Towbar Fitting VW Golf V and VI

As the VW Golf has exploded in popularity this has become one of our top selling tow bars. The Hayman Reese tow bar we use is rated to 1250kg max trailer and 120kg max down load. The bar is pretty straight forward as it simply slides down the chassis rails and secures with a couple of bolts each side through the rail walls. The trickiest bit is the bumper cut which takes a lot of care to get a neat symmetrical outline.
The trailer lighting plug on this vehicle requires an electronic control box to be fitted to prevent damage to the car's electronics and the trigger sources have to be carefully selected because the Golf has a multiplex wiring system. The multiplex system results in the tail lights and brake lights sharing the same wiring.

NOTE 2011: Hayman Reese have now developed a vehicle specific wiring loom that is able to interpret the multiplex tail/brake signal using an ECU control box which makes this a very neat electrical fitment.

We have fitted the bar to the new Golf VI and it fits fine. The photo below shows the difference in how the bar fits with the bumper, with the lug removed.

Please see our tow bar finder for current fitted pricing

Golf VI tow bar with lug removed
Tow bar wiring loom

On the Gti Golf the tow bar doesn't line up as nice with the bumper as the models shown above. It looks ok with the tongue fitted and we used a bit of trim to tidy it up but it can look a little bit messy with the tongue removed.

Golf Gti

Quick release tow hitch VW Jetta

Biggish job today. Hayman Reese quick release mini-hitch. This has a 40mm square reciever on the vehicle with a removable tow ball mount and a rating 1400kg max trailer. The tow bar is made in sections with separate side arms being inserted into the chassis rails. The cross member spanning the rear panel of the vehicle bolts on to the side arms. The Jetta has a multiplex wiring system which means the tail lights and brake lights share the same wires. VW sell a special loom for this vehicle which like the Golf is sold for big dollars and requires re-coding of the ECU. We use an electronic control model made by Lumen in Australia which allows you to operate the trailer lights while protecting the vehicle electronics from any faults caused by dodgy trailer wiring.

Total fitting time is 3 to 4 hours because of the wiring and you have to make a window thro the bumper skin for the hitch to pass thro. This involves measuring, remeasuring, procrastinating for a bit, remeasuring then cutting.
See our tow bar selector for current fitted price