Fixed tow bar with parking sensors?

[AnRuaRI]

I'm about to put a tow bar on my 2010 Superb Saloon.

I have the parking sensors with park assist.

can I get away with putting on a flange tow bar to save money or will this knacker up the parking sensors?

anybody have experience of this?

[philpix]

I have a Westfalia detachable tow bar with hidden electrics.

The rear parking sensors activate when my bike rack is fitted on the towball.

When it is just the tow bar the sensors work in the normal way.

Phil

[900000]

I have a Westfalia detachable tow bar with hidden electrics.

The rear parking sensors activate when my bike rack is fitted on the towball.

When it is just the tow bar the sensors work in the normal way.

Phil

Same here on my Yeti. If I leave the Westfalia in the sensors work as per normal. I was also expecting permanent beeping...

[AnRuaRI]

Detachable tow bars aren't the issue, I know that they're removable to ensure that the beepers work correctly

the question is the fixed flange-type bar. If I saved money by getting one of these would that cause permanent beeping when I'm in reverse?

[900000]

Detachable tow bars aren't the issue, I know that they're removable to ensure that the beepers work correctly

the question is the fixed flange-type bar. If I saved money by getting one of these would that cause permanent beeping when I'm in reverse?

I get that.... but the electric socket on a fixed bar is too low to register and the only bit of a towbar that is high enough to be registered by the sensors is the tow bar ball. Which should be at the exact same height as that of a detachable bar. Hence the two replies suggesting you won't have a problem.

[AnRuaRI]

Thanks for the help folks,

I've decided to play it safe and pay the extra for a detachable bar.

On my car the rear sensors are right down on the underside trim of the bumper. I tried putting a thin fire extinguisher where the tow bar would be and it set off the sensors unless it was in contact with the car.

The reason to try and save money is I'll only have the car for another 2 years, and I cant guarantee to be able to replace it with another Superb, therefore the to-bar might not be transferable to my next vehicle.

[philpix]

Thanks for the help folks,

I've decided to play it safe and pay the extra for a detachable bar.

On my car the rear sensors are right down on the underside trim of the bumper. I tried putting a thin fire extinguisher where the tow bar would be and it set off the sensors unless it was in contact with the car.

The reason to try and save money is I'll only have the car for another 2 years, and I cant guarantee to be able to replace it with another Superb, therefore the to-bar might not be transferable to my next vehicle.

The Westfalia I have is transferable.

The rear bumper hanger is removed from the car and the tow bar beam is bolted in it's place.

You replace the bumper hanger and keep the tow bar if you sell the car.

I'll post pictures if you are interested.

Phil

[AnRuaRI]

The Westfalia I have is transferable.

The rear bumper hanger is removed from the car and the tow bar beam is bolted in it's place.

You replace the bumper hanger and keep the tow bar if you sell the car.

I'll post pictures if you are interested.

Phil

I will need to replace the car in 2 years, 'cause it's a Lease car, through my company... But I've a pretty good chance of getting another superb next time 'round. especially as I now have a Roof rack and tow bar which I will want to transfere. + I just love my superb.

The car after that may need space for 3 Child seats, but that decision is 5 years away so I aint worrying, and besides my current extras may not fit a Mark III superb which will probably have been released by then.

[AnRuaRI]

The Westfalia I have is transferable.

The rear bumper hanger is removed from the car and the tow bar beam is bolted in it's place.

You replace the bumper hanger and keep the tow bar if you sell the car.

I'll post pictures if you are interested.

Phil

I will need to replace the car in 2 years, 'cause it's a Lease car, through my company... But I've a pretty good chance of getting another superb next time 'round. especially as I now have a Roof rack and tow bar which I will want to transfere. + I just love my superb.

The car after that may need space for 3 Child seats, but that decision is 5 years away so I aint worrying, and besides my current extras may not fit a Mark III superb which will probably have been released by then.

[countryboy]

I am thinking of getting a towbar fitted to my Octavia, one of the specialists I emailed said that there is a swan neck towbar available which is designed to not interfere with the parking sensors. It might be worth enquiring with a few towbar fitters in your area to see if that is the case with the Superb.

Ian

[philpix]

Ian, the Westfalia alone does not mess up the rear sensors, it's only when I fit the bike rack it goes off alarming.

Skoda's factory fit tow bar is the Westfalia. I paid about half of what they want to fit.

Phil

Edited 2 February, 2011 by philpix

[countryboy]

Ian, the Westfalia alone does not mess up the rear sensors, it's only when I fit the bike rack it goes off alarming.

Skoda's factory fit tow bar is the Westfalia. I paid about half of what they want to fit.

Phil

Hi Phil, I was referring to AnRuaRI's initial inquiry when I said about the swan neck towbar. When you fit the bike rack do you also fit a light board and plug that into the 7pin socket? If so I'm quite sure that a decent tow bar specialist will wire the electrics in such a way that you can take your car to a Skoda dealer or someone knowledgeable with VCDS who will recode the car so that the reversing sensors are deactivated when the light board is plugged in.

Ian

[philpix]

Hi Ian,

The 7-pin electrics swing down to connect to the Thule tow bar rack's light board.

I could get the fitter to code the car for extra money but I figured I could live without.

The tow ball fits into the spare wheel compartment underneath the jack.

Phil

[BoxerBoy]

I have a fixed bar and single socket on my current Volvo and there are no problems with the reversing sensors.

I guess it all depends where your sensors are. And how sensitive they are.

[AnRuaRI]

Hi Phil, I was referring to AnRuaRI's initial inquiry when I said about the swan neck towbar. When you fit the bike rack do you also fit a light board and plug that into the 7pin socket? If so I'm quite sure that a decent tow bar specialist will wire the electrics in such a way that you can take your car to a Skoda dealer or someone knowledgeable with VCDS who will recode the car so that the reversing sensors are deactivated when the light board is plugged in.

Ian

The recoding requires that you use "Dedicated electrics", rather then a universal electrics kit. These dedicated electrics kits can cost more than the tow bar, and my local garage warned me that many of them don't work correctly and the car's cant actually be recoded. (therefore a total waste of money!)

I decided that while dedicated electrics have their advantages, in telling the cars onboard computer systems that you are towing, the cost is prohibitive of a vehicle that I'll only be using for 2 years.

When the local Skoda dealer wanted just shy of £800 for fitting their tow bar, and the best price from a reputable specialist fitter capable of doing the re-code was about £650

Using universal electrics with a bypass relay the cheapest fixed tow bar from someone I was willing to use was about £220, and cheapest removable one was about £396 Inc Vat. (there were even cheaper quotes, but cowboys aren't to be trusted with something that could kill you if got wrong)

So assuming that automatically switching off the reversing sensors when something is connected to my electrics socket is the only benefit of having dedicated electrics: Thanks a lot but £400 is a lot for that. Especially since I can push a button beside the gear knob to turn off the beeps anyway.

So far no-one has told me if my car's ESP system has a towing mode for snaking prevention. If that exists it's a good reason to use dedicated electrics, but I cant afford that for a car that's going to be replaced in 2 years.

[900000]

So far no-one has told me if my car's ESP system has a towing mode for snaking prevention. If that exists it's a good reason to use dedicated electrics, but I cant afford that for a car that's going to be replaced in 2 years.

This is the reason I spent £834 on my detachable Westfalia (of which SUK paid £550 thankfuly for their incompetencies elsewhere! - but that is a another story). Not just to stop the sensors from a constant beep when I reverse but to have the anti-snaking software for the ESP. My life is worth more than £834 I say so I would rather be safe than sorry!

[dbskoda]

Ive got a FIXED westfalia on my estate & no probs with the reverse sensors. It is a swan kneck rather than a flange & cost me about £400ish and that was with coded electrics as well. Company was Redcap garage in Blackburn (NTTA approved as well), no hesitations about recomending them, they did a fantastic job, a neat cut under the bumber as well. - they really were top class. The local Skoda dealer told me where to go to get it fitted, aparently they send their cars there for them to be fited.

Mine has the 13pin electrics & I tow a caravan with it, so the electrics also check the 'vans bulbs & so you dont get the beep beep when the indicators are on. Also its monitored on the alarm, so if the van is attached & the alarm is set, if you disconnect the vans electrics it triggers the cars alarm.

All in all another fantastic toy on a fantastic car.

oh, and in the columbus, you get a pic of the 'A' frame of the van, & it disarms the reverse sensors when connected. Also stops the rear fogs coming on the car when its hitched. Really really clever.

I know what you mean about the £'s, but it really is money well spent. Shop around, look at the ntta website for someone in your area & also see if they'll code the car. I think Skoda were going to charge ~£30-40 for that, so factor that into the cost.

I like the idea of a fixed, as it give my car parking sensors for other people in carparks, if they park too close to the back, they need a new bumper

When you get it fitted, get the rear bar back from the fitters (like Phil has said) so that if you do take it off, you can put the car back as standard.

[AnRuaRI]

UPDATE:

I now have the detachable bar fitted. It's a TowTrust bar. I did not spend the extra on dedicated electrics.

When it's in the socket, the rear sensors do pick it up and beep constantly.

As the bar should transfer to my next car (I'm currently planning on staying with Superb for my next car in 2 years)

I will giver serious consideration fo dedicated electrics then if that car has TSA in it's ESP.

Edited 14 February, 2011 by AnRuaRI

[kerryscoob]

UPDATE:

I now have the detachable bar fitted. It's a TowTrust bar. I did not spend the extra on dedicated electrics.

When it's in the socket, the rear sensors do pick it up and beep constantly.

As the bar should transfer to my next car (I'm currently planning on staying with Superb for my next car in 2 years)

I will giver serious consideration fo dedicated electrics then if that car has TSA in it's ESP.

Got the local Skoda dealer to fit the detachable towbar, checked it has a 7 pin socket, sensors do not pick up the tow bar when fitted but when I fit the bike rack and reverse it alarms continuously and when indicating it also beeps. Is this standard.

My previous BMW did not alarm when the bike rack was fitted.Sensors were demobilised.

[AnRuaRI]

Got the local Skoda dealer to fit the detachable towbar, checked it has a 7 pin socket, sensors do not pick up the tow bar when fitted but when I fit the bike rack and reverse it alarms continuously and when indicating it also beeps. Is this standard.

My previous BMW did not alarm when the bike rack was fitted.Sensors were demobilised.

You need to check which electrics kit the Skoda dealer fitted.

Do you connect a lighting board when you fit the bike rack?

The rear sensors will only be deactivated if you connect a lighting board to the socket!

The beeping is a legal requirement when you have something connected to the electrics socket. (other oprions are visible indicators) it indicates that the lighting board is working correctly. if there's no board connected it's a fault as it's saying something's working when it obviously isn't.

I'd definitely go back to the dealer to have it all explaned. sounds like if there's beeping for the indicators then the rear sensors should be deactivated.

Unless of course you didn't pay for the Skoda electrics parts and had cheaper electrics fitted. This would have saved you about £200.

Note there are 4 options for Skoda original electrics parts, I thought they all included 13 pin electrics as standard. I note from the website, that the 2 older kits, have 7pin electrics as an option.

Note, these are more expensve kits which have a design fault (search in this forum for Split charging problems)

The newer solution was part number ZGB3T2055204 at £125. This is a 13 pin system, which can be upgraded to a split charging solution (to charge a caravan battery if needed) the upgrade kit is ZGB000055200W @ £42 + labour.

The "with factory prep" and "Without factor prep" options are supposed to be being withdrawn. they have a design flaw, and cost more anyway.

[kerryscoob]

You need to check which electrics kit the Skoda dealer fitted.

Do you connect a lighting board when you fit the bike rack?

The rear sensors will only be deactivated if you connect a lighting board to the socket!

The beeping is a legal requirement when you have something connected to the electrics socket. (other oprions are visible indicators) it indicates that the lighting board is working correctly. if there's no board connected it's a fault as it's saying something's working when it obviously isn't.

I'd definitely go back to the dealer to have it all explaned. sounds like if there's beeping for the indicators then the rear sensors should be deactivated.

Unless of course you didn't pay for the Skoda electrics parts and had cheaper electrics fitted. This would have saved you about £200.

Note there are 4 options for Skoda original electrics parts, I thought they all included 13 pin electrics as standard. I note from the website, that the 2 older kits, have 7pin electrics as an option.

Note, these are more expensve kits which have a design fault (search in this forum for Split charging problems)

The newer solution was part number ZGB3T2055204 at £125. This is a 13 pin system, which can be upgraded to a split charging solution (to charge a caravan battery if needed) the upgrade kit is ZGB000055200W @ £42 + labour.

The "with factory prep" and "Without factor prep" options are supposed to be being withdrawn. they have a design flaw, and cost more anyway.

Beeping is only when the lighting board is plugged in and I'm indicating, but sensors are alarming when I go to reverse with the bike rack fitted, I thought these would have been deactivated. I'll have to check with the dealer what should be happening.

[JB.]

I would be interested to know what your dealer said about the sensors beeping when you are reversing with the bike rack fitted and the light board plugged in. I got my detachable tow bar and single electrics fitted by Skoda when I ordered the car last year, and I have only just bought and fitted the bike rack last weekend. I thought the sensors would have been automatically deactivated when the light board is connected, but alas no.

[darren tt]

I have the Skoda detachable tow bar fitted and a thule bike rack. With rack fitted, a trailer appears on the screen behind the car and hay presto, no reversing noise.

[countryboy]

I have the Skoda detachable tow bar fitted and a thule bike rack. With rack fitted, a trailer appears on the screen behind the car and hay presto, no reversing noise.

So Darren, you have had a dedicated wiring loom fitted and the cars electrics recoded for a trailer. I think JB if I were you I'd go back to the dealer and ask why the reverse sensors are still beeping when you have the bike rack and light board fitted.

Ian

[darren tt]

I had the Skoda pre wire loom, and the towball fitted at dealer. If I had any issues it'll be straight back to the dealer. I considered getting it done at a local installer. This would have saved £100, but to save the hassle I let the dealer do it. At least then I only have one place to go if I get any issues.