Towbar revisited

[Nyyyko]

I fit the bar this past weekend. Westfalia bar and harness. Bar was 560 I think... Ish. Pretty straight forward. Detachable neck means you can't see anything when removed. Very pleased. The harness is another story. Initially My supplier ordered the universal harness, not car specific. I let them know this is not what I wanted and a week and a half later they supplied me with a vehicle specific harness with CANBUS compatability. Universal was 140, other is 260, which they waived the difference due to the delay in delivery, very nice of them. Anyway. More research reveals that with tow bar prep, which my car has, there is a shortened harness that should connect to the CANBUS junction and be done... Apparently this pat is no longer available through SKODA parts suppliers and only the full harness is the go. A Skoda place in NSW said they could get one for... 750! No thank you. Can't order from the Czech site. NZ supplier has for ....>500! So now I have a car with tow bar prep wiring and a full length harness that this weekend I'll give a go on. We'll see what happens.

anyone else fit a full length harness on a car with tow bar prep.

I would have thought that finding all this info would be more forthcoming but alas it is not to be.

[woofy]

That seems odd, I wasn't planning on getting a towbar, but if I end up going with Skoda finance I get the care pack which I have already paid extra for so might need to get them to fit something after the fact, too late for the comfort pack as its built now. Sounds dodgy they don't have the short harness anymore though.

[zei20t]

I fit the bar this past weekend. Westfalia bar and harness. Bar was 560 I think... Ish. Pretty straight forward. Detachable neck means you can't see anything when removed. Very pleased. The harness is another story. Initially My supplier ordered the universal harness, not car specific. I let them know this is not what I wanted and a week and a half later they supplied me with a vehicle specific harness with CANBUS compatability. Universal was 140, other is 260, which they waived the difference due to the delay in delivery, very nice of them. Anyway. More research reveals that with tow bar prep, which my car has, there is a shortened harness that should connect to the CANBUS junction and be done... Apparently this pat is no longer available through SKODA parts suppliers and only the full harness is the go. A Skoda place in NSW said they could get one for... 750! No thank you. Can't order from the Czech site. NZ supplier has for ....>500! So now I have a car with tow bar prep wiring and a full length harness that this weekend I'll give a go on. We'll see what happens.

anyone else fit a full length harness on a car with tow bar prep.

I would have thought that finding all this info would be more forthcoming but alas it is not to be.

any chance you took some pictures of the install?

if its just removing and adding parts with no welding etc then that should be easy for me.

with the wiring, sorry i cant help with that.

why cant you order from the czech site? tried carsystems.pl ?

tow harness link

[Nyyyko]

No photos. Thought about it. There is no cutting, unless your bumper requires cutting, and no welding. Pretty straight forward. 2 expansion plugs, black, located beneath the tail light assemble (when removed). Remove the centre peg then the sleeve. 2 bolts on the right and left located under the wall boot coverings. And a bunch under the wheel wells. The most important tip I can give is to to insert the tow bar all the way forward. Have the bolts that you insert as far forward as the slot allows. This will save you from having to do the job all over again when you put the bumper back on and realise the the bar is in the way... No good. The Czech site does seem to have the short harness to go with a tow bar prepped car, but there is no international ordering or shipping. Officially the part is discontinued however there are still some floating around. I'll look in detail when I install the harness, but I reckon it'll be a easy plug and play just means that most of the harness won't be used as all the fore wiring has been completed. I may need to run a constant live from the battery... We'll see. I will say that Westfalia Melbourne has been very helpful and I highly recommend using them. Great customer service

[GTR27]

Can you import the factory towbar and fit it legally here in oz? I mean it's the same towbar (same factory part number). But i suspect that we wont be able to due to the australia tax/stupidity.

Reason i'm looking is the factory towbar for an octavia 3 is ~190GBP on ebay (+ 55gbp shipping) which is SUBSTANTIALLY less than the $1500 i've been quoted by the dealer to fit. I want the factory one so the ball fits in the spare wheel well neatly when not in use. Only will tow small tralier (6x4 box, or maybe dirtbike/jetskis)

[Smart1]

You won't have the mandatory compliance labels unless you get the version with the Australian product code. The bar itself woud be no different though.

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[Smart1]

Also, the dealer fitted one with the neck that fits the boot foam is from Prof Svar in the Czech Republic.

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[GTR27]

It's **** that we can physically buy the same bar, but due to a sticker we cant fit it.

Like the motorcycle helmet laws that we now have thankfully gotten rid of.

[Nyyyko]

The westfalia bar is approved for oz and has better specs. Has a 100 kg ball weight and 2000kg capacity. I know I know the vehicle is rated to tow 1400kg. Cost 560$. Is good.

[Smart1]

Is that the manufacturer rating or the bar rating? The Prof Svar bar is rated higher overseas as well.
Bear in mind you need the electrics too, ensuring that the reverse sensors turn off correctly and the stability control for trailers is enabled. Don't get one that taps into the lights.

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