Towbar on CL500

[db1]

Hi,

Am thinking of a CL500 or possibly an W221 S-class. I know its a bit unusual but I need to transport some e-bikes. Is it possible to fit a towbar to either of those just for the e-bikes not for any trailers etc.

Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks

DB1

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

There’ll be someone much wiser along in a minute, but I think that you can not put a tow bar on a C216 or C215.

Nor even a roof rack - not that you’d want to put a couple of 25kg e-bikes on the roof of anything.

I’m happy to be proved wrong, but I suspect you’re going to be thwarted when it comes to towing with the coupe.

W221: no problem. Plenty of suppliers.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Unfortunately I don’t believe that the CL is type approved for towing and so cannot legally have a towbar fitted even if it won’t be used for towing. Take a photo of the VIN plate showing the weights, and someone can advise whether it’s type approved.

 

[renault12ts]

Contrary to the above...you can fit a tow bar and a roof rack to the 215, not sure about the 216. I have the options brochure for the 215. The roof rack would be in all probability, impossible to source. If the 216 rating plate shows the towing weight then one can be fitted.

 

[ernie]

Hi,

Am thinking of a CL500 or possibly an W221 S-class. I know its a bit unusual but I need to transport some e-bikes. Is it possible to fit a towbar to either of those just for the e-bikes not for any trailers etc.

Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks

DB1

First of all, you need to check that the car has towing capability by checking if any weights are specified on the driver's door pillar VIN Plate. If not, then fitting a tow-bar could cause problems with insurance, etc.
In practice, due to the weights of the bikes, you would need a regular tow-bar to be fitted to your car and that would also involve electrics for the back of the bike rack.

As this option could cost £600 - 700, for a fitted aftermarket tow-bar, if this was a one-off exercise, it might be cheaper to just hire a van for the time you need it!

There are a number of threads on here and on the other site in which the pros and cons of fitting tow-bars are debated.

Ernie

ps: sorry if this confirms what other have said!

 

[BTB 500]

First of all, you need to check that the car has towing capability by checking if any weights are specified on the driver's door pillar VIN Plate. If not, then fitting a tow-bar could cause problems with insurance, etc.

As Bobby Dazzler mentioned it's actually illegal to fit a towbar if the car isn't type-approved for towing.

 

[oldguy57]

Going slightly off the topic, I had to laugh at an MB parts quote of £17830 (fully detailed) for fitting a tow bar to a 2017 E Class, mentioned in the latest official club mag. Apparently the parts guy thought there was nothing wrong with the price, to which labour costs had to be added.

 

[Rpp999]

Going slightly off the topic, I had to laugh at an MB parts quote of £17830 (fully detailed) for fitting a tow bar to a 2017 E Class, mentioned in the latest official club mag. Apparently the parts guy thought there was nothing wrong with the price, to which labour costs had to be added.

Yep, I was quoted over 2k for my c class, had one fitted for a third of that.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Going slightly off the topic, I had to laugh at an MB parts quote of £17830 (fully detailed) for fitting a tow bar to a 2017 E Class, mentioned in the latest official club mag. Apparently the parts guy thought there was nothing wrong with the price, to which labour costs had to be added.

Can I just check, is that a typo, £18k in parts??

Even assuming that it required updated transmission cooling and other mechanical changes, getting it up to £18k seems unbelievable on a car which is type approved to tow.

I’m going from memory - and a long time ago - but I think the dealer supplied towbar kit which I bought for my W164 ML retailed at around £1800 when I bought it around 10 years ago.

 

[ernie]

Can I just check, is that a typo, £18k in parts??

Even assuming that it required updated transmission cooling and other mechanical changes, getting it up to £18k seems unbelievable on a car which is type approved to tow.

I’m going from memory - and a long time ago - but I think the dealer supplied towbar kit which I bought for my W164 ML retailed at around £1800 when I bought it around 10 years ago.

I was quoted around £2k to fit an MB towbar and electrics to my W205 C Class. That includes various uprated parts for the cooling system and transmission that they consider necessary. An aftermarket unit fitted and coded was about £700.

Ernie

 

[Modbarr]

Suggest contact Motabars of leamington spa for advice, they just fitted towbar on my 2021 GLE... 100%service, car returned spotless (£590), MB quoted £5446.00 inc

 

[oldguy57]

Can I just check, is that a typo, £18k in parts??

Even assuming that it required updated transmission cooling and other mechanical changes, getting it up to £18k seems unbelievable on a car which is type approved to tow.

I’m going from memory - and a long time ago - but I think the dealer supplied towbar kit which I bought for my W164 ML retailed at around £1800 when I bought it around 10 years ago.

No not a typo. A tiny thumbnail image of the actual MB parts quote appeared in the mag, but too small to see the actual parts quoted for. I suspect an over enthusiastic or unknowledgable parts guy. The joke was that the MB dealer thought the price was appropriate.