Tow Bar for the Tiguan

[marcuskmt]

Do they cut the bumper for that one?

I might be wrong, but my understanding is that all tow bars apart from the Westfalia need some amount of cutting.

IMHO, the Westfalia is the one to get.

[wiredless]

I know that others have mentioned cutting, however I can’t see any visible signs - it just seems to fit. Anyway I’m happy with the result. Maybe some can correct me.


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[colinmc400]

Anybody have a Westfalia hitch fitted in Western Australia and how did you get on? I have been in contact with Australia Towbars and they say they have a fitter in Fremantle. Some of the stories going on about electrical and sensor woes has me slightly concerned, but I also cannot get a straight answer off John Hughes VW(supplying dealer) about fitting the OEM to an RLine model and cutting the bumper etc. They promised to send me pics of the first one they did and have received nothing so far.

[Rescue23]

I had a Hayman Reese towbar fitted for $1100. Looks neat enough and no cutting required (R-Line). Only downside is that that the electrics are not OEM so the rear parking sensors have to be manually muted on the touchscreen when reversing with the trailer hitch installed, and the auto tailgate opening is not disabled so it would be possible to accidentally open it with attachments (bike rack etc) hanging off the tow bar.

[Janus77]

For the claimed maximum tow weight, the tow ball down weight is very low on these cars. Worth keeping in mind for anyone hoping to tow a caravan..


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[TheTig]

Towing review some may find helpful - Volkswagen Tiguan 2018 Tow Test Review - motoring.com.au

[wiredless]

Towing review some may find helpful - Volkswagen Tiguan 2018 Tow Test Review - motoring.com.au

Thanks for the tow review. Found it useful even though I only use mine for a bike rack at the moment.


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[jcortez]

I've booked mine in to be done next week with a local firm which was recommended by a VW mechanic. Total cost will be $1089 with Hayman Reece tow bar. The fitter says it includes everything. Says he has done Mk2 Tiguans previously with no problems. I'll report back with photos after it's done on the 16th.

Do you know the company name? I'm looking to install a tow bar in the coming months.

[Rescue23]

It was just a local fitter (South Coast NSW). I'd expect the cost to be about the same wherever you have it done. Because it is not the OEM tow bar and wiring harness there are issues with the reversing sensors as mentioned in my post of 12/6. Other than that I have no complaints. It is possible to get the OEM wiring fitted retrospectively by the dealer but I'm happy enough with it as is.

[Lighty]

Hi all, a few months later and I’ve just had the Westfalia bar installed on our R-Line. Went with the advice provided my markusgmt. Unfortunately Auto Fidelity don’t have an installer in Adelaide anymore so we made a weekend of it to Melbourne, based on reviews from this forum and elsewhere.

Completely invisible when the hitch is out. I also didn’t expect the plug to rotate away out of sight when not needed (a pleasant surprise).

I’m only going to have a bicycle rack and small trailer on it, so I can see how some may want to consider something more robust. For our needs, this was the perfect solution.

A few quick images from last night.

F6FB976D-024B-41C8-A0F1-8B77ABED5AD7 | Andrew Lightfoot | Flickr

18C67324-364B-4B03-BBE9-FA76EAC0FFFF | Andrew Lightfoot | Flickr

B735FC42-0A88-4713-A410-708F7CCAC8C7 | Andrew Lightfoot | Flickr

[Rescue23]

If you're going to buy a bike rack which fits onto the tow ball I suggest you check with the rack manufacturer as to whether the Westfalia ball is suitable. I bought a Thule rack and it came with a tow ball. It looked identical to the Hayman Reese tow ball which I already had fitted so I rang the distributor. He explained that the Thule tow ball was slightly smaller and allowed the Thule rack to lock on to the ball more securely.

[Hole46]

If you're going to buy a bike rack which fits onto the tow ball I suggest you check with the rack manufacturer as to whether the Westfalia ball is suitable. I bought a Thule rack and it came with a tow ball. It looked identical to the Hayman Reese tow ball which I already had fitted so I rang the distributor. He explained that the Thule tow ball was slightly smaller and allowed the Thule rack to lock on to the ball more securely.

We’ve got a Westfalia bar & Thule bike rack, no problems.


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[veew]

Good news (if a bit premature)! Apparently there is an internal memo from VW going around stating that the Mk2 Tiguan's tow bars will be rated for a downball weight of 200kg. This applies to new vehicles and will also apply retrospectively to ones already sold!

Apparently prospective buyers are being informed of this. Just thought you guys might like to know and also to keep an eye out for a formal memo to post up in the forums.

[Dan_3MPS]

Good news (if a bit premature)! Apparently there is an internal memo from VW going around stating that the Mk2 Tiguan's tow bars will be rated for a downball weight of 200kg. This applies to new vehicles and will also apply retrospectively to ones already sold!

Apparently prospective buyers are being informed of this. Just thought you guys might like to know and also to keep an eye out for a formal memo to post up in the forums.

Good news if true, will open up the options for caravans and camper trailers. Wonder how any retrospective application will apply to non-VW Australia towbars, like my Westfalia? I think the label for mine says 140kg already, but of course that's limited by the cars 100kg specification.

[Janus77]

Good news (if a bit premature)! Apparently there is an internal memo from VW going around stating that the Mk2 Tiguan's tow bars will be rated for a downball weight of 200kg. This applies to new vehicles and will also apply retrospectively to ones already sold!

Apparently prospective buyers are being informed of this. Just thought you guys might like to know and also to keep an eye out for a formal memo to post up in the forums.

Please don’t toy with me . Is this something dealers would know about now, or when/how do we get this confirmed?


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