Could anyone help to clear up the requirements for fitting of a towbar with single electrics to my 2011 my.Im getting conflicting reports regarding the requirement for a dealer download after fitting of the towbar.Mine is the GS model.
What i need to know is : Do i need to have vehicle specific eelectrics and will a dealer download be required (at £70 plus vat)
Also if a download is required -WHY

Fitting a tow bar to pull a small trailer could work out really expensive when one fitted to a car is normally about £190
Any help would be appreciated

I was told by the towbar supplier that a dealer download was essential although why I have not been able to establish - I assume the car needs to be told it has a tow bar and more electrics. It never used to be this complicated or as expensive.
I think that vehicle specific electrics are a much simpler way to go rather than a generic relay which I understand is necessary if you do not have vehicle specific electrics.

As an aside I was also quoted £800 +VAT by one dealer to fit and supply the towbar - Has the world gone mad?

I fitted genuine dedicated electrics on mine and the electrics did NOT work. I paid a local main dealer 1/2 hours labour @ £44 plus VAT to programme 'whatever' and now they work For me the dealer fee was essential.

£70 plus VAT is a joke as its half an hour labour. I had mine done when it went in for...another warranty issue

Best of luck,

The electrics were £77 (secondhand off tat bay)
The witter detachable towbar was £174.99 (from pf jones)
The re-programme was £52.80

Fitting everything myself, all in £304.79 (and a few hours of my time)

£800...Dick Turpin springs to mind...

You have a choice, a good towbar fitter can provide the dedicated wiring loom needed to plug into your cars loom, a good towbar fitter can also update the software to enable parking sensor disable, and enable the cars extra dash lights for towing. For instance a removable Witter, fitted, dedicated electrics and software update will cost about £450.
Again fitted but using a bypass relay will cost about £350 but if you have any electrical problems anywhere in the car dealers will blame this as the cause.

Go for fixed and it's even cheaper.

Fit it yourself with dedicated electrics will be cheaper still but you will need to visit the dealer for software update.

Thanks guys It looks like we are held to ransom by the dealer Landrover should know about this.I thought the dealer was there to look after owners and instill trust SILLY OLD ME

PS Does anyone have a good used towbar and electrics for a 2011 my Freelander lol

when ever anything new is added to the vehicals electrics it has to be programmed in to the ECU. with out such programming the vehical will not see it and ignore it.
The ECU will send out electronic pluses to all its electrical components and wait for the correct response from each item. This starts with the system check each time you start up. A failing component will not send back the correct pulses and log it as a fault code. It will then decide depending on the fault what action to take and may not allow the vehical to start.
By programming a tow bars electrics in the car will know that it is now going to tow something and ajust the cars fuctions as needed, ie turn of reversing sensors " if fitted" ajust braking and a varity of other things into the bargin

I fitted a brink/thule detachable same a LR but cheaper with dedicated electrics the trailer light on the dash works I have to turn the reversing sensors of with the switch on the dash, I have not had the stealer programme anything and have had no problems, so far  What if there were no hypothetical situations?

google manchester tow bars&trailers 235.00 plus vat on my 2011 freelander with an option of genuine l/rover relay was 60.00 i took the alternative all fitted ok and working no upgrade was req all done by them. rainy-city
xs

Local tow bar man fitted mine. Two little black boxes in the boot! No need for the main stealer to reprogram anything! 1998 300TDi Auto Disco, never to be forgotten.
2008 Auto TD4 Freelander2, now gone?
2013 Auto SD4 Freelander!
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