Hi Derek and welcome to the forum ,you wont be disappointed with it as a tow car,it does the job well,i went for the manual for better fuel consumption and opted for the 184 bhp engine,best tow car I have hadso far.
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Hi Derek,Nice van, ours is a Golden VIP 535/4, a dealer special bought in 2009 it just has different upholstery and a few extra badges, but was £1000 cheaper. However by next April it will be gone as a new Compass Rallye is on order.
With regard to the tow bar, I think I would look around if I was buying again, I ordered the expensive vx unit with the car, and whilst there is nothing wrong with what was supplied in 2012 the bar is basically a rebadged Thule unit which requires a small portion of the lower bumper to be cut away. There has been much discussion regarding towing capacity of the bar and whilst companies like Witter state this in their literature the vx bar has no such figure. It does however have a 'D' value which via a complex formula gives a towing capacity, somebody posted a link to calculator on here somewhere, I can probably find it if you wish. The 2012 vx unit is therefore rate at 2000+kg so plenty adequate. The tow bar listed as an accessory on the vx site states 1300kg which is very low considering that the manual can tow 2000kg and the auto 1700kg, I think. So you pays your money and takes your choice as they say.
With regard to the wiring, the vx kit is plug and play and fits into the socket under the rear on the drivers side, this appearsnot to require any computer re programming and activates the green tow bar symbol and presumably the towing stability system. Don't go down the route of 'scotch lock' fitting as it has been reportedthat this does not activate the above systems. However the vx 13pin wiring like so many other car manufactures isnot exactly 13 pin as it misses out the two wires that connect to the fridge/charging pins, as these have to be wired to the battery via a relay etc, as I am sure you are aware. In my case the dealer could not sort this out, as they do not comprehend towing electrics beyond what comes out of the box, and had to outsource it to a tow bar specialist.
So as I said with hindsight I would probably buy from a specialist or do the job myself next time, the only advantage to the vx system is that it is dealer fit so supposed to be covered under the life time warranty.
Hope this helps, read the towing section there is much more out there, then look at the spare wheel postings that is a whole new can of worms.
Good Luck
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With regard to the tow bar, I think I would look around if I was buying again, I ordered the expensive vx unit with the car, and whilst there is nothing wrong with what was supplied in 2012 the bar is basically a rebadged Thule unit which requires a small portion of the lower bumper to be cut away. There has been much discussion regarding towing capacity of the bar and whilst companies like Witter state this in their literature the vx bar has no such figure. It does however have a 'D' value which via a complex formula gives a towing capacity, somebody posted a link to calculator on here somewhere, I can probably find it if you wish. The 2012 vx unit is therefore rate at 2000+kg so plenty adequate. The tow bar listed as an accessory on the vx site states 1300kg which is very low considering that the manual can tow 2000kg and the auto 1700kg, I think. So you pays your money and takes your choice as they say.
With regard to the wiring, the vx kit is plug and play and fits into the socket under the rear on the drivers side, this appearsnot to require any computer re programming and activates the green tow bar symbol and presumably the towing stability system. Don't go down the route of 'scotch lock' fitting as it has been reportedthat this does not activate the above systems. However the vx 13pin wiring like so many other car manufactures isnot exactly 13 pin as it misses out the two wires that connect to the fridge/charging pins, as these have to be wired to the battery via a relay etc, as I am sure you are aware. In my case the dealer could not sort this out, as they do not comprehend towing electrics beyond what comes out of the box, and had to outsource it to a tow bar specialist.
So as I said with hindsight I would probably buy from a specialist or do the job myself next time, the only advantage to the vx system is that it is dealer fit so supposed to be covered under the life time warranty.
Hope this helps, read the towing section there is much more out there, then look at the spare wheel postings that is a whole new can of worms.
Good Luck
Welcome
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Hi Derek,I wouldn't worry too much about the dpf some people on here appear to have genuine problems, but the vast silent majority don't. As I said we have just returned from the Med, 2000 miles, 75% of which were towing, it must have completed 4 regens but I don't know when or where. The only thing you have to be careful about is toomany short journeys, this can cause problems and bring on the dreaded dpf light, if it does then a quick blast down the motorway in 4th ie over 2000 revs usually clears it in 15 mins. Can be pain if it starts a regen just as you get somewhere but you get use to it. I am retired and have had one light in 2.5 years, entirely of my own making, if you buy the se model with the trip(board) computer you can spot when it is regenerating so this helps. If you miss a regen, not a problem it will do another onealthough not always straight away. Don't let the dpf issue put you off what is essentially a very good tow car, after all where else do you get hill start assist, hill descent control, self levelling rear suspension and trailer stability control this side of a Land Rover.
Good Luck
Dave
ps the only dirt that ends up on the front of my van comes from the road or the field
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Good Luck
Dave
ps the only dirt that ends up on the front of my van comes from the road or the field
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