C Class Sport tow bar mystery.

[BlueGriff]

Have been looking at a 2010 C350cdi sport estate. Would like to fit a detachable tow bar but have conflicting information if it is possible or not. The spares department at the MB dealer which is selling the car says a tow bar is not possible on any current Sport spec C Class. It is only possible on an Elegance and SE trim. If I specify a new Sport trim car on the MB web site it allows be to tick the tow bar option and there seems to be no difference between the rear end of the current and 2010 cars.

MB direct in Birmingham have a 2011 c250 Sport estate advertised with a tow bar, it seems impossible however to call them directly and get them to look and see if it actually has one, you have to speak to a call centre and all they do is say someone will call back but have heard nothing after a week.

The local dealer salesman says an after market detachable will go on and got a quote from someone for fitting. Halfords sell kits for most cars but their C class offering shows (not Sport or AMG). Looking at tow bar supply and fit company web sites seems to suggest than a removable can be fitted but may require a bumper cut.

Does anybody out there actually have a Current shape C sport estate with a tow bar ?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

What's the reg number of the car at Birmingham Central? Going shopping/lunching so depending upon time there'sa slim chance I can call in on way back. Let me know.

 

[brucemillar]

I believe that AMG is a No NO for Tow Bars as are some of the sports editions. Same applies with BMW M3's etc. I suspect that you probably could fit one but it may require some fettling. Then there are the possible issues with suspension, gearing etc. I also had the same issue with a BMW X5 4.8is. The Towbar guy fitted it but involved quite a bit of changes (rear bumper shocks) and drilling to fit strengthening cross members (that was a Witter Kit)

I have a C240 estate and went through the same issues as you. So gave up. I then parked up next to a guy who had the exact same car with a tow bar which he believed was MB fitted (dealership)

Have you tried any of the caravan forums?

 

[developer]

I suspect it's a similar situation to this below, albeit an E Class - a good aftermarket towbar company got me up and away.....

Towbar fitment to E Class (S211) with AMG bodykit - Mercedes-Benz Owners' Forums

 

[BlueGriff]

What's the reg number of the car at Birmingham Central? Going shopping/lunching so depending upon time there'sa slim chance I can call in on way back. Let me know.

That would be great if you could it is KM11HYW Grey 250 estate

 

[BlueGriff]

Have you tried any of the caravan forums?

No I haven’t but that is an idea, I plan to tow a race car rather than a caravan but I guess more people tow caravans than car trailers.

Thing that seems odd to me is I can’t get a straight answer from the dealer and have to come to a forum to seek the solution.

 

[brucemillar]

I suspect you will be fine. Mercedes springs are made out of kids Candy Sticks so you may want to invest in a set of upmarket rears. Please post up your results as I still have my C240 sports estate. Good luck.

 

[jaymanek]

That would be great if you could it is KM11HYW Grey 250 estate

Ive checked and that car has had it from Factory... Option 550 Trailer Coupling. And yes it is a sport.

 

[BlueGriff]

Thanks for that. I will go and taunt the local dealer by asking them what option 550 is.

 

[moggymog]

Just to confirm BlueGriff, I've got a tow bar fitted to my C350cdi Sport Estate.

It is a factory fit but I don't think the back end is any different on the sport other than the bumper.

 

[renault12ts]

You can't fit tow bars to AMGs because type approval was not sought. It would be stupid if this was the case for Sports models.

 

[developer]

You can't fit tow bars to AMGs because type approval was not sought. It would be stupid if this was the case for Sports models.

That's what I found - the link at post #4 refers.

 

[JOHNMAC11]

I have a 2011 C220 sport estate and it came with a hide away towbar, it was hidden that well that I did not realise I had it till I noticed the realease gear for it in the L/H boot compartment

John

 

[stroudwaterboy]

I looked into this when I bought mine and yes it is all down to type approval.

The summary is C class sport saloon tow bar not allowed. C class estate you are allowed to have a tow bar, sounds like madness but I double checked and it is true!

 

[A210AMG]

I agree AMG #proper# Amg cars will not be allowed towbars due to the type approved laws.

However I find it almost impossible to think that any model be it C200 sport or C350 sport salloon or estate cannot have a towbar fitted.

Almost ALL C classes are these models.

If anything you may need a small cut in the bumper? I had to do this with a 330ci Sport but with the cover piece in place you could not tell.

 

[renault12ts]

The configurator does not have an option for a "trailer coupling" when you specify a Sport saloon. So...not allowed as standard.

 

[bouncer]

The towbar will go on but the ball will be too close to the bumper for the hitch/Stabiliser to fit. Cutting the bumper will make NO difference, it's just too deep
Witter offer a bar with a longer deeper neck that will fit the Sport.

sTeVe

 

[Bennyc320]

It is possible to fit, a family member worked with the tow bar company that helped design it with mercedes, mine is a 2008 320 sport and he said no problems, he gave me two tow bar companys to try
Chester tow bars and witter tow bars, both are detachable, both with dedicated electrics. The Chester comes coded and the witter doesn't, haven't fitted it yet, trying for family price, hope this helps, Benny

 

[BlueGriff]

Think I may have got to the bottom of this now.

It seems you can fit a tow bar on a sport estate but not a saloon. You can not fit a tow bar on any AMG variant, not because they won't fit but because the car is not type approved for towing. The best arrangement would seem to be a factory tow bar on a car with self levelling suspension which is only available in Elegance spec.

 

[JohnDeere8530]

You can't fit tow bars to AMGs because type approval was not sought. It would be stupid if this was the case for Sports models.

Yes this is true in some circumstances, however would a M3 for example need to get type approval for towing when all the other 3 series variants have it already. Im not sure if there is a bigger enough variation between other 3 series models and m3 to actually need it

I guess often towbar manufacturers dont make towbars for amg etc as there is a limited market, as amgs etc have a lot of extra bolt on spoilers etc which would mean a redesign of the standard hitch for say a c class car

Cooling is often a major issue with a bigger than average engine in the engine bay.

I had an RS4 and put a tow bar on that. It used to get hot real quick whereas a 2.0T D wouldnt of. The cooling systems on some more powerful cars rely on lots of airflow through them when the engine is working hard, ie a relatively high fwd speed. Whereas when you are towing the engine and transmission etc is working harder than normal at slow fwd speeds. This is what technical @ audi uk told me when I kept complaining the car got hot with an average sized caravan behind. I thought there was something wrong with it. However since this happened to me I have heard of other cars doing the same