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Old 08-23-2015, 08:07 AM   #1
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Red face I gave up on wiring a Tekonsha to my Touareg.

After reading numerous posts about wiring the brake controller to my new Touareg as well as step by step instructions, I gave up.

I can't wire it myself, I would have to find a shop to do it for me. No one in SW Florida.

Yesterday I visited my VW dealer. At first he said the parts that I need for wiring are not returnable. After seeing my sad face he said they will accept returns, if unopened, at a 30% restocking fee. Seriously? Then I went to service to speak with the shop foreman. He assured me that my Touareg is not pre-wired for any brake controller and that there is nothing under my dash in a grey foam covering.

The service advisor ran some list of PR numbers on my car and informed me that my model's hitch is 1D6. Had it been 1D8, I would have had the pre-wiring. I'm glad they told me this 3 weeks after I bought my Touareg.

Tekonsha Prodigy RF seems to be my only solution. Colonial wants $600 for it. Your opinions, Please...
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Old 08-23-2015, 08:13 AM   #2
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I bet someone that knows what they are doing could wire it up for you. Check with your local RV dealership (any brand) and see who they use for brake control installs.
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Old 08-23-2015, 08:46 AM   #3
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Try camping world or thst big RV dealership in ft Myers. Maybe they can help either by doing it or giving a reference. Brake controllers are not RV specific.
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Old 08-23-2015, 09:09 AM   #4
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That's too bad. It took me less than an hour to install mine from box to finished. Drove over to a friends house and hooked up his car trailler and it worked like a champ. I could actually see and touch the foam covered connector up through the slot that the brake pedal hangs through.

John
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Old 08-23-2015, 09:32 AM   #5
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LiaG,

I am confused with your original post. Your VW dealer should be able to wire up the controller. Have you asked them? If you have decided that you cannot do the wiring then the next step is to have someone else do it. "Prewired" simply means the connector is already in place. Yours does not have the connector but that doesn't mean they can't add one.

Go back and talk to them again and get a quote. I am going to bet that it will be well below the $600 Colonial option.
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Old 08-23-2015, 09:36 AM   #6
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Camping World is not ever a good suggestion. It's last ditch help, if even that. Find us a whole-hearted endorsement, please.

And how on earth is one man supposed to be a competitor to a huge national chain?

This nanny-ism strains belief. Have a sense of proportion.

To the OP: I'd have to wire my own as you have tried. Since the dealer didn't suggest a wiring harness change to accommodate this, then search reports about the wireless controller. I've read at least one, in which the owner was happy.

There could be others where problems occurred and modifications made (thinking antenna reception) to ensure best performance. Try to find the most reports here and on other sites.

Good luck.
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Old 08-23-2015, 10:28 AM   #7
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I asked my VW dealer and they seemed clueless(2012 VW Toureg). I ended up driving to London Ontario to have Can Am RV install my Tekonsha because they are the only ones I had confidence in. Have had no problems since! Not a good solution for you but you might want to call them and see if they have any suggestions. They are the towing experts!
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Old 08-23-2015, 10:47 AM   #8
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The hardest part should be finding the wires to hook into. If your P3 is like mine it came with a wiring harness to splice into vehicle wiring. From memory and "common" color codes:

Red is 12 volts power. Black is ground. Blue is the brake wire to your trailer harness, white is vehicle brake lights. Any competent automotive mechanic should be able to wire the P3 up using the generic wiring instructions referred to in the installation manual. I looked for them but couldnt find them. An email to Tekonsha should get them for you if you don't still have the ones that came with your unit.

Al
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Old 08-23-2015, 11:21 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Al and Missy View Post
The hardest part should be finding the wires to hook into. If your P3 is like mine it came with a wiring harness to splice into vehicle wiring. From memory and "common" color codes:

Red is 12 volts power. Black is ground. Blue is the brake wire to your trailer harness, white is vehicle brake lights. Any competent automotive mechanic should be able to wire the P3 up using the generic wiring instructions referred to in the installation manual. I looked for them but couldnt find them. An email to Tekonsha should get them for you if you don't still have the ones that came with your unit.

Al
If the colors you are referring to are the ones on the brake controller, I think black is power, white is ground, blue is trailer brake output, and red is brake switch cold wire.
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Old 08-23-2015, 11:22 AM   #10
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Any reputable auto repair shop should be able to wire your brake controller. I did mine myself, and it took less than an hour. You just need to locate the wires (brake, brake lamp, battery positive, and ground). You can use a test lamp to locate them.. they will be located near the location that a brake controller harness should be located

I located this diagram online.. very simple stuff.



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Old 08-23-2015, 12:13 PM   #11
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Local independent RV shop installed mine. Local Vee Dub dealer was no help. Bought required parts from a VW dealer in another state...who also provided installation tech bulletin. My Touareg came with towing package including the prewire. It's about elusive as Airstream's solar prewire.
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Old 08-23-2015, 12:23 PM   #12
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Wiring

I had some problems getting that kind of thing done here in Los Angeles.

U haul messed my wiring up several times. Airstream Los Angeles referred

me to Hitch Depot. They were fast, thorough and very cost effective.

Considering the number of trailers on the road, I'm sure there is a similar

company near you.
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Old 08-23-2015, 12:44 PM   #13
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Touareg Brake Controller

I have a 2011 Touareg Hybrid and had the same mystery. My local hitch company could not find the brake controller connector wiring in the dash. See this link for a video that may offer clues to finding it:

How I found the brake controller connector - Club Touareg Forums

We still could not locate the connector so I gave up on the hard wire and went with a Tekonsha RF wireless controller - which would not stay paired until Tekonsha sent an additional part that did the trick! It's an add-on to the 7 pin connector provided by my hitch installer.

"7 to 7 Adapter with Resistance: Part #D20142".

If you have any questions please contact Tekonsha or Lampert Hitch in Denver, CO. 303.433-8746 and ask for Jason.

Happy Trails!
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Old 08-23-2015, 01:23 PM   #14
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The universal harness is 4 wires. It is fairly simple to install on most vehicles.
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Old 08-23-2015, 02:21 PM   #15
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My 2007 Mercedes ML320 CDI was one of the first ones built in October of 2006 for the 2007 model year. The first three months production of this "new" model failed to have any wiring from the right rear to the brake pedal area of the car for towing despite the fact I ordered the car with all options including the tow package.

Thus we had to use the Tekonsha RF Prodigy. It worked as advertised and was mounted along the street side of the "A" frame of the 25FB. We have now moved it to the 23D and mounted it cross frame to the front wall of the battery box.

With this new installation, we discovered a modulation in the brake application that coincided withe the flashing of the turn signals and or the emergency flasher. The turn signal modulation issue was resolved with installation of a 6 Ohm 50 watt resistor to ground on each turn signal but the four way flasher issue remains as such. This is a non fixable issue with my vintage Mercedes and the Prodigy.

One thing we had to make sure of in the Prodigy installation is the 12Vdc power from the tow vehicle to charge the trailer battery is operational as that also powers the Prodigy brake system.

Since we are retrofitting a lithium iron battery inside the trailer to replace the two external stock wet cell Interstate batteries, we have to cap off this charge wire inside the trailer at the wiring junction so the tow vehicle can not charge the new battery as the voltage from the tow vehicle is too low and not controlled for stages.

Underway, the solar system will charge the trailer battery.

The inside the tow vehicle Prodigy control module had sat in the storage unit along with the main box for nearly two years without being connected to any power (cigarette lighter socket). When power was applied in the new installation, they were still in synch. The inside the tow vehicle remote control can be swapped between different tow vehicles as long as there is a cigarette lighter socket to plug into for power.

I believe there is a seven year warranty on the system.
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Old 08-23-2015, 03:03 PM   #16
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I gave up also on finding the wiring on my Touareg and have had great luck with the Prodigy. I have a new Prodigy , never paired , I could send you if you'd like to try it. $250 if you keep it. Its a long story as how I ended up with two.
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Old 08-23-2015, 03:08 PM   #17
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I've used the Prodigy RF with great results and it is nice to be able to use with any TV.
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Old 08-23-2015, 03:15 PM   #18
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I noticed on the iTrailer website that they say that additional wires may be necessary to install a Prodigy on a Touareg
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Old 08-23-2015, 03:39 PM   #19
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The only part of the Prodigy RF system inside or attached to the tow vehicle is a remote the size of a pack of cigarettes that needs to be plugged into a 12Vdc cigarette lighter socket.

There can be synch issues with some vehicles.

The Prodigy RF control head mounted on the trailer does require power from the tow vehicle battery which is usually passed onwards into the trailer to charge the trailer battery. The Prodigy pigtail plugs into the tow vehicle seven way plug. The trailer pigtail then plugs into the seven way receptacle on the Prodigy.

Thus the tow vehicle must have the properly wired seven way plug just as if the trailer was plugging directly into the tow vehicle socket.
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Old 08-23-2015, 03:42 PM   #20
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Thanks Terry

Quote:
Originally Posted by overlander63 View Post
If the colors you are referring to are the ones on the brake controller, I think black is power, white is ground, blue is trailer brake output, and red is brake switch cold wire.
I apologize for the error. I recently sold my P3 since my new truck came with a built-in controller. I looked on the Tekonsha web site for the wiring instructions and couldn't find any.

Looks like amazongb found them. Also interesting about the extra wires perhaps being required.

jackand dianes offer seems very attractive were I in this situation.

Al
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