has anyone fitted there own tow bar?

[philnewmerc]

Hi

I wondered if anyone had managed to fit a diy tow bar kit. Ive seen one at about £120 which seems good value compared to fitting one at a garage but the safety aspect would concern me with self fitting.

Any advice?

Thanks!

 

[Dieselman]

What car.?

 

[Chattonmill]

I did to a Range Rover, gave me huge confidence in it once I realised just how securely it was attached to the car!

 

[bouncer]

Most tow bar manufactures put fitting instructions for each bar on their web sites, some are more complicated than others, what vehicle are looking to fit one to.
As long as you follow the fit instructions and torque it all up correctly there should be no problems.
Electrics are more often than not direct plug in kits for modern vehicles.


sTeVe

 

[philnewmerc]

car is c200T

hi

the car is a c200T from 1999

 

[pete vee rod]

Hi

I wondered if anyone had managed to fit a diy tow bar kit. Ive seen one at about £120 which seems good value compared to fitting one at a garage but the safety aspect would concern me with self fitting.

Any advice?

Thanks!

And you think the garage trainee will fit it any safer?

 

[SilverSaloon]

yes i fitted my own.

i've fitted 2. One to a Citroen Picasso which was just a bolt-on job. The W124 was more involved as i needed to remove the bumper and cut a little out of the bumper and also drill holes to secure the mouting brackets etc.

(1) saves loads of money
(2) you know its done correctly
(3) you know exactly how it is fitted and routes of wiring etc for future use

how easy it is depends on the car i guess.

if you are in anyway unsure, go to a garage to get it done.

I always go on the basis, i'll have a go and if it looks too hard, you can always drive it to the garage and let them finish it off. that way you have nothing to loose.

good luck

 

[nick mercedes]

Hi

I wondered if anyone had managed to fit a diy tow bar kit. Ive seen one at about £120 which seems good value compared to fitting one at a garage but the safety aspect would concern me with self fitting.

Any advice?

Thanks!

Make sure you have big enough sockets and spanners, some of the bolts can be quite big...

 

[philnewmerc]

thanks

ok thanks, i'll ponder over it!

not sure about removing bumbers - trim stuff is always a bugger

 

[Dieselman]

If you think doeing a Mercedes estate could be awkward try a saloon, they are swines to do as you have to cut through the rear panel of the car.

 

[Uberwagon]

Buy a cheap kit and you'll regret it.

I fitted one to my 405 which was from Towsure, it fitted ok, a bit fiddly and the finish of the kit wasn't fantastic.

I fitted another to my Dads Laguna, got it from Renault and it was a pleasure to fit.

Be very careful with the vehicle wiring though as some require you plug directly into the loom. If this is the case do not splice wires in as you will never sort out the hell that follows without removing it all.

Before I found out that my W124 was not homologated for a towbar I was quoted 2200 to have it bought and fitted to mine. All Merc parts but 6 hours of that was labour!

Dave!

 

[poppypiesdad]

I bought two witter towbars
one for my vito (small square cut to bumper to fit) loads of trim to remove to get it fitted
one for the wifes Nissan patrol straight bolt on
Took about a 1/2 a day each with single electric socket

Have been told that the twin socket ones need to be fitted by a auto electrician due to insurance claims due to fires caused by shorts
but dont know if it is true or just the usuall crap you hear

 

[74merc]

hi

the car is a c200T from 1999

If you need any help taking your bumper off, give me a shout. I recently took the bumper off my C280 estate and it's pretty straightforward once you figure out where the bolts are.

 

[bouncer]

Try here.

http://www.catalogue.bosal.com/page...4&make=MERCEDES&model=C-Class&body=&year=1999

Once the page has loaded click on the blue line under the spanner symbol for a pdf of fitting instructions.
Bosal bars are good stuff.

sTeVe