Towbar - still undecided

[El&Ed]

Our beach is an ex demo and came with tow bar prep. I have been quoted £730ish for a detachable tow bar at VW. I assume that as they used my number plate to help them with the quote they know I have the prep already. So I would say it might be cheaper getting it at building stage rather than retrospectively. We decided to get a tow bar and sliding bike rack as we have 2 e-bikes (one very heavy) and 2 growing children with bikes. The thought of adding on extra height put me off getting the vw tailgate.

 

[Legin]

I would go for full install or nothing. Actually I went full instal and no regrets. When I enquired at major towbar place, they said they run new wiring under chassis and wouldnt use the pre wiring evn when its there.

 

[Bill]

If it helps I faced the same dilemma having ordered my ocean about 6 weeks ago. Do I don't I. In the end I altered my order to include removable tow bar. It was the additional lifting of bikes up onto the rack plus having a view from the rear that did it for me whilst also reflecting comments from members on the chat.

 

[Corradobrit]

Same situation as you Phil. Never towed anything before but as I move towards retirement I might get a boat and the ability to tow just adds another dimension to the Cali's tool kit. I will most likely use it initially for a bike rack.
IF you do end up selling down the road having that tow bar spec'ed now will pay off with resale value.
The towbar was one of the first options I checked off when going through the list for my Coast. And as Alan says its a useful deterrent for careless parkers.

 

[Karlos]

We didn't have a tow bar on our Ocean and I considered adding a tow bar but sold it before making the decision. I have read great reviews about P F Jones and would have probably gone to them to retro fit and wire a bar.

When we order our next Cali, it won't have a bike rack but will have a detachable tow bar, I found the bike rack a real pain to live with and every time I was lifting bikes on to it I couldn't help thinking why did I spend £600 on this bloody rack.

 

[Mr T]

I had a towbar fitted earlier this year. My Cali didn’t have towbar prep but several places quoted a higher price to fit a towbar if I had towbar prep.
All or nothing when it comes to a towbar decision on a new order would be my advice.

 

[willwander]

My previous Cali had a towbar, my current one does not. Couple of other pros & cons. Pro = If you have dogs it’s a great place to hitch their leads while you sort them out at the back. Con = If you ever clout your shin on it you will curse it like a sailor

 

[Alan Andrews]

My previous Cali had a towbar, my current one does not. Couple of other pros & cons. Pro = If you have dogs it’s a great place to hitch their leads while you sort them out at the back. Con = If you ever clout your shin on it you will curse it like a sailor

Yes I have clouted my shin a few times.

I have also used it a couple of times to help a stranded motorist....remembering to carry a tow rope amongst everything else.

 

[Swislon]

We have had a tow bar fitted to our last three cars to carry the bikes. It was a pain to carry on the roof even though the bikes were relatively light. Even though they were detachable I kept them on permanently. The first one we had was difficult to put on after a few weeks of rain as things got a bit rusty and tight so just left it attached. I thought about having an aftermarket one for our on order Ocean as cheaper but decided it might invalidate the warranty. No idea if it would but not taking the chance.

 

[Madhutter]

Had our Ocean on order for a while now, so plenty of time to ponder stuff. The towbar is the only thing slightly bugging me still.....We don't intend on towing anything and never have, but this will be a keeper so you never know. I am a cyclist and like taking my bike abroad to cycle up some proper mountains, so I guess it could be useful then, although I'm still not keen on sticking my bike on the back of a van! (I'm never that happy cycling up said mountains either, the idea just sounds great but the reality ain't!!)

Anyway, if the dealer is ok with changing my order, which hopefully they will be as I'm just adding something and I haven't got a build date yet....what do I need? I've looked on the configurator and "Trailer Assist" is £576, "Towbar Preparation including Trailer Stabilisation" is £264, and "Towbar removable and lockable including Trailer Stabilisation" is £768

Any advice for a towbar newbie much appreciated thanks

Just beware that whilst the tow bar can be useful in fending off other cars in car parks you can get caught out as I did in a multi-storey when I backed into a space and the tow bar slipped under the crash barrier hooking me proper! On my own I had to release the handbrake and bounce the back of the van whilst pushing forward... as it broke free i then had to jump in and brake before it headed off down an incline...

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Just beware that whilst the tow bar can be useful in fending off other cars in car parks you can get caught out as I did in a multi-storey when I backed into a space and the tow bar slipped under the crash barrier hooking me proper! On my own I had to release the handbrake and bounce the back of the van whilst pushing forward... as it broke free i then had to jump in and brake before it headed off down an incline...

That would have earned you some money on ‘you’ve been framed’

 

[westfalia]

I've got the removable one that i never remove, only to grease it
so that it will come out easy when someone wants to nick it.

 

[acalladine]

As an alternative perspective - I wouldn't sweat it if you don't go for the VW option at this point. I had an aftermarket company fit a Westfalia removable towbar to my van for £400 all-in and that was including doing all the electrics.

That's excellent value, if you don't mind me asking who was the aftermarket company who did that work?

 

[PhilR]

My previous Cali had a towbar, my current one does not. Couple of other pros & cons. Pro = If you have dogs it’s a great place to hitch their leads while you sort them out at the back. Con = If you ever clout your shin on it you will curse it like a sailor

We do have dogs and I'd never thought of that!

Anyway, thanks for all the great advice everyone.
I've been in touch with Guy at Preston and he has confirmed it is ok to add the towbar to our order, so I've done it.

 

[Welshbeach]

My advice would be order trailer prep only and put the hitch on later, the westfalia detachable one or the Oris detach if you need more towball clearance as the Oris is about 30 mm further out from bumper which is great for bike racks and allow the tail gate to open when bike rack fitted

 

[Wildcamper]

My advice would be order trailer prep only and put the hitch on later, the westfalia detachable one or the Oris detach if you need more towball clearance as the Oris is about 30 mm further out from bumper which is great for bike racks and allow the tail gate to open when bike rack fitted

My advice would be order trailer prep only and put the hitch on later, the westfalia detachable one or the Oris detach if you need more towball clearance as the Oris is about 30 mm further out from bumper which is great for bike racks and allow the tail gate to open when bike rack fitted

We have the detachable Westfalia, fitted by PF Jones, and with the Pro-User Diamant SG2 Plus bike rack the tailgate opens fully.

 

[Velma's Dad]

My advice would be order trailer prep only and put the hitch on later, ...

I wouldn't. No point IMO paying £264 for some extra wiring that the aftermarket towbar fitters won't ever use when you come to get a towbar. When I got quotes for my towbar (as I said above, £400 all-in for genuine Westfalia) they never asked if I had 'VW trailer prep', because (as someone else mentioned above) the aftermarket fitters just wire it from scratch.

 

[Kernowboy]

That’s a cracking price you got there. Best I could find last summer was c.£650 from the likes of PF Jones etc. Being in Cornwall doesn’t help though, limited options/ extended travel to fit. All the advice I’ve had concurs with yours; either get it fitted at factory or leave it for after market entirely ie. limited value in half way measures.

 

[Velma's Dad]

That’s a cracking price you got there. Best I could find last summer was c.£650 from the likes of PF Jones etc. Being in Cornwall doesn’t help though, limited options/ extended travel to fit. All the advice I’ve had concurs with yours; either get it fitted at factory or leave it for after market entirely ie. limited value in half way measures.

I didn't shop around much, was just lucky with a local trailer specialist, I guess they had some workshop hours to fill. But anyway it hasn't fallen off yet.

(Although I've blown TWO trailer tyres in past year, one of them also trashing the tyre on the adjacent axle and taking out the whole mudguard. Oh well.)

 

[Calimili]

well this would be another use if in need of extra space, and the tailgate will still open: