Tow Bar Confusion :(?

[wilson03635]

Hey all, looking for some help, got a july 09 a4 avant 170 sline, going to get a tow bar fited however i called audi after a tow bar centre told me i would need an upgrade. On calling Audi they told me i would need to have the oil cooler, fan and a switch upgraded at a cost of £1500 (inc tow bar) on questioning this they told me it was HALF price... so £3000 for an upgrade on a £32000 car can anyone shed light on this please im feeling very unhappy. cheers in advance

 

[scott b]

is the car automatic? if so then a gearbox cooler is recomended if your going to be towing a heavy load over a long distance and regulary, if its only a small trailer then i wouldnt bother. and if its a manual then i certanly wouldnt bother.

ive been fitting towbars full time since 2004, and as a rough guide price, i can supply and fit a towbar (witter) from £220 + VAT for a fixed ball with single electrics and from £340 + VAT for a detachable. (northwest only)

 

[wilson03635]

hi scott, its 1490kgs fully loaded and its a 6 speed manual. cheers

 

[scott b]

in that case i woudnt bother

 

[wilson03635]

is it just a money making excercise with them? can you shed light on why it would be needed? thanks

 

[scott b]

its only recomended on automatics as with the extra load of towing the gearbox and torque converter are working harder hence the gearbox oil heating up more, hence the cooler, but now a days most modern autos have decent size coolers any way.

basicly money making exercise.

ive never botherd fitting a gearbox cooler on any of the cars/vans i tow with,

if towing up steap hills for a fair distance just keep an eye on the temp gauge, but with your car being a year old if that, everything should be working tip top to prevent anything going wrong

 

[scott b]

to updat this, fitted a towbar on a saloon diesel yesterday, twin electrics.

the bar was easy to fit, wiring wasnt to bad to do either, (live feeds at rear of vehicle)

was a bumper cut on the lower edge, cant see it from standing at the back of the car

 

[aragorn]

Its probably an engine oil cooler rather than transmission, given its also on about a fan and sensor.

I would imagine that they uprate the cooling system because its more likely you'll spend your time using more throttle than normal due to the extra load, so they're just covering themselves to ensure everything stays within limits if your doing long haul high speed driving with two tonnes on the back.