A few Questions...

Bungle009 · Dec 6, 2019

Just called my dealer again, and they now quote £1100 without Prep & £850 With Prep. The with Prep price doesnt seem too bad to be honest. The aftermarket will quote £600 - £800 for either depending on the time of year. Its usually cheaper in the winter months....

MattBW · Dec 6, 2019

Yeah a few non-VW places I got quotes from said it was more expensive with the VW tow bar prep to fit a Westfalia towbar as they have to remove the prep to fit the bar

Andy · Dec 6, 2019

@Bungle009
You can get towbar kits from pf jones genuine westfalia. Wiring goes under the van so easier to fit. Cheaper than vw.
Search forum.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Bungle009 · Dec 6, 2019

The PF Jones kit is an aftermarket wiring kit, not a Westfalia/VW OEM kit. It may still me made by Westfalia but it is not the OEM kit & does not plug into the tow prep. It will be similar to the kit we currently use, but the original question related to Tow prep vehicles, and as such I can 100% confirm that there is no Tow Prep friendly solution currently. I am investigating if I could have some looms made in a limited quantity to allow towbar wiring to be plugged directly into the prep.

Bungle009 · Dec 6, 2019

MattBW said:
Yeah a few non-VW places I got quotes from said it was more expensive with the VW tow bar prep to fit a Westfalia towbar as they have to remove the prep to fit the bar

Its not a big issue. All you have to do is remove the module from under the drivers seat. There is nothing else to remove. Takes less than 5 minutes.

Wild Bob · Dec 6, 2019

Bungle009 said:
If you have tow prep (1D7 on Config Sticker) it means that the OEM VW kit will plug in at the rear and you will also probably (not always) have a module connected under the drivers seat. However the VW kit (Which is Westfalia I think) is only available with a towbar from VW. Therefore you are stuck with paying VW big money. I was quoted nearly £1400 by my local dealer for a detachable. However I Dont have tow prep. I would expect as you have tow prep it would be cheaper, as the time required to fit the electrical kit is less with tow prep.
Tow prep will save the dealer with an OEM kit about 1hr on the installation time.
The aftermarket have several options. As VW will not make the connectors available, it is irrelevant if you have tow prep or not, unless you pay VW to do the Job. I would imagine this would be less than 1k from VW.
We generally fit a full loom, which runs back to front. On older models you have to pick up connections under the passenger seat, then run to the front to pick up a the live feed from the battery, then run through a gromet in the front bulkhead to access the BCM (Body Control Module) where the CAN connections are made. This takes about 1hr for an experienced fitter. It can be done by somone who is practical with electrics, but we regularly get asked to go and sort out issues where people have attempted and failed. Of course we only hear of the failures, and im sure there are plenty of people who succeed. Im sure there will be people on this forum that have managed the installation.
Once all the connections have been made you need to update the coding on the vehicle to tell it to look for the trailer module. This will activate the towing safety features that VW build into the T6 platform. Most notably this includes trailer stability control.

Wow thanks for all this information. This option was on the vehicle which was ordered by VW dealer, it gives you the impression it's a plug and fit option but reading your reply it's nothing of the sorts. Think we need to really think about this before we go any further as I said in my first comment I was hoping for the least invasive option possible to my Cali and that seems to be not possible

WelshGas · Dec 6, 2019

Wild Bob said:
Wow thanks for all this information. This option was on the vehicle which was ordered by VW dealer, it gives you the impression it's a plug and fit option but reading your reply it's nothing of the sorts. Think we need to really think about this before we go any further as I said in my first comment I was hoping for the least invasive option possible to my Cali and that seems to be not possible

The least invasive would be VW and they would do the coding as well and it would be covered by the warranty.

Wild Bob · Dec 7, 2019

WelshGas said:
The least invasive would be VW and they would do the coding as well and it would be covered by the warranty.

Yes looks like that's the safest route

Bungle009 · Dec 9, 2019

So... after lots of dicsussions...
If you have Tow Prep (1D7) you can buy the Loom from VW directly (VW Part # 7E5055202) This should cost less than £100 inc VAT. I was quoted £ 89. Then get your local independant fitter to fit the Westfalia Bar (WF part #321651600001). The should cost around £500 Installed. So for £600 all in you would have the same job as VW would charge £800+ for.

ArunAlec · Dec 9, 2019

Bungle009 said:
So... after lots of dicsussions...
If you have Tow Prep (1D7) you can buy the Loom from VW directly (VW Part # 7E5055202) This should cost less than £100 inc VAT. I was quoted £ 89. Then get your local independant fitter to fit the Westfalia Bar (WF part #321651600001). The should cost around £500 Installed. So for £600 all in you would have the same job as VW would charge £800+ for.

Do you need to cost in getting VW to do the coding?

Bungle009 · Dec 9, 2019

I think it should already be coded. However we carry the equipment, as do most reputable fitters. Coding takes a few minutes and should not cost extra.

ArunAlec · Dec 9, 2019

Bungle009 said:
I think it should already be coded. However we carry the equipment, as do most reputable fitters. Coding takes a few minutes and should not cost extra.

Great stuff!

Wild Bob · Dec 9, 2019

Bungle009 said:
So... after lots of dicsussions...
If you have Tow Prep (1D7) you can buy the Loom from VW directly (VW Part # 7E5055202) This should cost less than £100 inc VAT. I was quoted £ 89. Then get your local independant fitter to fit the Westfalia Bar (WF part #321651600001). The should cost around £500 Installed. So for £600 all in you would have the same job as VW would charge £800+ for.

I appreciate all the information you have given me, I feel a lot happier now I know all this. I am phoning P&F Jones this week to get some costs.