Singing the Tow Bar Blues..........

[The Polisher]

:aargh4::aargh4::aargh4::aargh4::aargh4:

So, after all of the hoo-haa about towbars on new A4's, I decided it was safer to have the factory fit one.

Just tested it and found out that the charging circuit and the fridge circuit don't work!!!!

(this is the 13 pin socket for a caravan)

Checked it at our caravan dealer, tried 3 different vans, all the same.

So, this means it has not been wired up........... or wired up wrong, but my guess is they just haven't done this!!

Any thoughts?

Should Audi do this (my thinking is that it is a UK spec car, with a 13pin socket designed for new caravans)

Or, should I just get someone else (towbar place) to retro wire the circuits, or is this not advisable.......

Anyone know about this?

apart from that annoying thing, I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE my new Audi!!

[Jop]

if you think this should work but doesnt, then its either wired up wrong or you had been given the impression that it will be fully wired up as expected.

i'd be getting the dealer to do this FOC.

[ScottyUK]

Dealer would be my firt stop :(

[The Polisher]

Okay, been back to the supplying dealer and they are going to sort it, no problems.

They listened to my problem, asked a couple of questions and then agreed that it is not right and needs sorting....... at no cost.

Car booked in for 3 days. One day to diagnose and possibly order some parts, day for them to arrive, day to refit, and a loan car throw in.

Probably be an A4, but trying to wangle a Q7 out of them!!!

Fantastic service, couldn't have been more apologetic or helpful...... this is what I expect from a dealer but very rarely get. I must be to used to crappy Vauxhall dealers!

Anyway, South Hereford Audi, in....... um, well, Hereford! , gets a full thumbs up from me........ providing they do actually fix it!

[amandaa]

Okay, been back to the supplying dealer and they are going to sort it, no problems.

They listened to my problem, asked a couple of questions and then agreed that it is not right and needs sorting....... at no cost.

Car booked in for 3 days. One day to diagnose and possibly order some parts, day for them to arrive, day to refit, and a loan car throw in.

Probably be an A4, but trying to wangle a Q7 out of them!!!

Fantastic service, couldn't have been more apologetic or helpful...... this is what I expect from a dealer but very rarely get. I must be to used to crappy Vauxhall dealers!

Anyway, South Hereford Audi, in....... um, well, Hereford! , gets a full thumbs up from me........ providing they do actually fix it!

Did you ever get this sorted? I have noticed that mine is the same. No charging circuit and no electrics to the fridge. I was however supplied, by the dealer, with a 13 pin to 2 x 7 pin converter.

[The Polisher]

Semi-sorted.

The dealer and Audi UK have agreed to retro fit the required parts FOC, just waiting for parts to arrive from Germanyshire, and then a date to do it.

The splitter supplied by your dealer will only convert the 13pin to a standard 2 7 pins, ie, black one for trailer towing (lights at the back etc) and a grey lead (should be for reversing lights, fridge and battery charging) but these functions still won't work as there is nothing in the 13pin bit to supply it!

However, if you just want trailer lights then this fix will be fine.

Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, it should be done.

[amandaa]

Semi-sorted.

The dealer and Audi UK have agreed to retro fit the required parts FOC, just waiting for parts to arrive from Germanyshire, and then a date to do it.

The splitter supplied by your dealer will only convert the 13pin to a standard 2 7 pins, ie, black one for trailer towing (lights at the back etc) and a grey lead (should be for reversing lights, fridge and battery charging) but these functions still won't work as there is nothing in the 13pin bit to supply it!

However, if you just want trailer lights then this fix will be fine.

Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, it should be done.

Hi Thanks for the information. I will contact my dealer, because I also need the fridge, charging circuit and reversing lights to work. I still can't understand how Audi can supply a tow bracket and electrics and only have it part functioning. It's not that the model (B8) is brand new so you would have thought that this issue would have come up before. I wonder how many people are driving/towing with only part of their electric circuit working. It is only after seeing your post that I decided to check mine, having only taken delivery of the car in September. I have now rested my caravan up for the winter so I have some time to try to sort it out.

[The Polisher]

Talk to your supplying dealer........ I use South Hereford Audi and they have been excellent.

I mentioned things like, it doesn't say in the borchure, not in the handbook, dealer didn't know about the difference so how was I to know.

I also talked about "fit for purpose" etc, and this got it sorted for me FOC in the end.......

I also talked to Audi UK directly and placed a formal complaint about it, get a compaint number and things seemed to prgress quicker after that.

Let me know how you get on,

[amandaa]

Talk to your supplying dealer........ I use South Hereford Audi and they have been excellent.

I mentioned things like, it doesn't say in the borchure, not in the handbook, dealer didn't know about the difference so how was I to know.

I also talked about "fit for purpose" etc, and this got it sorted for me FOC in the end.......

I also talked to Audi UK directly and placed a formal complaint about it, get a compaint number and things seemed to prgress quicker after that.

Let me know how you get on,

Will do.

I have already sent an email to the dealer because I wanted to get something logged in writing. Unfortunately, I am going to be out of the country from next Monday for five weeks, so I am trying to at least start the process of getting it sorted. My dealer knew that I towed a caravan because it was discussed when I agreed a price for my trade in vehicle which already had a tow bracket fitted. So they cannot say that they did not know what the Audi tow bracket would be used for.

Thanks once again for your help

[divelandy]

Towed with the Audi for the first time at the weekend and noticed that some of the pins on the socket did not have connectors fitted. I can't remember seeing an option for the equivelent of 12N only. Looks like there's an install issue - a call to the dealers to resolve...

Apart from that, am very happy at the discreteness and ease of install of the towbar. DIS told me i had an indicator out and the reversing sensor's auto-disabled at the back when reversing. Hopefully, unlike the one on our Rav4, it won't seize...

EDIT: i came across the following http://www.a-tconsulting.co.uk/caravan_tech/13_pin_wiring_details.html which details:


A couple of our members with new Volkswagen Audi Group (VAG) cars found that their caravan’s fridges did not work whilst towing. The reason for this was that the relevant pins (10 & 11) in the cars’ 13 pin continental sockets were missing

[The Polisher]

Hi divelandy,

Same problem as me then!!

Mine is going into the dealer next week to have these parts retro fitted.

I was told that it would need to have the complete towbar wiring replaced, at a cost of about £700!!!..... needless to say, I told them where to shove that!

Good as their word, they are sorting it but simply changing the 13pin plug (you will notice that some of the pins are actually missing!!) to a full one and retro fitting the split charging relay.......... all done FOC.

This is probably the best answer for you, if your dealer won't help then let me know and I can pass on to you the name and number of the service guy at my dealer ship who might be able to advise your dealer ship how they solved it and got Audi UK to pay for it!!

BTW, how did the Audi tow?.... still not tried mine yet, waiting until this is fixed then taking the caravan to its winter home.

[divelandy]

Thanks for the information. I'm waiting for the dealer to get back to me and will use you as a ref.

It was very easy to launch and recover a boat in Torquay over the weekend.
LOTS of traction :) Not done a motorway run with the boat or caravan.

Got the 13pin to 12N and 12S connector today along with the pin detaile, which got me thinking about the missing pins :(

[The Polisher]

If you just need to tow a boat, then you might consider a cheaper, simpler adapter. I bought one from my caravan dealer a few weeks ago, its just a plastic plug in adaptor, no wires etc...... just to give trailer lights from the 13pin.

Might be eaiser for a boat............ I bought it as I have a little trailer to go to the tip in.............. the caravan is brand new and is already 13pin anyway.

[divelandy]

Audi kindly supplied me with a 13->7 pin adapter that i used for the boat last weekend. However, for the caravan, i need the twin.

[divelandy]

Not the response i expected:


I have spoken with my colleague today and he has advised that should you require you refrigerator to be charging while on the move then you will actually required some work being carried out on your tow bar. It is a 3 wire kit that you will require and this will enable this to happen. The cost for the part is £36.24 this includes Vat however due to the work that has to be carried out the last tow bar our centre carried the work out on the labour cost was for two hours however on your A4 Avant it could vary from this two hours. The labour charge £95 + Vat per hour of work carried out.

I really don't understand why this is not standard fit.

A call to customer services to get this resolved...

[a8 tech]

Old hat this kids.No factory fit towbar from Audi comes with the charge circuit for the Uk market
You need the retro fit charge circuit to add the pin and circuit but I did post this solution ages ago.If you go for the Audi after market tow bar retro fit kit then the kit is additional and I use the Q7 CHARGE KIT to alter 4F and 8k platforms for the uk fridge circuit and have done for ages.The factory do not add the charge circuit for uk market and the pin is not wired for all Audi platforms.I first resolved this for a senior member of the caravan club (clunge lover) 5 years ago for his 4F a6 Avant

To add, I also agree this is a bloody silly mistake from Audi not to pre wire this circuit from production and as the brochure lists twin electrics it should bloody come with full functionality

[bj59lga]

Hi All

anyone know if i can fit a tow bar to a new S4 i think it was on the options list but the car was built so i could not spec it.

regards

d

[divelandy]

The unhelpful answer i had was 255 (2 hour labour + 36 pound part) from Audi, or 86.25 from TSN (http://www.tsnltd.com/). Looks like it's plan B

[The Polisher]

That's a shame.

Mine was done last week by South Hereford Audi.... fully sorted by adding in a new 13pin socket and connecting the 2 charging circuit up via split charge relays.

All done and paid for by Audi UK...... so I now have a fully functioning 13 pin towbar and I didn't pay any extra.

Might be worth a chat with them..........?

[divelandy]

No factory fit towbar from Audi comes with the charge circuit for the Uk market

To add, I also agree this is a bloody silly mistake from Audi not to pre wire this circuit from production and as the brochure lists twin electrics it should bloody come with full functionality

The thing that get's me is that the connector is specified in an INTERNATIONAL STANDARD - ISO 11446 - this means it should not be a market based decision or a UK variation. The fact that other countries have not used all the wires in their caravans is not my concern.

TSN have now offered to replace the connector for a twin 7pins which will not hide for £200. I'm still waiting on Audi to see if they will correct this properly


I mentioned things like, it doesn't say in the borchure, not in the handbook, dealer didn't know about the difference so how was I to know. I also talked about "fit for purpose" etc.

These are the things i have saying to Audi in Newbury - we'll see if they come through...

[divelandy]

Woo hoo. Audi have come through - fixing this FOC :banana:
I'm waiting to hear from the dealer when they can book the car in to get this fixed.

An interesting comment i had was that Audi is only obliged to connect the lighting circuit under EU requirements, nothing else! :chairshot