Passat B8 towing

[lukebthomas]

Hi guys ive seen a lot of youtube videos of the passat being an excellent towing vehicle. However, the towball weight is tated at 90kg with the max braking weight rated at 2200kg.
Anyone have any thoughts or advice??

[Hillbilly]

Regarding what.

VW, like other Euro cars are rated for towing Euro type vans which are built differently to Aussie monsters and therefore have a much lower ballweight limit. It is extremely unwise to load the ball above what is recommended.

[adamking]

What are people paying for tow bar installs on Passats ? Got a dealer quote for $1600 ish


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[sclyde2]

What did you end up paying for the tow bar? I got quoted over 1900

[adamking]

I'll try and dig up the quote it was via a car broker but it was under $1700


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[lukebthomas]

I paid 2200 for VW to fit the towball on. Prob paid a bit more than i should have but couldn't afford the trouble to find someone to fit it on later and not have a car for a day or two..

The UK tow car of the year was after the car towed 1800KGs...heres the video : have a look and see. https://youtu.be/rnO-nBK9k0E

[Frogster]

Has anyone had an electric brake controller fitted to a B8 yet? I'm keen on an Alltrack Wolfsburg, but would like to know if fitting a controller is possible. I'd love to get in touch with someone who has actually done it if possible.

Cheers guys.

[NPR]

Has anyone had an electric brake controller fitted to a B8 yet? I'm keen on an Alltrack Wolfsburg, but would like to know if fitting a controller is possible. I'd love to get in touch with someone who has actually done it if possible.

Cheers guys.

Agreed. Would be very keen to hear about a B8 owner's experience with brake controllers.
Canbus and knee air bags seem to be part of the challenge.

[NPR]

Westfalia Tow Bar Fitment on B8 Passat Wagon

As promised, photos of my 2017 Alltrack Wolfsburg Edition with a Westfalia Towbar fitted.

Naked views




The Towball tongue assembly. Note that this version has a proper tongue, not an integrated ball like some of the Westfalia products. This way alternative tow-balls or a bike rack can be attached. The red button on the right is in fact a key which removes when locked. It has no key-ring facility as is quite small so hide it in a safe place!


Note the swing down electrics. This is smooth and easy to do. As you'll see in the following photos it successfully hides away when not in use. The VW electrics is a 13-pin, but a 13-to-7 pin adaptor is included.


Electrics tucked away. Also note the rectangular cut discretely hidden under the one of horizontal structures of the lower bumper. Only a small proportion of the hitch itself lingers when the tongue is removed.


There, barely noticeable when not attached. Not completely invisible but compared to the traditional Haymen-Reese style...


The installation is very neat, and near invisible. The swing down electrics is a bit of a bonus. I got them to install factory electrics so it was good to see that the Westfalia fittings accommodated those. The hitch mechanism is sturdy and generally easy to fit, though the mechanism takes a few goes to get the hang of.

Two issues, one towbar related, one fitment related.
First, the VW tech guy had to slightly modify one of the receiving holes due to a small mis-alignment of 5mm. He said it occasionally happens but will not effect the fit, but nonetheless was not overly impressed by the hole alignment error. It may just have been a one off...

Second, was the bumper alignment post refit. I'll have to return as it's slightly misaligned on the right side just under the tail light. I'm sure it's correctable but something worth checking prior to accepting the vehicle back no matter what type of towbar you get.

The downball weight is rated to 200kg, whereas the VW is only 90kg. My thoughts is to err on the conservative. 90kg is not that much these days with the heavy duty campers available on the market, but the attachment is no different from the VW and according to the fitter, looks the same. Regardless, Westfalia say 200kg.

Would I recommend it? If this is the look you're after, then yes. The fitment issue was (reasonably) easy to work around for an experienced VW guy, but may have been a one-off. I have yet to tow with it but I don't anticipate any issues. The personal distress I felt at a mis-aligned bumper spoke of how much I've fallen in love with this vehicle...

[ope126]

Looks a neat install!
I would also go down that path if I was to put a tow bar on.

On a side note, interesting to note just the one rear muffler.
I thought the Alltrack had duel exhausts - obviously not (I know the 206TSI does).