Golf Mk7 Towing/Towbar Thread

[agentthumb]

I just gave it some thought.
Given the way the lever has been integrated into the car, and will have to be factory ordered as such, and given all the other options VWA have cut out from our order list, it's more likely that VWA have decided to also remove factory towball from that list to streamline their offering and source aftermarket solutions instead...

Which unfortunately means long delays while Germany certifies these towbars as fit for dealer offered accessories.


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[Idle]

The OEM bar may not comply with ADR's.

[agentthumb]

It's actually quite strange what VW Australia is doing. In Europe, you can get OEM towbar for both the hatch and wagon (happy to be corrected). The VW OEM system is quite brilliant.

The tow ball pivots about a point hidden in the rear bumper. When the owner pulls a leaver in the boot, the towball swings out from under the bumper through a hole that's factory cut in the bumper (it's under the bumper, can't see it). It's packed away the same way in reverse order.

My Australian spec Golf wagon has the hole in the bumper, but VWA doesn't offer the towball option. Yet they offer to fit an aftermarket towbar for the hatch that requires a hole to be cut in the rear bumper (visible hole), and looks like ****. Really don't know what they are thinking / doing in the towing department...

[SIRIoz]

No towbar option for 2016 Golf Wagon

Looking at the spec sheet (Aug 2015) for the 2016 golf wagon (and trying to extrapolate for the Golf Alltrack) it mentions that the genuine towball option is not available but is for the hatch. Any one have any ideas what could be the cause for them to not provide the towball option on the wagon?
Is it just me that is after a wagon to also tow a box trailer or a bike rack or a small boat tiny?

[knightsy]

Yes there is a cut made. But they have trimmed it up nicely I think. See pic. Personally I didn't want the Euro style one (50mm ball only) as I want to be able to change the ball.

[Euro Car Upgrades]

That's good comparison to a genuine VW German Towbar OEM Golf 7 which is completely invisible and does not require cut in the middle of your bumper:

[knightsy]

Picked up my car today. The "tongue" does come off and they even give you a bag to put it in!

[knightsy]

Has anyone had any luck with the new 'official' VW towbar (released a couple of months back)? I ordered one for my new car (expected next week) and am very curious to see what it looks like, and if its visibly removable. I'm guessing if it's officially supported now that the changes listed above are automatically made to the ECU when towing.

I am getting a tow bar on my 110Tdi. My dealer sent me a pick of a tow bar fitted to one of his client's deliveries last week. See pic. It looks like the tongue can come out of the box-like socket. Hope so.

[zapsplat]

Has anyone had any luck with the new 'official' VW towbar (released a couple of months back)? I ordered one for my new car (expected next week) and am very curious to see what it looks like, and if its visibly removable. I'm guessing if it's officially supported now that the changes listed above are automatically made to the ECU when towing.

[Euro Car Upgrades]

You are correct PJ

[pjtsr30]

Tow Bar to work correctly requires a VW module. This is responsible for CAN communication with other modules:
- engine - when towing it works differently to cope with extra load - sometimes switches additional fan to cool
- ABS / ESP module - these work differently when trailer is hooked to avoid jack knifing.
- CECM - This power module distributes power in another way when trailer is hooked - also visually aids the driver when trailer is hooked on dashboard
- OPS - This is coded so when trailer is hooked up sensors do not beep
- CAN gateway - trailer module is coded into the gateway (main comms hub) so the car and other modules know what to do
- RVC - reversing camera - similar thing to parking sensors - recognises the trailer on the screen switches off dynamic lines
- 5F Information Electronics - ensures entertainment system displays all the trailer info correctly.

There is probably a couple of other which we are not aware of.
Overall when the proper VW / Westfalia module is fitted it is safer & easier for the car & driver to deal with the trailer. Many vehicles activate additional fan so the engine does not overheat (A5 cabrio is a great example).

Hi Liquidforce,

I have come to this thread late but found it very interesting. I'm close to ordering a MK7 wagon and will be needing a towbar, but mostly to mount a bike rack, same as 2 other earlier posters. I almost definitely won't be towing a trailer more than the(very) occasional dump trip.

I'm no techo but I'm guessing the ECU knows the towbar is in use by virtue of the trailer plug being inserted. On that basis, I presume that all (or at least some) of the features you've listed are activated even though the tow bar is only being used to carry a bike.

Can you please confirm this for me... or am I on the wrong track altogether?

Regards,

pj

[GolfVII]

Spotted this mk7 wagon on the way to work this week and was not able to snap a shot of the tow bar but as fate has it I seen him another day and was able to snap a shot when stopped.

Looks like a good job but could not see any names on the tow bar like some after market ones have.

[Nudist]

bc: Yes, the Hayman Reece Towbar requires a square cut-out. I have included a pic showing this albeit you can't see that the bottom of the black part of the bumper (i.e. at the bottom of the toungue) is not cut-through. This means that the hole is a rectangle with the bottom of the black part of the rear bumper still intact (hope this makes sense) . I chose an in-line plug which you can't see in the pic. Don't take any notice of the black piece of metal that sits directly under the rusty old ball in the pic. This is an attachment that I made for my bike carrier.

hi Pedders is fitting one of these for me today. They having trouble with wiring the stop light. They have been onto Hayman reece because the wiring diagram supplied wasn't very clear. All of the wires required for the trailer electrics are black/w white strip. Update HR have contacted me to say they have resolved things with Pedders

[Euro Car Upgrades]

It is a 3 hour job for someone who has done a few before. 6-8 hours for a rookie who has to search ELSA where to connect but still almost a $1000 for something you can have for half of this money its a daylight robbery.

[lambertia]

$440 for wiring harness, $495 for 3 hrs fitting, but likely to run over as they hadn't done it before - so I turned around and went elsewhere. Love my Golf as a car, but not even a little bit impressed with VW Aus and the dealers

Yes that's crazy. Punish the customer because we refuse to train our staff. They should cap the installation cost and treat it as a training experience.