Apologies if this topic has been discussed elsewhere.

I have just swopped my 07 FL2 GS for a new one (took delivery yesterday). I need to get a towbar and twin electrics fitted and the quotes are all around the £350. (All from independent fitters.) However if I want to have the electrics properly wired in to the car (rather than just crimping the towing wires in) so that the dash indicator light works and I can then take the car to a LR dealer to update the software so that the stop/start is disabled when towing, this will add approx. £150 to the quote. £100 for the wiring (paid to the independent fitters) and £50 to the dealer to update the software. The dash indicator light does not bother me (did not have it working on my 07 FL2 and towed for 1,000s of miles) but I don't understand why the stop/start is disabled when towing and is this important? Perhaps someone on here could enlighten me.

Thanks

Hi Buzz,

As far as I understand the software update only enables the dash light and disables the rear parking sensors when towing or carrying.

The intelligent bit of the stop/start would disable stop/start if your trailer/van is drawing power and therefore prevents the engine from stopping.

I had a bike rack on over the weekend with light board and the stop/start was not effected.

So far I’ve found that the stop/start is disabled when the headlamps are on or the aircon, so my guess is it will be disabled if you are plugged in to both of the twin electrics and drawing power.

Was the quote at £100 for the electric kit a genuine Land Rover part as they are £200 plus vat.

Thanks for the reply.

The £100 was from Witter at the NEC today. He implied it was a land rover part. Witters website do have different prices for different electric kits.

Thinking about it, the caravan fridge will draw a significant power from the battery which in itself might disable the stop/start.

Driving on the M56 this morning I had the aircon on auto and the headlights on (also on auto) and the stop/start kicked in a couple of times in queues. Its weird when your engine just stops, still I will get used to it. Other half does not like it though!! I think she worries it might not start again.

Buzz wrote:

Thanks for the reply.

The £100 was from Witter at the NEC today. He implied it was a land rover part. Witters website do have different prices for different electric kits.

Thinking about it, the caravan fridge will draw a significant power from the battery which in itself might disable the stop/start.

Driving on the M56 this morning I had the aircon on auto and the headlights on (also on auto) and the stop/start kicked in a couple of times in queues. Its weird when your engine just stops, still I will get used to it. Other half does not like it though!! I think she worries it might not start again.

Not sure I'd be happy it kicking in on a motorway, start stop trafic or not! 

It is controlled by the driver.

You need to be stationary, in neutral and then take your foot off the clutch. I know this is text book i.e. Highway Code, but how many of us would do all that?

I find that I have to consciously go through the motions to get it to stop, if I drive normally it never would cut out i.e. foot on brake pedal and clutch depressed.

Mine has never stopped unless I’ve wanted it to. It will not stop with either lights on or aircon on.

Who cares the CO2 police don’t know.

As for SHMBO she turns it off when she starts up! She does not know where the keys are

Just had another quote in for the towbar and electrics. £438 and this includes
'Landrover dedicated towing electrics & trailer module that is essential on your vehicle'
The company also claim to update the software. (I thought only dealers could do that so I have emailed them back to check what they mean.)

Regarding stop/start I am going to use it all the time I'm sure that I'll not even notice it in a couple of weeks. By the time you have depressed the clutch the engine is running so if I save a few pounds and the environment I'll be happy!! (In that order.)

I have a stop/start system and I'm not sure there is a software change needed. I do have parking sensors in the front and the back so i have a button to turn them on or off manually anyway.

I haven't towed much and what I towed I did not plug in anyway so I can't be shure on the parking sensor bit. Last tow, about a week ago, I did plug in, but it did not work anyway, so not sure it had an influence. It did not affect the parking sensors in any way, but this could be becouse none of the lights worked anyway.

In my personal experience, now about 6 months and 18k kms/11k miles, the start/stop system does not kick in when the battery hasn't got enough power to make sure no problems arrise. I think this becouse somethimes the car restarts on it's own.

That said, I believe if u tow and drive for a while and then stop and do the necessary handlings, it will stop the engine for as long as the battery has the power stored to do so. If it wouldn't it would mean you are draining your battery more then it loads up when towing, which would not have a good end result.

Of course towing with power drained from it, would result in the start/stop system not kicking in as early and turning back as late as without towing.

Buzz...

Make sure you get the correct witter electrics kit....I had my towbar and electrics fitted by an independant and the dealer could not update the software as the electrics were not for MY10, apparently they are very model specific....they had to be removed and replaced with the LR electrics which updated without a problem.

Buzz wrote:

Just had another quote in for the towbar and electrics. £438 and this includes
'Landrover dedicated towing electrics & trailer module that is essential on your vehicle'
The company also claim to update the software. (I thought only dealers could do that so I have emailed them back to check what they mean.)

The piece of kit for dealing with software is very expensive (c. £5k) so its unlikely as small outfit would have it, however with this piece of kit the software issues can be dealt without going to the LR dealer.

When I parted from my FL2 a couple of months back I had the factory fit towbar and electrics removed by a towbar specialist, strangely the removal required a software fix, they had the afore mentioned piece of kit and I watched as they interrogated the car's computers, took about a minute to go through all the menus and reset the car to original spec. I would check if the tow bar fitter has this piece of kit, if they do they'll probably include the update with the towbar fitting which is better than £50 back at the LR dealer! Stornoway Grey GS ... What a fine motor ... but not any more ... ... psst look at my gallery!
Company cars ... a thing of the past - May 2013.