Towbar fitment at a dealer - cost

[Stunts]

Hi all,

Having been informed by Skoda that my Enyaq (60 with towbar prep) was at the dealer I asked them for a price of a towbar to be fitted. They said they don't fit towbars, only service and MOT vehicles (Bristol Street Motors, Aylesbury) So I contacted Skoda UK and they chased a dealer down that would fit one for me. Another local dealer quoted a price. £1500 - I kid you not. So, lesson here is, don't even bother ordering a car with towbar prep - it's a complete waste of time and money. Just order a factory fit towbar. I was labouring under the illusion that a third party towbar could be fitted - it may yet be so. If I can confirm this (I know that Brink supply a specific one for the Enyaq, ID4 and Audi Q4) then I'll update here.

[RichR]

I seem to recall that this is similar for Subaru - towbar prep adds the wiring and control unit, but the cost of having the actual towbar itself fitted at the factory really isn't that much more in the long run.

Not having the prep may result in the car not having any towing capacity on the VIN plate, which means it can never legally have a towbar fitted. But I think UK cars may well get the towing capacity added even without the prep - certainly on my (non-towbar prep) Sportline, the VIN plate shows a 2649kg Maximum Permissible Gross Weight and a 3649kg Maximum Permissible Towed Weight. So although I don't have the Skoda control unit and wiring present, I could get an aftermarket towbar fitted if they had something to interface with the car's electronics (the car needs to know if it's got a trailer attached so it can disable things like rear parking sensors, radars etc).

[Stunts]

I believe that as yours is an 80 then the towbar prep is standard. On the 60's it isn't. We didn't go for factory fit as we couldn't afford it at that point, now seems a flawed decision :/ Guess the bikes will have to go on the roof for the time being.

[RichR]

Towbar prep is still listed as an option for all models in the brochure. I suspect they gave the towing weight on the VIN as it's easier than not doing so. But that might not be the case in all countries.

[GavinT]

Another local dealer quoted a price. £1500 - I kid you not. So, lesson here is, don't even bother ordering a car with towbar prep - it's a complete waste of time and money.

Many years ago I overheard someone getting a quote for £3,000 to fit a towbar to a Mercedes. A few years later £1,000 to fit a towbar to a Land Rover Discovery Sport didn't seem so bad.

I got the retractable tow bar on my Enyaq to carry a bicycle rack. Really like it being completely tucked away out of sight when not in use, and pops out ready for use at little more than the touch of a button.

[Bother7]

Hi all,

Having been informed by Skoda that my Enyaq (60 with towbar prep) was at the dealer I asked them for a price of a towbar to be fitted. They said they don't fit towbars, only service and MOT vehicles (Bristol Street Motors, Aylesbury) So I contacted Skoda UK and they chased a dealer down that would fit one for me. Another local dealer quoted a price. £1500 - I kid you not. So, lesson here is, don't even bother ordering a car with towbar prep - it's a complete waste of time and money. Just order a factory fit towbar. I was labouring under the illusion that a third party towbar could be fitted - it may yet be so. If I can confirm this (I know that Brink supply a specific one for the Enyaq, ID4 and Audi Q4) then I'll update here.

Give your local Indespension branch a call. We've got factory fitted on the Enyaq, but they sorted out our previous car for ~£400 for a detachable towbar

[IanEV]

Has anyone had an aftermarket towbar fitted yet? I see the Brink ones come with an invisible bumper cut out - does anyone know what that is? I don’t fancy cutting a hole in the bumper.

[IanEV]

So I had a quote back from the local Skoda dealer for fitting a towbar without any factory fitted prep to the car - drum roll for the cost!

£2079 - apparently 10 hours labour.

The aftermarket Brink one costs £692 fitted. The bumper cutout is underneath so is invisible from the roadside and the towbar itself is detachable.

Currently considering it as Brittany Ferries has no space to take bikes mounted on the roof on our ferry to France!

[DazAutomatic]

Currently considering it as Brittany Ferries has no space to take bikes mounted on the roof on our ferry to France!

You could probably buy the bikes and a golden saddle for that amount.

[Erakettu]

Just read about someone who had a towbar fitted for 850e incl parts. No tow bar prep when ordered.

It actually was cheaper then. No electric hiding option on it though