MB E Class 220d as towcar.

[solarmer1]

I've been enquiring about a PCP lease on an E Class 220d Estate as a factory build with towbar and electrics. The challenge is that MB only enable a factory towbar/electrics fit onto the top of the range model AMG Line Night Edition. The option for a factory fit isn't available on the 220d if you try to build the car online. Why? I'm unsure. I've heard at least 2 reasons however what is certain is that MB, for whatever reason, has withdrawn from a substanial part of their routes to market.

The challenge! I'm trying to determine whether a tow bar and electrics can be retrofitted either by the MB agent or other. Would this impact the warranty on the new car. Finally, if the towbar/electrics can be retrofitted then can the MB dealer carry out the necessary coding on the car? Unfortunately, my enquiries with 3 agents have produced no answers.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.

 

[Tblk]

Good car choice. I have the same car in Amg line premium spec and remember looking into this a while ago. MB dealers can fit a tow bar for you and I got an eye watering quote for £2097 including parts and labour. I did look into 3rd party installation but apparently the car needs to be coded after installation which MB were unwilling to quote for. So gave up in the end.

 

[solarmer1]

Wow. £2097.00 I assume the parts were gold plated! Ever had the feeling that MB just aren't interested in that market segment?

Thanks for your comment.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

You need to make sure that the car is type approved for towingif it is then you will be able to hang all a towbar andegallu use it.

Do not order a car without confirmation that it will have type approval or else you will end up with a car which cannot legally tow.

Main dealers will reluctantly quote for a tow car but will almost certainly outsource it to a towbar specialist.

This avoids tying up a ramp and technician to do a job much more slowly than an expert who does it all day every day.

I would therefore recommend finding out which specialist you local dealerships use and ask them for a quote.

Many professional fitters can code the electrics but especially those who do the work for main dealers.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

PS Speak to a main dealer about placing an order. You might find they can order the towbar with the mode you want. It could be a bug in the online configuration.

 

[BTB 500]

As Bobby said. It's actually illegal to have a towbar fitted to a car that's not type-approved for towing, even if you don't use it.

 

[Smiley]

Try the German or Irish configurator. This may be another example of MB UK blocking some configurations in the UK market and nothing to do with MB Germany. I would have thought that most tow bars would be more likely on the SE trim rather than AMG night edition - presumably complete with pot hole unfriendly 20 inch wheels

 

[SG94]

As Bobby said. It's actually illegal to have a towbar fitted to a car that's not type-approved for towing, even if you don't use it.

Cannot agree with this any more strongly.
Please do not assume it is homologated for towing just because another car in the line up is.
It doesn’t work that way. You must check.
Go to one of the main towbar sites like Witter and check.
If you got one fitted on a non approved configuration you are illegal even having it, and everything about the car is void.

 

[solarmer1]

Thanks for all the advice so far and especially the type approval issue. I'm waiting for responses back from two dealers.
It appears that the AMG Night Line is pre-wired for the electrics whilst other models aren't. I've had a quote from one national tow bar supplier/fitter who state that they can fit a removeable tow bar and electrics for approx' £700. The coding issue has yet to be answered however I'll go back again to them. From the reponses I believe the issues are: would a towbar be type approved on the E220d Estate, who would carry out the coding, would the warranty be affected and importantly, what would be the tow bar maximum vertical loading? I'm going to try MB UK next . I'll update the site as and when.

 

[BTB 500]

and importantly, what would be the tow bar maximum vertical loading?

Regarding noseweight (vertical load) the normally quoted limit is the one given for the car (assuming it's type-approved for towing), but occasionally aftermarket towbars have their own lower rating (which then becomes the limiting factor of course).

 

[PaulXC]

I have 2018 E220d AMG Line (Premium Plus) and have recently been quoted

// Towtrust/Brink Detachable 7pin £526.00 13pin £575.00
// Westfalia/Witter Detachable 7 pin £562.00 13 pin £611.00
// All the prices inc vat and are fitted with dedicated electrics and inc coding.

this was by NW Towbars in Stockport. I've used them before for tow-bars on Mercs and the not had any any issues with the coding of the electrics.

These are not the fully automatic self-hiding version that Mercedes supply as standard though.

 

[ernie]

Wow. £2097.00 I assume the parts were gold plated! Ever had the feeling that MB just aren't interested in that market segment?

Thanks for your comment.

I understand that if Merc fit a towbar, it includes upgrades to the cooling systems which they deem necessary to cope with the additional loads. I was quoted 9 hours work...at their prices! Needless to say I had an aftermarket one fitted and coded for a third of their price!

Ernie

 

[Tblk]

I understand that if Merc fit a towbar, it includes upgrades to the cooling systems which they deem necessary to cope with the additional loads. I was quoted 9 hours work...at their prices! Needless to say I had an aftermarket one fitted and coded for a third of their price!

Ernie

What year is yours? and, was it coded?

 

[ernie]

What year is yours? and, was it coded?

Mine is a 2018 C220CDi Sport and it was coded. Interestingly, the coding seems to replicate exactly that of MB - even the Coast mode in ECO is disabled presumably to allow some engine braking when towing. The only slight problem I have is that the towball can interfere with the rear parking sensors if I put the protective cap on.

Ernie

 

[Tblk]

Mine is a 2018 C220CDi Sport and it was coded. Interestingly, the coding seems to replicate exactly that of MB - even the Coast mode in ECO is disabled presumably to allow some engine braking when towing. The only slight problem I have is that the towball can interfere with the rear parking sensors if I put the protective cap on.

Ernie

Thanks. Good to know it can be coded outside the dealership. Will look into it again once restrictions are lifted

 

[Merc220cls]

Prior to purchasing our CLS Shooting Brake I asked for confirmation that the car was fully compliant for towing which my MB dealer confirmed.

I fitted my own tow-bar using Witter with the Quantum detachable bar and with dedicated electrics kit all supplied by PF Jones. With the Quantum detachable bar you would not know there was a tow bar fitted to the car, even the 7 pin socket swivels out of sight when not in use.

I did not have to get the car coded and quite frankly the fitting on the CLS was the easiest tow bar & electrics I’ve ever fitted. The wiring is simply linked into the Canbus system on the car, so instead of individual connections to all the lights on the car there’s only one connection to the Canbus.

 

[grimupnorth]

PF Jones are worth speaking to. They also fit for the dealers.

You are being redirected...

 

[Justintyme]

Prior to purchasing our CLS Shooting Brake I asked for confirmation that the car was fully compliant for towing which my MB dealer confirmed.

I fitted my own tow-bar using Witter with the Quantum detachable bar and with dedicated electrics kit all supplied by PF Jones. With the Quantum detachable bar you would not know there was a tow bar fitted to the car, even the 7 pin socket swivels out of sight when not in use.

I did not have to get the car coded and quite frankly the fitting on the CLS was the easiest tow bar & electrics I’ve ever fitted. The wiring is simply linked into the Canbus system on the car, so instead of individual connections to all the lights on the car there’s only one connection to the Canbus. the canbus

Thats a bit of very good news anyway, so your kit was a plug and play one? I fitted my one as well ( w212 2014 220 E class) Swopped the towbar over from my 2010 Eclass, no problem, The wiring used on the older Merc was simple relay, taking the trigger cables light by light...pretty standard stuff. BUT ( always a BUT) the 2014 car was an electrical horse of a far different color... the canbus makes it very different. I was getting the wiring kit from PF Jones, but was told that it needs coding by MB. I duly contacted the local MB dealership, only to be told "Sorry, thats not something we do here. " then I heard about a smart bypass relay, which allowed both park and brake light cables to be connected to the relay, and it would make the distinction between brake / park lights and power the appropriate bulbs via the relay. ( note, both brake and park lignts are fed by a single cable,,,,it just increases / decreases the power going to the LED bulb, causing it to either dim for park lights,or brighten for the brake lights.) But in any case, the relay I got was not smart enough to do it,,,,,so have to take individual feeds as needed. Indicators, fine. Brake lights fine, park light? no. I have to take seperate feed from the Nr plate for that, or as an alternative, to take a feed from the 3rd brake light for the brakes.
So if you have managed it with the PF Jones dedicated plug and play kit, without having to have it coded by MB, thats good news indeed.

 

[grumpytosser]

I have it on my s213 I like deploying it even though I have no need to tow. I'm glad the original owner spent the stupid amount to have it fitted, it looks like it's never been used

 

[solarmer1]

Thanks for all the advice so far and especially the type approval issue. I'm waiting for responses back from two dealers.
It appears that the AMG Night Line is pre-wired for the electrics whilst other models aren't. I've had a quote from one national tow bar supplier/fitter who state that they can fit a removeable tow bar and electrics for approx' £700. The coding issue has yet to be answered however I'll go back again to them. From the reponses I believe the issues are: would a towbar be type approved on the E220d Estate, who would carry out the coding, would the warranty be affected and importantly, what would be the tow bar maximum vertical loading? I'm going to try MB UK next . I'll update the site as and when.

An Update.
I received the following response from MB UK Technical. "We need your Chassis Number". I had clearly indicated in my enquiry that this was related to a 2021 e220d estate which I was CONSIDERING buying. I responded by repeating all this once again. MB response was...................well absolutely nothing, zilch. Business must be good. I'll move on and order a replacement XC90.