As you might already know, two types of tow bar wiring can be fitted to your vehicle.
Universal Wiring and Vehicle-specific dedicated wiring.
Once an industry standard, Universal wiring is the old way to connect up your vehicle’s towing electrics. Scotch Lock connectors are used to splice into the vehicle’s delicate wires. The wire is then connected to a relay that increases the voltage before passing the electrical signal through to the tow plug. A buzzer that sounds when using indicators is a sure sign you have universal electrics fitted.
If your vehicle has towing features then it’s essential that universal electrics are not fitted. Manufacturers that have towing features include Audi, BMW, Ford, LandRover. Mercedes, Skoda, VW. There are several other manufacturers that produce vehicles with towing features, check your vehicle handbook to check yours.
Towing features include things such as anti-sway control, ABS changes, lane assistance warning changes, automatic PDC cut-off, engine management and cruise control changes.
If your vehicle has any of the above towing features DO NOT have universal electrics installed.
The only safe tow bar electrics to have fitted are vehicle-specific dedicated electrics. These integrate into the vehicle’s wiring system and connect to the manufacturer’s approved connecting points. This system is safer and a lot more reliable than universal electrics.
With vehicle-specific dedicated wiring, the vehicle will know when a trailer is connected and, in most cases, will automatically activate the towing features of the vehicle.
The other benefit of vehicle-specific dedicated electrics is that they do not invalidate your vehicle’s manufacturer warranty.
Should your vehicle need electrical work completed by a dealership it is very unlikely they will touch the vehicle if universal electrics have been fitted. Getting someone to remove the universal wiring will cost more than it does to install.
Yes, dedicated electrics are more money to have fitted, but the cost of faulty universal wiring greatly outweighs the initial investment.
The clear message is this…
If your car, van, or motorhome was built after 2015 then you almost certainly need to have a vehicle-specific dedicated wiring installed. Don’t have universal electrics fitted and risk damage to your vehicle or risk towing without the vehicle’s towing features being active. It’s not worth the risk!
At Ultimate Towbars we only fit dedicated electronics as standard. We believe that all of our customers want a safe and reliable towing experience.
For a tow bar supply and fitting quote please get in touch by calling us on 0114 360 7080 or visit www.ultimatetowbars.co.uk
