Highly optioned vehicles

[kogvos]

Hi All,

I'm a new member of the forum. I'm looking at a VW van for my business. I didn't think it would be so complicated!

Having looked at Vito's, Renault, Citroen, Fiat and Hyundai, I think I've settled on a SWB Transporter Crewcab with 4Motion. One I've been offered is in stock at VW and has a heap of options (locking diff, comfort seats, second battery, alloy wheels, full airbag package, fog lights and a couple of other things I can't quite remember). I've also looked at a Caddy Life that had about $8k worth of options!

I'm just a bit puzzled as to why a lot of the cars in stock seem to have so many options. I'm going to delete the alloys since it's a work hack but add a towbar and paring sensors.

I've been told the 'tow pack' is $1800 because it includes all the wiring. I would have thought by now there would be a plug in the rear loom and the tow pack would add a half metre piece of cable to connect to that plug. Can anybody comment on that price please?

Also having done a lot of research it seems that other markets get the locking diff as standard but we have to pay $1100 for it.

Regards,

Jamie

[phaeton]

Welcome Jamie

I think the demos maybe highly optioned because they sell better; also if one were to order one with all these features it may take months to build whereas the demo is already here.

[gregozedobe]

An alternative (and more cynical) view is that all the extra options add extra profit for VW and the dealer, and if you are impatient you might pay more to get a vehicle now rather than wait for a cheaper vehicle with less options

Towbars are very expensive for T5s. The rationalisation I've been told is that they need an extra ECU to allow the trailer lights to integrate with the T5s CAN-BUS system (old style wiring attempts cause faults). If they had been designed properly they would have the interface built in, not need ultra expensive bits added

Sorry for the grouch, I wanted to put a tow bar on mine but am too much a tight-@rse to pay the exorbitant costs wanted by either VW or Hayman-Reese.

[gerhard]

Hi All,

I'm a new member of the forum. I'm looking at a VW van for my business. I didn't think it would be so complicated!

Having looked at Vito's, Renault, Citroen, Fiat and Hyundai, I think I've settled on a SWB Transporter Crewcab with 4Motion. One I've been offered is in stock at VW and has a heap of options (locking diff, comfort seats, second battery, alloy wheels, full airbag package, fog lights and a couple of other things I can't quite remember). I've also looked at a Caddy Life that had about $8k worth of options!

I'm just a bit puzzled as to why a lot of the cars in stock seem to have so many options. I'm going to delete the alloys since it's a work hack but add a towbar and paring sensors.

I've been told the 'tow pack' is $1800 because it includes all the wiring. I would have thought by now there would be a plug in the rear loom and the tow pack would add a half metre piece of cable to connect to that plug. Can anybody comment on that price please?

Also having done a lot of research it seems that other markets get the locking diff as standard but we have to pay $1100 for it.

Regards,

Jamie

Car price in AU = Car price ex factory + freight+10% tariff+currency hedge+freight in AU+VWA profit+LCT + +

To enable a RRP of, say, $49999, the diff lock has to be deleted from the factory invoice, but if you really need one, you'll happily pay the $1100 - that's marketing at play.

All of the importers do it, as do the local builders.

[vanDub]

I'm going to delete the alloys since it's a work hack but add a towbar and paring sensors.

Kogvos, before you go for a genuine towbar investigate the ball download limit on it carefully.

If my Passat experience is any guide, you may find that a placarded low ball download severely limits what you can tow given that Aussie towable products tend to use the 10% rule (that is ball download = 10% of max towed weight).

In my case the claimed 1500Kg max tow weight is only 850Kg in real life as the ball download maximum is 85Kg.

[WEDEL.1]

I paid $1400 for the towbar on the Golf....same thing, all to do with the wiring loom.

Maris

[phaeton]

An alternative (and more cynical) view is that all the extra options add extra profit for VW and the dealer, and if you are impatient you might pay more to get a vehicle now rather than wait for a cheaper vehicle with less options

That makes more sense than what I said

[4wheels]

Hi Jamie,

Welcome to the fold.

The diff-lock is a very worth while option if you plan to do any off-roading at all. (holidays etc?) You'll find such a van surprisingly effectice, only limited by its ground clearance. They don't have the suspension travel of a Landcruiser, but will cheerfully wave their wheels in the air, and keep going. Even 2 at once with a diff lock. A bit more underbody protection would be good if you get serious. $1100 is a good price. As I recall mine was nearly $1300 (May 07), through Trakka. The tow pack, on the other hand, was only about $1000. Its a Hayman Reece, as I don't think VW bring the European towbars to Aus.

Brian
2007 Trakkadu 4Motion.

[Tornado T5]

My T5 was heavily optioned and 16 week wait....I ordered a HR towbar modified by a local installer with a rear step added. This was after the dealer intially said their supplied tow bar would interfer with the factory reverse sensors, they were referring to physical blocking of the sensor units...and then they went and fitted the same aftermarket unit and charged me $500 more then I had been quoted by the aftermarket company. They claimed this was necessry for the "special wiring" to deactivate the sensors when a trailer is attached. Only problem is I needed the round pin socket and the rectangular one has the required internal switch to send a signal when a trailer is attached, or so I was lead to believe after my 30K service. My order was organised so that the dealer would be paid for all dealer and aftermarket work. I raised the issue of paying $500 more and not getting the feature as described and they fitted a small switch under the dash which turns off the sensors manually....

[MultiplexMan]

My T5 was heavily optioned and 16 week wait....I ordered a HR towbar modified by a local installer with a rear step added. This was after the dealer intially said their supplied tow bar would interfer with the factory reverse sensors, they were referring to physical blocking of the sensor units...and then they went and fitted the same aftermarket unit and charged me $500 more then I had been quoted by the aftermarket company. They claimed this was necessry for the "special wiring" to deactivate the sensors when a trailer is attached. Only problem is I needed the round pin socket and the rectangular one has the required internal switch to send a signal when a trailer is attached, or so I was lead to believe after my 30K service. My order was organised so that the dealer would be paid for all dealer and aftermarket work. I raised the issue of paying $500 more and not getting the feature as described and they fitted a small switch under the dash which turns off the sensors manually....

I would send in a comprehensive written complaint to VWA. You should be refunded for the difference and your wiring loom correctly installed.

Rear sensors deactivation should be by engagment of the rear hitch. If this does not happen with your current install and requires an external switch, I would hazard that a non VAG harness has been used or has been incorrectly installed.

I would be more than little p@ssed

[BobD]

I have a HR hitch, which the dealer organised for the same price as I could get from the same after market supplier that they use. I don't know why you would need an extra switch for the reverse sensers when one is already on the dash board with or without a towbar. My HR system came with its own interface for the lighting that sits in the left rear well behind the wheel. It doesn't disable the sensors automatically and I don't know how it ever would as the HR system does not seem to have any provision for a switch that would let the system know when the ball holder is in place.

The main problem with mine, which is the same as the one in Tornado's photo but without the rear step that he had added, is that the ball is way too low for a caravan. I got my ball holder swapped for the one with the biggest rise possible and it was just high enough. It actually needs to be about another 20mm higher than this higher ball holder to be level with a normal caravan.

The other problem is that the light plug hits the ground first over any sort of large level difference and gets damaged. I have now relocated mine to the top of the bar.

[MultiplexMan]

Sorry I should have been more explicit.

PDC is deactivated once the rear hitch plug is engaged (with the VAG harness).

My Kombi PDC is rear sensors only and does not have the switch on the dash.

Cheers, MM

[Tornado T5]

The main problem with mine, which is the same as the one in Tornado's photo but without the rear step that he had added, is that the ball is way too low for a caravan. I got my ball holder swapped for the one with the biggest rise possible and it was just high enough. It actually needs to be about another 20mm higher than this higher ball holder to be level with a normal caravan.

I have avoided this problem to a point (not by deliberate forethought I should add) because I optioned heavy duty rear springs which raised the rear by almost 20cm. This might not be desired in a Multivan as it does look "different" when empty, however I have avoided the need for polyair inserts like in my old T4 which sagged too much when loaded and now when I have 500+kg in the rear the T5 sits level.

[mangoburger]

I recently purchased a used Multivan, which conveniently came with an HR towbar with both plug types, as well as a very neat roof rack which adds very little height - great for garages. The tow hitch is too low and scraped when I entered a friend's driveway last week.

Today I went to the local Pedders shop today to enquire if I might be able to have an airbag system fitted to manually raise and lower each axle as required. Too hard it seemed, although they recommended a trick-looking custom shop for the job.

Does anyone know if ARB air locker can be fitted to the 4motion set-up? I understood that the air lockers were super versatile due to their simplicity and suitable for most vehicles, and this would also give me a compressor to power an eventual airbag system.

[gregozedobe]

Does anyone know if ARB air locker can be fitted to the 4motion set-up? I understood that the air lockers were super versatile due to their simplicity and suitable for most vehicles, and this would also give me a compressor to power an eventual airbag system.

Why not ask ARB or have a look on their web site ?

I was wondering a bit about your need for an ARB air locker for a Transporter - air lockers are a fairly serious bit of gear more usually seen on heavy duty off roaders. Transporters aren't really designed for rough off road work where good ground clearance is needed, and their long wheelbase (even on a SWB) severely limits their ramp-over ability. OK on sand and (shallow) mud though. IIRC it isn't very practical to raise them too much either (ie more than 75mm).

They certainly do as the label claims - completely lock a differential when activated, and the one I had (on a modded Landcruiser 80 series) was very effective and also very reliable. Most useful in conditions where there was poor traction on one wheel but good traction on another (eg rocky fire trails with uneven ledges).

Were you intending to fit rear only or both front and rear ?