Someone to fit a towbar

[pobmk4]

So you’re saying modern VAG stuff doesn’t have predrilled holes? Can’t be right surely - why would a manufacturer stop doing that?

It’s certainly a few hours work doing it but not difficult to do if you have the time to do it yourself (programming excluded of course).

Apologies....I just meant in time terms...yes there is still holes for the mounting of the actual bar, but older vehicle you could have a bar completely fitted in an hour or just over

Nothing is difficult if you have the time and skills to do so.

 

[NotKG]

D.Murphy used to be for me, a mate worked there and fitted them at my door.
then the weight plate crap came in and they started buying them in.
cars went canbus and its all over for a old fashioned towbar all in fitted for £75.

priced one for my BMW. just the bar kit, £505.
bumper and rear inner arches have to come out, and probably cut ..
and the loom is bmw only and needs programmed in.
could be a grand finished.
wont be buying one , thats for sure.


can we go back to carbs, r.w.d., and no traction control Please!!
cheap towbars, and F'C'U'D'G'E the ozone !
trump says its all made up crap.
Oh! and fuel at £0.23 per litre .
(call age concern, iv flipped)

 

[Coog]

Not with a full plug and play kit. I bought a genuine Honda wiring loom and separate towbar for my 07 CR-V and fitted it all myself and it just plugs in to the existing loom and has it’s own ‘ecu’. The CR-V has trailer stability control etc. and zero programming needed. I can’t imagine an X5 is much different.

That kit linked above certainly hasn't got a separate ECU. It's got wiring to splice into the existing loom. The warning lights for blown bulbs will be flat out the moment a trailer board is connected, never mind the rest lol

 

[Coog]

If it's just for a bike rack could probably get away with that kit and then add the relay to stop the bulb errors popping up but would need to do something if planning on towing anything hefty.

Wasn't that long ago that towbarsni were supplying and fitting bars for £300, in fact it wasn't that much more for one fitted to the Tiguan by David Murphy so I'd still say there's more than just a few bolts to fit on the X5 and unlikely towbarsni would be happy using splices, etc.

 

[Lyons]

The Westfalia one is plug and play bar a couple of wires.

The bumper removal is the only tricky bit, I recall it being awkward getting it to line up with the lower tail door on the E53.

Plenty of guides online though, and I’m happy to do it myself to save £200.

 

[RCT]

People on here are kicking off about £200 labour to fit a tow bar, but don’t bat an eyelid about paying for a ceramic coating which is much much more expensive.

Not sure on those kits but blind spot monitoring on cars along with parking sensors you’ll need to have it all done correctly or you’ll be tourchered with lights on in your wing mirrors because it’s picking up the trailer or your sensors going off every time you reverse, because they see the towball. In recent times I’ve had issues with manufacture plug and play looms not supporting led lights for customers and the manufacture washing their hands of it, so me as a main dealer franchise had to make up a new loom to assist the led circuit. But if you’ve time for all that and to figure it out, go for it.

Towbar has to be fitted right at the end of the day and for the sake of that price is it really worth your own time and agro? I thought people’s time is more valuable these days spending it with family and that.

Not only that, people in business in Northern Ireland aren’t allowed to make any money and expected to do a lot of things for next to nothing.

 

[DriftnSlide]

I spent about 8 hours fitting a tow bar to Vectra B i owned in about 2001. Bumper off, boot trim, no pre drilled holes, just a step drill. Hateful job to do on your own.
Every tow bar fitted since went to indespension. Well worth paying for imo.

 

[Lyons]

I sometimes wonder why I bother.

 

[scubbay]

Changing a battery brings on the EML? Are you sure? Explain that one to me?

You have to tell the ecu that the battery has been replaced. Its nuts I know but I have felt this pain!

 

[stevieturbo]

I sometimes wonder why I bother.

So you can tow things ?

 

[suckindiesel]

I think you’re mental fitting that yourself!

 

[swansty]

You have to tell the ecu that the battery has been replaced. Its nuts I know but I have felt this pain!

This is true for my car also but it won’t bring up an eml light if you don’t. I think it’s to do with smart charging of agm batteries

As for towbar fitting, I’m sure you have done your research @Lyons but as others have said just make sure then plug and play doesn’t just cover lighting electrics but also disables any car sensors. Though to be fair if it’s only rear pdc’s that are the problem, you could live with it

 

[Lyons]

I think you’re mental fitting that yourself!

Good man, I’ll call round and you can help.

 

[Lyons]

This is true for my car also but it won’t bring up an eml light if you don’t. I think it’s to do with smart charging of agm batteries

As for towbar fitting, I’m sure you have done your research @Lyons but as others have said just make sure then plug and play doesn’t just cover lighting electrics but also disables any car sensors. Though to be fair if it’s only rear pdc’s that are the problem, you could live with it

Aye, I’ve researched it fairly extensively and the kit comes with a good guide. It will kill the parking sensors but still displays the camera. It’s the same idea as I did with the last 1 so have a bit of confidence that way.

 

[dervsport]

You have to tell the ecu that the battery has been replaced. Its nuts I know but I have felt this pain!

You would never get an EML though. You might have issues with stop start and maybe fault codes in the battery management system but that's it. Battery coding just resets long term adaptations for things like stop start counters, quiescent current shut off, charge times etc.

 

[lennyd]

What year is the x5. Fitted a towbar on my outlaws last 2 x5s. Newest was 08/09 though. My favourite bit is cutting into the bumper whilst continually saying to myself "please don't **** this up" but so far I've been able to make a tidy job of them

 

[lennyd]

You would never get an EML though. You might have issues with stop start and maybe fault codes in the battery management system but that's it. Battery coding just resets long term adaptations for things like stop start counters, quiescent current shut off, charge times etc.

Had issues with my e65 because the battery needed coded and it was 02

 

[stevieturbo]

Basically it's like this...if you spend the money on a good kit, with wiring that plugs in...and the X5 has a plug at the back already pre-wired, then that aspect should be easy.
It is the sort of vehicle that should be pre-wired I'd think.

Fitting yourself can be a pain in the ass, but at least you'd get the chance to take your time, and do a neat and tidy job, unlike some places who will just bash the thing together as quick and rough as possible. And you can also seal/treat any holes you drilled too, and give the actual towbar itself a good coat of wax, paint, powdercoat or whatever prior to installation so it doesnt rust like crap in a few months, as pretty much most of them do.

I did fit my own to my van a few months back...and it would be relatively easy. But it still took several hours, and access to wiring was also a pain in the hole, bumper needed removed, holes needed drilled etc etc.
Kit itself was best looking one I seen on ebay, came from Poland or something. Fit was pretty good and quality decent ( removable swan neck thingy )
But it was only painted, not proper powdercoated or anything so it will rust. I tried to coat it with a load of wax both during and after install, and plastered all bolts with grease and covered with wax again after too.

I would be amazed if any installer would bother their arse to do these simple common sense things, simply as they take time. Likewise a little wax/white grease or similar inside and around the wiring connector, as again these will almost always see moisture and start to corrode if not done correctly. Again something I've never seen any towbar installer bother to do.

 

[Lyons]

What year is the x5. Fitted a towbar on my outlaws last 2 x5s. Newest was 08/09 though. My favourite bit is cutting into the bumper whilst continually saying to myself "please don't **** this up" but so far I've been able to make a tidy job of them

2012, so the same idea.

 

[Dave..]

I bought one 2nd hand and fitted it to my xc60 the fella had it on his company car and recommended towbarsni in dundonald (i fitted myself so cant comment on their work myself)

I bought a towbar from them and price and fitting were excellent. They did a very tidy job. 5*

 

[lennyd]

2012, so the same idea.

Shouldn't be to bad, if I can do it then a blind, drunk monkey could

 

[Nicky]

I done my own on the Renegade a few months ago and used a smart relay. Could have spent the small fortune on the dedicated wiring harness, but the Ring smart relay works a treat, even on a canbus vehicle. That’s why I linked the other towbar kit which would leave the whole thing over £100 cheaper again and really justify fitting it yourself.

 

[Lyons]

It’s just when I have a specific X5 DIY guide for this kit for where every wire exactly goes, I’m happy to go with that to make things as easy as possible.

 

[Nicky]

It’s just when I have a specific X5 DIY guide for this kit for where every wire exactly goes, I’m happy to go with that to make things as easy as possible.

For the smart relay, all you need is a wire to each function (1 for tail, 1 for brake and 1 to each indicator) and it takes a tiny draw from them (not enough to cause canbus or ‘bulb out’ errors) and then the smart relay powers up the trailer socket. They’re a great job.

 

[surprising_skoda]

You would never get an EML though. You might have issues with stop start and maybe fault codes in the battery management system but that's it. Battery coding just resets long term adaptations for things like stop start counters, quiescent current shut off, charge times etc.

Yes you would. @scubbay is right, changing the battery in a modern-era BMW puts an EML light on, or drops it into limp mode, until it's been told via diagnostics that there is a new battery fitted. Not strictly a "coding" issue to use the term correctly I suppose, but it certainly does need the use of a laptop and £80 of BMWs time (or £20 of a friendly inde) to sort the installation out.