Citroen Xsara S Reg Estate

[Guest shylock]

Hi

 

does anyone know where i can get a cheap towbar for my estate, i have just been qouted £240 to have one fitted.

 

Are they relatively straight forwqard to fit?

 

If i was to get a second hand one are they compatable with other models?

 

Thanx

 

Chris :blink:

[Johndouglas]

Accident assessors usually recomend replacing a towbar after the vehicle has been involved in a rear end accident. Buy secondhand and you could end up buying a towbar which has been stressed. A new one from www.towsure.com will cost in the region of £130. Since EU regs came into force, all towbars have to be designed to attach to fixings already provided by the car manufacturer. Therefore it's a comparatively easy job to do (providing you have a decent tool kit and ability to use it) However, with more cars using multiplexing, the fitting of the wiring is more complicated than it used to be. Towsure can provide modern relays for 12S and 12N sockets.

 

PS. The towbar has to be designed for your particular model. In the case of my C5 there's two different bars for pre-04 and post-04.

[iannez]

just in case you didnt know there was a recall on c5 tow bars john so make sure yours has been done. its 2 brkt's that strenthen the boot floor as they were tearing away. it might not have included yours but better safe than sorry m8.

[Johndouglas]

just in case you didnt know there was a recall on c5 tow bars

 

OK thanks, I'll look into it. Any particular make of bar?

[JDS]

I too would echo the advice of avoiding second hand tow-bars. You have no idea of the condition of it or it the design changed mid production run.

 

You can always try Towequipe (http://www.towequipe.com/). I have brought two bars from them now and delivery is quick, they have a free technical helpline if you get stuck fitting it (EXPENSIVE to call if you brought from somewhere else!) and are the cheapest I have found in the UK for towbar supply (a quick look shows swan-neck type bars for the Xsara estate starting at about £93 inc. wiring if you include the 5% discount at the checkout!).

 

I like the Swan-neck made by Bosal personally because they look nice (well, as inoffensive as a tow bar can anyway), are an OEM for many of the manufacturers and pretty straight forward to fit (indeed, for the Xsara, the worst bit (removal of the rear bumper) is not required, saving lots of hassle and time). Estimate on it taking 2-4 hours depending upon your skill level and the amount of cups of tea needed etc.

 

If your worried about if it's difficult or not, have a look here at a brief article I wrote for another forum I'm a member of detailing the fit of a bar for a V70 (far more complicated than the Xsara): http://www.dervhead.com/xmb/viewthread.php?tid=6595

 

Finally, here's a list of the fitting instructions for Xsara estates for the various types of tow bar - they are (IMHO) far easier to fit that the instructions would make out! http://www.catalogue.bosal.com/pages/tow_c...ara&body=04

 

Best of luck.