Welcome to the group.

The VW genuine accessory bar is branded Westfalia.

The tow ball is supposed to be close to the bumper to minimise the leverage the ball weight applies to the car. Mine is 67mm from the bumper face to the centre of the ball. On the bar you should have a diagram that shows some of the allowed distances from the pin to the ball. There is also a diagram of the dimensions for towball position in the owner's manual (p273 in mine) that specifies the towball must be at least 65mm from the bumper.

Cruise control, including the ACC functions absolutely should work normally with a trailer connected, or a bike rack, with or without lights. I use cruise exactly the same towing the van as not, and I have bike rack lights connected twice a week, which tells the car a trailer is connected.

Having a trailer connected or lights plugged into the trailer socket does affect how the power tailgate operates. The remote will unlatch the tailgate. but not raise it. Using the switch under the handle, the tailgate will raise and it can be lowered with the switch on the door. I haven't tried to close it remotely, but I think holding the switch in the driver's door to close the tailgate was required even before the towbar was fitted.

 

Hi Wolfy,

Thank you so much for your reply. I contacted the dealer, and the car is booked for next week; your help is much appreciated.

Kind regards,
Aus

 

By "switch on the door " in my previous post, I actually meant button on the tailgate. Poorly worded, sorry.

I double checked how the tailgate operates with and without trailer lights plugged in using the switch in the driver's door. With no trailer, ignition on, I can open the tailgate and then close the tailgate by lifting and holding the switch in the driver's door, with about a 3 second delay. Sounds the same as yours behaves.

When lights are plugged in, the driver's door switch won't close the tailgate at all, but will unlatch it. It definitely should be different trailer lights disconnects vs connected.

 

Hi.
I am having great trouble finding a towbar supplier who can get the genuine vw wiring harness for my new 2024 MY25 170TDI Touareg.
I do not want the European hitch as I am looking at a 275kg ball weight and 3000kg van.
Anybody know where I may get the complete kit in NSW preferably Sydney or Newcastle.
Google has some results but they don't have the harness.

As a side question. has anybody used and can comment about the Berrima Diesel DPCHIP and ECU Tuning
as i was thinking about lifting it from 170kW to 191kW and 500nm to 5558nm.

( DPCHIP ) Volkswagen Touareg V6 CRD 3.0L V6 ( 165KW / 500NM )

DPCHIP Items list: DPCHIP electronic diesel tuning device “Custom tuned” to suit your selected vehicle. OEM Style harness cabling to attach DPCHIP to engine. Detailed DPCHIP illustrated fitting instructions. DPCHIP owner’s manual and warranty booklet. Includes 60 day money back guarantee (fro

www.berrimadiesel.com

TIA
Stuart

 

For further info re coding, see this link. Whilst it refers to UN and EC spacs I believe AU is going to look at aligning with those specs.

Retrofitting electrical kits for towbars - coding of vehicles from the Volkswagen Group

ERICH JAEGER offers solution for coding issues when retrofitting a towbar for recent car models from Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Skoda.

www.erich-jaeger.com

See also the side bar on the site under related files. That solution may work. (There is English after the German text) and looks like it is upgradable for ABS and ACC coding later on.
Westfalia (or is the West failure) says their ECU is also upgradable.
Cannot say I am happy as I did tell the dealer I was going to tow a big van and needed a towbar fitted.

 

...
Cannot say I am happy as I did tell the dealer I was going to tow a big van and needed a towbar fitted.

Hi Stuart,

I had similar issues when I bought my Touareg back in 2011. I had told the dealer that I wanted a towbar fitted but they convinced me to do it after delivery to avoid LCT on the towbar, tow module and wiring. As it turned out there was no towbar available for the T3 and I had to wait months. Eventually Hayman Reese released a bar and I went with that but VW still hadn't released the tow module apparently because there were issues with the blind spot warning system while towing. So I went with a dumb tow module that simply interfaces the lights to the trailer plug. It was my only option to start towing and although I had planned to retrofit the VW module when it became available I found the simple solution worked fine.

Recently when I was looking for a new tow vehicle I could see I would be going through the same tow preparation mine field again. On Monday I took delivery of a Ford Everest. It came with a 3500kg towbar and hitch, 350kg max TBM, 12 pin flat plug and factory installed brake controller integrated into the dash and infotainment screen. There is provision to display a caravan camera on the infotainment screen and it has trailer park assist, essentially it takes over the steering wheel and you guide the trailer into the spot with a dial (I think this feature is more a gimmick than something useful). Towing mode is manually selected, like other driving modes, so there is no issue with the car incorrectly identifying that a trailer is attached. It is also worth noting that the trailer stability control includes the trailer brakes when stabilizing the vehicle. This is what you should expect when buying a tow vehicle. Not some sort of DIY project.

 

Hi.
I dug myself into this one. Who would have thought that as you can get a towbar and a wiring harness that you could not get it coded. I now have an approx $100000 nice car which will not tow more than a 6x4 box trailer which only needs the lights to work.
Bar humbug.
Stuart.

 

Hi.
I dug myself into this one. Who would have thought that as you can get a towbar and a wiring harness that you could not get it coded. I now have an approx $100000 nice car which will not tow more than a 6x4 box trailer which only needs the lights to work.
Bar humbug.
Stuart.

But if you have a towbar and working lights all you need is a brake controller and you can tow up to full spec.

 

Oh. That's good to know. I thought that the caravan would interfere with the rear parking sensors etc.
I was looking at a Red Acr elite pro controller.
I traded in my 150TDI MY15 egg which towed my smaller van OK for the 170TDI . I was now looking at a towing a larger more comfortable van to enjoy my retirement in.
Thanks.
Stuart

 

Without a towing module, the caravan will indeed interfere with the rear park sensors to the extent of potentially hitting the brakes hard when reversing. Found that out launching a boat where we take the light bar off the back of the boat before putting it in the water. Now I sit the light bar on the front of the trailer and plug it in.
However you can go through the menus and turn off the rear park assist features, but IIRC you'll need to do that every time you start the car. At least it's a workaround.
The other things you'll miss out on without a towing module are the remapping of the transmission for towing, and you won't have the trailer anti-sway part of the vehicle stability control.

The above can probably be lived with - my biggest concern would be how your auto electrician might wire up the trailer plug without the direct plug and play of the module. You DON'T want someone just splicing into the wiring they think will do the job unless they know exactly what they are doing and can explain to you in great detail (preferably in writing) how they won't damage any of the vehicle functionality. There are stories on here of how sparkys have applied 80s Falcon/Commodore/Landcruiser assumptions to CAN Bus vehicles - with bad outcomes.

 

How come you bought the lower power output motor both times? Do they feel like they have enough grunt for the job?

 

The 170TDI has a ball weight of 280kg the 210 Elegance R-Line is 215kg and the 340PHEV R is 220kg. The van i am looking at exceeds those lower weights.

 

Took a look at the Elecbrakes EB2 and looks good. Thanks wolfy.
Thanks also c4ar for the tip on what to turn off. When I get time I am going to try and create a user profile for towing and see it I can get it to turn of those by default and use my profile when not towing.
amirhz, I intend to get the car chipped to 191kW at Berrima Diesel for $1490

My next job will be to the get the cars D035 pin height up to 550mm (to comply with ADS 62) and to match the van height.

 

Took a look at the Elecbrakes EB2 and looks good. Thanks wolfy.
Thanks also c4ar for the tip on what to turn off. When I get time I am going to try and create a user profile for towing and see it I can get it to turn of those by default and use my profile when not towing.
amirhz, I intend to get the car chipped to 191kW at Berrima Diesel for $1490

My next job will be to the get the cars D035 pin height up to 550mm (to comply with ADS 62) and to match the van hei

BD claim it will not void warranty as it is still in the power range of that engine.
They are very well know in the diesel world for tuning.

Seems a little odd that the Touareg options they offer on the website are listed with 'before' (165kW, 176kW) power outputs that were for the 7L series engines, not the 170kW/210kW engines for CR and RC series Touaregs.

 

Won't tuning void warranty?

 

BD claim it will not void warranty as it is still in the power range of that engine.
They are very well know in the diesel world for tuning.

 

While I've heard of them and know how good their work can be, if they're gonna put a plug and play tune (DPChip) that's a bit strange considering how much they care about workmanship and not putting 'slave tunes' as they call it

 

I think the idea of the PunP chip is that if you are worried about the service center saying anything about it then you can unplug it before you go in.

 

Thanks all for your help.
I am however having trouble finding how to turn off the rear park assist features, (granted I do not yet have anything hooked up if that makes a difference). Is it as simple as just pressing the Park assist button (which looks like it turns it on)
Googles AI says "To turn off the rear park assist in your 2024 VW Touareg, locate the Park Assist button on the dash or in the infotainment system, and toggle it off to disable the rear sensors when towing a caravan. "
Ths screen image does not show any change.

 

Just found this. Seems the coding problem has been going on for years. Yes it is a UK site but the problem exists downunder as well.

towbar-coding-problems-on-vw-touareg

 

Latest blurb from hello@myvw.com.au (as you would expect it to read)

"Hello Pommy,

Case Reference: 20250422-04348174.

Thank you for reaching out to us. We understand how important this is for you.

We appreciate your patience and understand your frustration regarding the current limitations in connecting your 2024 Touareg 170TDI to your caravan and not having full feature integration beyond the lighting system.

The SFD2 (Security Feature Diagnostic) Protection codings are part of a broader system of vehicle cybersecurity and compliance requirements that ensure the safety, integrity, and regulatory approval of all software modifications across our global fleet. While we understand the demand and need for timely access to these codings—especially for applications like caravan connectivity—we must also ensure that all releases meet stringent safety, legal, and technical standards.

Please be assured that our technical teams are actively working on expanding access to SFD2 codings for approved use cases, including full caravan feature integration. We are currently unable to confirm an exact release date, but we will communicate updates through our official channels as soon as they are available.

Should you have further queries, please do not hesitate to contact Customer Care on the number below from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (AEST), or you may also respond to this email. "

My response
"Can you please give me a good guess at to a release date, 6mths, 1yr, 2yr etc.
I can then make decision as to selling (at a big loss) my 2 month old $100,000 Touareg and getting something that will work with my van. I would not be happy to do that but...

Stuart "
(Not that I would sell it.)

 

Does the brochure for your model claim that the car has trailer stability control, and any other towing related features? If so, VW has sold a car that can't by their own admission meet the advertised feature set because without coding it appears the towing module can't tell the car a trailer is hooked up. Nor can they tell you when it is coming. If that is the case, now that VW has clarified the situation in writing I wonder if you would have a valid claim for some form of redress or compensation

 

You paid $100k for a 170TDI?

I've seen RC 170's from $80k and 210TDI's from $100k

 

Wolfy
My build sheet has listed
1D8 L AHV Trailer hitch preparation

From the dealer I got this.
"My workshop controller has advised that the Touareg comes with trailer prep, this means that the wiring is already run from the battery and everywhere it needs to run to the rear of the vehicle. So that all is required is a control module and then the wiring from module to trailer. "

From that I would assume the car shuold be able to tow up to specs.

Amirhz
I did not actually pay $100k but that is close to the new RRP inc ORC and Pano.
I got a MY2024 CR 170 with pano demo (455km on the clock and 11mth rego) for $89995. (less trade in)

 

$90k only to be worth like $50k in 5 years...

Touaregs are probably the worst or both worlds - average badge with premium depreciation

 

$90k only to be worth like $50k in 5 years...

Touaregs are probably the worst or both worlds - average badge with premium depreciation

I car a lot more about the actual engineering, functionality and capability of the car than the badge it's behind. On those measures I'd say it's well above average. I value the way it works highly enough to accept the likely depreciation - over 10 years I can wear that.

 

I think I have tried every towbar supplier and whilst their sites say Touareg 2019-on they get back to me and say they cannot get a bar. HR sent me these emails.

Matt Ludlow (Autopacific)
May 16, 2025, 1:40 PM GMT+10
Hi Stuart,

The wiring and ECU supplied will be the same once the coding is again available for the vehicle, to have the illumination features working requires the temporary modification of the wiring that one coding becomes available again your installer will be able to revert back to then complete the coding.

Essentially if you choose to have a Towbar fitted at the moment it will be fit for purpose however will not retain all OEM towing functionalities and at some point when coding is available again we will have the car brought back to the installer to be coded and have those functions coded into the vehicle.

Thank you.
Regards.
Customer Service Representative.
AutoPacific Australia Pty Ltd
(Hayman Reese/Rola/Kaymar/Thetford)
Phone: 1800 812 017

There next reply to my asking where I could get on fitted was.

Matt Ludlow (Autopacific)
May 19, 2025, 12:04 PM GMT+10
Hi Stuart,

With you Touareg being a new series code it will not suit what we currently have available unfortunately meaning we do not currently have an option for your vehicle.

My reply

May 19, 2025, 12:59 PM GMT+10
Do you mean you do not have any towbars only available.
I can get a EJ re-codable wiring harness for lighting which can be recoded when Vag provides them.

Stuart Franklin

Their reply

Matt Ludlow (Autopacific)
May 20, 2025, 10:17 AM GMT+10
Hi Stuart,

That is correct, I am saying we do not currently have anything for your vehicle that I am aware of.

Thank you.

My next message.
May I then suggest you remove from your web site this information.

"Item number: 03329RW
Categories:

• Towbar
• Heavy Duty

Towbar to suit Volkswagen Touareg (1/2019 on).
Made for Volkswagen Touareg (1/2019 on)
A Hayman Reese towbar is a high-quality upgrade to your vehicle that allows you to tow caravans, trailers, boats and more with maximum safety. This Towbar (Part Number:03329RW) is designed to fit perfectly with your Volkswagen Touareg (1/2019 on) and tested to meet Australian ADR standards. With Hayman Reese Towbars you can be assured that you’re getting the maximum towing capabilities and safety on your travels."

This is false advertising if you do not make them.

Stuart

Has anybody had any success with getting a towbar fitted to the latest CR egg?

My next step may be to go to GM and Partners to see if I can sue WV for miss representation and for goods not fit for purpose.

 

I finally got a bar from BTA at Melbourne, (fitted at Brookvale (NSW) Bars N Racks $1728 fitted inc freight. 😊
NOTE the 750073EJ wiring harness is for illumination only till VAG gets the coding sorted out then it can be recoded.

 

Hi Stuart,

I am new to this site, but have a scenario just like yours, ie purchasing 2024 Touareg & needing a towbar installed.
I have also had the dealer & Hayman Reece unable to guarantee install & have been scratching my head about what to do.
My question is; has your hard fought solution to sourcing & fitting this towbar & wiring, been a success on your vehicle, & has your installer commented about how the coding solution will be solved once VW release the information?
Also, have you had any feedback around warranty avoidance with this workaround fix?

Thanks

Neil

 

Yeah I agree - until it comes time to spend $5k on rear main seal and $3k on oil cooler gasket on a car which in my case is worth $10k in roadworthy condition on a good day

So you would go out and buy a new or maybe a demo model drive it home and instantly you have blown more on depreciation during that drive home than you would have spent on repairing the one you have.

You spend $5000 on the repair. That $5000 is spread over the length of time you intend to keep the vehicle, i.e. the next 5 years is only $20 a week or less that an cup of coffee a day.

If you had the $80 - $100 grand spare to spend replacing the vehicle, invest it and use the interest to pay for the repairs, that is if it requires any more large $ repairs.

 

So you would go out and buy a new or maybe a demo model drive it home and instantly you have blown more on depreciation during that drive home than you would have spent on repairing the one you have.

You spend $5000 on the repair. That $5000 is spread over the length of time you intend to keep the vehicle, i.e. the next 5 years is only $20 a week or less that an cup of coffee a day.

If you had the $80 - $100 grand spare to spend replacing the vehicle, invest it and use the interest to pay for the repairs, that is if it requires any more large $ repairs.

I wouldn't buy a new one in the first place because of depreciation. I'd spend that money to buy an investment property

Of course enthusiasts spend all that money on their cars but I'm getting to the point where it has close to 300k on it and I've spent thousands and don't want to anymore.

Anyone who disagrees with my logic no problem, I'll attach my bank details and you can send me money to fix my car

Another thing - repairs don't end with these cars once they get to a certain age. In the time me/family have owned it we've spent at least $12k on imjector/fuel related items, almost every service has been in excess of $1k before I started working on it myself, insurance is almost $300 a month for a 12 year old car with 293k on it that isn't even worth $10k, tyres are lucky to last 2 years in my case (same with brakes), oil cooler leak is $2k minimum to fix, rear main (which now is also timing cover as the top is moist now) is $5k, timing chain is $5k, transmission is starting to slip even though I serviced it last year, control arms are expensive ($1k just for pair NOT fitted), steering rack bushes are now flogged thanks to timing cover leak, rack has been knocking for a while, I could keep going...

I'm very OCD with my maintainence but at this rate I'm not spending $10k+ on repairs, no way in hell...

If it was a V8 TDI which is still worth $25k minimum then I wouldn't mind (to a degree) as at least they're fast tuned and unique

Compare this to an equivalent 200 Series for example (where one with same age and km is worth AT LEAST $50k) and worst case is new engine $30k because of dusting and $2k for leaky steering rack, yet if I wanted to sell it I'd still be +$18k and don't have to wait 6 months for a customer

I like this car but it's getting on in age and issues so whenever I can (once it dies) I'll get something else

For people in this forum who are between 50-80 years old hypothetically you guys have set up your lives, have good incomes I assume and either have paid off homes or close to paid off which you probably paid a few hundred grand at most. In my case where I'm 20 and an apprentice with occasional side work who's trying to have savings it doesn't make sense to me to spend all of my money on a heavily depreciating vehicle.

In case you ask 'why don't you get rid of it' why would I? It's only worth $5k trade as I can't get a RWC with the leaks, and to be honest for up to $30k right now it's one of the best driving and built cars (in my opinion) going around. Also I don't want to borrow tens of thousands for a car and have to worry about payments

 

Hi Neil.
The towbar is a standard towbar to fit the late model treg, The wiring harness is made by a VW approved manufacturer (so I am told by the distributer) as such I cannot see why it would invalidate the car warrenty, but cabbot be sure of that.
The EJ site says it can be recoded. There are two wires disconnected to cut the harness ECU from the CAN Bus and can allow illumination only, and when reconnected the ECU can be recoded. The car does not even know the towing harnes is there till the wires are reconnected.
This is the link to the EJ page and then select the Download solutions on RH side of page.
Coding for VAG
Other pages connected to EJ.
Gateway connections
EJ Flex 2 in 1 harness

I now have the Safety Dave wired in and two Andersons plugs fitted.

My Next problen is where to mount the Red Acc controll knob. What looks like a blanking plate next to the lighting buttons by my right knee has a unit fitted behing it.

Anybody who has fitted the header knob PLEASE tell me where. Its a nightmare behind the dash.

TIA
Stuart