New Towcar
We are thinking of buying Q5 as our new Towcar. We have previously had 4 Nissan Xtrails but now they have changed engine to1.6 diesel and are unsure about new spec. Caravan is Coachman Pastiche 460. What is Q5 like as Towcar and what about towbar should we get Audi to fit it.
Comments
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Hi Sheenag, I am now on my 2nd Q5 first was a manual and the one i have now is auto and i have to say they have both been brilliant tow cars, and i have towed with allsorts, as for the tow bar i got it fitted when they built the cars, a bit expensive but
cheaper than fitting later, not sure if they do different types but the ones i have had fitted are both hidden behind the bumper, hope this helps0 -
Get a towbar specialist to fit it, Audi will charge you a lot of money and will probably get a local fitter to do the work anyway....
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When we got our new Kuga I asked Ford about a tow bar. They said they would only have taken it to a local independent fitter - and probably charged main dealer prices.
One thing I was warned about - make sure you get the correct wiring loom - one dedicated to the Audi rather than a generic one. We haven't had any problems at all.
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My sister has a Q5 she's uses for towing her van. I remember though there was an issue when she bought it - had towbar already fitted which was a partly why she bought that particular car, but on checking it did not have the extra cooling fitted. Thankfully
the Audi dealer fitted this for free when she pointed it out as it was going to cost quite a bit of money to rectify. Not sure if this is still an issue with retro fits?0 -
Get a towbar specialist to fit it, Audi will charge you a lot of money and will probably get a local fitter to do the work anyway....
Write your comments here...I don't think it is possible to fit the electric type towbar fitted by the manufacturer as an afterfit option so needs to be factory order.
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Look at the Westphalia website, they supply most manufacturers O/E 'electric' towbars and might beg to differ!
That's true, but I imagine that to retrofit an electric towbar would be a major undertaking. I can't speak for Audi, but I've got a BMW with a factory fitted elecrtically retractable towbar and it seems to even have a specific trim panel inside the boot.
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Hi, we have a Q5 which we bought new in 2013. We love the car and are waiting for the new model to come out with, if possible, a view to changing as my wife loves the car so much she wants exactly the same again. I did not want a 'big' car but was attracted
by the raised seating position and the undeniable qaulity, we have had Audis for over 30 years and, despite considering other vehicles, cant see us going for anything else. The car is great for towing and we have done quite a few trips abroad, Italian Lakes
via the Fern Pass, Barcelona and Northern Spain this year,without any issues.In regard to towbars we were fortunate that a fellow centre member had a Q5 and made us aware of possible issues with the towbar electrics of factory fitted bars. This is related to how vans are used in Germany where they do not have leisure batteries so
there is no need to fit bar electrics to do this.We were fortunate that, having made it clear that the car was to be used to tow and should have the required 12v electrics fitted, we were able to persuade Audi UK that they cover the cost as the only way to achieve this is by fitting a supplementary wiring
kit which includes a 13 pin socket-the factory fitted one is a 13 pin type but does NOT have 13 pins!The factory bar I have is a manual release which drops into position after removing a panel in the rear valance and the 12v socket sits in a recess cast into the bar. So far as I am aware this bar cannot be fitted after the car is built.
In regard to after fit bars, as commented most delers will send the car out to a bar fitter so in the past I have identified who this was and gone direct for a price but, as with most things, you need to do the research to get the best deal. In general
removeable are more expensive and our last one, a Westfalaia on an Audi Allroad, was removeable but was never taken off due to it being a bit of a fiddle and the bar protects the rear of the car when parked.0 -
To clarify my comment, Westfalia supply and fit aftermarket electric towbars including here in the UK but that does not mean they match OE manufacturers production line installation! I have an aftermarket fitted detachable Westfalia on my Alltrack
(was on the car when i bought it used) which does however appear match the factory installation.0 -
To clarify my comment, Westfalia supply and fit aftermarket electric towbars including here in the UK but that does not mean they match OE manufacturers production line installation! I have an aftermarket fitted detachable Westfalia on my Alltrack
(was on the car when i bought it used) which does however appear match the factory installation.I stand corrected.
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We went for a Westfalia bar and an Audi wiring kit, all fitted at an NTTA towbar fitter for our Q3.
The Audi's come with Towbar pre-installation as standard (something that's an optional extra on SEAT's).
When our Q3 is up for replacement, we will look at the new Q5, purely because we want some extra weight . It tows our Elite 560 very well and legally but I'd feel a bit better with another 100-200 kgs.
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Unless Audi are a lot different to Mercedes I would go for the factory fit option , my new Merc had a retractable towbar factory fitted and has full functioning electrics and cost £695
Write your comments here...I was robbed Mercedes charged me £725
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The dealer-fitted Westfalia tow bar and electrics on my Touareg cost me £1250 and then they wanted another £850 for the cooling fan upgrade but I managed to persuade VW to pay for that.
By comparison, if I'd been prepared to wait three months for one coming off the production line with a factory fitted towbar, that would have been a 'mere' £750 extra, including the upgraded cooling fan - but I would have lost out on the significant price
reduction they were running at that time.0
