A4 Towbar preparation

[vincentbob]

I just ordered my A4 170 Avant S-line, and it has been confirmed that it will be to the 2010 spec, which I am told includes towbar preparation. I had intended to have one fitted as standard; the brochure I have does not list the 2010 updates, but when I saw the cost, being tight decided to have it done aftermarket.
Does anyone know what this preparation includes, I asked the salesman but he didn't have a clue. I suspect it ties me into Audi where I have to buy a £500 hook or something, compared to a £250 job starting from scratch?
The Audi site sheads no light on the subject.

Thanks in advance.

[a8 tech]

Currently b8 a4 and a5 require modified cooling fans and wiring to prevent overheating of the engine,please don't fit a tow bar without checking with your dealer.There is a contribution from Audi to modify the vehicle so tow bar can be used but if you go ahead without checking the warranty will be void.Please contact your local Audi dealer and ask them to refer to the Audi desktop bulletin on this subject.

[vincentbob]

Good god, cooling what?. As I said, the dealers I bought the car from were unaware of what is involved. If what you say is right then that probably expalins why the brochure I have specifies a price of £635 to fit a towbar.
Looks like I will have to keep the old Passat for when I need to take the pigs to market.

[Red 2]

Very interesting A8, Just out of curiosity, I presume that the A4's potential cooling problem is just limited to instances when it is towing?

Not going to add a towbar but our A4 will be working quite hard on a summer holiday in what will hopefully be hot central Europe. No issues for non-towing hard use? Cheers.

[a8 tech]

Hello Red
No issue without the tow bar and your cooling system will work flawlessly,if a tow bar is retro fitted then modifications are required which Audi contribute to the modification.I will not post the details as i think its important that the owner contacts there local dealer as i haven't the time to answer every query on this subject and its there job to provide the explanation and pros and cons,however there should no issue with the retro fit and the cost isn't passed to the customer as Audi pick the modification bill up to allow the vehicle to tow enabled.You just pay for the tow bar as normal

[Red 2]

Thanks A8.

Only have to worry about 'she who must be obeyed' overheating then..pity Audi can't cure that!:biglaugh:

[vincentbob]

Thanks for the information, I will have to speak to someone on the service side to find out what work is required, and as the car is ordered now I will wait until I collect it.
However, I have fitted tow bars to several vehicles in the past and have never had to do anything to the engine cooling which must suggest that the cooling as standard is more marginal than is the norm.
When Audi say they are making towbar preparation a standard fitment, are they including in this preparation cooling improvements, or are they just installing part of the bracketry required?, if so then that is very generous of them.
There are already several towbar kits available, including one from Westfallia, claimed to be suppliers to Audi of original equipment. Westfallia's kit costs about £225 and the instructions do not mention any need to improve the vehicles cooling system.

[a8 tech]

Depending on the model type.Without the modified cooling fans and loom plus the convenience control unit the engine will over heat under the extra load so therefore westfallia who supply the tow bars for Audi should be fully aware of this when retro fitting,also additional charge circuit is required for the fridge etc for the UK market,can you tell i have done a few.lol

[The Polisher]

Thank you so much for this useful info on this subject.

I have a new A4 S line Exec Avant Tdi on order and I was going to just have a towbar fitted by my towbar dealer.......... after reading this, I did some investigation!

Audi have confirmed that the vehicle needs modified cooling system, uprated alterantor and wiring upgrades before a bar can be fitted. The cost of this is about £2000.

The £1500 Audi contributon only applies to cars built in 2008, so new 2009 models do not qualify!!

Luckily, I managed to change my order and have the factory fit towbar (£635) added onto my order (no build date yet!)

I wonder how audi can get away with selling a car, with no notice ANYWHERE, that the car cannot be used for towing without a couple of grands worth of mods (before you even get the bar fitted!) as it doesn't say any of this in the brochure or the website........... infact, my dealer didn't know and I had to print off this page and show it to him before he looked in the desktop thingys noted above.... then he found it!!

So, huge thank you A8 Tech for the heads up........... also, I chose the colour off this forum....... gone for Lava Grey as in the picture of the lava grey S line estate a few posts before!

[a8 tech]

Thank you for your comments.

[Red 2]

Yup, thanks to A8 tech for putting us right. Wonder what the real effects turned out to be for early A4s without the mods...a few German A4/caravans with hot and bothered cars perhaps?

Not towing but if the mother in law is in the back :firedevil, will I need the car's cooling system (and mine) reinforced?:biglaugh: :biglaugh::biglaugh:

[jakerade]

It does concern me that Audi have either dropped a bollock here or moved things on so much that you cannot fit a normal towbar. (I suspect the former)

If i wander down to Audi do you think they will give me the mods without buying a towbar from them?

This one could either keep Audi customer services busy for a while if people decide to start returning their cars or the dealers busy retrofitting the parts.

[a8 tech]

most after market tow bars not affiliated to Audi are crude and crap,trust me i sort a lot out for local tow bar bandits and there dodgy wiring lol
Get it done proper with proper parts

[jakerade]

most after market tow bars not affiliated to Audi are crude and crap,trust me i sort a lot out for local tow bar bandits and there dodgy wiring lol
Get it done proper with proper parts

I actually agree with you and dont want a piece of RSJ sticking out of me bumper. The official audi tow bar is probably the way to go.

I was just exercising my right to think about owning a **** £200 towbar without having to spend £2000 with Audi because of a potentially design flaw...

So what i am thinking is will they fit the tow bar prep without buying the tow bar?

I suspect Audi's contribution may not be open for ever and does it affect the resale value of the car - eg in 3 yrs time can you fit a tow bar to a 2010 car but you can't to a 2008/09 without shelling out 2k?

[mrmarc]

hi
I happen to have one of these a4 that require a upgrade to cooling fans and electrical systems to be able to tow and the total price is £3000 but Audi contribute £1500 so the cost is no more than £1500 to the customer but I still think its too much. Audi tell me there is 13 hours of labour involved then the costs of the parts,and I can't have the upgrade done without having Audi fit the tow bar. a man at Audi customer care went on to say after I said that the car was flawed that "the new Audi a4 was not designed for a tow bar to be fitted" which I think is utter bull.

[vincentbob]

When I ordered my A4 I mentioned to the salesman that I wanted to tow, but I decided not to pay the high price in the brouchure, I planned to have an after market one fitted as I have done before.
I have since learned of this problem with the car, and am aware that the MY2010 car has been modified with respect to the problem, but have been unable to discover what the mods involve.
Perhaps the cooling and electrical mods have been incorporated into the standard specification, so allowing fitting of aftermarket systems, does anyone know?

[jakerade]

sounds like a petition to audi is required here - shall we go an blockade their milton keynes head quarters?

On a serious note this is ridiculous! When the car is 3yrs old and some one wants to buy one of these are they going to shell out £3000? How much are audi charging an hour for this work?

[mrmarc]

hi for your £1500 you get a new fan cowl a 600 watt fan and a 400 watt fan tow bar, wiring and fitting. Audi are probably paying for labour and you are paying for parts but id phone the parts department ask the price of a tow bar make sure they check using your reg number and they will be able to tell you if you need the mod's at all.

[jakerade]

hi for your £1500 you get a new fan cowl a 600 watt fan and a 400 watt fan tow bar, wiring and fitting. Audi are probably paying for labour and you are paying for parts but id phone the parts department ask the price of a tow bar make sure they check using your reg number and they will be able to tell you if you need the mod's at all.

Very generous of them but i would point out in the March 2008 Price guide it shows the max trailer weight for a 2.0Tdi as 1900Kg on an 8 degree slope. There is mention of reduced top speed and fuel consumption on the page but nothing of a £3000 modification with contribution! The tow bar is listed as £650 factory fitted so i dont think it would be unreasonable to expect you could fit an aftermarket tow bar. There is obviously a flaw with the car.

I also wonder whether any of the early cars with factory fitted towbars have all this lot fitted or whether there have been some problems?

[jakerade]

looks like ipswich audi will do it for a grand - interesting info on page 10

http://www.ipswich-audi.co.uk/parts_and_accessories/brochures/A4%20B8%20Accessories.pdf

[n0v]

Hi,

Can anyone help.

People here seem to have a lot of knowledge on the cooling issues when fitting a tow bar to a 2009 A4. I only found out by accident as i almost got p j jones to fit a tow bar.

Audi have told me it would be £1500 and that i require extra cooling etc. is this around the right price and can anything be done as to me is seems a basic requirement for a car that is stated to tow 2100kg to be able to do it without paying a fortune.

Lots of cars now coming on to the second hand market could be braking down due to not even knowing about this, is it not a possible recall case! For Audi to have fixed it on 2010 versions onwards seems strange.

Any help or light anyone can shed on this would be most helpful.

Thanks

n0v

[ScottyUK]

I'd suggest it depends what you're towing. If it's just a jet ski then the extra load probably won't make any difference. It's it's a large caravan then don't go anywhere hot! ;)

[n0v]

To begin with i want to carry bikes, so no load and to be honest probably no issue. But say i sell it and someone buys it and tows a large caravan and it goes bang i would feel bad. If i purchased it say and it was me it went bang on i would be livid. I just think this is a very poor situation that will catch a lot of people out. Also why sell a car and then alter the models 12 months later to allow what really is basic functionality of a A4 to be different to the 09 version. It begs the question should Audi allow this to happen as it could cause quite a big issue over the next couple of years. I don't know the legalities, there maybe nothing that can be done but everyone with this issue should be contacted and offered some way to fix it for the customers and Audi. I can see this being on watchdog in the future, buying a car that requires significant modification to tow something seems pretty bad! It is like buying a soft top and finding it comes with no hood as you should not be taking it out in the rain!!!

Cheers

n0v

[The Polisher]

If its a 143Tdi, then the tow weight is only about 1500kg max..... not 2100kg!

I opted to go for the factory fit towbar when I ordered mine, as this took care of the cooling issues at the same time. After 2010, then towbar prep is standard.

As I understood it, its not just cooling upgrade, but also upgrade on the electrics (heavy duty alternator and wiring to cope with the extra load)

As said before, depends what you are towing. If you're going up to the 1500kg mark with a big caravan, then I would say the full upgrade is vital. If its just a little van, small trailer, bikes etc......... then it should be ok.

Suggest you talk to PFJones on here for some non-bias real advice!

[Noz1]

Hi
This is my first post on here quite worried now I put a deposit down on a 2009 A4 170 S Line Avant last weekend and I'm due to pick it up as soon as I get my plates retention certificate for my current car.

The reason I'm worried is that this car is fitted with a tow bar, I don't intend to tow anything and was actually going to remove the tow bar, but maybe the previous owner just had an aftermarket tow bar and towed without the mods could the car be damaged now? How can I check the tow bar is genuine Audi and that the modifications have been carried out?

Thanks

[n0v]

This was one of my concerns that this may happen, lots of people just could have no idea that they could have a problem and unintentionally damage their car.

If it was factory fitted then in the service book are the codes and i think 1M1 is tow bar preperation. See if it has that.

I have called Audi today and waiting on a call back, i am keen to hear what they say. The person i spoke to understood my concerns and has esculated it.

It seems very unfair that people buying a car can be put in such a strange position. You generally check the weight you can tow, have a tow bar fitted and off you go. This is putting people in a position where they could potentially break down and cause an problem or even an accident without knowing there was ever a problem.

Has anyone heard of any other cars where something similar has been an issue???

cheers

n0v

[ScottyUK]

Audi C.S. should be able to answer this.

When I got mine it was around the time they dropped the towbar preparation from the standard build. I think they only brought it in for a while.

Whilst I had/have no intention of fitting a towbar I wanted to know in case the situation changed. A quick call to Audi C.S. and then they called back saying I had the prep.