I opted for the fixed towbar from PF Jones and fitted it in the rain on Tuesday.
Went on a dream, I did not remove he bumper nor drill it, however with patience and rain dribbling up my arm, the nuts were soon off and the whole thing on in no time.
When holding up the new bar, catching it between the silencer and the bumper made it much easier to line up the fitting bolts!
I have ditched the standard 7 pin generic electrics and gone for a "Right Connections" 13 pin vehicle specific option, but it is a simple plug and play system and only about £130! Much cheaper than the LR option. As I don't sensors, I won;t worry about the test book stuff as it will work correctly. 2008 Freelander 2 Manual TD4 S
2001 Discovery 2 Manual TD5 ES
1956 86" Series 1 (undergoing restoration)
1975 109" Series III 3.5 V8 (sadly in the scrapheap)

Sounds good! Right Connections know their stuff, you should not go wrong with their wiring.

Bob 10MY (Sept 09) TD4 HSE Auto in Stornoway Grey (Now Gone)

08 FL2 TD4 SE Manual in Rimini Red (Now Gone)

It was one of the simplest jobs and very plug and play. I would recommend that brand to anyone. 2008 Freelander 2 Manual TD4 S
2001 Discovery 2 Manual TD5 ES
1956 86" Series 1 (undergoing restoration)
1975 109" Series III 3.5 V8 (sadly in the scrapheap)

Hi, I wonder if anybody could help with a tow bar issue i have on my LR.

During a service i asked if they could fit a new tow bar, i went for a detachable goose neck style as I will only use it for towing a small boat two or three times a year.
It has the HST kit and the garage called saying they need to cut part of the rear bumper skirt, i told them to forget it as ill use a friends jeep to tow. Thing is I really need to get one fitted but hacking the skirt doesn't seem to make sense, plus it'll take a lot of the strength away from it ( i got him to draw on the skirt where it needed cutting with wax marker) as it goes around 7-8 inches up through the lower return and first crease.

Does any body know or have fitted a tow bar ( whether it be fixed or detachable) to an LR with HST kit without wrecking the rear skirt??
Thank you in advance for any advice

The Witter towbar can be fitted without cutting the bumper. I have a detachable on my 2010 XS and fitted it myself. An easy mornings work with clear instructions. I think there is a video on the web of how to do this. I sourced mine along with an electric kit from PF Jones. Then used a local independent to program the electrics once I'd fitted them.

Thanks pfjths, But do you have the body kit on your XS? unfortunately it does seem to make a big difference, when i collected it after the service, it was parked next to a 2008 LR2 which had a tow bar fitted, i had a good look and at the rear and the body skirt hangs down a lot lower than the normal one

If fitting a tow bar does it interfer with the parking censors ? Is this what the software update is for to tell the car to ignore the tow hitch or have I got it wrong ! Can anyone put me in the picture please.

The software upgrade does three things, I believe:

1) turns off the sensors when something is connected to the electrics so it doesn't beep constantly

2) turns on the trailer lights on the dashboard so you know the indicators are working

3) affects gear change to improve towing performance.

Ahh right that all makes sense worth having done then .
Cheers for that
Gary

Was quoted 30 mins work (£40) by Stratstone Land Rover in Newcastle, but got it done for £30 at Cheviot 4x4.

Thanks for the info mate, gives me something to go on .

All that I can tell from fitting my setup is that I did not need the system reprogrammed to do the trailer lights on the dash as that is standard (might be the kit i used), the reprogramme is likely to be the sensors and any engine remapping.
I can say that the LR2 tows almost as good as my Disco2 (when its working okay). 2008 Freelander 2 Manual TD4 S
2001 Discovery 2 Manual TD5 ES
1956 86" Series 1 (undergoing restoration)
1975 109" Series III 3.5 V8 (sadly in the scrapheap)