Towbar

[REEDOSX30]

Got 2007 model Galaxy Back from towsure yesterday after having a towbar fitted only to discover that I have an error code on the parking sensors. Toom it back to Towsure today who have said take it to frauds to have on board computer reset. Spoke to local dealers who said unauthorised kits wouldnt work with the vehicle. He even quoted an incident of someone elses car blowing the ecu due to incorrect Towbar Electrics. Are Fords just on the make? is there a dedicated wiring kit (wires are just scotchlocked) Since the towsure guys cant fix it after causing the problem I am stuck Anyone have any ideas?

[big_kev]

Your initial arguement is with Towsure who have incorrectly fitted the towbar.

 

( A correct fitting would work without affecting the rest of the cars electronics ).

 

 

 

Also I wouldn't believe anything that came out of a ford dealers mouth.

 

I would expect that unauthorised kits would work with the vehicle as it is unlikely that ford manufacture their kits themselves and in fact get them from a third party who also make unauthorised kits.

 

However having an unauthorised kit fitted would almost certainly invalidate your warranty.

 

 

 

I would go back to Towsure and tell them to fix it or get a refund from them.

[Willie Krashitt]

Not sure about the info on reprogramming, but the towbar wiring harness is available from the dealers at

[buford_t_justice]

the official ford wiring kit would disable the rear parking sensors when the electrics for your trailer/caravan are hooked up.

 

generic electrics won't do this and hence the error code ?

[REEDOSX30]

i GUESS SO BUFORD BUT ERROR CODE AS SOON AS REVERSE SELECTED NOT WHEN CARAVAN HOOKED UP STILL AWAITING FOR TO CONFIRM ARRIVAL OF PARTS TO RECTIFY!! WILL KEEP U POSTED!

[dellybeanhead]

Hi I am abou to take delivery of a MKII Galaxy and need to get a towbar fitted.

I can;t go for teh Ford one as the nose weight is only 80Kg and I need 100kg so will go for a Bosal.

However, I want to install the genuine Ford wiring so that

- the trailer connected dashboard light works

- the flasher/indicator dashboard light works

- the rear parking sensors are disabled when trailer attached

 

I am attaching to a caravan so will need a twin socket conenction but the standards are chaging in September in the UK so that all cars and caravans will have a 13 pin scoket.

So, I am unsure as to whether to order a 13 pin kit or a 7 pin kit with the additional socket for fridge, power, etc

I am thinking that if I get the 13 pin socket then I can get an adaptor cable for the caravan to convert it to the twin 7 pin sockets. And I think that this will mean that I do not have to run a seperate feed for the second socket.

 

Am I right?

 

 

Also, I understand that the mkII Galaxy uses CAN_BUS protocol to detect light failures etc. I assume this is also used to detect if a towbar electrics are connected? I assume that this means I will need a delear to connect a computer to set up the electronics so that the dashboard lights work.

 

Is this true. Or can I do this my self?

 

 

Many thanks, James

[dellybeanhead]

Sorry for repost but teh forum wont let me edit my post. Corrected post follows:

Hi I am about to take delivery of a MKIII Galaxy and need to get a towbar fitted.

I can't go for the genuine Ford towbar as the nose weight is only 80Kg and I need 100kg so will go for a Bosal.

However, I want to install the genuine Ford wiring so that

- the trailer connected dashboard warning light works

- the flasher/indicator working dashboard light works

- the rear parking sensors are disabled when trailer attached

- It will detect if a bulb is faulty on the caravan by indicating in the car

 

I am attaching a caravan so will need a twin socket connection but the standards are changing in September in the UK so that all cars and caravans will have a 13 pin scoket.

So, I am unsure as to whether to order a 13 pin kit or a 7 pin kit with the additional socket for fridge, power, etc

The 13 PIN socket is better as it is water tight and a better connector.

I am thinking that if I get the 13 pin socket then I can get an adaptor cable for the caravan to convert it to the twin 7 pin sockets. And I think that this will mean that I do not have to run a seperate feed for the second socket.

 

Am I right?

 

Alternatively I can adapt my caravan to a 13 PIN socket (which is was originally before I had it converted to UK spec!!)

 

Also, I understand that the mkIII Galaxy uses CAN_BUS protocol to detect light failures etc. I assume this is also used to detect if towbar electrics are connected? I assume that this means I will need a dealer to connect a computer to set up the cars electronics so that the various dashboard lights work.

 

Is this true. Or can I do this my self? I've seen USB plug in cables on eBay that seem to be CAN-BUS compatible and able to plug into a CAN-BUS diagnostic port.

 

 

Many thanks, James

[dellybeanhead]

See mmy other post in "Towbar Module And Light on Mkiii Dashboard" for the solution.

[purplemadboy]

Dellybeanhead its not the towball that dictates the nose weight,its the car its self,getting a tow bar thats says its 100kg does not matter you still cannt have the nose weight more than 80 kg.As a caravaner myself I know your problem,its one of the reasons I might buy Land Rover next time I buy a new car as 80kg is very low and hard to meet.

[dellybeanhead]

Thanks Purple, yes I'm aware of that. I checked with an engineer to find out what the towbars have been tested at. I am within 80Kg which, yes, is very hard to achieve. But I want the added comfort that the towbar (and ball) have been tested way over that and capable of more than that just in case. I also found out that there is a fairly large margin left in Fords tests but the 80Kg is a very safe limit.