the Discovery didn't have any damage! Mine goes into bodyshop on Monday for new bumper, lights, bumper metalwork etc

(Towbars also help with "touch" parking - also practised in my family and why my garage door has a towball shaped dent in it - of course the car did this all by itself!)

Not sure where the towbar is sourced from. I will probably try the dealer as they still service my car (apart from the towbar!) So they may have some idea or can source the bits I need if I ever manage to get it apart

towbars also help when someone has parked too close to the back of the car and you need to move them a bit :-)

OTOH I know someone who hit an Octy with a Daihatsu 4Trak - result was Octy 1, Tonka 0.

Towbar protects you from people like my wife who two weeks ago rammed the front of my Skoda into the back of a Discovery with a towbar. Discovery 1 - Skoda 0

Needless to say the Discovery didn't have any damage! Mine goes into bodyshop on Monday for new bumper, lights, bumper metalwork etc

(Towbars also help with "touch" parking - also practised in my family and why my garage door has a towball shaped dent in it - of course the car did this all by itself!)

Sounds to me like you can get rid of the towbar if the wife goes. :P

Here is an update on the towbar situation (Had to replace it, cheaper than getting rid of the wife!)

Image 1 - This is the rusty remains of your towbar after 6 years hiding under your bumper. As its quite difficult to see you don't realise just how bad it is.

Image 2 - Heres the offending "removable" swan neck. as you can see the pin that rotates in the swan neck has broken off at the weak point where locking handle goes through.

My Skoda dealer has been able to provide a new locking insert however as yet has not been able to provide the pin you see in the photo that runs through the swan neck itself nor the tube the locking mechanism sits in (This was originally spot welded to the pin?). This means a session with a welder to try and get this all back together again unless somebody out there has the remains of a towbar with this mechanism in place?

As a further point if your towbar is in this state then you will most certainly have to grind off/break the bolts holding the electrics on. Having just decided to cut the cable to get the towbar off I dismantled this to find the wires are crimped into the pins/sockets. No nice screw terminals to replace the wires into. So I now have a bit of a cable repair job to do. (If you do cut the cable ensure you cut them carefully one at a time then insulate them, I don't know which might be live!)

Towbar is now away getting blasted and powder coated, hopefuly get it back soon.

This was a Skoda approved part as the rotting remains of the an Aluminium plate on it proved, might have been better off with an aftermarket one!

In speaking to my dealer he now advises me that Skoda have recently added the checking/lubrication of towbars as part of the service routine - better late than never I suppose.

Hmm...will need to check mine. As i have one of these fitted also.

Hmm...will need to check mine. As i have one of these fitted also.

Ahhh a towbar, so thats what broke your springs was it;)

Ahhh a towbar, so thats what broke your springs was it;)

If only !

Never actually used it... :P