Towbar electric issue

adf
adf Forum Participant Posts: 8
edited July 2022 in Caravans #1

Just had a towbar fitted to discovery sport.  When reverse is selected it also permanently puts on caravan road lights until engine switched off. (Light switch no effect and neither coming out of reverse). Not had this issue with last 2 cars. First response is “is it a problem?” And “it tested ok”  “It’s plug and play so can’t see what I can do”. “Must be caravan.” They are going to look at testing car tomorrow.  Can’t see how it can be the caravan as surely it’s the car just sending power to the lights? I shouldn’t have to accept to live with a fault like this should I?

Comments

  • PJMEG
    PJMEG Club Member Posts: 181
    Photogenic
    edited July 2022 #2

    Hi Adf, 

    Recently purchased a new Ford Kuga, had a detachable tow bar fitted all good then last weekend all set to go away, plugged in electrics and all the lights came on, like yourself light switch in car made no difference also my caravan indicators would not work, check all the pins and plug no joy.

    Finally I rang the place where I had the tow bar fitted, he was very helpful and told me due to the wiring loom on modern cars it has a brain box and this required a reset drove car to his garage he did the reset and hey presto now all good.

    Hope this might help. 👍

     

     

  • adf
    adf Forum Participant Posts: 8
    edited July 2022 #3

    It’s a good job the garage was open for you to take it to. I wonder if recovery services can do the same?  I will see what happens tomorrow - hopefully a reset will do the same.  Meant to be going away, it would be possible, just have to restart engine after any reversing. Things are just too complicated these days.  It’s also difficult aa you’ve got the car dealer, the tow bar fitter and the caravan dealer all potentially relevant and whether someone needs to look at both car and caravan when hitched. 

  • PJMEG
    PJMEG Club Member Posts: 181
    Photogenic
    edited July 2022 #4

    Hi 

    Yes I'm fortunate all close by, hope you get it sorted and enjoy your trip.

    If possible pls post your outcome it may help me and others in future. 

    Cheers Paul. 

  • adf
    adf Forum Participant Posts: 8
    edited July 2022 #5

    Will do.  Was at the storage site tonight fitting a new breakaway cable and a really helpful chap let me plug his caravan in to my car and there was the same issue, so definitely not the caravan at fault.  

  • NutsyH
    NutsyH Club Member Posts: 535
    edited July 2022 #6

    I wonder if this is caused by the DRL's on your car - maybe the feed to them is also feeding your van lights? 

  • NutsyH
    NutsyH Club Member Posts: 535
    edited July 2022 #7

    Also, don't let it spoil your trip. Its no big deal towing with the van sidelights on. Won't cause any damage.

  • RogerP1956
    RogerP1956 Club Member Posts: 64
    First Comment Name Dropper
    edited July 2022 #8

    Please let us know how you get on, we rarely get to find out how a problem was solved!

  • adf
    adf Forum Participant Posts: 8
    edited July 2022 #9

    Actually this might be it.  It’s a new to me car and I wasn’t aware of DLR - to me that was a railway in London!! My last car was too old to have them Anyway my car has this front and rear and it’s suspected that this (probs my the rear) causes the road lights on the van to come on, what’s happening now is the towbar company is trying to get technical advice from Landrover if this is what’s intended to happening and also contacting previous discovery sport customers  to see what their caravan does.  I guess there’s no issue with them being on, aside from perhaps needing bulbs more frequently.  

  • adf
    adf Forum Participant Posts: 8
    edited July 2022 #10

    I won’t.  I can see that having them on isn’t a problem. Just want to be sure it’s all working as intended, even if that’s different to what I had before. 

  • adf
    adf Forum Participant Posts: 8
    edited July 2022 #11

    This is a reply to other post! 

  • davetommo
    davetommo Club Member Posts: 1,431
    1000 Comments 250 Likes Name Dropper
    edited July 2022 #12

    I have a Discovery sport and my caravan lights always come on when plugged into the car. I assumed this is what should happen, why have lights on, on the car and not the caravan. The car was purchased new and towbar fitted at the landrover dealership.

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
    1000 Comments
    edited July 2022 #13

    there are DRL on the front of my ML but the caravan's lights only come on when the car's proper lights are on ... I bought my car second hand however its towbar was fitted at the factory.

  • Vulcan
    Vulcan Club Member Posts: 670
    edited July 2022 #14

    Running lights front and rear are standard on some Land Rovers which I have never seen as a problem however if they only come on after selecting reverse I would check that the vehicle software was updated after the towbar  was fitted.

  • davetommo
    davetommo Club Member Posts: 1,431
    1000 Comments 250 Likes Name Dropper
    edited July 2022 #15

    Discovery sports must be wired up to do it

  • adf
    adf Forum Participant Posts: 8
    edited July 2022 #16

    Land Rover garage said that the expectation for discovery sport is for the lights to be on the caravan with the DRLs. They should therefore come on when moving out of park on automatic gearbox. 

  • NigelM
    NigelM Forum Participant Posts: 5
    edited August 2022 #17

    Re PJMEG problem on his Kuga, had the same problem on my 2 year old Kuga, only purchased in February. All the road lights on my Coachman came on  when I plugged in to the back of the car and couldn’t switch them off. Also discovered no indicators. A warning light came on but the message it gave was so quick wasn’t able to read it. As I only had the tow bar and electrics fitted in February, went back to the fitters and they checked the electrics out. Found everything was working as it should be but before I went to see them, I remember pressing the OK button on the steering wheel when a warning message appeared. Whether or not this rectified the problem, I don’t know but when I connect to my caravan to the back of the car again, no problems! Hope this doesn’t happen again as I’m off for three weeks in France shortly. Will be interested to know what was the cause of this.

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