Polo Towbar and Wiring?

[founts_d]

Hey,

I've just joined the forum and have found some very useful info and tips.

I'm looking at getting a towbar for my 2012 6R Polo TSI but have a few concerns.

The dealer has quoted me $1100 (excluding fitting) for the towbar and wiring, which I think is excessive. I can easerly source an aftermarket towbar but can't find much on the wiring.

Does anyone have a towbar fitted to their polo? Or know anything about the wiring loom integration? There are posts here about Golfs, Passats and Tiguans but nothing for the Polo.

So far I'm a bit disappointed with the VW dealers both sales and service. My previous Honda was in the family from new and accumulated 200,000km, was only serviced by a local independant mechanic and never had any issues. Honda were always happy to assist with any technical enquiries and parts orders.

So far with VW I've only got half baked answers and empty promises from staff who don't seem to actually know anything about the cars the sell and service.

[alexaescht]

Hey, we've got a 2010 6r TDI with a tow bar. It was fitted by Volkswagen Berwick for about $1500 (I'm not 100% sure on that though). It took them a day to do and they said that they had to rip all of the carpets up so the wiring is probably difficult. The tow bar has been fine, but the hole that they cut on the underside of the bumper was really messily cut, and the trailer light connector is really difficult to unscrew from the car when you detach the trailer.

[founts_d]

Cheers, I was wondering how much work was involved to warrent the high price tag. Youd think VW would have a better solution than pulling the interior apart.

Are you able to post any pictures of the installed towbar?

Cheers

[Umai Naa!!]

It's a full wire-in job on the Polo.

This means the trims across the back, and down the right-hand side of the car have to come off to feed the wiring harness through.

I've only done one, but from memory, it wasn't too bad to do. There was one annoyance, which doing the wiring under the dash.

The cut-out for the bumper is undernieth, so if you took the tounge out, you wouldn't be able to tell if the towbar was there at all, unless you had a look under the car.

[alexaescht]

Cheers, I was wondering how much work was involved to warrent the high price tag. Youd think VW would have a better solution than pulling the interior apart.

Are you able to post any pictures of the installed towbar?

Cheers

That's ok, i'm always happy to help!
Here are some photos of the installed towbar for you: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dgeyb7o12hntwm0/OT7DA8wwX5
Just a bit of extra info, the towbar itself weighs what feels like a tonne! It's probably about 8 or 9 kilos.

Alex.

[Karly101]

looks a bit sloppy doesn't it! I would always imagine with something like that it is the labour chargers that cause the high price tag, unfortunately I've had same experience with VW part people. One actually told me he doesn't need to know anything because the cars sell themselves!

[Umai Naa!!]

The thing with the labour is, if you're getting the job done before you collect the car, you'll be slugged more.

The reason for this is because the service department charges the new cars department one price, and in turn the new cars department slaps a nice margin on it, and jams the new car buyer with it.

[6rtrendline]

I work in parts at a vw dealership and an aftermarket bar and aftermarket wiring kit will void the warrenty on affected parts so if you do go after market make sure to buy and good brand name product.

[amazeer]

2 dealers I spoke to about golf towbars were very specific. If I went aftermarket they would generally just cut into the taillight wiring and that would void the warranty on the entire electrical system. One alternative is just buy the wiring as they are seperate parts and get aftermarket bar. But the wiring I think was more expensive than the bar.

[William_Foster]

I have the standard towbar installed on my Polo; it was expensive around $1,500 I think. But when I went to see after market providers they all said they had to buy the control unit from Volkswagen and the cost on that was fixed at around $800 I think from memory. So it really only worked out to be a couple of $100 cheaper going after market (That is unless you can do the work yourself which I definately couldn't).

[Guest001]

Is a towbar really worthwhile as the weight it can tow would be minimal wouldnt it.

Certainly wouldnt like to be towing a camper trailer or anything with one of them.

Might come back 100mm longer LOL

[William_Foster]

Is a towbar really worthwhile as the weight it can tow would be minimal wouldnt it.

Certainly wouldnt like to be towing a camper trailer or anything with one of them.

Might come back 100mm longer LOL

I have the TDI with DSG, I was quite surprised how good the car is at towing. I've been doing a fair bit of landscaping and the Polo has been brilliant; the only problem I've had is trying to pull extra long loads such as long sleepers (It can get the sways pretty easy at speed, but you'd expect that from a short wheelbase) and reversing heavy loads up steep angles (But it isn't a 4WD, so once again it is expected). I'm not talking tons, but I've been regularly towing the unbraked 500kg the kits allows without any issues.

Not sure what the TSI would be like at towing; given the lower amount of torque.

[gavs]

I work in parts at a vw dealership and an aftermarket bar and aftermarket wiring kit will void the warrenty on affected parts so if you do go after market make sure to buy and good brand name product.

He he, heard this line before from Vw until the ACCC was mentioned and Nissan, toyota, Holden, Isuzu, ford, Mazda.....

If its like most of the late generation vehicles, the trailer wiring needs to connect in through the CANBUS system of the vehicle so the ESC can tell that the trailer is on the back. After man months of dealing with this issue with ford, stick with OE unless the aftermarket supplier has the resources and an off-the-shelf plug and play solution, otherwise you will be forever chasing electrical gremlins.

[Umai Naa!!]

If you're seeking an alternative towbar, ensure that it is ADR-approved.

As for warranty, the car manufacturer has the right to deny a claim on anything that may be the result of an aftermarket part. Ie, chipping, coilovers, etc.

Naturally, they can't cancel your warranty just because you've fitted it.