[Guest]

Getting a bit confused about all the tow bar options.

Had a good quote from an independent towbar specialist to fit a bar and twin electrics using a 7-way bypass relay and smartcom switching relay. Concerned that the method of connection to the X-Trail (scotch lock) could either invalidate the warranty or be a safety hazard when towing.

The alternative is to fit a vehicle-specific kit, but then I'd have to go to 13-pin or just have single electrics and the cost would be much higher.

Need to make a decision today as the car is booked in for Monday.

Any advice from someone with a T31 who has been through the same dilemma?

 

[Guest]

I did get it sorted, but not in the way I expected.

I eventually went down the vehicle-specific route with single electrics only. The bar, electrics and fitting were booked with Indespension in Ipswich. I drove the 40 minutes to get there, left the car and took a bus into Ipswich to find a coffee shop with wi-fi to do some work. No sooner had I sat down with my latte, I got a call from Indespension saying that the towbar manufacturer had sent the wrong bits so they couldn't do it. To cut a long story short, they were told to stuff it!

I then set about doing the job myself. I spoke to the nice people at Towbars Direct, who provided loads of really helpful advice. I ended up buying a Tow Trust bar and ball and vehicle-specific single electrics for just over £200 delivered. It took me about 4 hours to strip down the rear of the X-Trail and fit the bar, and then another 2-3 hours to fit the electrics. Never looked back since, and would never walk into an Indespension outlet ever again. I was going to spend £500 on a trailer with them, but no chance in hell of that now!

Hope that helps.

 

[Guest]

pleased to hear you did it yourself. I dont trust any dealer to do it right. How did you (Niallcook) make the electrical connections. Was there a plug and was there a grommet in the floor to allow the wire outside? I suppose a picture or two is out of the question?

Best wishes Mat

 

[Guest]

pleased to hear you did it yourself. I dont trust any dealer to do it right. How did you (Niallcook) make the electrical connections. Was there a plug and was there a grommet in the floor to allow the wire outside? I suppose a picture or two is out of the question?

Best wishes Mat

Hi Mat,

Sorry - don't fancy taking all the boot lining out again to take a photo ;-)

Electrical connections were relatively simple on the kit I had - there's a hole already in the near-side wheel arch of the X-Trail and a new grommet was supplied with the kit. Most of the wires were pass-through plugs that connection to the existing loom in the rear lights. The most difficult bits were a splice into the fog lamp wiring and then having to run one cable behind the back seats then down the offside carpet trim to make the connection to the fuse box in the driver's well.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for that info. I'll prolly mortgage the kids and take it to our local towbar specialist Hedleys of Durham. He did my elderly Fiat Stilo last week (and left his operators manual of towbar connections in the boot) and made a tidy job of it. He quoted me £249 for a detachable towbar and single electrics. Mat

 

[Guest]

Hi Niallcook,

Can you remember how you removed the rear wheel arch trim and how you replaced it? I've just fitted the same bar but I'm struggling with the trim and it looks almost impossible to replace!!!

 

[Guest]

Hi Niallcook,

Can you remember how you removed the rear wheel arch trim and how you replaced it? I've just fitted the same bar but I'm struggling with the trim and it looks almost impossible to replace!!!

Crikey. It's going back a bit now so I'm trying to remember this as best I can. As I recall, the whole bumper panel had to come off first (after the various screws and holders obviously). The wheel arch was - as I recall - a tricky bu**er. It's held I think be only 3 or 4 screws and then you have to 'pop' it out of the main body panels.

That's probably the least helpful description ever, so apologies. The paper instructions I had were relatively helpful I have to say and I think they are available on the towtrust website.

 

[Guest]

:thumbs: Thanks for that. I guess the clips that are left behind in the main body need to be prised out and put back into the wheel arch trim before pressing it back into place.

What a quick response!

 

[Dave B]

Just had mine fitted with twin electrics and relays by these mobile guys

http://cheshiretowbars.co.uk/

£195 inc VAT.

 

[bryno]

Expecting to take delivery of my 57plate T31 on Monday and the first job is to put on a towbar with a horizontal/detachable towball suitable for a AL/Ko hitch).

All the ones I have been looking at seem to suggest that the reat bumper needs to come off but nobody here seems to have done that. Lots of comments on removing wheel arch liiners though.

I want twin electrics though ( fridge & reversing light) do the vehicle specific kits not just plug in to the loom somewhere??

As I don't have the vehicle yet does the X trail have a defective bulb warning system and if it does is this catered for in the vehicle specific wiring kits?

Recomendations please on bars/wiring kits.

Cheers

 

[jyk80]

Hi, I have a 57 plate X-trail Aventura 2.0 DCI which is great for towing our caravan.
When we got it we had an aftermarket towbar fitted and the guy fitting it used scotch locks for all the connections. The worst thing was that he connected the +12V (pin 9 & 10 on 13 pin connector) directly to the 12v socket in the boot.
Does anyone know where I can connect these so that they work the way they are meant to?

Niallcook mentioned he ran the wire to a fuse box in driver's footwell. Is that under the seat or in a more obscure place?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Guest]

Hi, I have a 57 plate X-trail Aventura 2.0 DCI which is great for towing our caravan.
When we got it we had an aftermarket towbar fitted and the guy fitting it used scotch locks for all the connections. The worst thing was that he connected the +12V (pin 9 & 10 on 13 pin connector) directly to the 12v socket in the boot.
Does anyone know where I can connect these so that they work the way they are meant to?

Niallcook mentioned he ran the wire to a fuse box in driver's footwell. Is that under the seat or in a more obscure place?

Thanks in advance.

Do you mean the location of the fuse box or where the wires run? The fuse box is in the driver's footwell, and the power cable ran from a vehicle-specific kit underneath the back seats, then under the carpet down the side of the drivers seat and up into the fuse box area.

 

[ballina226]

Hi

Just finished my towbar wiring today after several days of rain and snow.

I have run a live feed to the boot to a relay in the spare wheel well and must admit this was the easiest bit. You can pick up a live feed in the passenger side footwell just remove the side trim and you will see several connecting blocks. You will need to remoce the sill protector first. I went for the brown wire as explained in previous posts, cut back the outer and soldered a short length of wire on and added an in line fuse. You could use the blue but it is much thicker.

To get the wire to the boot it is easy to remove the front and rear plastic sill protectors and thread the wire alongside the existing harness. Once behind the rear seats it is easy.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Steve

 

[JackNorris]

Just to add on a post above, the bumper has to come off and would be impossible to install without taking bumper off. Wheel arches are where the bumper starts.

Thanks

 

[JackNorris]

Oppps, not sure how this post has appeared and why I have bumped it up 3 years. Sorry all