Twice the tow bar on our car has been attacked by vandals - the plate holding the two electric connectors either side of the tow ball has been bent inward. Now it no longer functions and we have to have it repaired. It must be being bent by a heavy tool of some kind - maybe a crow bar levering from behind. Does anyone know of any sort of protective covering that can be attached to the tow bar to stop vandals attacking it in this way? Something like a heavy, metal plate lock that you might normally see covering a hitchlock for example?
In my experience, these plates for the electrics are very flimsy, are you sure you have not bent it yourself when hitching or unhitching? Seems an odd thing to vandalise otherwise.
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Thanks all for getting back to me. Some really helpful things to think about here as can't see when and how it could have been done by vandals, but until your thoughts on the matter that seemed the only logical explanation. Going to explore stainless steel or double thickness plate ideas. Oh, and by the way, campinkev, I am the wife and I've never driven this car, but I have to confess to minor, teeny weeny bumps over the years when reversing in other cars - but that's another story.
Cheers everyone.
If you know someone that can shape a new bracket for you out of 5 mill steel as I did it worked OK with mine.I thought bend that you ba***rd Bet it's the same person who sees you've straightened it, then bends it again as I believed mine was
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i have this odd times it is the towhitch pushing on the plugs when you reverse round.i just bend mine back.you can buy a bumper guard £5 this stops some of it.
sometimes it is better if they get bent backwards.make the plate too strong and the plugs would get smashed.the flimsy one is easy to pull straight till the next time,
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Bend the plate to 45 degrees any way, then your plugs wont get smashed if it is caused by the hitch hitting them on turns. Also see if the vandal bends it straight for you.
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