Towbars - UK v France

[Oboulez]

I am looking to get a towbar fitted in the next few weeks to my French Passat. We are in the UK next month, so - given that there seem to be swings & roundabouts in most things, firstly, is it cheaper to get one fitted in the UK, and secondly given that in the UK some things are the 'wrong way around', would it be just as easy to get one fitted there on a LHD car?

[PaulT]

The side the steering wheel is on makes no difference, the lighting on the left hand side on an RHD is the lighting on the left hand side of an LHD.

If though they use the official VW wiring loom, assuming there are not just pick up points at the rear then the fusebox could be on a different side, i.e. two looms, one for LHD and one for RHD.

Often though a 'universal' loom is used that just connects in to the existing light circuits and uses a box of tricks so as not to confuse any light failure detection if the car has it.

Why not enquire locally in France how much and then search on yell.com for a local fitter to where you will be in the UK to enquire how much - best to tell him it is LHD.

Paul

[AnOther]

I believe there are more regulations on tow bars in France than in UK so I think the crucial decider will be be whether anything you have fitted in UK will conform here. Essentially in France I think you are limited to genuine OEM parts or specifically approved others and whether any UK 3rd party bar tow bars are I

couldn't say but knowing the protectionist nature of the French if I had to guess I'd say no as it's a very small market to bother having niche items like tow bars approved in.

You might ask who is going to care or check and the answer is probably no one however IF you had a mishap whilst towing it's little things like this which can turn a crisis into a drama - as they used to say on the TV advert !

[Théière]

From memory, there was some regulation that towbars should be removable when not in use, but not required in the UK hence the Brink style of towball.

[Pickles]

[quote user="Théière"]From memory, there was some regulation that towbars should be removable when not in use, but not required in the UK hence the Brink style of towball.[/quote]

IIRC, wasn't that something to do with the need to have the trailer-towing category on the licence of all those who were going to drive the car if it was a fixed towbar? Ie you only needed to remove it if the driver didn't have the trailer category on his/her licence? I don't know if that was ever really true: certainly there are plenty of modern French cars driving around with fixed towbars, anyway.

Re the homologation - pan-European rules, require (or will require) towbars and tow balls to be homologated: the big brand names (Brink/Witter) have IIRC already taken steps to homologate their designs and fitments. You should not have any difficulty getting the towbar fitted in the UK - I suggest that you ring around but tell them that it is LHD (I doubt that this makes much difference now: in the past it certainly did!). Having just had one fitted, I went for a dedicated wiring loom rather than the generic bypass: it is more expensive but depending on the car may work more reliably in the future.

[Pierre ZFP]

Does the fact that you have a tow bar have to be noted on the carte de gris?

[AnOther]

[quote user="Théière"]

From memory, there was some regulation that towbars should be removable when not in use[/quote]

I've heard the same but if it's true then along with dozens of others rules it's almost universally ignored. I certainly have never removed mine and have no intention of ever so doing. It's bolted on so not easily removable anyway.

There is nothing on my CG to do with having a tow hitch and it has not even been looked at at CT time.

[Théière]

[quote user="AnOther"]

There is nothing on my CG to do with having a tow hitch and it has not even been looked at at CT time.

[/quote]

I know it's the UK but having taken a vehicle to the MOT the other day I noticed they do now check the wiring with a test gadget.

[AnOther]

Yes, they have been subject to purely physical/security checks since

April 2009 but from January this year security and a full functional

test on 13 pin electrics is included, 7 pin electrics are only subject

to inspection not test. There is no requirement for any sort of type

approval so home made tow bars will pass if they are secure and the

electrics are working correctly.

Possibly of concern to anybody taking a car with a bar back to UK to keep there.

[sid]

I bought my Witter towbar during a visit to UK. It was less than half the price I would have to pay here because there are plenty of discount outlets and competitive pricing - remember that? Witter have full EU type approval. I particularly wanted a detachable type too, so that I don't bang my knees or shins when it#s not in use. I fitted it myself; they all use pre-drilled mounting mounts. I'll do the same next time if I can ever afford another car!

[Sunday Driver]

 "There is no requirement for any sort of type approval so home made tow bars will pass if they are secure and the electrics are working correctly."

As per Pickles' earlier post, EU regulations require towbars to be EC type approved. 

 

Directive 94/20EEC relating to the mechanical coupling devices of motor vehicles and their trailers and their attachment to those vehicles

 

Witter France - Q & A towbar homologation

 

No difference between France and the UK.....

 

UK Construction and Use Regulations

"Use of mechanical coupling devices 96B:
(1) This regulation applies to every light passenger vehicle first used on or after August 1st 1998 [20 April 1999 for Northern Ireland version of the regulations] in respect of which an EC certificate of conformity has effect.
(2) No person shall use or cause or permit to be used on a road any vehicle to which this regulation applies unless any mechanical coupling device which is attached to it complies with the relevant technical and installation requirements of Annexes I, V, VI, VII of Community Directive 94/20(a) and is marked in accordance with Annex I to that Directive."

 

[AnOther]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]"There is no requirement for any sort of type approval so home made tow bars will pass if they are secure and the electrics are working correctly."[/quote]If that offends then I'll modify it to say:

"In the real world type approval is rarely if ever checked or invoked so home made

tow bars etc. ..................................."

This I know from personal experience [;-)]

[Boiling a frog]

In the real world, following an accident while towing, the insurance expert will examine the tow bar to establish whether it conforms.

[Salty Sam]

MOT Test of Tow Bar (Towing Hook)

Reason for Rejection:

 

A towbar component insecure, fractured or excessively:

• worn
• corroded, or  
• damaged.

• Towbar assembly is attached to the vehicle structure using a
  mounting, support or fixing which is obviously of an inappropriate size
  or type.

• retaining device missing or insecure
• locking device missing, insecure, inadequate or damaged to the extent that its operation is impaired.

• excessive play between a detachable tow ball and its receiver socket
• a quick release mechanism that does not secure the tow ball arm as intended.

[sid]

I beleive that the fitting of a non-type-approved towing bracket would render the owner of the vehicle likely to prosecution under the Construction and Use regulations (this is in the UK). For a vehicle made after 1998 you must fit an approved towing bracket. I believe that you cannot fit a bracket which is older than the car; for example take a 2000 bracket off your year 2000 car and refit it to a 2002 model, even if it's an identical model car. The brackets are labelled with amongst other things, the date of manufacture.

These checks do not appear to be part of the current UK MoT, but I guess the vehicle could be inspected anytime if the police for example thought it looked unsafe, or in the case of an accident.

I doubt (but don't know) that they are part of a French CT either.

The problems would start to arise in the event of an accident involving the towing car and possibly involving the trailer/caravan when insurance engineers and assessors get to work.

Using an approved bracket ensures that you are not damaging the structural integrity of the car bodywork, that it mounts where the vehicle manufacturer intended, and that the bracket is able to take the loads specified for it and the towing vehicle.

I sound like a salesman for a towing bracket firm, which I'm not, but I've been caravanning since the 70's and only ever used quality products, mostly Witter, but sometimes Brink, depending on what was available for my car. I wouldn't dream of having a tonne or more dragging along behind me unless I was confident that it was secure. In any case you'd be hard pressed now to find a rogue bracket on the market, so I don't see what the problem is, just buy an approved bracket, in the UK is usually cheaper, but delivery here may be out of the question. DIY fitting is possible with a degree of mechanical knowledge, though may be complicated by the need to remove and refit rear body panels. The electrics is another matter; these are often very complicated on modern cars and particularly if you want to add charging circuits for a caravan. Nevertheless kits are available to match the car and I would still do this myself.

If you don't feel confident about any of this then I suggest that you should be asking your local garage to do the whole thing, probably including supplying the bracket in the first place.

As a happy customer I can recommend this firm (UK) where I've ordered and collected previously http://www.towbarsdirect.co.uk/home.htm

[Théière]

I have made my own tow bar attachments in the past a damn sight stronger than those off the shelf but then I am competent in doing so and in those days had a welding ticket too. When a car rear ended mine at around 60mph my bar protected my vehicle by using the offending car's crumple zone [:D]

Under the dumbing down, state rules that obviously wouldn't be allowed although I could date stamp my work [:P] 

 

[kaseyjones]

I took my van in for the UK mot yesterday having fitted the towbar myself but not done the wiring yet,there was no mention of this,thank goodness!

[Bugsy]

If anyone wants cheering up the Westfalia Towbar with removable swan-neck fitted by a Main-dealer to my VW Touran cost

900 euros.

.

[sid]

[:-))][:-))][:-))][:-))]  900€ !!!    [:-))][:-))][:-))][:-))]

I got a couple of quotes for our Renault, and that's when I decided to buy in UK and fit it myself. Total cost including electrics £210 (in 2006, but they're around the same price now if you shop around). Also, I specifically wanted a detachable type, much neater and no scraped or bruised knees and shins. Whilst this type is available here they seem to prefer to supply the plain ol' vanilla fixed variety.

Edit Here's an example http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Volkswagen-Touran-2003-Detachable-Swanneck-Westfalia-Towbar-Tow-Bar-/160658715104?pt=UK_Car_Accessories_Touring_Travel&hash=item25680171e0

 

[Ian]

FWIW

I had a towbar fitted to my Mondeo in 2007, in the UK. Dedicated towbar fitting company, known make of towbar (can't remember who).

Price was around £200-250

[sid]

Yes, that's what I'd expect, there's more specialisation and competition in UK for this sort of thing. Detachable towballs are generally more expensive, and additional wiring also adds to the cost. Many cars now have electronic controls and it's necessary to use the correct control boxes for flasher repeaters and charging circuits etc.