Detachable tow hitch
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Never had a problem with the detachable on my previous car. Locked with a key, turn the key, pull out and turn a handle and out it came. Just stashed in a bag in the boot. Even easier to attach it by just pulling out the handle and pushing it into the receiver. Lock it and remove the key and no more than a few seconds on attachment or detachment.
Never left it in place when not in use as they do spoil the look of the car.
When I changed car I had the factory fitted electronic tow bar. Now just press a button in the boot and it swings down to manually lock it in place. Press the button again and it releases it to just manually push it up behind the bumper. After having this piece of kit I will always have this spec assuming I buy new.
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When I changed car I had the factory fitted electronic tow bar. Now just press a button in the boot and it swings down to manually lock it in place. Press the button again and it releases it to just manually push it up behind the bumper. After having this piece of kit I will always have this spec assuming I buy new.
so you have to lock it by hand and unlock and shove it up by hand, so basically a waste of money when 75% is done by hand.
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That would be on my shopping list for next time,how expensive are these compared to a normal detectable one?
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sorry to be nosy but are these a lot more expensive?
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I can hardly think that the presence of a tow ball would detract from the appearance of a Land Rover at all !
Although I take mine off when not away caravanning, I do still carry it in the vehicle as one never knows when one might need to tow a trailer in helping someone else's emergancy.
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Detachable towballs have always struck me as just another job to do.
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Whereas fixed 2 bolt flange bars have always struck me that the owner is a tight wad (spends £thousands on the car but fits the cheapest bar available) or doesn't care that the back of their car looks like a section from the Forth Bridge 😉
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Having a fixed ball shows to the world that you probably need that 4x4 for towing rather than just being a "Chelsea Tractor" poser.
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IMO there is no reason to fit a detachable tow ball unless the car won't fit into the garage. I've been towing Caravans and boats for over 50 years with a multitude of cars and only once have I fitted a detachable towball. did I find it useful -----NO --- Never removed it.---- I am not ashamed of the fact that people actually know that I tow with my car , it enables me to enjoy my hobbies. , The fixed towball has saved my car from damage numerous times in supermarket car parks when idiots miss judge distances and bump into the rear of my car.
K
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I prefer the detachable for aesthetic looks but got fed up with the Witter that was changed out twice under warranty due to the 'knocking' that could be heard from inside of the car when traveling over undulating/bumpy roads. Could have dumped Witter completely but previous cars were OK with their detachable, so for now its what you see.
I eventually settled on the ugly fixed and my problem was solved. It has its advantages but does nothing for the appearance at the back of the car, although the steelwork is fairly well hidden from eye level.
I know you don't like Witter MM
and I always have 
but not anymore 
Oh, I always removed it and stowed it in the car boot when I had it.
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I changed my car 6 months ago, buying a recent ex demonstrator. To my surprise I found that it had a factory fitted electrically deployed tow bar.
The bar is obviously very similar to that described earlier and deploys immediately in pressing a button which is only apparent when the rear load door is open. The bar swings down from its concealed position immediately and only requires a quick tug to lock securely in position with a very satisfying heavy clunk! The electrics are connected into the bar itself, and when the bar is in use the towed trailer (Caravan) is incorporated into the car's brain so I get a dashboard warning of bulb failure etc. Retraction of the tow bar just requires a quick push of the button again and it swings back to the stowed position.
For obvious reasons I have no idea of the original cost but it must have been very expensive given its heavy construction and advanced electronics.
Car - Mercedes ML350AMG
TF
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how do you know its saved your car from damage numerous of times, are the culprits waiting to tell you they have hit your towball or are you sat in the car while the other half does the shopping.
Tigerfish. all modern cars with can-bus technology and 13 pin connectors will flash up warnings on the dash for faults in the caravan lamps. you don't need electric tow bars to get that.
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As Lutz implied above, any reasonable shunt up the backside will transfer the impact to the 'chassis' with the potential to bend things, rather than hit the bumpers that are designed to absorb some of the impact.
My numb none CANbus wired Vauxhalls (Plods favourite Senators) also gave me trailer brake & indicator failure warning.
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It's not the addition of a towbar that prevents my car from fitting inside my garage ..... just the fact its 17' x 7'1"x5'5"
And IMO there's every reason to fit a detachable bar & people know what I tow because it lives at the side of my house when not being towed by my detachable bar.
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It's not that I don't like Witter, just that I see them very much as after market. The only Witter bar I've had came with a Senator many years ago before the world had heard of detachable bars & its construction was very crude compared with what Vauxhall would have supplied as a factory bar (Bosal/Brink ... can't remember now which)
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With the electrics about £800 for my VW. I paid over £400 for the detachable Westfalia on my previous VW so thought this was worth paying.
As a previous responder has said it surprises me that members pay all this money on a new car then to fit a cheap jack ugly tow bar. My car and caravan have cost me the best part of £55K and with all that investment I'm not going to penny pinch on anything be it site fees, toilet cleaner, servicing etc. Too costly an investment for that.
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The VW group tow bar, when it’s a factory fit, supposedly includes upgrades to alternator and cooling fans. The details are vague on their website. But you are not likely to get these with an after market towbar. Probably best to check with the manufacturer.
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