[nickm]

Forgive me, but isn't it also required to be in Low Range to engage the rear locker? The low range alone is way more than sufficient I would imagine. Although I haven't pulled any boats, I have pulled large car trailers of ~ 6500lbs from a stop over considerable inclines on gravel to know the treg will just "work" no matter what.

Yes correct...you first go into low range, then you can engage center lock, then lastly you can engage rear diff lock.

 

[2eregg]

we purchased a boat finally. we decided to go smaller 21 foot sea ray select 200 right now, partly because my friends car is an older mercury mountaineer and he had concerns about pulling out a larger 25'-28' boat with his and two because we got an incredible deal that we couldnt pass up.
anyway this boat came with a tandem trailer with hydralic braking system on the trailer. the wiring harness is a 5 wire flat. when we were pulling the boat with our friends truck he had a 2010 toyota tacoma that was pre wired with a 7 wire round connector. we bought the 7 round socket adapter that gave us the 4 and 5 wire flat connectior option. when we plugged everything in we realized that when putting the car in reverse the solenoid was not disengaging the hydraulic brakes. we tried a different socket adapter but the result was the same. eventually we did a workaround by using a small piece of wire, jamming in a screw to one of the holes on the 4 wire plug, then stripped a very small piece of sheething from the appropriate trailer wire and connected them. if we had the parking lights on and put it in reverse we could here the solenoid click and were able to back up the trailer.
on the touareg will i have to worry about this type of problem as well that we ran into with our friends tacoma? the guy was saying we need to run a wire (not sure which wire to connect to on the socket) and splice it into one of the reverse lights, so when you go into reverse that will send current to the solenoid on the trailer and release it allowing the trailer to backup. we thought it was odd that the tacoma didnt work either, but multiple people we talked to said you have to do that on most vehicles.
i hope all that makes sense, if not please let me know and i will do my best to reiterate it.

 

[catalystgod]

The way I see it, only one way to find out. I would imagine the trailer would have the same issues.

 

[Ric2Loud]

Not sure what trailer plug your Treg has. Mine has a 12 pin round to 7 pin round adaptor.
the reverse lights are on pin 2 of the 7 pin socket.
So simply all my trailers with reverse solenoids have pin 2 connected to the solenoid.

 

[2eregg]

sorry i forgot to mention. my treg does not have an OEM hitch or socket installed yet on it. i'm just trying to be proactive since i am planning on ordering the hitch this week but i want to make sure when it is installed either by myself or if i have someone else do it that they get this part right.
also what do you guys recommend for the socket? i like the idea of the 7 wire round and that way i can just get a socket adapter to convert to a 4 or 5 wire trailer wiring harness.

 

[nickm]

we purchased a boat finally. we decided to go smaller 21 foot sea ray select 200 right now, partly because my friends car is an older mercury mountaineer and he had concerns about pulling out a larger 25'-28' boat with his and two because we got an incredible deal that we couldnt pass up.
anyway this boat came with a tandem trailer with hydralic braking system on the trailer. the wiring harness is a 5 wire flat. when we were pulling the boat with our friends truck he had a 2010 toyota tacoma that was pre wired with a 7 wire round connector. we bought the 7 round socket adapter that gave us the 4 and 5 wire flat connectior option. when we plugged everything in we realized that when putting the car in reverse the solenoid was not disengaging the hydraulic brakes. we tried a different socket adapter but the result was the same. eventually we did a workaround by using a small piece of wire, jamming in a screw to one of the holes on the 4 wire plug, then stripped a very small piece of sheething from the appropriate trailer wire and connected them. if we had the parking lights on and put it in reverse we could here the solenoid click and were able to back up the trailer.
on the touareg will i have to worry about this type of problem as well that we ran into with our friends tacoma? the guy was saying we need to run a wire (not sure which wire to connect to on the socket) and splice it into one of the reverse lights, so when you go into reverse that will send current to the solenoid on the trailer and release it allowing the trailer to backup. we thought it was odd that the tacoma didnt work either, but multiple people we talked to said you have to do that on most vehicles.
i hope all that makes sense, if not please let me know and i will do my best to reiterate it.

Haven't heard of this personally nor have I experienced this issue...any 7 to 5 pin adapter takes care of this, assuming your 7 pin is correctly wired in the first place.

 

[2eregg]

what is the best 7 pin socket to have installed on my treg that the trailers can plug into? anyone recommend one over the other?

 

[2eregg]

will i have any trouble using this trailer adapter on my touareg? i ordered the hitch kit from 1stvwpart.com yesterday, so i hope to have it installed maybe next week.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product__6400235-P_N4062_A|GRP2070____?zoneAssigned=1

or do you guys recommend a different one. i would prefer the 3-n-1 like above.

thanks

 

[OILSLURPER]

If in doubt and lacking DIY, suggest you locate a suitable retailer of towing accessories. They'll know how to configure, fit and wire up for your load.

 

[2eregg]

ok, so i had my OEM tow hitch installed today by a VW dealer. went to pick it up and noticed that the hitch socket had 4 screws in it but no latch to insert the trailer socket. i asked about it wondering why there wasnt a flap to insert the 7pin socket into it, and the guy told me that it is the new design. take it off when you want to use it, then screw it back on. i said thats really weird/stupid design if that is the new design. decided to drive off and go home, still being skeptical i decided to take off the plastic face with four screws and see what i had. of course what the service guy said was completely wrong. so i guess i still need a vehicle hitch socket installed. i will go back to the dealer and get one, hopefully they have some in stock since i am supposed to take the boat out tomorrow. if they dont is there another option from a different vendor/brand that i can use or should i stick with just an OEM vehicle hitch socket? Next is it as simple as just plugging the vehicle socket into the vehicle wiring harness then screwing/bolting it to the tow hitch frame? or will additional wiring need to take place?
also now i am wondering if they did the computer portion of the install. is there a way to tell if they did it or not? currently i have no way to connect the trailer wiring to the vehicle. finally since i am sure they followed the book on this install will i have any issues with my tandem trailer with hydraulic brakes and its five wire connector harness, specifically with reverse disengaging the trailer brakes to put the boat in the water. or will the preinstalled wiring that came with the tow hitch work and allow me to put it in reverse and back the trailer into the water?

here are some photos of what i am talking about.

 

[roalco]

Go to your local auto parts store and get a Pollak 11893 7 blade car oem socket, should be about $20. Other aftermarket brands seem to use the same part number too. Take out the four screws, remove the cover and plug the 7 blade socket into the wiring harness. Reuse the four screws to secure the socket to the tow frame and you're done.

 

[2eregg]

unfortunately i could not locate any auto parts store that carried the Pollak 11893 down where i live. because i couldn't locate one and i needed it for the next day i had to succumb to the overpriced one the VW dealership was selling for $69.... installed it and tested out the tow hitch and wiring and everything is working as it should. thanks for all the help and suggestions.

Go to your local auto parts store and get a Pollak 11893 7 blade car oem socket, should be about $20. Other aftermarket brands seem to use the same part number too. Take out the four screws, remove the cover and plug the 7 blade socket into the wiring harness. Reuse the four screws to secure the socket to the tow frame and you're done.

 

[roalco]

No worries, it's the same thing, a little pricier but your time and the ability to get going and get towing far out way the difference!
Glad it all worked out, now have fun!

 

[nickm]

i asked about it wondering why there wasnt a flap to insert the 7pin socket into it, and the guy told me that it is the new design. take it off when you want to use it, then screw it back on.

What a completely ridiculous statement for the dealer to make...I mean yes VW can negineer and build the most capable SUV in the world but they make you pull out a screwdriver when you want to tow??? Of course not...what a bunch of idiots.

Sorry to hear you paid $70 for a $5 part. The dealer should give it to you for free for having had to endure this line of complete bull$hit.

 

[WetCoast]

ok, so i had my OEM tow hitch installed today by a VW dealer. went to pick it up and noticed that the hitch socket had 4 screws in it but no latch to insert the trailer socket. i asked about it wondering why there wasnt a flap to insert the 7pin socket into it, and the guy told me that it is the new design. take it off when you want to use it, then screw it back on. i said thats really weird/stupid design if that is the new design. decided to drive off and go home, still being skeptical i decided to take off the plastic face with four screws and see what i had. of course what the service guy said was completely wrong. so i guess i still need a vehicle hitch socket installed. i will go back to the dealer and get one, hopefully they have some in stock since i am supposed to take the boat out tomorrow. if they dont is there another option from a different vendor/brand that i can use or should i stick with just an OEM vehicle hitch socket? Next is it as simple as just plugging the vehicle socket into the vehicle wiring harness then screwing/bolting it to the tow hitch frame? or will additional wiring need to take place?
also now i am wondering if they did the computer portion of the install. is there a way to tell if they did it or not? currently i have no way to connect the trailer wiring to the vehicle. finally since i am sure they followed the book on this install will i have any issues with my tandem trailer with hydraulic brakes and its five wire connector harness, specifically with reverse disengaging the trailer brakes to put the boat in the water. or will the preinstalled wiring that came with the tow hitch work and allow me to put it in reverse and back the trailer into the water?

here are some photos of what i am talking about.

Search the forums for the Pollak 11-893 plug adapter. Apparently this is exactly the same as what VW sells, but for a fraction of the cost.

Edit: Oops, see now that this has already been answered. I hate this iPad app for these forums.

 

[OILSLURPER]

What a completely ridiculous statement for the dealer to make...I mean yes VW can negineer and build the most capable SUV in the world but they make you pull out a screwdriver when you want to tow??? Of course not...what a bunch of idiots

Not to worry, it must have been the same 'idiot' that forgot to design a towbar for the Aussie Treg on it's 2011 release here. Mucho agro over that little oversight!
Dead Horse

 

[2eregg]

What a completely ridiculous statement for the dealer to make...I mean yes VW can negineer and build the most capable SUV in the world but they make you pull out a screwdriver when you want to tow??? Of course not...what a bunch of idiots.

Sorry to hear you paid $70 for a $5 part. The dealer should give it to you for free for having had to endure this line of complete bull$hit.

haha i like your line of thinking NickM. sadly i searched high and low last friday trying to locate the pollack 11893 part for a fraction of the cost since i knew i would get raped by the dealer on that part. totally surprised that all of the stores i contacted did not carry it down here in south florida. of course they could order it but would take a 7-20 days to get in..... needless to say i ran out of time and patience looking and figured at least i will be smiling in the afternoon with the boat in the water vs sitting on my couch pissed as i wasted a weekend waiting for a part that i ordered online. lesson learned for me!

 

[nickm]

haha i like your line of thinking NickM. sadly i searched high and low last friday trying to locate the pollack 11893 part for a fraction of the cost since i knew i would get raped by the dealer on that part. totally surprised that all of the stores i contacted did not carry it down here in south florida. of course they could order it but would take a 7-20 days to get in..... needless to say i ran out of time and patience looking and figured at least i will be smiling in the afternoon with the boat in the water vs sitting on my couch pissed as i wasted a weekend waiting for a part that i ordered online. lesson learned for me!

Glad to hear you got some time out on the water...its been beautiful out on the water up this way!

 

[2eregg]

ok i'm back.

i have towed my boat several times and i am noticing that the ball mount seems to have a lot of play (up and down, need to check side to side play as well) in the receiver hitch which is causing a lot of noise while driving. i used the same ball mount and ball with two other vehicles before i got my hitch installed and i didnt have this problem. i seem to notice it the most when going over large bumps/dips/humps in the road. that ball mount or at least it seems to be the ball mount is making all sorts of noise. one thing i feel like it could be is my receiver hitch & ball mount on my treg sit lower compared to the two other vehicles i used to tow it with (toyota Tacoma and a chevy tahoe) neither of them experienced this issue so i am not sure if i need to 1. get a new ball mount, 2. try using washers, electrical/duct tape etc. to make it tighter and fix that sloppy play. i am going to measure both from my vehicle receiver hitch to level ground as well as from the trailer hitch to level ground as described in this article to make sure everything is aligned properly between my treg and trailer. i will also double check and make sure the ball is the correct size. currently i have a 2" ball on my existing ball mount.
Choosing the Correct Ball Mount | etrailer.com

another thing i noticed is on my receiver hitch is this sticker on the left side. does this mean that it is not recommended to use a ball mount in the rise position by flipping it around?
http://i50.tinypic.com/23ks0ee.jpg

 

[tmann45]

The difference is the Treg is an unibody vehicle versus the body on frame design of your two former rides. The body on frame insulates the the noise from the drawbar in the receiver but the unibody magnifies the noise. See: Softride, Inc. || Anti-Rattle Aluminum Ball Mount || Stop receiver hitch rattle and clank while towing for the best solution.

And yes, that is what the sticker means, but I think it is more important to have your trailer in the correct atttitude (depends on type of trailer), so mine is in the rise position to get my dual axle trailer close to level.