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I'm currently looking at having a towbar fitted an was wondering what peoples thoughts are on manufacturer and quality.

I have been quoted £260 for a Witter by a number of companies but the cheapest quote I've had is for an A1 towbar at £210. A substantial difference.

I had an A1 towbar on a previous car but only for 6 months and only towed the caravan with it once, the only complaint I have with it is that it began rusting within 2 months but a sealant could prevent that.

I realise they all have to meet the same standards but really is there a difference?

We've used Towrite for alllll of our tow bars over the years and never found any probs with them. Certainly never had ANY rust on 'em.

Just got my new Zafira on Tuesday and even the Vauxhall dealership I got it from used good ole Towrite to install my shiny new tow bar

It cost £235 and that was with the VAT already included, which isn't tooooooo bad for a double electric jobby by looking at other fitters. As my motor's a motability one I didn't have much say as to where it got fitted anyhoo, but I would have gone to Towrite with it anyhoo

Oops, forgot to mention that if you're considering using a sealant on your tow ball and you have one of the Winterhoff or Alko hitches.........DON'T!!!! They have to be ultra clean so it's the bare metal that the hitch is locking onto and I'm pretty sure a sealant would impede that? Not that I'm tooooo technowhatsname

Maybe I should've mentioned that our current one on our Vectra, (Towrite), has been on there for 9 years and still no sign of rusty bits.

I have a Witter on my current car fitted by a tow bar specialist company. No problems at all.

My previous car was fitted with an A1 towbar which seemed OK apart from the electrics.

I had it fitted by a bob-a-job merchant from the local rag which left me with the 12v power supply cutting out in the caravan after a few minutes of the engine stopping. This was a pain unless we had EHU as the caravan was a lightweight with no leisure battery.

My advice is to go to an approved towbar fitter which offer a decent warranty and you should be OK whatever you go for.

Quality brands I am aware of include Witter, Brink, Westfalia and Bosal.  Not sure about A1, but it sounds like one of those suspicious names just intended to get a good slot in the Yellow Pages !

I don't think any of the car maufacturers actually make towbars, they just source them from one of these specialist manufacturers.  My advice would be to find out which one the car manufacturer uses (you can often tell just by comparing online photos or diagrams), but, as you say, they all have to meet EU standards these days.

I bought a cheap A1 bar and spent 20 minutes with an angle grinder tidying it up before I deemed it fit for use!! plus I agree a can of spray paint to give it a bit more rust protection. Having said that, they've been around for years so cannot be all bad surely?

Reason for the grinding BTW was the bolt holes being made with blunt punches

blackout what tow car is it for ?