T5.2 (T5GP) Towbar wiring - 2011 model year

[YellowLemon]

Hi! I read on here that the MY 2012+ Transporters/Multivans come with a socket in the wiring harness at the back to attach a towbar wiring kit as part of the 'tow-prep' ....

But what about MY2011? Does it have a socket ready to go somewhere? Or how do you splice it in somewhere?

[Sunny43.5]

Yes you are right you remove the tail lights etc and then spend your $600 plus for the harness from VW which plugs into the existing plugs and then you have the genuine fitment . But wait you must then go to your VW dealer and have them recode the car to accept the new fitting , or you can cheat like I did . I had an existing harness that was fitted to our 2005 T5 when it was new I thought it would be the same so I swapped it over and it would not work that's when I found out VW wanted $600 for a new one . So I thought okay if I connect the trailer lights to the existing harness the can bus would see the extra load on each circuit and then have a heart attack !! So I thought that I could fit an individual relay to each pick up point and that way the can bus would not register the load . A few days later I stopped at a towbar shop and asked what they did for the T5.1 and they sold me a neat little box for $120 which had 6 relays inside for each circuit . I fitted it myself and has been working perfectly with LED lights on the trailer for now 3 years and NO coding so a huge saving . This will work for all T5's from 2010 onwards the upgrade model .
Okay before world war three breaks out yes I know all about how the original VW one is supposed to work with auto dimming if you have trailer on the back but hey a saving of $600 plus is money in my pocket not VW's . I also understand those with very upmarket models with all the additional functions would like to retain that part but the entry level ones do not have those functions so the $600 plus cannot be justified . Sorry my opinion on this one .

[YellowLemon]

If there's no plug-and-play 'prep' socket at the back then it ounds like a universal relay harness is the way to go then. Can get them on eBay too it seems.

The OEM harness number seems to be 7E1 055 204 made by WESTFALIA and yes requires connecting at the front dash and under the seat for CANbus access to turn off the park sensors etc. BUT just as you say Howard, for the actual lights it just taps the rear light clusters! Aha!! See the wiring setup in this PDF:

http://www.pfjones.co.uk/Wiring_inst...1451300147.pdf

OEM cable part details here:
Part VOLKSWAGEN (VW) 7E1 055 204 (7E1055204), Electric Kit, towbar analog, prices and availability - FindPart.org

There is also a custom "plug and play" kit from the UK that plugs into the existing rear light clusters like a Y-cable, and has new plugs to plug back into the lights, and also the pigtail for the trailer, see here:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/A1JPDXhw4FS.pdf

I also got quotes from HAYMAN REESE:, $400-500 for the bar itself, part # 2911RW (Multivan specific), which includes 'basic' wiring for standard trailer lights <5 Amp .... but $200 extra for a 'wiring ECU' part # 04916 which they claim is not required unless the trailer will have LED lights ... which many do nowadays... never have to change a bulb and more resistant to saltwater flooding like when launching a boat...

This seems to be a good DIY for fitting a towbar to the van using the Y-cable method: (Though it would be just as easy to solder onto the loom I think.... and less bulk to solder than have to hide all those extra connectors behind the lights trim)

Fitting a towbar Part 1&2 - Removing/refit bumper - The Brick-yard

[YellowLemon]

Oh yes and you can check here if your T5 is 'towing prepared' or not! Just look at the sticker.

If there is a 1D0 option then you have no prep, and if it's 1D7 then it has tow-prep connector which might make it a bit easier
FYI my MY2011 has 1D0 so no tow-prep, as expected. There was a rumour on here that MY2012+ generally have tow-prep. (Not sure if that's true for Australia)


Link:
Fitting a towbar Part 1&2 - Removing/refit bumper - The Brick-yard

PS This place seems to import the 'real OEM' WESTFALIA bull bars from Germany: About Euro Towbars (Australia)
(Here in Australia the 'official' VW kit is still just some aftermarket thing made by BESTBARS in NZ....)

[Sunny43.5]

To clarify the fitting of the relay kit made by Hayman that I purchased , it was quite easy as all but one connection can be made on the passengers side behind the tail light , The brake tail reverse indicators are all accessed on the pass side , all I needed to do was to run a single wire from the Drivers side indicator across to the passengers side and attach it to the relay box .A single power wire was run from under the passengers seat from and fused for safety . As our T5 was a base model it was easy to do the wiring as it was custom fitted out and all wiring was done before the trim work . There are grommets in the lower corner of the body for the wiring to go out to the plug at the towbar , just make sure to use wire protection to keep it tidy that crinkly stuff with a cut down one side to tuck the wires into . Forgot to mention our original 2004 T5 bar made by Best Bars NZ fitted straight on to the new one .

[YellowLemon]

Thanks!

[irsa76]

Be VERY careful with the relay kits, they've been known to cause serious issues in some cars. Fried Can-bus circuits aren't unheard of in Citroens for example, best one I heard was a brand new C5 wagon which shorted out the suspension ECU after fitting a relay harness kit.
Not saying VWs would have any issues, in theory there shouldn't be any issues but care should be taken anyway.

[Sunny43.5]

Good info Irsa but as ours has been in place for 3 years now I can ignore that problem , I think the problem with some kits is they have not used diode protected relays which prevent any feed back into the circuit being tapped .

[big dave]

My MY 11 highline was prepped for towing with the connections behind the rear lights, I got the dealer to fit this as I have bad luck and if it was going to stuff up for someone it would be me.
They ordered the upto my11 harness but when they tried to fit it, they found they needed the new harness.
I am pleased with the extras the VW harness offers. Suspends rear sensors, warning light when faulty trailer lights. You can turn the parking sensors off manually but that also disables the camera

[YellowLemon]

You can turn the parking sensors off manually but that also disables the camera

Does the camera make any difference when it's blocked by the trailer anyway?