Towbar - self fitting

[chindley]

Anyone wanting to fit their own towbar and save some money it is quite an easy task.
I fitted mine on Sunday and it took about 2:30 mins. It would have been quicker but my ratchet packed in on my socket set, so I had to resort to using spanners which slowed things down.
I purchased the towbar from Germany here http://www.rameder.eu/en/Towbars/Tow-ba ... 624-1.html (thanks to jkwilly for finding the site)
Detachable and dedicated electrics for under £230.

Time lapse of towbar fitting, however my phone went flat 15 mins before I finished. http://youtu.be/HKFpfd4dNM4

 

[Jkwilly]

Well Done chindley your the man how did the electrics go my are sitting in the garage wait for Dec 1st

btw cant get the video to work

 

[jaapv]

Hmm - watching that video I guess I would need some more time. I am sure you were exhausted... :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[harrison33]

Hi.

I am about to do the same and just wondered whether you did disconnect the battery in the end. I don't think there is a radio code at all. However, the towbar electrics look fairly simple so my instinct is to carefully hook all up, with the ignition off of course, leaving the battery connection until last and then making it with the inline fuses removed initially. One dealer I spoke to suggested removing the battery and then connecting can cause problems with the ECU which I cannot quite believe.

Witter detachable vertical which seems to avoid any bumper cut and retain the bumper bar, around £206.

I've decided to purchase the Mitsubishi UK supplied dedicated electrics kit which I suspect will be Right Connections/Conwys kit anyway. The Right Connections kit suggests drilling a new hole which is madness when there is any existing hole used nearby which can be used and suggested by the Jaegar kit. It all looks fairly straightforward though.

The youtube link doesn't seem to work, any chance you can repost it?

Will report back once all installed!

Thanks

Andrew

 

[tjacobsen]

Hi

I can't get the video to work, keep getting "Sorry video can't be displayed" message from Youtube

 

[harrison33]

Successfully fitted a Witter vertical detachable at the weekend. Fairly straightforward although removing the bumper side clips needs a little care for a first timer. It does retain the original bumper rail but with the fixing plates removed. I'll retain all so that it can be refitted if I remove the towbar in the future. Around 2.5hrs to fit and would be easier with a helper for taking the bumper on/off and lifting the tow bar into place.

Currently I have not cut the bumper - it is pushed out very slightly and would only need a fairly minimal cut (say 10mm deep and 50mm wide). I'll leave it like that for a moment and take a view on whether to cut it in due course.

I ordered the Mitsubishi electrical kit which is in fact the Conwys/Right Connections one (as I suspected) which the likes of Witter supply as their dedicated kit. Pretty well the same price and arguably avoids warranty issues as a Mitsubishi part number. More expensive than the kit above though. Strangely it suggests drilling a hole in the floor pan for a new grommet. However, there is one available in the wheel arch which a roof drain pipe uses and the towbar wiring slipped through that quite easily although a bit of care with routing is needed. It looks like the Erich Jaegar electrical kit comes with a new grommet. That kit though needs more messing around with the electrics than the Mitsubishi one which requires a single wire to be cut and otherwise is plug and play.

There is a connector to plug into under the bonnet and a lead to go onto the battery. I carefully did this live with the inline fuses removed. Simple.

I am pleased I did it myself as it is pretty straightforward and means I know it was done carefully/properly.

Andrew

 

[Tweeds]

Did everyone else get the video to work in the end?

I'm trying to decide whether to order a towbar with the car, or fit myself afterwards.

 

[harrison33]

No but it is relatively straightforward. Remove rear lights, release a number of plastic clips retaining bumper to wing and underneath along its length, remove bolt fixings adjacent to rear lights. You then need to release the bumper top edge from the front of each wheel arch - there is a length of plastic clip along the wing which it pulls out from. Basically it then pulls off the back. Cabling to the lamps in the bumper etc have a single connector to release before you can pull it fully clear. It is easy enough to remove on your own but really needs a second person for reinstalling it.

To do the electrics the interior trim at the hatch lip needs to be removed - use a flat head screwdriver to help release each push in clip. The nearside interior panel has a few fixing screws and can then be carefully pulled free. Depending on how much access you want the trim to the base of the rear seat will also need to come off to fully release the rear panel.

Through looking at various towbar and associated wiring fitting instructions I became comfortable with what needed to be done before I tackled it. Pretty easy though, just be careful with releasing the various clips.

Good luck.

Andrew

 

[nernm]

Has anyone purchased one of these, know anything about them?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Towbar-Detachable-Mitsubishi-OUTLANDER-PHEV/dp/B00LBUVGOW#productDetails

Looks remarkably good value, or is it too good to be true?

 

[Tweeds]

Just been quoted an extra £10 a month on my 2 year lease to have a tow bar fitted, so I don't think I'll be getting my hands dirty!!

 

[DavidEJM]

Sorry to dig up an old thread but I am looking at buying and self installing a towbar and wondered what the thoughts are for the best options out there.

I don’t want to cut the bumper, I know that much, and did think a removable unit would be best but I have to wonder if we would ever remove it and since the likelihood is it will be my wife towing a horsebox between villages and she’s unlikely to want to faff around sticking the towbar on, I’m thinking a standard type will be fine.

So, swan-neck or flange?
7 pin or 13?
Dedicated mitsi wiring or universal?
Accessories recommended? Bumper guard etc etc?

As a background I consider myself to be more than competent to do this having modified and built cars and motorcycles for over 30 years, so spannering and wiring doesn’t worry me. I have fitted a couple of towbars on previous cars but I am keen to see what experience others have had in the past and learn from their experiences.

The link in the original post seems to now point to a blank page ‘error 404’ message when I click it.

Also thinking of adding reverse sensors as my wife has been known to bump into thing, in fairness even with reverse sensors fitted to her previous car! It was the sensor she damaged!

Cheers

 

[MrPastry]

Hi DavidEJM


Witter CL114 does not need a bumper cut. Easy fit.

See: http://www.myoutlanderphev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1608&start=10

Don't think you can tow a horse box with a Phev. Possibly too heavy.???
I don't like detachable towbars. I'd prefer the safety & versatility of a fixed 2 bolt flange bar.
Some folk opt for the detachable. I couldn't give a hoot what it looks like. It's there to do a job.
There may be a detachable 2 bolt flange available if you want the best of both.


Plug & play vehicle specific wiring kit essential.
Mitsubishi kit is manufactured by Right Connections.

 

[DavidEJM]

Thanks for the thoughts Mr Pastry, I’m leaning towards a flange bar to put a bumper protector behind it.

Box and single horse should be well within PHEV capability (1250kg in total), I won’t be towing it with two though!

I will have a look out for a witter .

 

[perfectlifttip]

Very well, It comes handy though. A Towbar is must for any vehicle.

 

[user 2883]

FWIW on advice from the dealer who claimed US aftermarket towbars won't fit I ordered the factory bar and wiring harness. Once it arrived (2 months after vehicle delivery) I had the local dealer install it after reading over the directions. The book labor estimate was 5 hours total, and it took the local dealer 3 working days to finish! Needless to say if I had it to do over again I would have waited on a car with the factory installed option!

Sadly in the US we only are quoted 1500 lb tow capacity and only get the meager 4-pin wiring harness. Even my tiny pop-up camper uses the larger 7-pin plug that provides for reverse lights and battery charging (or electric brakes if it were heavier).

 

[MrPastry]

But Mitsubishi do not make towbars or wiring kits. They supply aftermarket brands.
If they took longer than 5 hours to install the towbar & wiring kit, they obviously didn't know what they were doing & screwed up. I would guess that they damaged your car & didn't want you to find out.
The Outlander is a very quick & simple fit.

 

[DavidEJM]

I did mine on my drive and it was about 7 hours but I did have a lot of interruptions from kids (dad, can you do.....) and from locals passing, stopping and chatting (a bit of an occupational hazard as I work in the village too). I think it would have been quicker if I hadn’t read the instructions and just used my common sense. A dealer taking 3 days suggests something went wrong!

 

[AndyInOz]

The fitting of my (after market) tow bar only took a couple of hours at the tow bar place, I even sat in the foyer and waited for them.

I agree with the others, they broke something (hopefully just a piece of plastic trim) and had to wait for a replacement.

 

[vtski56]

Hello, US Model Outlander PHEV. I would like to add a tow bar. Mitsubishi is quoting $750 for it which seems like way too much. The main issue I have is that the aftermarket tow bars seem to be designed for a muffler which is inline (parallel) with the car. The PHEV's muffler is perpendicular to the axis of the car so that Curt tow bar doesn't look like it will fit.

Honestly, seems like it should only take an hour to install. There is a ton of space down there as there is no spare tire and just the 12V battery. There are the two pass through sleeves on either side (left side with a towing attachment) as well as three threaded bolts on the frame.

Has anybody found aftermarket US towbar which will fit? Why would the fit take so long unless it's the wiring?

I'll try to take a few pictures later today. Thanks.

 

[LGAero]

I am in USA, 2018 PHEV Outlander. Quoted $700 by dealer for figment and supply for Mitsubishi supplied hitch. This seems far too much, especially on a leased car.

Very interested to learn if any North American solution had been found .