A6 Avant towbar fitting

[SimonP]

Hi - I have a A6 Avant Final Edition - last of the C5 I believe. Would like some info on towbar fitting. There are many suppliers out there and it seems straightforward enough mechanically to fit (!). But there is little info on electrics

Any advice - help - tips would be appreciated

Thanks

Simon

[Niall76]

I don't have a tow bar but would be interested to hear how youget on as I'm thinking of fitting one later in the year.

Anyway - your best bet for info on the electrics could well be a caravan website

[wacky77]

right lads literally just fitted a westfalia detachable towbar myself to a '99 1.9tdi avant and here it is,

1/ you need to lift the cover off the boot floor, on the avant you need to first remove the boot sides, there are 2 screws each side where the load cover fits and you will need to remove the pegs that the seat backs clip onto, you will need a 17mm DEEP socket, heavily cranked ring spanner or some good stilsons! dont forget to disconnect the 12v 'cigarette lighter' suppy on the left panel, unscrew the load net clips and then the panels clip off. This is necessary because the boot floor has to lift up and towards the front of the car to get it out. This means the other pair of load net covers also need removing! (the boot floor is a thick polestyrene which isn't actually fastened down itself.)

2/the rear bumper needs removing. This is achieved by removing two torx screws in each rear wheel arch at the bottom, two 10mm nuts under each rear light cluster from inside the boot (two per side) and then three 10mm bolts per side from inside the boot, near the back of of the light clusters where the bumper meets the rear quater. Personally I found it much easier with the rear light clusters completely removed. Once you've removed all these the bumper will pull back away from the car with some gentle force.

3/ the bumper bar needs removing. This is easy, two 10mm bolts per side and what appears to be a temp sensor stuck to the right hand top side which simply pulls up and off.

4/Bumper mounts need removing. The round metal bars you are now left with prodruding from the chassis legs are removed by undoing the two silver 17mm bolts per side inside the boot, you will not need these bumper mounts again as the tow bar replaces these.

5/Now it is time to slot the towbar into the chassis legs, exactly where the bumper mounts were, simply line it up and push it in, note the bars of the towbar are longer than the bumper mounts and push further in, you should be able to line the holes up and use the new bolts supplied with the towbar through the holes left from the bumper mounts. Now, further into the boot there is a 3rd hole per side which is blocked up with what appears to be underseal, you can make out the holes though and when you've located them just push the extra set of bolts through, no need to drill as the hole in the metal already exists.
Now, from underneath the car you will see where these bolts are poking through the chassis legs, in my kit was supplied a pair of brackets which you rivet onto the chassis legs under these bolts, for them to be bolted into. The rivet holes already exist on the car, though you may need to poke around the underseal using the bracket as a guide to locate the holes. (the rivets offer no support and are just there to keep the brackets on)

6/ drill a hole for the wiring for the towbar and feed the wire through into the boot

7/ Now offer the metal bumper bar up to the towbar, which now provides the mounting points. Trim the bumper bar where necesarry and refit, same for the plastic over bumper if necessary remembering where all the nuts go when refitting.

8/put the whole lot back together in reverse order, wiring diagrams etc can usually be found on towbar sites this is simply the towbar fitting procedure.

It took me a while to fit but I had no instruction, isn't too long a procedure when you know what you're doing, what tools you need and what you actually need to remove.

Good luck!

[wacky77]

ah rite sorry, electrics lol.
You will need a 7 way bypass relay which basically means that only a very tiny amount of electriciy is used from your cars light wiring circuit to light the trailer lights up, the relay requires its own 12v feed which you can use wire into your boots cigarette lighter This relay is necessary so as not to confuse your driver info computer with regard to lamp falure warning etc.
Havent actually got the wiring diagram handy however when you buy the relay it will come with the necessary diagrams and is easy to fit

[webchem]

That sounds really really complex. I am sure its not as bad as it sounds. Thinking of fitting one soon for a bike rack, I think I will get a little man in!

:-)

[wacky77]

yeah, it is a bit much but it is easier than it sounds really, I just wanted to cover all the details in those instructions as I couldn't find any anywhere and it would have made the job that much easier. You also need to cut a small semi circle into the metal bumper and plastic bumper cover which you cant see but are necessary to clear the towbar.
I've fitted a few towbars to various cars and this one has been the most involving, usually they just bolt up underneath with minimal stripping down of the car.
I'm pretty handy with a socket set and it took me about 5 hours spread over two evenings at a steady pace, it would have been about 3 if I'd really pushed and had some instruction on fitting it, like I say it isn't a difficult task and personally I prefer to do these things myself as that way I know for certain the job has been done properly.

[Niall76]

Top work there fella. Thanks for that. Very handy indeed as I'll be fitting one in the near future. Although I really didn't want to cut the bumper....

[wacky77]

it may depend on the towbar you get as to wether or not the bumper needs cutting, I think you can get them where no cut is needed but I think they'e the fixed type. I've fitted a westfalia detachable type and the cut to the bumper isn't visible with the car on the ground, its a very neat system as there is absolutely no visible part of the towbar until you connect the actual ball to it, even if you peer under the car. Even the electrical socket sits behind the bumper and simply flips down when needed.
The bumper cut is about 1inch deep and 6 inch wide on mine, on the lip that folds under. Mine was necessary to clear the part of the ball you slot up into the recess bar and the flip down socket. Should o took some strip down and rebuild pics really, isn't hindsight fantastic.

[wacky77]

here's a link for 12n socket wiring-
http://www.western-towing.co.uk/acatalog/Trailer_12N_wiring_diagram.html

[avanted]

just fitted a westfalia with removable ball, following wacky's instructions, TOP CLASS info
cheers

[Mexico]

Hi, you don't need a bumper cut to fit a Bosal detachable to a 2003 A6 Avant LE.

I completely agree with Wacky77 about fitting it yourself, mine was dealer fitted and has just come loose. As I have no instructions I couldn't figure out how the boot floor came out, (mine is ply under the carpet as well as polystyrene). Thanks again for the comprehensive instructions, I will try to sort it out tonight.

The fitter also put the relay box in the floor of the well on the nearside, so when the washer pipe blew off in the winter (do they all do that ?) it soaked the box with screen wash and blew a considerable number of fuses and destroyed the box. I now put that washer pipe connector in a long thin zip lock bag which catches any surplus screen wash & relocated the relay to sit above the Sat Nav unit

I also don't have the original bumper irons so I guess the bar will have be sold with the car.

[wacky77]

No problem, the rear washer's on most audi/vw cars have a metal tube poking thru the wiper spindle, when the wiper wipes this tube is supposed to stay still, producing a steady jet in the centre of the rear window.
however, given time it bonds itself to the spindle so if your washer jet moves with the wiper you are likely to eventually end up with a tailgate full of fluid as the rubber pipe works its way off the metal one. There are kits available to rectify this, think I've seen some on ebay.

[katie68]

wacky, where you based - don't fancy fitting mine do you, i'll supply the tea :biglaugh:

[wacky77]

lol, I live in Dewsbury not far from Leeds, I'll fit one for you cheap although if you follow those instructions you can't go far wrong. It isn't complicated most of it is just unbolting and rebolting parts to give access to the area to fit the towbar.
I've also replaced most of the front suspension, the rear calipers and done a DIY repair on the fragile plastic clips that hold the window glass in which break and stop them winding up properly (a common problem on A6's apparently)- Audi dealers want to sell you the complete window mechanism and frame for the sake of two small plastic clips- one self tapping screw per clip repairs them permanently which is definately cheaper!

[gladholm]

and done a DIY repair on the fragile plastic clips that hold the window glass in which break and stop them winding up properly (a common problem on A6's apparently)-

WOW Please tell me more how to do this...

[Mexico]

Katie, Towcraft in Rowley Regis do an excellent job. They charge about 100 on top of the cost of the bar.

HTH .... Tony

[wacky77]

gladholm-
1/remove the door card (one black screw each end near the top, then lift the complete inner trim from the door, disconnect all the wiring etc)

2/ there are four silver torx bolts holding the black aluminium glass frame and glass in, the lower two have wedges, make a note of the the position of these wedges then remove all the torx bolts and lift the whole unit out of the door. (make sure you disconect the wiring from the mirror and window motor)

3/ You can now see some green (or blue) clips holding the glass on at its lower edge, two more torx screws and the glass can be removed.

4/Now you can see two clips with the winder cables running through them, the cable has some metal tubes crimped on which locate in the clips and move the clips up and down, which in turn moves the glass. If your windows are lowering ok but not rising properly it is likely one of these clips has snapped where the wire 'tubes' locate, thus not actually able to lift the glass. Both driver and passenger door of mine needed doing, tho only the forward clips on each side had snapped.

5/ What you now need is one self tapper per damaged clip, and a suitable drill as a pilot hole is necessary or it is likely the brittle clip will just split.
Looking at the clip you will be able to see where the bit has snapped off that the cable pulls on to lift the glass, you need to fit the screw in place of this bit of plastic. With the cable in place in the clip mark a hole where the cable will be able to pull on the screw WITHOUT pulling past it, drill a pilot hole then fit the clip to the wire, then screw the screw in, job done.

6/ in time honoured tradition of haynes manuals refitting is the reverse of removal! As long as the screw is positioned properly this cheap repair is permenant. I did both my front doors a year ago and have had no problems. Ask Audi dealers in the UK for these clips and they'll tell you you have to buy the whole aluminium glass surround!! (apparently audi USA dealers WILL supply these clips, however they'll probably just break again).

As with the towbar fitment, this job is easier than it sounds I just like to try be as thorough as possible with instructions.

Good luck

[katie68]

I can change a beetle engine in 10 minutes and did the rear suspension on the BM a couple of years ago which was a nightmare (self levelling) but I'm getting too lazy to mess about under cars. It's going to have a cam belt change on Monday, I spoke to the previous owner last Saturday, he's had the car since 2003, it's done 67K and 10 years old, nobody bothered to replace it, muppets! The belt will last a long time but the bearings will sieze, probably when I'm doing the speed limit down the motorway he-he-he.

Kx

[gladholm]

Pictures/slideshow of my Avant towbar bumper removal and panel removal:

http://a6-bumper-removal.blogspot.com/

Hope they help.

[Adi...]

Anyone know how to get the towbar electrics to work with the cars original electrics and show up the light on the dash? I have a 2002 a6 avant 1.9tdi. Towbar fitted ok, electrics were conciderably harder! No instructions though :(

[PFJones]

All towbars (http://www.pfjones.co.uk) and electrics kits are backed by a freephone helpline

buy from PF Jones get a problem during a self fit and a time served NTTA trained towbar fitter will be on the other end of the phone guiding you through any issues you may be facing.

Please please dont bother to call if you have bought from one of the other towbar companies that dont offer this service. As you may get offended when the operator ends the call without answering your questions.

[ozskins]

great posts guys thank you all

[slacky]

fitted a basol towbar, along with twin electrics,(1 for fridge supply), seemed pretty straight forward,however i had tried to see if i already had a towbar fitted , nothing showing at all ,mind you the plastic valance does carry on
quite a long way. anyway took the bumper off and saw the bumper iron for the first time, guess what it had the socket /hole ready to take the audi swan neck lock on system :aargh4: ,including the plate to house the 13pin socket but no actual electrics... the plastic hadn't even been cut,perhaps i
should have rang audi uk and asked exactly which options had been fitted to my car at manufacture.
As i'd already bought everything i needed i decided to go with that.
so now i have an audi bumper iron ready to fit the audi detachable
swan neck, if any one is interested?.
So were ready to give it a go , going to france next saturday :beerchug:

[PFJones]

Here are some fitted images of a Westfalia detachable towbar (http://www.pfjones.co.uk) for an Audi A6 supplied, towbar fitting manchester (http://www.pfjones.co.uk) at P F Jones Ltd.


http://www.pfjones.co.uk/images/a61.jpg

http://www.pfjones.co.uk/images/a62.jpg

http://www.pfjones.co.uk/images/a63.jpg

http://www.pfjones.co.uk/images/a64.jpg

http://www.pfjones.co.uk/images/a65.jpg


The bumper cut is minimal and cannot be seen unless you venture underneath the vehicle, it is what is known as an invisible bumper cut.

[dp67bug]

is that a westi bar or a witter ? mine hasnt a blue handle.

[PFJones]

is that a westi bar or a witter ? mine hasnt a blue handle.

It is a witter bar if you need Westfalia we have three different websites where you can purchase

Audi A6 Towbar (http://www.auditowbars.com/audi-towbars/audi-a6-towbars.html)

Audi A6 Towbar (http://www.pfjones.co.uk/tow-bars/audi-towbars/audi-a6-towbars.html)

Audi A6 Towbar (http://www.detachabletowbars.com/detachable-towbars-best-price-for-a-detachable-towbar/audi-detachable-towbars/audi-a6-detachable-towbars.html)

[famous geezer]

What would be the best type to fit on a 2004 A4 1.9TDi Avant?

[PFJones]

Hi,

The towbar i would recommend for your vehicle is the westfalia detachable please visit our site or call us on 08000354299 Thanks Dale

[bambamjj]

Highly recommend the WestFalia for the A4. I took of my Witter bar recently as it looked untidy. Fantastsic service from PF Jones too.

Witter Bar

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff510/bambamjj/Car/P1000952.jpg


Westfalia

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff510/bambamjj/Car/Westfalia/P1010077.jpg