Thinking of a Touareg as a tow vehicle for a boat..

[WipeOut]

I have heard that a Touareg MUST have a factory fitted tow bar because an after market one will have issues with the stability control.. Anyone know anything about this?

Also I am looking at the 2.5 and 3.0 TDI models.. Is there a big difference between them? Seems to be a lot of 2.5's around so they were ovbiously pretty popular.. Far fewer 3.0's around..

What things should I be looking out for when looking at them?

Thanks..

[c4a5er]

No that's not strictly true. Yes if you have a factory installation with a trailer detection unit connecting the trailer modifies the ESP, this is the same for any modern car and is considered an advantage. That doesn't mean you have 'issues' if you use a retrofitted/aftermarket installation, you just don't gain that advantage.
The Touareg is a very capable towcar and it would take a lot to upset one unless of course your a complete numpty behind the wheel.
I had a 2.5tdi with a retofitted detachable towbar with just standard bypass electrics, it was incredibly stable when pulling my 1500kg c'van.

3.0tdi V6 is obviously better than the 5 cylinder 2.5tdi PD engine but the trusty 2.5 is a good plodder and a touareg is not for rushing about in anyway. :D

[WipeOut]

Thnaks that's all good to hear.. I think it's the car for me just have to track down the right one at the right price now.. Want to skip the £500 tax bracket so either a 2005 model or a 2010 model.. Just have to see whats around and what I can afford if going for the newer one..

[c4a5er]

Auto is best, in fact a manual version is relatively rare. early autos suffered premature valve body wear (should be sorted by 2005) but check that gearchanges are smooth with no harshness/banging into gear particularly on downshifts. Propshaft centre bearing mount can fail (around 50/60k) giving severe vibration so check if it has been replaced recently. VW replace the whole shaft (£1k) but other companies will split the shaft and renew the mount (about £250)

Some 2.5tdi suffered from exhaust leak from between turbo and exhaust manifold caused by distortion of the turbo flange so avoid if you hear the exhaust blowing in the engine bay.
Good Luck...

[WipeOut]

Great info.. Thanks.. Would like to get the 3.0L auto which seems like the best one to me.. There are a few 5.0L around but although ridiculously powerful and would tow anything with ease it would be too expensive to run daily and the 2.5L I have read has to work a little hard so 3.0 seems perfect.. Obviously everyone else seems to think so too so the prices of the 3.0 are a little higher than the others.. I'll just keep an eye on in and be patient, not in a hurry, and the right one will come along..

[adamss24]

How heavy is the boat your're thinking to tow with ? I would consider the allroad 2.5 v6 tdi as well- the 180 Bhp final edition will tow anything and i will rather look for a manual gearbox ! Fuel economy in the high 30 Mpg and £290 a year road tax makes it a no brainer ! With a remap it will go to over 210 Bhp and 450 Nm of torque so it will tow anything ! Throw a set of larger nozzles and larger turbo and it will embarrass many cars as well !

[WipeOut]

I've looked at most options and the towing weight limit is the problem.. Boat and trailer plus gear and fuel will probably be in excess of 2.5T so only really the biggest cars that are allowed to tow that weight.. Of course the other option is get the boat first and see what I need but waiting for the current one (too big to tow) to sell which may take a while.. Also would probably feel safer pulling 2.5T with a car capable of towing 3.5T that one only rated at 2.5T..

[Cavanmick]

As far as i know the only thing rated to tow 3500kg is a Lawn Roller Defenceless or Discovery. Don't know what the toureg is rated for but it won't be 3500.

[WipeOut]

As far as i know the only thing rated to tow 3500kg is a Lawn Roller Defenceless or Discovery. Don't know what the toureg is rated for but it won't be 3500.

You are correct about the Land Rover..

Touareg and Jeep Grand Cherokee are also rated to 3500kg..
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[adamss24]

I've looked at most options and the towing weight limit is the problem.. Boat and trailer plus gear and fuel will probably be in excess of 2.5T so only really the biggest cars that are allowed to tow that weight.. Of course the other option is get the boat first and see what I need but waiting for the current one (too big to tow) to sell which may take a while.. Also would probably feel safer pulling 2.5T with a car capable of towing 3.5T that one only rated at 2.5T..

You will be surprised how well the allroad tows over 3.5 T ! Just to give you an example, i have a vw van LT 35 which does not tow as good as the allroad + it's longer so harder to park and with poor visibility as well. The allroad does not suffer with any of these issues, it has low range gearbox by default and will pull your weight without issues...

[Cavanmick]

Not too shabby then, honestly didn't think the toureg would be up to that, in that case I reckon the 3.0 will be the only job for it.

[c4a5er]

Maybe you should of said......Disclosure that you intend towing 2500kg makes a huge difference to what I would advise.

The manufacturers towing limit is 3500kg with a nose weight of 140kg. Forget the 5 cyl 2.5tdi, in my experience although 1500kg was effortless pulling another 1000kg will be too much. The 2.5 also has smaller brakes than the rest.

A V10 would be the best option but there aren't many good ones about and in any case running and maintaining one would likely bankrupt you.

So that leaves you with the 3.0 V6 tdi. Its kerbside weight is actually a little less, can't recall the exact figure, than the weight your towing.
Guidelines (but not law) say you should try not to tow more than 80% of the towcars kerbside weight to avoid instability but you'll be over 100%.
In this situation I would recommend the towing electrics use a dedicated trailer detection unit to be fully integrated with the vehicles ABS/ESP safety systems.

Problems to watch for when buying a V6 tdi of that era are timing chain rattle, injectors that cause smokey idle and often worn inlet manifold swirl flaps. All these can be expensive to rectify. Unsure about the swirl flap problems but the other issues were improved on later engines.

Good luck...

[YellowA4]

Hi,

Used to have a Regal 2650, 28ft Cuddy with a dry weight of 3200kgs. Towed with a Touareg 3.0 V6 TDI Auto. Was a great tow vehicle, boat dwarfed the car when it was on the trailer but would hardly know it was behind you on the M'way and was great for retrieval on steep slipways.


Great choice, but would deffo look for a V6 TDI!

[WipeOut]

Hi,

Used to have a Regal 2650, 28ft Cuddy with a dry weight of 3200kgs. Towed with a Touareg 3.0 V6 TDI Auto. Was a great tow vehicle, boat dwarfed the car when it was on the trailer but would hardly know it was behind you on the M'way and was great for retrieval on steep slipways.


Great choice, but would deffo look for a V6 TDI!

I got the 3.0 V6 and the boat and trailer are about 2.6T.. Tows like a dream.. Just need to get the nose weight down a bit but the power is plenty to pull boat..