While trying to track down the correct LR towbar wiring I’m wondering is there any hard evidence to support the frequently made assertions that the recoding required to switch off the rear fog light and parking sensors when a trailer or caravan is connected also in some way modifies the auto gearbox gear changing, and even the stability control system. On the face of it, simply connecting the lighting circuit of a light board at one extreme, or a 2000kg car transporter at the other, seems insufficient information to inform changes in gear changing or stability control.

So does the recoding actually do more than switch off the fog light and parking sensors?

It holds the gear longer before changing, just like putting it in sport mode, most of the time it isn't a problem but in 50mph zones you need to change it up a gear manually to keep the revs down. Real pain is if I've just got the bike rack on it still thinks it's a van/trailer. Common sense isn't very common.
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2007 Land Rover Freelander2 I6 hse Auto

Thanks for this reply. Is this based just on your own experience of a change in gear change behaviour or is there any LR documentation to explain it? The Owner's Handbook says:

Hill ascent, towing, and high altitude
The lower gears are selected, and maintained for longer than usual. This helps overcome the loss of momentum when towing, or ascending hills. It also helps overcome the loss of engine torque when the vehicle is operating at high altitudes.

This suggests that the change in auto box behaviour is simply a function of the extra load as no reference is made to the trailer electrical connection being made, unlike the reference to the rear parking sensors being disabled when the trailer connection is made.

This is from my experience.
When I have the bike rack on the tow bar and plug in the lighting board the gear changes change so it can't be extra load,
As to Hill ascent, towing, and high altitude it is just like dropping down a gear the same as you would with a manual box when going up hill. Common sense isn't very common.
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2007 Land Rover Freelander2 I6 hse Auto

OK, thanks. It’s odd though that it’s not mentioned in the Handbook.

How is the recoding done? At a dealer or can it be done elsewhere. The reverse parking sensor drives me nuts on occasion.
Cheers MY11 SD4 SE Auto

I did mine with my GAP IID BT tool. I'm sure some other non-dealer tools will also do it.

I had to look up what a GAP IID tool was. Now that’s a neat piece of kit!

It's a handy piece of kit!

My experience with a US spec 2008 LR2 3.2. I purchased the LandRover kit for the US vehicle from a UK seller on Ebay. All the numbers checked out so I'm pretty sure it was the correct kit. Fitted the kit per the instructions provided but no joy. I used tow bar wiring tester to check for any output but all that happens is the leds on the tester flash at a low level which I assume is the system testing the bulbs. I check with an experienced SDD user in Australia and he confirmed that reprograming was required to make the system work.

Others posters seem to indicate that the lights will work but that certain features (reverse beeping, etc.) but I've never been able to confirm this for my model year.

Please let me know what you find.

Regards

Gerry

I wrote to Land Rover Advice and they have replied and confirmed that the recoding “does not alter the engine or transmission”.

So all it does is disable the rear parking sensors and fog light and switch on the trailer warning in the instrument panel.

When I fitted a genuine electrics kit for my previous 08 FL2 about 8 years ago, the trailer lights didn’t work until my local indie enabled them with his autologic computer.
Cost me £10 and a 4 pack of beer

Dunno if it’s the same with non genuine electrics though... Current: FL2 TD4 2008 HSE

Previous: FL1 TD4 2002 // FL2 TD4 2008 // FL1 TD4 2003 // TD5 Disco 2003 // 300TDi Disco 1994

I’ll find out shortly as I bought a Witter towbar and vehicle specific wiring kit from PF Jones and plan to fit the electrics next week. Their instructions say that recoding is necessary to make the trailer warning light in the instrument panel work and to deactivate the reversing sensors. No mention of rear fog lamps.

We shall see!

Rather than leave this hanging in the air I thought I’d better update the thread with the outcome after fitting the PF Jones vehicle specific wiring kit. It was quick and easy to install and once connected to the trailer I got the trailer warning symbol in the instrument cluster when operating the indicators, and the FL2 fog light was disconnected. However, the reversing/parking sensors remained operational and needed to be switched off with the console switch.

After adding the trailer module using SDD the reversing sensors were silenced. (I haven’t checked to see if the front ones remain operational.)

Electronic gear change strategies

In automatic, or sport modes (not available in CommandShift) the gear change points will be adapted to suit driving conditions.

Hill ascent, towing, and high altitude
The lower gears are selected, and maintained for longer than usual. This helps overcome the loss of momentum when towing, or ascending hills. It also helps overcome the loss of engine torque when the vehicle is operating at high altitudes.

Hill descent

With HDC selected in either automatic, or sport modes, a low gear will be selected and maintained to provide maximum engine braking.


I have always read this as meaning that if the FL2 senses that it is towing, going up hill, or at high altitude, it modifies the gear change points to suit.

The Fl2 also modifies gear change points when descending a hill, it is noticeable if you use manual selection for engine braking and then reselect auto while still on the hill. The gearbox ignores your command until the road levels out, and then changes back up. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 79k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)