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Hello,

Are towbars and electrics all the same quality? - or are there higher and lower quality ones. Which are some good quality brands that come with good instructions and electrical kits. I'm thinking about fitting towbar and electrics myself, but to save agravation, prefer to pay more for better quality towbar, electrics and instruction and save hour of faffing around with poor or non existant intructions.

Do all modern cars have a socket in the wiring loom to accept an elctrical kit or is that wishful thinking?

All advice greatfullly recieved.  Thank you.

Richard

If you go for the well known brand names I don't think you will tell the difference, however from experience, it's still possible to buy rubbish. Each though has it's own design, particularly the removable towball types, which may or may not suit you

All tow bar designs have to pass tests to prove they are strong enough to do the job, in truth though this is not really difficult, the real test from a fitting point of view is the ease the bits fit together.

I purchased a bar from a company in Sheffield, (not Towsure), cheap enough but took me a fair while with an angle grinder to finish it off before it would go together to my satisfaction. 

Many thanks for your replies :) 

Do modern day cars have connections for towbar electrics built into the wiring loom that is kept blank and tied off somewhere near the rear tail lights or it's a question of splicing into the  rear lights etc? I intend to get a towbar for a caravan. And while I want the electrics  for the European 13 pin, I also want UK 12N(? - have I got that right?) pin for backward compatibility for when I'm towing an old trailor. I'm not troubled by manually fitting the towbar, it's the stories I have read about getting the electrics wrong and blowing the car ECU. If there is one manufactuerer that makes the towbar easy to fit and has an idiot proof elctrics ad fitting guide, I would gladly pay more. I'm also getting quotes for getting one fitted nearby, but I quite like the sense of achievment of fitting it oneself.

i have found over the years of fitting towbars,used to make my own,the more you pay the less chance of it going rusty. there was talk of adding the test of towbars to the mot.                          this may help

http://www.towitall.co.uk/trailer_wiring/instructions.htm

Quality may vary between manufacturers, but all towbars fitted to cars first registered on or after August 1988 must be type approved under Directive 94/20/EC. Failure to do so is an offence under the Construction and Use regulations 1986.

And new car models that first came onto the market after 1st January 1996 must also only be fitted with type approved towbars.

So, the poorest quality towbar must still meet the minimum requirements, by law.

Bertie.