Member Since: 09 Feb 2014
Location: Truro
Posts: 2407
Thanks Robbie, I will try mine when I get it back on Thursday (fingers crossed), just in case I was right about them having it on the wrong setting and if not I will just try all of the options, although I was surprised how many there were.Andy
12th May 2015 2:43 pm
fisherman
Member Since: 16 Jan 2007
Location: Hornchurch Essex
Posts: 1789
I've just printed Robbie's settings and will give them to James at Ongar to sort. Nice one Robbie again. FFRR 2017 4.4SDV8 Autobiography. Cost so much I must be mad!
D4 HSE 2012 Like a second wife, more expensive but goes better! I almost cried this time!
D3 HSE 2006 (Almost 8 years together, true love)
Land Cruiser VX 1994 11 years together, wife cried when I p/ex'd for my D3
12th May 2015 5:25 pm
rddisco
Member Since: 07 May 2015
Location: London
Posts: 9
Robse wrote:
I'm going to call them. It says £225 on the website for supply and fit !!
Update:
I checked my car, the bad news is that there is no electrics fitted; the good news is that the dealer agreed to install VPLAT0136 at the £225 price quoted by Land Rover in their website.
Raul
13th May 2015 9:12 am
rddisco
Member Since: 07 May 2015
Location: London
Posts: 9
So in light of all my findings so far, these are my conclusions:
If you have a fairly new D4, under warranty, you can find VPLAT0136 at about £120 new, but then you need to install it yourself. If you go via a dealer, no matter what price they quote, bring them to the page in the LR website where they have the towing parts. There you will find a price inclusive of VAT and installation costs. In the case of the 13-pin electrics VPLAT0136 this is £225 which, in the circumstances, sounds quite honest to me. Not cheap, sure, but in all fairness dealers are there to do business and from my perspective a charge of about £100 to install this piece is not too bad.
For the detachable tow bar itself, this part doesn't require dealer installation and there are many available options out there, both new and used. The best thing is to research the market. If you want a genuine LR tow bar (which is anyway a rebranded 3rd party) you can save something, but not much, on the £507 asked by LR in their website if you look around the web; if you want a 3rd party solution, there is more choice and you can go for what best suits your needs and your pockets, with prices starting from about £100 for a used item.
Finally, there is the solution of having it installed by an independent installer, for this you need to check what exactly they provide and how much it costs. Be mindful that if they use universal kits as opposed to dedicated ones, you may compromise the warranty conditions of your car. The bottom line is that this latter approach will most likely match the price you will end up paying by having the electrics installed at £225 by a LR dealer and a 3rd party tow bar, with the difference that you can be sure you have genuine parts for the electrics and that your vehicle warranty will not be affected.
A big thank you to all those who helped me finding the best solution for my vehicle and tow bar installation and to Fisherman who offered to show me how to install it myself.
Raul
13th May 2015 9:21 am
Robse
Member Since: 10 Jun 2014
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 498
Thanks to you Raul my kit is being fitted for £120 ! Velar MY18 D180 S Narvik
Discovery MY2015 3.0 SDV6 SE Corris - Gone
13th May 2015 11:53 am
pjb
Member Since: 05 Jun 2007
Location: Sunny Oxon
Posts: 308
Forum wins again Previously those that have a special place in my heart
BV55YZD G4 RRS
BP52GJE G4 110
13th May 2015 1:47 pm
dadon
Member Since: 06 May 2015
Location: Northants
Posts: 482
tow bar not fitting.
Guys I need some advice.
Today my Mrs went to collect a new (brand new) towbar and fit it as well. As seller was trying to lock it in its place the tow bar would not fit/lock in its place as back pin wasn't locked in place correctly. Was very loose and as such we didn't buy it.
Is there anything that could cause that?
Our LR wasn't towing anything for long time judging from its state. When I've checked it a couple of days ago it was rusty under the plastic bumper flap. Double electrics are fitted but orange plastic is missing.
I need towbar for next weekend and I dont know what to do.
HELP.
14th May 2015 10:57 am
Robbie
Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Posts: 17932
The receptacle probably needs cleaning and a bit of light oil on the socket and bar helps enormously.
They are machined metal parts that need looking after but are frequently neglected.
Land Rover - Turning Drivers into Mechanics Since 1948
Member Since: 06 May 2015
Location: Northants
Posts: 482
so generally speaking detachable tow bar should fit on my 05 reg disco taken from 61reg disco.
Some TLC will be given to it tonight.Wire brush, Air compressor, Hammerite...
Is it enough or other mechanical parts should be attended to as well?
AND no tow bar as yet...
14th May 2015 11:09 am
rddisco
Member Since: 07 May 2015
Location: London
Posts: 9
Hello Everyone,
I thought I would post an update regarding the tow bar electrics and the tow bar itself. I had the 13-pin electrics kit installed by the dealer as per LR website's price and specifications (total cost for the electrics £225 at the time of writing); I then bought a Thule detachable tow bar separately, new from eBay, at a fraction of the LR price.
The tow bar is identical, apart from the colour of some plastic components, to the genuine LR. It's a little beast but it can indeed be simply inserted in the dedicated socket at the back of the car. I have recently bought a used trailer with a 7-pin plug for my routine trips to the recycling centre, I connected no problem to my 13-pin electrics via an adaptor which I believe I bought for a fiver or so. All working well, when the trailer is plugged in the reverse parking sensors remain deactivated so I believe the installation was done correctly.
In summary, and mostly in line with what the members of this forum advised:
1. The detachable tow bar needs no installation, you can just buy it off the shelf so long and you buy the correct one. The Thule/Brink is, as far as I can see by comparing it to detailed images or the LR version, identical to the LR version.
2. The dealer tried to charge me a little fortune for the electrics, I insisted they should do this as priced by Land Rover at £225, they obliged. Considering the cost of the material somewhere above the £120, £225 is in my opinion a fair total cost for the installation with the advantage that your vehicle warranty won't be compromised.
3. This forum helped my making the right choice. Thank you guys, I hope one day I will be able to help others.
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