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Tow bar wiring

Dave Newsham

Dave Newsham

Davros
VIP Member
Messages
2
Location
Cumbria
Vehicle
T5 SE 180 4Motion
Hi I have a T5 Cali on 2012 plate . I am looking at the removable Westafalia tow bar option. Are all Calli’s pre- wired to marry up to the new 7 pin skt or do I have rip out half of my van to fit a new wiring loom?
 
If you can find the option code list for your Cali (may be stuck a front seat frame but should also be in the front of the service book) the decode it here http://igorweb.org/equidec.aspx you should be able to find if the vehicle was pre-wired for a tow bar.
 
I’d be interested in hearing how you get on with the wiring. I have a 2019 beach, without trailer prep ( option code 1D0 ), but currently considering whether to have a bash at doing the wiring myself, or get it fitted professionally.

If I do get it fitted professionally, I’m wondering whether to get PFJones to fit, or get it done locally in Cumbria, but I don’t know how good the local tow bar fitters in Cumbria are.

I do have a reverse camera and sensors, and I’ve read mixed opinions about the wiring loom that PFJones uses integrating properly. I have access to VCDS, so I can get it coded correctly.

Any thoughts are welcome
 
You can do it yourself if you have some skill.
Remove the left front seat and base. Get the loom through a rubber to the underside of the van. Put it tidy near the gas tank up to the back of the vehicle. Inside the van, connect to the starter battery (if you don't want that, connect it to the leisure battery). Put everything back and change code in ECU, BCM, Parking assist, and whatever driving assist you have. Then everything should work. Only the distance sensor up front might be a tough one to do (if you have it), because that is a safety feature, and might get blocked without right login code.

I have used a set from ECS-electronics.nl. Disables parking sensors as it should.
 
I installed the cabling myself but got the coding done by my local garage.

I ran the cable harness under the van but above the splash guards using cable ties to secure it. One cable popped up through a grommet under the passenger seat to pick up a connection on a multiway under the seat.

The rest of the loom ran up the engine bulkhead and was connected via a control box to the engine battery. Two cables were routed back through the bulkhead by the steering column to pick up the Canbus system behind the light switch.

Getting the Canbus cable through the bulkhead was the most difficult part of the install as I had to find a gromet by feel at the bottom of the bulkhead beside where the steering column comes through.

Do make sure to get the Body Control unit coded for a trailer. This will do things like change the display in the radio, adjust the rear breaking and turn off the rear foglights on the van when a trailer is hooked up.

All self-doable though.

Alan
 
Thanks for the replies, and apologies for hijacking the original post!
 

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