Volkswagen

Volkswagen T6.1 Transporter with Tow Trust detachable towbar

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This 2023 VW T6.1 Transporter detachable tow bar was fitted at our premises in Horndean, near Havant in Hampshire. We fitted a Tow Trust towbar and Right Connections 13 pin dedicated electrics which is 'full function' for towing a caravan and powering the fridge and leisure battery whilst driving.

By using the dedicated, vehicle-specific wiring and diagnostic coding, it not only activates the towing features built in by the manufacturer but also maintains the vehicle warranty.

Once the wiring kit had been fitted, we use battery support equipment to ensure the battery remains at a constant voltage when coding. The vehicle's software is updated through our Complete Diagnostics Online Coding tool to activate towing related safety features when a caravan, bike rack or trailer is plugged in. These features include:

Bulb failure monitoring - the trailer indicators are integrated into the vehicle's bulb fail system, alerting the driver to a trailer bulb failure through a notification on the dash.
Trailer Stability Programme - this safety feature is an extension of the vehicle's Electronic Stability Programme. Using sensors built into the vehicle, it detects any "snaking" from the trailer and brings it back under control by applying the brakes individually on the car.
Reversing sensor cut-out - the reversing sensors on the vehicle are automatically deactivated and the vehicle shows a trailer symbol on the dash board when reversing – it shows on the infotainment screen.
Fog cut-out - the vehicle fog light is deactivated when towing to avoid glare from the fog light reflecting back into the car.

The owner of this amazing VW Transporter will be using the detachable tow bar for a bike rack and maybe a caravan in the spring and summer months. The detachable tow bar option is really neat on this Volkswagen camper and is easy to attach like we've shown in the video.

Volkswagen Touareg 2021 with Tow Trust detachable towbar

This 2021 Volkswagen Touareg tow bar was fitted at our premises in Horndean, Hampshire.

We fitted a Tow Trust detachable tow bar and 13 pin vehicle specific wiring and carried out an online, remote diagnostic coding. This customer wanted to be able to tow their caravan when going on holiday and also had electric bikes that they wanted to carry on a bike rack for day trips out. They use a Thule bike rack which we also supplied previously.

They wanted a detachable tow bar so it was neat and invisible when not in use, but safe and secure when towing their caravan or using the Thule bike rack.

The caravan and bike rack have a 13-pin plug so we fitted 13-pin electrics, using a vehicle specific wiring kit to connect directly to the manufacturer designed connections and maintain the vehicle warranty. We carried out an online diagnostic coding process to activate towing features built in by Volkswagen. The coding activated the following features:

Trailer Stability Programme, which is an important safety feature designed to detect if the caravan or trailer is ‘snaking’.
Bulb-failure notifications on the dash, which is the same as the manufacturer installation.
Deactivation of rear parking sensors when connecting the caravan, trailer or bike rack.
Automatic tailgate opening deactivation - this feature is designed for bike racks. It deactivates the automatic opening of the tailgate from either the button inside the vehicle or the button on the key when plugged in. This avoids the potential for the tailgate to accidentally open into the bike rack.
Fog cut-out - the vehicle fog light is deactivated when towing to avoid glare from the fog light reflecting back into the car.