[Mike in Anchorage]

I'd hook that to my "fixed" TDI Exec and take it to California without any concerns. YMMV.

If you're going a long distance, pack 10 gallons of DEF and keep your trunk accessible. Enjoy the ride.

You only need 2.5 gallons at a time. Or pull into one of the good stations that have DEF filling nozzles.

 

[JEB]

We have a 2016 V6 gas and tow a 1017 Sonic 168VRB. It is roughly the same weight and tongue weight as what you are looking at. We use a Prodigy RF controller. We have had it 5 years on 3 different trailers and I love it. Plugs into the 12v outlet on the dash and has a hand controller. A sway bar is useful but we have not purchased one as yet. The SUV/Trailer combination tows well and is very controllable.

 

[Mike in Anchorage]

We have a 2016 V6 gas and tow a 1017 Sonic 168VRB. It is roughly the same weight and tongue weight as what you are looking at. We use a Prodigy RF controller. We have had it 5 years on 3 different trailers and I love it. Plugs into the 12v outlet on the dash and has a hand controller. A sway bar is useful but we have not purchased one as yet. The SUV/Trailer combination tows well and is very controllable.

I've also had great success with the Prodigy RF controller. Dial it down in town and back up on the highway. What a well-engineered piece!

 

[Lstyles]

I tow a large trailer with my 2016 TDI (6000lbs). It’s great! My recommendation would be to get a Curt echo brake controller as it’s plug and play. No wires to run etc. Your phone is the controller. Works great and I know MANY who use it. That trailer should have breaks on it so why not use them…at a minimum it will reduce wear and tear on your car breaks. Lastly, if you load that trailer up any it will weigh a lot more and I would use a WDH. The notion that VW doesn’t “recommend” using a WDH is out of date and has been discussed a lot on this forum. They actually changed the stickers on the hitch itself to include weight guidance for WDH use. A WDH might be a little overkill for the lighter trailers but it’s good protection for you (and your family) when some crazy person towing a big 5th Wheel comes barreling by at 75mph or you encounter a big rig going the other way. These are great cars for towing trailers but you can’t control others who don’t drive safely!

 

[Solandri]

Whoa... easy boys.
First of all,, his trailer is light.... single axle...

I believe the Micro Minnies are all dual axle.

You only need 2.5 gallons at a time. Or pull into one of the good stations that have DEF filling nozzles.

Don't forget the DEF level reset procedure after topping off.

Filling the DEF tank

I’m 2500 miles into a trip pulling a 4K lb trailer at altitude and it is sucking DEF like mad. Is there a better DEF filler tub out there? The 2.5 jugs available at most stations dribble and you can’t see how full you are. 2016 tdi t’reg

www.clubtouareg.com

One of the conditions of the Dieselgate fix is that VW has to fill your DEF for free (I forget if it's for life or up to 100k miles). So the only time you really need to fill it yourself is if you're on a long trip and it gets low, and you don't want to bother with finding/dropping by a local VW dealer. On top of that, DEF has a shelf life. So unless you know you're low enough that the entire bottle can go in with no leftover, filling at a truck station is probably the better choice.

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

I believe the Micro Minnies are all dual axle.

 

[chrisw]

I have towed a lot of trailers, but they all had surge brakes. The electric brakes are new territory for me.

it's basically the same. Electric brakes offer more control than surge brakes.

 

[Torgo]

I believe the Micro Minnies are all dual axle.


Don't forget the DEF level reset procedure after topping off.

Filling the DEF tank

I’m 2500 miles into a trip pulling a 4K lb trailer at altitude and it is sucking DEF like mad. Is there a better DEF filler tub out there? The 2.5 jugs available at most stations dribble and you can’t see how full you are. 2016 tdi t’reg

www.clubtouareg.com

One of the conditions of the Dieselgate fix is that VW has to fill your DEF for free (I forget if it's for life or up to 100k miles). So the only time you really need to fill it yourself is if you're on a long trip and it gets low, and you don't want to bother with finding/dropping by a local VW dealer. On top of that, DEF has a shelf life. So unless you know you're low enough that the entire bottle can go in with no leftover, filling at a truck station is probably the better choice.

Is that DieselGate DEF free fillup for real? I've been filling mine myself bc the dealer quoted me an absurd amount to fill the tank during the oil change so I have been filling it myself. I have a 2013 and it was a DieselGate buyback. It is due for service again in about 500 miles so if I can get them to fill it for free I will do that!

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

Read your warranty

AdBlue® (diesel exhaust fluid) usage may increase, and, as a result, require more frequent refilling of your AdBlue® tank. As a courtesy to you, your vehicle will be returned to you with a full tank of AdBlue® and fuel during the Approved Emission Modification (AEM).
AdBlue® refillings will also be offered free of charge between service intervals for:
 10 years or 120,000 miles, whichever occurs first from the vehicle’s original in-service date;
OR
 4 years or 48,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the date and mileage of the emissions modification

 

[Solandri]

Is that DieselGate DEF free fillup for real? I've been filling mine myself bc the dealer quoted me an absurd amount to fill the tank during the oil change so I have been filling it myself. I have a 2013 and it was a DieselGate buyback. It is due for service again in about 500 miles so if I can get them to fill it for free I will do that!

See this discussion:

AdBlue refills under the Emissions Warranty

I thought I had seen a thread discussing whether the dealers were supposed to be providing free AdBlue during the life of the extended emissions system warranty. But now I can't find it. Apparently my Google-fu is weak today... The Settlement agreement says they will, but some members stated it...

www.clubtouareg.com

In particular, see page 5 of the official settlement document:

https://www.vwcourtsettlement.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/VW_BOOKLET_3L_Gen_2-2_FINAL_ONLINE.pdf

AdBlue® (diesel exhaust fluid) usage may increase, and, as a result, require more frequent refilling of your AdBlue® tank. As a courtesy to you, your vehicle will be returned to you with a full tank of AdBlue® and fuel during the Approved Emission Modification (AEM). AdBlue® re-fillings will also be offered free of charge between service intervals for:

• 10 years or 120,000 miles, whichever occurs first from the vehicle’s original in-service date; OR
• 4 years or 48,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the date and mileage of the emissions modification

My dealer just throws it in for free every time I bring my Touareg in for any reason. Reading that thread, it appears some dealers have been taking the "between service intervals" literally and charging for it if you bring the car in for regular service (like oil changes). If you've got a recalcitrant dealer like that, just bring the car in for DEF outside of the regular service schedule.

 

[Torgo]

I bought my TDI specifically for towing, to replace a v6 Grand Cherokee that just didn't have the power I wanted to pull our camper, which is a 2013 Rpod 177 weighing 2500 lbs dry. I did a lot of research prior to the purchase to make sure that the VW was correctly optioned with tow package and would only buy one with the factory tow package. If you got a factory 7 pin connector in the back then the vehicle is pre-wired and all you then need is the pigtail to go to your brake controller. I am using a Tekonsha P3 which I mounted under the dash to the right of the steering column and it works well. A lot of sites talk about building your own pigtail but I found this guy on eBay that makes and sells them and it has been fantastic.

Pigtail: VW Touareg Plug and Play Trailer Brake Controller Harness Audi Q7 Porsche Cayenn | eBay

How to build your own: Tekonsha P3 brake controller on the Touareg
Also has good info on installing and mounting, specific to a Tekonsha P3.

I know some people are big fans of the wireless units, but I have also read a lot of horror stories of them burning up brakes, loss of signal when you really need it, etc.

 

[JEB]

I bought my TDI specifically for towing, to replace a v6 Grand Cherokee that just didn't have the power I wanted to pull our camper, which is a 2013 Rpod 177 weighing 2500 lbs dry. I did a lot of research prior to the purchase to make sure that the VW was correctly optioned with tow package and would only buy one with the factory tow package. If you got a factory 7 pin connector in the back then the vehicle is pre-wired and all you then need is the pigtail to go to your brake controller. I am using a Tekonsha P3 which I mounted under the dash to the right of the steering column and it works well. A lot of sites talk about building your own pigtail but I found this guy on eBay that makes and sells them and it has been fantastic.

Pigtail: VW Touareg Plug and Play Trailer Brake Controller Harness Audi Q7 Porsche Cayenn | eBay

How to build your own: Tekonsha P3 brake controller on the Touareg
Also has good info on installing and mounting, specific to a Tekonsha P3.

I know some people are big fans of the wireless units, but I have also read a lot of horror stories of them burning up brakes, loss of signal when you really need it, etc.

Over 5 years using our Prodigy RF controller on 3 different trailers, 2 different vehicles with no issues. Maybe we have been lucky. I’d buy another RF controller without question.

 

[Tcharlton56]

I'm looking at pulling a mini winnie with my Touareg. I'm getting mixed info. about using sway bars but it seems like mostly not necessary for smaller trailers. I'm also curious about the electric trailer brakes and if adding a module is necessary for my TDI. Here are the trailer specs and I'm well within the towing capacity of the vehicle.

Base Weight (lbs / kg)
2980 / 1351.7

Hitch Weight (lbs / kg)
320 / 145.2

Length (ft-in / m)
19' 2'' / 5.8

My main question is do I need to use a sway bar hitch for something this small and do I need to add the electric trailer brake module to tow this trailer? If I do need to install an electric trailer brake module, what is recommended for the VW?

Thanks for your help!

Hi from downunder. Been through this recently and here are my findings.
Anti sway bars are a NO. They counteract against the existing pneumatic suspension. In the middle of a 4000 kilometre trip and no problems with sway. Just set your suspension to SPORT to counter any existing pitching.
Electric Brake controllers are a YES. We use a variety of brands here in AUS but REDARC seems to be very popular. Latest model comes with automatic anti-sway technology. Also, comes with a manual anti sway you can use as well by pressing to button once while moving.
We have a 180HP 2014 3.0lt TDI in the BLUEMOTION variant and our Van is larger than yours (2500 kg loaded).
Good Luck. You should love your trip with your TREG.
CHEERS Terry

 

[Mark n Bon]

I'm looking at pulling a mini winnie with my Touareg. I'm getting mixed info. about using sway bars but it seems like mostly not necessary for smaller trailers. I'm also curious about the electric trailer brakes and if adding a module is necessary for my TDI. Here are the trailer specs and I'm well within the towing capacity of the vehicle.

Base Weight (lbs / kg)
2980 / 1351.7

Hitch Weight (lbs / kg)
320 / 145.2

Length (ft-in / m)
19' 2'' / 5.8

My main question is do I need to use a sway bar hitch for something this small and do I need to add the electric trailer brake module to tow this trailer? If I do need to install an electric trailer brake module, what is recommended for the VW?

Thanks for your help!

I pull a 3500kg GTM supreme Basecamp with my 09 R50, as long as it’s loaded right I forget it behind me. Id try it first and ensure you have 8-10% ball weight and you should be ok 👍

 

[chamark1]

With my 14 RLine Tdi I Have towed my travel trailer at approx 3700lbs using small curt sway bar which worked great. It’s only $75 or so. But u have to weld on small ball hitch onto trailer frame for the sway bar.
Also, from what I was told by VW, Trailer brake controller module is required for anything over 1500 pounds


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

Also, from what I was told by VW, Trailer brake controller module is required for anything over 1500 pounds

It is not the same in all states\province\countries, so just check your local laws if\when you need to.