Mulitvan Towbar

[type3sedan]

I have had a Hayman Reese towbar fitted to my 06 T5 Multivan, and it prevents the use of the tyre iron to lift and swing the spare tyre out! I only just discovered this as I so rarely need to change a tyre. Anyone else have this problem, know of a solution? I can only see that I can't have that towbar, and the shop shouldn't have sold it to me.
Thanks

[Umai Naa!!]

Does it sit below the bumper?

The genuine one sits inside the bumper, and does not impede on the removal of the spare wheel.

[Sunny43.5]

When I swapped over the towbar from our 2004 T5 to the new 2011 I found that ours which was originally fitted by Motorline VW was made by Best Towbars in New Zealand and has a VW label and part number on it . It has the square opening where you remove the pin and withdraw the ball part it does "not" restrict the removal of the spare wheel . it sits under the bumper far enough back not to show when the ball part is removed [unless you get down on the ground ]

[Sunny43.5]

As there are two threads with similar information I thought I would just let members know how my tow bar fitting went , swapped over towbar from old 2004 T5 to 2011 T5, had heart attack when VW tell me its $620 for the wiring harness , so after a bit of research I found a harness in the UK for around $450 delivered . Now I had thought about how the can bus works and knew if you just wire up directly the vans would throw up a fault of some kind as it would read the extra lights and the system would not support the load . I had entertained using a relay for each circuit as this would not show as a load on the system , but then yesterday I stopped at Speedy Towbars and the guys there offered a Hayman Reece wiring kit for the VW . It consists of an ECU which is in effect a multi relay so it controls all the circuits in one box . There are two harnesses first one you connect to each signal brakes/ lights/ indicators , then the second harness goes to the trailer plug on the van , an earth wire to ground and the second wire to a 12 volt connection . Works perfectly and the trailer has LED lights which VW tell you not to use [the warning is in the owners book ]
Okay I know that the purist will say its not the VW way because it will not show a trailer light fault on the MFD . Apparently some models are built with "Towing Preparation " I do not know if this function is in our van , but what the hey I only tow a trailer a dozen times a year and I can use my eyes to check all lights are working each time anyway . Cost $125 for the harness time to fit around an hour .

[type3sedan]

Yes it sits below the towbar Umai. It's not full width but wide enough and more or less flush with the edge of the bumper. I knew the VW one would be concealed in the bumper but thought that would just be cosmetic and it was twice the price at $1500! Thanks for poster guys.

[greymad]

I have had a Hayman Reese towbar fitted to my 06 T5 Multivan, and it prevents the use of the tyre iron to lift and swing the spare tyre out! I only just discovered this as I so rarely need to change a tyre. Anyone else have this problem, know of a solution? I can only see that I can't have that towbar, and the shop shouldn't have sold it to me.
Thanks

Had the self same issue with our early 2011 T5 Frontline camper. A bloody disgraceful botch-up of a job. Thanks, Frontline, and thanks (not!) Hayman-Reese! Managed a partial semi-fix by getting the trailer elec. coupling point shifted further toward the centre - as close to the hitch centre as possible. Paid for by Frontline - as it should have been too.
Miraculously, a friend has bought an earlier Frontline camper (2.5 donk) and when he took it to H-Reese the towbar is one which is recessed into the back bumper, whereas ours leaves the bumper intact, but of course serves as a low, low, LOW point to scrape on driveways etc.
I'd love to get some of the "suits" who design/install some of this crap to get out in the field .. under preferably dirty/dusty/muddy conditions and actually do the spare tyre change themselves. What an education THAT would be for them!

[type3sedan]

Thanks everyone. The people who fitted it are now going to fit a device toilet the slot the tyre iron goes in to enable it to function. Standard practice apparently for the T4 that HR forgot to specify for the T5. Seems pretty dodgy to me and another very low point to scrape on things. Should've gone for the VW bar. Oh we'll.

[type3sedan]

That should be 'to lower' not 'toilet'...

[Sunny43.5]

We got it but it was funny .

[greymad]

That should be 'to lower' not 'toilet'...

I reckon it's not inappropriate...

[Sunny43.5]

Found this on Ebay tonight in case any one is after a towbar Genuine Volkswagen T5 tow bar | eBay

[SnowMotion]

I saw an interesting solution to wire in trailers to Can Bus equipped cars. This may be an option for people wanting trailers on their transporters.
AutoSpeed - Towbar Electronics

[Sunny43.5]

I had already figured that one out when I swapped our older T5 tow bar to our new one , never got around to doing it as just at the last moment a visit to Speedy Tow Bars at Springwood in Brisbane resulted in the same sort of kit shown on the link. The kit they had at Speedy was made by Hayman Reese cost $125 and works perfect with no coding and no $620 bill that VW wanted for their harness . Time to fit around an hour .