Multivan Bike Rack w/o towbar attachment

[Yarrara]

Hi,

I would like to attach a bike rack to the back of my MY12 Multivan. Knowing that many of these use the tow bar, I enquired at the local dealership for the price of a tow bar and nearly had a heart attack at a quote of +$1600. Therefore, I have a couple of questions:

1) Can anyone recommend a bike rack that fits the multivan but does not use the towbar? I saw one fitted to a multivan the other day, but after trawling through the internet I cannot find them anywhere.

2) If I cannot get the answer to the above, are third party two bars that fit the Multivan any good? One company claims you can install theirs yourself (2.5hr job) and costs $476. Quite a saving but I am nervous about fitting it given other threads in the forums that suggest fitting towbars is quite a big job.

Any advice?

Chris

[Umai Naa!!]

The towbar itself, is the easy part.

It's the wiring that warrants 4-figure sums, to cover the labour involved.

[krismart]

Thule do a rear-mounted bike carrier for a T5 Transporter. I guess you would have to find out if it would fit the Multivan. It's the very last vehicle on the list http://www.thule.com.au/images/produ...15-02-2013.pdf

[Sunny43.5]

I recently refitted the towbar from our older T5 to our new one as Umai Naa says fitting the bar is easy , the wiring which I removed from the old van was a factory harness we had fitted back in 2004 it fitted straight into the new van as it is only a harness with extra plugs so that it plugs onto the taillights and then continues down to the trailer plug . If you ask me the harness should only be no more that $100 to $150 or so if VW are charging more than that then they are criminals . The time to run the harness is no more than 1 hour remove taillights unplug the two plugs one each side plug harness to main loom and then the extra plugs back onto the lights each side has some extra wires which are fed down and out a rubber grommet each side then all that's needed is to connect them to the trailer plug the large round style . The only nightmare then is having to book the van in with a VW person who will "turn on" the lights with the aid of a laptop with VW codes etc . Personally I cannot see why they are not delivered with some of this stuff already activated [ will mention here that my T5 had to have the cruise control activated by a VW person ] what fascinated me was it took all of two minutes and he tells me that Chrysler- Jeeps arrive in Australia with trailer lights already activated HMMMM maybe VW could learn a thing or two .
More on the subject rang a VW dealer and they say its $165 for two minutes with a laptop to activate the system for Cruise control , but then he recants as when he asks where I got the unit from he tells me they will not do it because I did not buy it from VW Australia Helloooooo its a VW part from a box with a VW part number from VW Germany , via an English VW supplier .
Now some more info on trailer wiring according to not so helpful service person at VW dealer the older T5 trailer harness will not be suitable for the newer T5 after 2010 model I am sorry but what could be so different lets see indicator one each side/ brake light on each side /taillight on each side/ reverse light each side/ and a nifty little switch in the plug which according to owners manual will tell the van that a trailer has been connected so it lowers the tail light brightness for night time use . This bloke was in my opinion trying to sell me another harness at an inflated price maybe or is he right are they different ??

[Sharkie]

I have just had a Hayman Reece tow bar fitted at home for $760. It was a fairly big job and took 3 hours.

Bought the tb off eBay for $420 and the seller arranged installation at my house for $340 .... Watching the job I'm happy I paid to have it installed.

I don't believe VWs tb is any better than a Hayman Reece.

[Yarrara]

Thanks for the help. I have since found a bike rack specifically designed for the VW vans, the Fiamma VW T5. Has anyone got any experience with this model?
VW - Fiamma

[Sunny43.5]

Just out of interest our T5 tow bar was made by BEST Towbars Auckland New Zealand with a VWA part number and fitted new by Motorline VW back in 2004 .I just rang VW dealer and the wire harness was quoted at $632 !!!for the T5 2010 model on

[Umai Naa!!]

Yes, because it runs the length and width of the van via the roof cavity, and comes with a dedicated control module that prevents the Bulb-Out light from coming on when you hook a trailer up.

The early T5s had much simpler electrics in them. Very similar to a MK4 Golf. The electrics in the current T5 are very much the same as all other current model VWs (much like a MK6 Golf, or Amarok). Meaning you can't simply cut and splice wiring, and assume that the control module at the other end won't notice.

[Sunny43.5]

I will say it again what bloody good to us owners is CAN BUS all I see is a piece of technology that is too complicated and obviously cost an owner a bloody ridiculous amount of money to get a simple thing like trailer lights to work . I would ask why does this module prevent some light on the dash to come on when you connect a trailer and what purpose is it for ??? The way cars are going is like how Microsoft sometimes works , you add a new piece of hardware to your PC and up pops a red flag and Microsoft wants to make you reaffirm your license for Windows . I can see the future change the wheel and your car stops because some computer has detected a change and you should have gone to the dealer and pay them to do it . I suppose we are already very close to that point anyway . END OF RANT .

[Umai Naa!!]

CANbus is great for diagnosis.

In addition to CANbus, being able to add an electrical accessory, makes everything plug-and-play in most cases. Makes sloppy solder work and dodgy scotch-locks, which were potential reliability issues, a thing of the past.

In regards to towbar electrics, VW provides the provision for trailer stabilisation (not in Australia, as there is no ADR for it), which would require the module in order to accomodate for this. The module also presents greater integration with other systems in the car as well, such as OPC, where the display will show an overhead view of the vehicle, with the trailer attached.

On the current models, if you splice in additional loads such as wiring for a trailer plug, which would power up the lights on your trailer/horse float/caravan, the BCM will see this as having faults in the various lighting circuits. It sends out a 'fishing' current, and it already knows what values it expects to see in return. If you add to that circuit, it changes the value, and throws a 'bulb out' fault code.

[Sunny43.5]

So I take it there is only one way the VW way ? , regardless I have sourced wiring loom from England which is correct for the model we have and a third of the price , I am so over this crap I am sorry but it does not make sense to an old world guy like myself . If this modern technology is so great why do I read so many reports of "software updates " to fix problems that plague some VW models after they have been released . Just to show how wrong that system can be when our 2004 T5 went in to have the auto serviced the service people told me that the "software update" to the auto would fix the slipping Bingo the auto failed totally 5 kilometres from the workshop so much for the update .And then the "China Syndrome" Vw customers had issues with their DSG 's and the fix was introduced via "updates" so 80.000 cars were updated and another 420,000 cars were buggered up by the same fix that was applied to customers cars who did not have a problem but were told that the update was required anyway . You see what I mean not all this stuff is as good as the motoring manufacturers would have us believe , . Umai you mention that the module would if needed in Australia gives you an overview showing the trailer attached sorry I do not think my standard T5 would have this feature so it seems pointless . Now this will be my final rant yes I mean it this time , why not have the harness standard in all models as a towbar is a very common requirement ESPECIALLY the fact these ARE COMMERCIAL vans that would be used by tradesman . The cost to include the harness whilst the van is built would be cheap to do to charge over $600 for it after the fact plus fitting is bloody ludicrous . END .
PS if CAN BUS makes diagnosing faults so easy why is there a guy in Brisbane with an $80.000 Touareg whose car has been in and out of his dealer for months with electrical problems and they cannot find them ????? Tailights wont work the car will not start periodically electric seat failed CAN BUS FAILED too by the sound of it . If you check out VW,s Facebook page its littered with complaints . Look I still love our VW vans I just wish they came without the headaches technology has caused .

[FMJ]

I fitted a second hand fiama t5 rack last week rated to 60kg. Attachment to the car is solid, only critism so far is that the bike mounted furthest away from the rack tends to move around a bit(left -right), there seems to be a bit of play in the arm attaching to the frame of the bike, not sure if its because its used and has developed play or if its designed that way.

Cheers FMJ

[Top Dog]

I use the fiamma rack LWB 4motion camper fantastic well tested on rough roads also use Fiamma rear door tent and use one of the poles to hold the door up i have photos but have not lewrnt to upload yet ,

Greg

[SnowMotion]

I have read about those racks being used a lot in the UK and all seemed to review it well.

With the 2012 model Transporters I understood that the towbar wiring had been included so it was a plug in feature.
"3. Trailer Preparation

All T5 models will now be standard with Trailer Wiring Preparation, similar to Amarok. This is a fantastic change, cutting fitting time substantially for the Accessories towbar and wiring kit. This change should give you confidence to promote the excellent 2-tonne towing capacity for all T5 models. The
fitment of the trailer preparation also brings Trailer Stabilisation as part of the ESP for T5 models."

from this link
Volkswagen Australia Commercial Vehicle Model Year 2012 (MY12) Changes | my-gti.com

[Yarrara]

OK- so since the wiring should plug in for my model, would the wise people of this forum generally say that the "2.5hr installation" for the DIY tow bar kit is realistic...and can be done by someone with little car/electrical maintenance experience?

Regarding the plug-in feature for MY12 models, I am a little nervous around the things my car is meant to have...MY12 models come with Bluetooth as standard yet mine came without it. Is there a way to check for the tow bar wiring plug?