Is this a rip off ?
I've been getting quotes for a towbar for my new, (to me), 2015 Mondeo and needless to say, the main Ford dealer wanted the job himself. I had already had a couple of quotes from elsewhere, the only one that I felt confident about, from a specialist towbar
fitting company as they said it would have a dedicated wiring loom fitted was £420 although I would also have to take the car to the Ford dealer to recode the system after fitting. I estimated another £100 for this.
The Ford dealer initially gave me a quote of £490 all in but then I got a call from the service department saying that this price was not correct, it would be a minimum of £594 but could be up to £779 as they might have to fit additional wiring over and
above the dedicated loom. This, they claimed, was about £50 for the wiring plus an hour and a half labour. This is for a fixed Brink swan-neck. Is this a rip off or is the price about right?
Comments
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If it is a Ford main dealer it seems unlikely they have not fitted several tow bars and be well aware of what was required and the cost involved. Our X trail just over 18 months old cost £480 for a Witter detachable, fitted at the Nissan dealer. No idea on the wiring but everything works.
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I'd try your local Indespension.
We had a Westfalia detachable swan neck with the dedicated loom fitted to our 2012 Mondeo. This cost £450 just 2 years ago. They did everything didn't take it into Ford for recoding.
Agree, I'd try specialist towbar fitters WHO CAN DO THE RECODING. IMHO, the job should be completed by one company so that they are responsible for any problems and you don't have one blaming the other.
I suspect (being cynical) the main dealer will get a tow bar specialist to do it and add on their margin too?
If I were having a towbar fitted again, I'd again want dedicated towing electrics http://www.rightconnections.co.uk/ seem to be specialists and I can't imagine there being too many of them unless the tow bar maker does their own?
I'd also ensure that the 13 pin socket (?) is fully wired for fridge (extra kit often needed including direct lead, correctly sized from battery?), power and works ATC correctly. The number of posts about various car makers and main dealers not doing this seems vast?
Plus if there is any likelihood of problems with reversing sensors, LED lights on caravans etc, it makes sense for you to be confident that the vehicle/caravan combination is fully working to your satisfaction before accepting the job (ideally don't pay or use credit card to give you some sort of comeback?) Sorry if Grannies & Eggs!
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On this year's Towcar of the Year one buys the kit (eBay about £120) and plugs it in oneself. Six screws to hold on the socket to the provided cut-out and some clips.
Dealer "enabling" stops the parking sensor bleeping when reversing with the 'van attached. I quite like the warning so just left it as it is.
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On this year's Towcar of the Year one buys the kit (eBay about £120) and plugs it in oneself. Six screws to hold on the socket to the provided cut-out and some clips.
Dealer "enabling" stops the parking sensor bleeping when reversing with the 'van attached. I quite like the warning so just left it as it is.
If i understand it correctly, the re-coding can affect loads of things, lots of them safety related.
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One could frighten oneself reading that web site until one realised that is is a manufacturer of after market kits trying to drum up sales. Glad to know Land Rover have it all sorted anyway!
Worth mentioning that the Discovery tow bar is a no-tools user fitment (well, there is a key and a lock involved) that can be removed when not in use to avoid damage to knees.
With all that appears to be involved, it brookes the question whether some vehicles are suitable for towing at all if so much has to be fudged.
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I have used Mr Tow bar, local and he even takes old tow ball off and reuses? about £350 last time for mondeo about 3 years ago, all wiring for caravan towing and recoding, did say though that the parking sensor does not know you have a tow ball!
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I have used Mr Tow bar, local and he even takes old tow ball off and reuses? about £350 last time for mondeo about 3 years ago, all wiring for caravan towing and recoding, did say though that the parking sensor does not know you have a tow ball!
Write your comments here...My 2015 Mondeo was fitted 4 months ago with new towbar and 13 pin socket. At first fridge did not work when on 12 volt with engine running. Fitter found out he had not wired up with correct gear to suit the 2015 Ford needs and
had to change relay, fuse and source of power.0 -
I've been getting quotes for a towbar for my new, (to me), 2015 Mondeo and needless to say, the main Ford dealer wanted the job himself. I had already had a couple of quotes from elsewhere, the only one that I felt confident about, from a specialist towbar
fitting company as they said it would have a dedicated wiring loom fitted was £420 although I would also have to take the car to the Ford dealer to recode the system after fitting. I estimated another £100 for this.The Ford dealer initially gave me a quote of £490 all in but then I got a call from the service department saying that this price was not correct, it would be a minimum of £594 but could be up to £779 as they might have to fit additional wiring over and
above the dedicated loom. This, they claimed, was about £50 for the wiring plus an hour and a half labour. This is for a fixed Brink swan-neck. Is this a rip off or is the price about right?Write your comments her.......2015 Mondeo with correct electrics cost me £350 by a specialist towbar fitting centre in West of Scotland.
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It cost me over £1200 to have tow bar and electrics fitted to a new VW Touareg, last year and that didn't include an extra £850 for the fan upgrade which VW shelled out for. Reputable tow bar fitters were all around the £1000 mark - so for peace of mind
as far as the warranty on a new vehicle was concerned, I got the main dealer to fit it. Although I am told that the fitting of electrics is particularly difficult and time-consuming on a Treg, still thought it was a lot of money. At least everything works
and the caravan electrics are fully integrated with the car safety systems and displays.0 -
Land Rover main dealer charged £420 for supply and fit towbar and 13 pin electrics on a late model 2014 Freelander2. They used to out source the work to independent "specialists" but now do their own, saying to me, " We know how to get it right" .
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It cost me over £1200 to have tow bar and electrics fitted to a new VW Touareg, last year and that didn't include an extra £850 for the fan upgrade which VW shelled out for. Reputable tow bar fitters were all around the £1000 mark - so for peace of mind
as far as the warranty on a new vehicle was concerned, I got the main dealer to fit it. Although I am told that the fitting of electrics is particularly difficult and time-consuming on a Treg, still thought it was a lot of money. At least everything works
and the caravan electrics are fully integrated with the car safety systems and displays.Write your comments here...Even for a VW Tourareg I think £1200 + £850 is definite a rip off.
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We have a Witter towbar and used their approved dealer. If I had bought the tow bar from the dealer they would have subcontracted it to the same firm and added their mark up. In truth many dealers have never fitted a towbar, they just subcontract it out
and it sounds as though the dealer here is probably the same.0 -
It cost me over £1200 to have tow bar and electrics fitted to a new VW Touareg, last year and that didn't include an extra £850 for the fan upgrade which VW shelled out for. Reputable tow bar fitters were all around the £1000 mark - so for peace of mind
as far as the warranty on a new vehicle was concerned, I got the main dealer to fit it. Although I am told that the fitting of electrics is particularly difficult and time-consuming on a Treg, still thought it was a lot of money. At least everything works
and the caravan electrics are fully integrated with the car safety systems and displays.I think you are a wise man. Can't beat peace of mind on having the "job" done properly to include any cooling mods that need doing. The one thing you don't need is a cooked engine which the manufacturer won't entertain a warranty claim for because their
recommendations were not carried out when fitting the tow bar. Could never see the point of spending big money on a new vehicle then penny pinching on the tow bar and electrics and cooling and other mods that may be needed.Ome "n" Dri
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..... Could never see the point of spending big money on a new vehicle then penny pinching on the tow bar and electrics and cooling and other mods that may be needed.
Ome "n" Dri
I've thought exactly the same whe I've seen some of the horrible steel work hanging of the back of a nice/exec car, but I do have to say I think £2000 is bordering on taking the proverbial
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MM - totally agree with you - but as per Ome 'n Dri's observations, I really didn't have a lot of choice. Either protect the warranty on a vehicle worth £45k or get a cheap job done and worry forever about something drastic going wrong. Only saving grace
was that I took VW to task over the fan upgrade, arguing that the vehicle was sold with a 3.5 ton towing limit without any mention of a fan upgrade and if they recommended it should be done - they should pay for it. They conceded this point, so at least I
didn't have to pay for that as well.0 -
After the fiasco with prices from the local Ford main dealer I have now obtained the necessary towbar, dedicated wiring and fitting and re-coding for a fraction more than the Ford dealer's original price. I have bought it all from P F Jones of Manchester.
They claim to be the biggest towbar distributor in the UK. So far their service and apparent knowledge has been first class. I ordered the kit on Monday mid-day and it arrived mid-day today. The kit has yet to be fitted by one of their local mobile fitters
so I'll reserve final judgement until then but so far so good.0 -
After the fiasco with prices from the local Ford main dealer I have now obtained the necessary towbar, dedicated wiring and fitting and re-coding for a fraction more than the Ford dealer's original price. I have bought it all from P F Jones of Manchester. They claim to be the biggest towbar distributor in the UK. So far their service and apparent knowledge has been first class. I ordered the kit on Monday mid-day and it arrived mid-day today. The kit has yet to be fitted by one of their local mobile fitters so I'll reserve final judgement until then but so far so good.
Sound good. Does this mean you will be able to connect and test the van at the time of fitting after the fitter does any recoding?
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Sound good. Does this mean you will be able to connect and test the van at the time of fitting after the fitter does any recoding?
Write your comments here... Yes, the caravan is at the side of the house so it will be easy to check out the installation before the fitter leaves. Forgot to add on my previous post that the fitting is fully guaranteed and "will not affect the warranty on
the vehicle" according to P F Jones's website.0 -
Sound good. Does this mean you will be able to connect and test the van at the time of fitting after the fitter does any recoding?
Write your comments here... Yes, the caravan is at the side of the house so it will be easy to check out the installation before the fitter leaves. Forgot to add on my previous post that the fitting is fully guaranteed and "will not affect the warranty on
the vehicle" according to P F Jones's website.Sound ideal, enjoy!
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Just had a look at my records. When I purchased my VW Tiguan in Mar 2014 the cost of a factory fitted towbar with electrics was £1091 (source - VW Tiguan Price and Specification Guide effective 4/11/2013). The local towbar dealer including dedicated wiring
and computer download was £536. No prizes for guesing what I did! Oh, and yes everything works - fridge etc.0
