Leon ST FR tow bar anyone?

Conal

Active Member
Sep 10, 2014
154
8
Hi, Just wondering if anybody has had a detachable tow bar fitted to their Leon ST? I've got the car on order and I'm trying to decide which tow bar to have fitted once it arrives. I'm having the car pre-wired at the factory and would ideally like a genuine Seat bar but will only buy it if it is invisible, bumper cuts etc, when it is removed.
My dealer and Seat UK have been unable to provide me with pictures and I wonder if anyone on here can help? Would be interested in feedback/photos on any make of bar not just the pukka Seat item.
Thanks in advance,
Conal
 

LaChab

Active Member
Jun 18, 2014
18
0
I had "towbar prep" added to my St FR when I ordered it, thinking that it would make it easier/possible to fit the bar myself.
I'm not so sure at the moment!
I fitted a Westfalia detachable (£197) over the weekend, which went fine once we'd worked out which way to pull the bumper clips.
At the moment the Westfalia towbar instructions don't mention the ST, but that only matters for the bumper cutout. (see below!)
I hadn't bought the wiring kit though, so I just refitted the bumper over the towbar bracket.

I've now bought the wiring adapter (£75) from Seat, and I'm pretty puzzled by the instructions, which run to 16 pages, covered in about 80 pretty (to me) incomprehensible pictures.
I'm going to try and find the control box today or tomorrow, which hopefully will make things clearer. (the cable just plugs into the control box, and has a 13 pin sopcket on the other end).
According to Westfalia, the car should be pre-programmed for the towbar, but I don't know that yet.

Unfortunately, Seat won't be producing a cover plate for the FR until Q1 2015 (ref SE0591-14), so I'm still trying to find the position/dimensions opf the cutout, and I'll cut it undersize when I do.
If yours isn't an FR, there's probably a cover plate available (5FO 803 595), but that's only a guess.

Hope this helps!
 

Conal

Active Member
Sep 10, 2014
154
8
Thanks LaChab that's very helpful information.
My car is an FR and I'm determined to have a bar which has an invisible bumper cut and a fold away 13 pin socket. I have a Witter detachable on my current Saab Sportwagon and the bumper cut is completely underneath the bumper so once the ball is removed there is nothing to show at all, not even a cover. Looking at the Witter website it appears that the Leon ST FR bar fits in the same way so that is a possibility. What I would really like to see is how the genuine Seat bar fits and what can be seen when it is removed. My dealer has tried hard but Seat UK have been useless at finding any information for me!
Interestingly I have an email from the dealer giving me a price of £242 for the bar fitted and £75 to do the wiring. Both of these prices include VAT. They have even said that if I don't like their bar then I could have a different bar fitted elsewhere and that they will wire it up for me for the £75, which at the moment seems the most likely option. From the cost of your wiring adaptor it sounds as if I may be getting it fitted for free.....must make sure I don't delete the email!
Thanks again for taking the time and trouble to reply, will be interesting to hear how you get on with the wiring up...good luck with it.
Anybody had the genuine article fitted?
Conal
 

Conal

Active Member
Sep 10, 2014
154
8
Anybody else with a tow bar? All information grateful received.
Conal
 

LaChab

Active Member
Jun 18, 2014
18
0
All the detachable bars will have to use the same SEAT cover plate to "replace" the cutout in the bumper, so they're all going to be effectively identical, other than possibly the bayonet fitting for the towball. With the cover plate fitted, they're all going to be invisible.
Just a shame SEAT haven't produced the cover plate yet!
 

Conal

Active Member
Sep 10, 2014
154
8
Thanks again LaChab, you could well be right. Just wondering if anyone has first hand experience of the genuine Seat bar.
Have you wired yours up yet? If so how did you get on with it?
Cheers
Conal
 

LaChab

Active Member
Jun 18, 2014
18
0
The towbar prep. fitted a control box in the side of the boot, so once I'd found it, wiring it up was really easy (2 plugs and an earth wire), as the SEAT cable even has grommets pre moulded on.
The SEAT bar must actually be a Witter/Bosal/Thule etc; perhaps you could ask......
 

Conal

Active Member
Sep 10, 2014
154
8
Great stuff, well done. Will make more enquiries about the bar but nobody at Seat seems to know anything about them, they just think I should order one blind!
Happy towing!
Conal
 

Conal

Active Member
Sep 10, 2014
154
8
Just had a call to say that my car has now been built, a week early, and is awaiting shipment! Will still be a couple of weeks away but starting to feel excited now. Just the tow bar question to sort out before it arrives.
Conal
 

xperience

Active Member
Feb 4, 2015
25
1
So what happened in the end about the seat fitted tow bar? What does it look like? Was it a full electrics kit? I have tow bar prep ordered on my xperience and paying an EXTRA 720 for the tow bar and fitting at seat dealer.
 

Conal

Active Member
Sep 10, 2014
154
8
At the moment my car is still minus a tow bar! It's a bit of a long story but my dealer sent me some photos of a detachable bar they had fitted and, no offence to anyone who's got one, I didn't really think it looked very neat with the bar removed. It may have been the way they'd done it and there was no cover over the cutout but it didn't look at all like a factory job.
Anyway, as I don't need a bar until the caravan season begins for me in about April, I haven't done much more than look around and get a few quotes and copies of fitting instructions.
At the moment I'm leaning towards the Witter detachable as the fitting offers up from underneath so the cutout is not too big. I keep meaning to mark the cutout area with masking tape on my bumper then I'll be able to stand back and see how visible it is.
The other thing that is holding me back is not knowing just how much is involved in wiring up the 13 pin socket I'll need as, like you, I had the car pre wired at the factory. One guy on here said he just had to buy a £75 lead from Seat and plug it in and all was OK. some of the fitting companies have said that is nonsense and that I will still need to have a module fitted by them which will add big bucks to the cost! If what they say is true then what exactly did they pre-do at the factory? If the module is already there then I'd be grateful if anyone could tell me where it is so that I can have a look and point it out to the fitting companies when they quote me!
So, nothing definite done yet, I'm still mulling it over as I'm determined to get the neatest bar I can at the best possible price. Would still be grateful for any information or photos that anyone can provide.
Good luck with yours,
Conal
 

Snowman

Active Member
Mar 16, 2014
306
24
I have an leon fr st with a tow bar. I totally agree with you Conal..
I was not aware that the real Seat detachable tow bar did not include a cover when I asked for them to fit it.
I mean what is the purpose with a detachable tow bar if you can't remove it and cover it??
How did seat really think on this point?!?!?

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Conal

Active Member
Sep 10, 2014
154
8
Thanks for your reply Snowman, that's very interesting.
Would you mind giving me a bit more information about the wiring please? Did you have your car pre wired at the factory and did you need to have an extra module fitted? Could you also tell me where the wiring module is situated please so that I can have a look and see what I've got there?
Sorry you are disappointed with your bar, I was just thankful that my dealer was on the ball and that he answered my questions and sent me some photographs.
Conal
 

Snowman

Active Member
Mar 16, 2014
306
24
Thanks for your reply Snowman, that's very interesting.
Would you mind giving me a bit more information about the wiring please? Did you have your car pre wired at the factory and did you need to have an extra module fitted? Could you also tell me where the wiring module is situated please so that I can have a look and see what I've got there?
Sorry you are disappointed with your bar, I was just thankful that my dealer was on the ball and that he answered my questions and sent me some photographs.
Conal

My car was a ex demo car with no tow bar fitted, it was not prepared either.
I asked for the dealer to fit it when I bought it.
1 week later he called and the car was ready, on pickup I asked about the cover and the sales person said it was in the trunk, under the summer tires (winter tires was fitted on the car and summer was in the trunk).
When I arrived back at my place I unloaded the wheels and went looking for the cover, couldn't find it so I contacted my sales person.
1 week later my sales person contacted me and told me that Seat does not supply a cover for the tow bar...

No I did not ask about the cover when I asked them to fit it.
It's like choosing the 19" rims and when you go to collect your car Seat cannot supply you with bolts to fit the wheels..
Then why do they supply it from the beginning?!?

If I knew about this, then I would have gone for a static towbar instead of a detachable..

I can get you some photos tomorrow if you want?




Thanks for your reply Snowman, that's very interesting.
Would you mind giving me a bit more information about the wiring please? Did you have your car pre wired at the factory and did you need to have an extra module fitted? Could you also tell me where the wiring module is situated please so that I can have a look and see what I've got there?
Sorry you are disappointed with your bar, I was just thankful that my dealer was on the ball and that he answered my questions and sent me some photographs.
Conal



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Conal

Active Member
Sep 10, 2014
154
8
Sorry about your trouble, it is exactly that which I am trying to avoid.
I definitely decided against the genuine Seat bar when my dealer sent me the photos but I would be really grateful if you could post a photo showing me where the wiring module is fitted and what it looks like so I can see if it is already on my car. Hopefully it is otherwise I'm not sure what I paid for to have it pre-wired.
Thanks very much for your replies so far.
Conal
 

LaChab

Active Member
Jun 18, 2014
18
0
I had towbar prep on my ST, and you definitely "only" need the £75 lead. It plugs into the pre-installed box one end, and has a 13 pin socket on the other. I'm sure. I've done it!
On my ST, the "prep" box is on the left hand side of the boot, towards the front and top.
You have to peel back the left hand trim. Just be careful not to detach it completely.
I used a Westfalia bar, which fitted perfectly, and is pretty invisible with the bar removed. It fits behind the bumper, with only the cutout visible. I thought a cover plate was going to be available later this year.
 

Conal

Active Member
Sep 10, 2014
154
8
Thanks LaChab, I couldn't remember who it was, now I recognise your name. Should have re read the earlier part of the thread!
What you confirm is what I was expecting, otherwise what else have we paid for when having it pre wired? I'll have a look on Monday just to check I've got it too. One other thing. Did you need any recoding doing or was that also enabled at the factory?
Thanks again,
Conal
 
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Snowman

Active Member
Mar 16, 2014
306
24
http://www.tow-trust.co.uk/uploads/instructions/TSDA2VK.pdf

If you look at the instructions for the Tow Trust bar they show a cover for the bumper cutout. Not sure if it is supplied by them though.
Conal

From my understanding the FR ST rear bumper differs from the regular ST.
That's why you can get a cover for a ST but not the FR ST.
The link you posted is not for the FR ST I'm afraid

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