Rogerpuck
north carolina
New Member
Joined: 06/06/2007
View Profile
 Offline
|
I have a 2003 VW Beetle (diesel)..and would like to tow it all four down..have been told by Vw dealer this is not possible..I have seen some on the road being towed and know its possible...would like to hear from anybody that has experience with this to respond...thanks for your answers!!
|
belairbrian
Alabama
Senior Member
Joined: 04/18/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
Automatic or Manual transmission?
TV 2003 Chevy 3500 Crew Cab Dually w Duramax/Allison
2005 Keystone Springdale 283FWBHLGL
Reese 16K Slider Hitch, Prodigy BC, Delorme GPS
USAF Retired
Our RV Webpage
|
SPRING STREET
LOUISVILLE KY.
Senior Member
Joined: 11/14/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
As you can see by my signature I tow 4 down but mine is a manual tranny.
2000 37 1/2' MOUNTAIN AIRE BY NEWMAR,TOAD 1998 VW BEETLE WITH A 5 SPD TRANNY
|
Rogerpuck
north carolina
New Member
Joined: 06/06/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
It is manual transmission...
|
wknomo
San Jose, CA
New Member
Joined: 06/29/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
We have a Beetle '07 Convert with manual tranny--not the triptronic deal but a real 5 speed manual with a clutch. Towed it more than 5,000 miles with not a problem. Tows like a dream. I would guess you have pretty much the same setup. And like most digital speedos no mileage recorded. Great little car that gets lots of comments at RV parks.
|
|
|
Ultralife
West Coast, USA
Senior Member
Joined: 12/13/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
Our tow is always wanting to go faster.
Where you are is where your at!
2002 Beaver Monterey 38' DP 330HP Cat
2002 New Beetle "Silver Bullet" Turbo Sport (Manual 5-speed)
Blue OX tow bar and base plate
Who says AZ summers are hot???
Don and Pat
|
texasrvr
Texas
New Member
Joined: 02/04/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
I have a 2002 Turbo VW with 5 speed and I tow 4 down w/o any problems.
I have the roadmaster kit for the towbar and recommend a professional installation. I had mine done at a Camping World store. Another thing I did was use a pair of magnetic lights which connect directly to my RV so I did not have to monkey around with diodes and VW's oddball lighting scheme. I also use the Evenbrake system from Roadmaster to apply the VW brakes. This installation was pretty easy and you don't have to use the supplied brake relay. All you have to do is get a pin and find the brake light wire that goes hot when you press the brake pedal and use a tap connector to suppy 12v power to the evenbrake transmitter unit so it will have a signal back to the unit on the floor that the pedal is being pushed.
My VW has 2 power ports so you can plug the unit into one and the radio transmitter into the other instead of having to hardwire it into the cars electrical system. I purchased a power plug and used it by attaching it to the transmitters power leads (hot and ground) The only other wire you need to string is the breakaway switch form the front of the car back to the transmitters harness. There is a opening in the firewall that you can use. The only other thing is the brake pedal and I think Roadmaster has changed the design of the pedal adaptor to allow it to grip the the small VW pedal. I made a larger pedal out of a piece of maple and drilled it and countersunk the hole so I could bolt it through the hole in the metal pedal. THis larger pedal worked correctly with the attachment of the unit.
This whole rig can be put in and removed quickly and provides additional braking power which shortens the stoping distance. A lot of states require this setup and if you drive in Canada it is mandatory.
Make sure that your key is set so that the steering wheel is unlocked or else you will have some serious problems.
Be prepared to spend some $$$ on this stuff but it is pretty high quality stuff.
We went on a 3000 mile trip in October and had no serious problems towing the VW. Back in the 80s we used to tow a 1969 VW so having a toad sure makes life better on the road when you want to tour an area.
|
dixietrain
St Augustine, FL
Full Member
Joined: 05/19/2005
View Profile
|
I've towed my 2001 turbo Beetle, 5sp approximately 35000 miles over the last 6.5 years. Roadmaster towbar with Brake Buddy. Wired a new set of bulbs in the tail lights.
Summer and George Williams
1999 Tradewinds
Towing 2001 Turbo Beetle 5sp
.jpg)
|
