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ML250 Towbar???

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Pdcp

New Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2025
Messages
10
Location
Northumberland
Car
ML 250 bluetec
Hi,I hope someone can help me,I have a 2014 ML250 bluetec that I would like to put a detachable Towbar on it,my big problem is every Towbar I look at says it won't fit !!! Is it me,or is it a difficult to find one -- detachable and not have to cut the rear bumper.Ihope there is someone who can help coz I'm going MAD with it not knowing what one to get.Thanking anyone who can help in advance Paul.
 
Pdcp said:
Hi,I hope someone can help me,I have a 2014 ML250 bluetec that I would like to put a detachable Towbar on it,my big problem is every Towbar I look at says it won't fit !!! Is it me,or is it a difficult to find one -- detachable and not have to cut the rear bumper.Ihope there is someone who can help coz I'm going MAD with it not knowing what one to get.Thanking anyone who can help in advance Paul.
Click to expand...
I suspect that you may have an AMG or Sport trim. If so then most tow bar fitters and manufacturers will immediately say “no” because AMG models are not homologated to tow, which is true in the vast majority of cases, except for AMG SUVs.

As long as your car is homologated for towing, then you can legally fit and use a towbar.

Some cutting of the bumper may be required if there’s not a removable panel. Find a decent fitter and show them a photo of your VIN plate which will confirm whether it is homologated. Post a photo of it here if you’re not sure how to read it.

I’ve retrofitted towbars to AMGs a few times now, and all fitters and manufacturers said no, repeatedly. I spoke to the Westfalia parts department and when they saw the VIN plate they were keen to follow the journey but couldn’t advise.

So the first time I bought all of the parts from Mercedes to mitigate the risk of a problem. When the kit arrived we checked all of the part numbers with Westfalia Technical and they updated their catalogues and fitter guidance as a result.

Last time I checked the catalogue and fitter guidance has been changed back to “no” again! Each time I’ve done it since I have just used the Westfalia parts as they’re much less expensive and the exact same part.

This thread relates to the time I added one to a W166 generation ML lnig dissimilar to yous:

Bobby Dazzler

Thread 'Retrofit towbar to W166 ML63 AMG'

I'm posting this to help others who Google search whether a towbar can be retrofitted to an ML63 AMG.

A few weeks ago we took delivery of our new W166 ML63 AMG and having a towbar is essential for us, so before I committed to the car I checked the VIN or data plate showed the Gross Train Weight (GTW) meaning it's legal to tow, and dropped Tamzin at Westfalia an email to see if they've done one yet.

When we had a towbar fitted to our W164 ML63 AMG we had a bit of game to begin with, as pretty much every towbar manufacturer and every towbar fitter said it couldn't be done as the kit didn't...
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Bobby Dazzler-- Thank you for your info regarding the fitting of a towbar to a w166,my model of merc is AMG styled not full AMG with adblue fitted,I've been onto Weastfalia and they are telling me there towbars won't fit my car,and to look at Witter or towsure,so I am totally confused,and not knowing what the he'll to do, I hope someone can give me a definite answer. here's hoping.Paul.
 
Bobby Dazzler said:
I suspect that you may have an AMG or Sport trim. If so then most tow bar fitters and manufacturers will immediately say “no” because AMG models are not homologated to tow, which is true in the vast majority of cases, except for AMG SUVs.

As long as your car is homologated for towing, then you can legally fit and use a towbar.

Some cutting of the bumper may be required if there’s not a removable panel. Find a decent fitter and show them a photo of your VIN plate which will confirm whether it is homologated. Post a photo of it here if you’re not sure how to read it.

I’ve retrofitted towbars to AMGs a few times now, and all fitters and manufacturers said no, repeatedly. I spoke to the Westfalia parts department and when they saw the VIN plate they were keen to follow the journey but couldn’t advise.

So the first time I bought all of the parts from Mercedes to mitigate the risk of a problem. When the kit arrived we checked all of the part numbers with Westfalia Technical and they updated their catalogues and fitter guidance as a result.

Last time I checked the catalogue and fitter guidance has been changed back to “no” again! Each time I’ve done it since I have just used the Westfalia parts as they’re much less expensive and the exact same part.

This thread relates to the time I added one to a W166 generation ML lnig dissimilar to yous:

Bobby Dazzler

Thread 'Retrofit towbar to W166 ML63 AMG'

I'm posting this to help others who Google search whether a towbar can be retrofitted to an ML63 AMG.

A few weeks ago we took delivery of our new W166 ML63 AMG and having a towbar is essential for us, so before I committed to the car I checked the VIN or data plate showed the Gross Train Weight (GTW) meaning it's legal to tow, and dropped Tamzin at Westfalia an email to see if they've done one yet.

When we had a towbar fitted to our W164 ML63 AMG we had a bit of game to begin with, as pretty much every towbar manufacturer and every towbar fitter said it couldn't be done as the kit didn't...
  • Like
Click to expand...
 
Pdcp said:
Bobby Dazzler-- Thank you for your info regarding the fitting of a towbar to a w166,my model of merc is AMG styled not full AMG with adblue fitted,I've been onto Weastfalia and they are telling me there towbars won't fit my car,and to look at Witter or towsure,so I am totally confused,and not knowing what the he'll to do, I hope someone can give me a definite answer. here's hoping.Paul.
Click to expand...
Paul, can you post a photo of your VIN plate or type the numbers on the VIN plate? This will confirm whether the car is type approved for towing.
 
Sorry to bother you again,but are the ML mercs generally awkward to fit towbars,I've had so many conflicted stories of what you can and cannot fit.
 
Pdcp said:
Can you please tell me the exact model of towbar I can fit,thank you for all your help it's been invaluable and very informative.Paul
Click to expand...
If you show that photo to a fitter then that will help. As was the case when I had towbars fitted to my W166 and W164, you’ll probably need to accept the risk that it may not risk, as the fitter and manufacturer will be unwilling to do so.

The Westfalia part number for the kit I had fitted was 313406 and here are the fitting instructions if you're considering installing it yourself. Find out whether there is more than one for the W166 ML, just in case, but I would imagine there is only one.
 
Thank you very much for all your help and guidance on the towbar it's been really helpful,and solved the problem.im going to go for a westfalia towbar as I think it's the best for this car.Thanks again. Paul. One happy chappy.
 
Pdcp said:
Thank you very much for all your help and guidance on the towbar it's been really helpful,and solved the problem.im going to go for a westfalia towbar as I think it's the best for this car.Thanks again. Paul. One happy chappy.
Click to expand...
You’re very welcome Paul.

I wouldn’t hesitate to have a Westfalia towbar, I’ve fitted three to ML’s over the years - two of which to MLs that all fitters and manufacturers couldn’t have a towbar fitted - and they’ve all been great. In fact we still have those two cars.

If you buy the retrofit towbar kit from the Mercedes main dealer parts counter, then it’s the Westfalia kit that you’ll receive. You can read more about the first time I did it in the thread below:

Bobby Dazzler

Thread 'Retrofit towbar to W164 ML63 AMG'

I'm posting this to help others who Google search whether a towbar can be retrofitted to an ML63 AMG.

On Friday we took delivery of our new ML63 AMG and having a tow bar is essential for us, so before I committed to the car I checked pretty much every option available for retro-fitting: Mercedes-Benz dealer, 5 or so towbar manufacturers, and more than 20 towbar fitters.

To cut a very long story short, when you contact the manufacturer or fitter the standard answer is "No we don't manufacture/supply/fit because the car is not homologated for towing" or "No we don't supply/fit because...
 
Thank you again,I'm in the process of trying to find a supplier so I can buy one,that seems to be a hard task in itself, so far I've messaged a few and none have got back to me. Maybe no one wants my money?. It's a funny world nowadays.
 
Pdcp said:
Thank you again,I'm in the process of trying to find a supplier so I can buy one,that seems to be a hard task in itself, so far I've messaged a few and none have got back to me. Maybe no one wants my money?. It's a funny world nowadays.
Click to expand...
Most fitters won’t want the potential hassle and risk of a towbar which won’t fit on the day - or have serious complications - as their average customer will moan and leave negative reviews whilst they’ll be out of pocket on time and expensive parts.

I think it’s worth speaking to a few. I found two happy to do it, the most recent is near Birmingham so a bit of a trek for you. The other had a national network of fitters but I believe they have since gone out of business.

Try contacting Tamzin at Westfalia - if she is still around then she may be able to suggest a fitter. Her contact details can be found in this post/thread:

Retrofit towbar to W164 ML63 AMG | Electronics and Audio
 
Hi Bobby Dazzler,I thought I would share with you the full outcome of the towbar fitting and general situation with the ml250,after much deliberation I purchased a PCT towbar (British made) it was a very good price,I put it on myself with great ease,it's as heavy as he'll but is a cracking detachable towbar,no cutting at all,and relatively easy to fit,then got it coded for£63 at a local auto electrician.Everything is spot on.But as you advised,you really have to look into it before parting with your money.l must say,I would recommend a PCT towbar,if I can fit it anyone can!!!! Thank you for all your help and advice it's been invaluable.
 
Pdcp said:
Hi Bobby Dazzler,I thought I would share with you the full outcome of the towbar fitting and general situation with the ml250,after much deliberation I purchased a PCT towbar (British made) it was a very good price,I put it on myself with great ease,it's as heavy as he'll but is a cracking detachable towbar,no cutting at all,and relatively easy to fit,then got it coded for£63 at a local auto electrician.Everything is spot on.But as you advised,you really have to look into it before parting with your money.l must say,I would recommend a PCT towbar,if I can fit it anyone can!!!! Thank you for all your help and advice it's been invaluable.
Click to expand...
Thank you for reporting back - glad to hear that it all went smoothly 👍🏻
 
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