Another Touareg-er!

[TinLoaf]

The factory hitch was installed yesterday. This morning I cut the shank shorter and redrilled the hole to get the ball as close to the bumper as possible.

Although it looks tongue-high in the photo, I have the trailer running perfectly level and the weight distribution adjusted so the rear suspension drops 3/4 of an inch and front 1/4 of an inch under load. I can probably tip it forward to a perfect 1/2 inch and 1/2 inch, but I think this is probably fine.

Once I get the brake controller wiring harness and the tow mirrors I'll be ready for a test run.

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by TinLoaf

The factory hitch was installed yesterday. This morning I cut the shank shorter and redrilled the hole to get the ball as close to the bumper as possible.

Great! That is a very worthwhile mod.

[blmitch5]

I'm going to have that done to ours. Looks great!

[mojo]

TinLoaf, welcome to the "You can't tow that with that" club.

[TinLoaf]

Originally Posted by mojo

TinLoaf, welcome to the "You can't tow that with that" club.

Thank you. I've put a lot of faith in you guys. I still haven't towed with it because I need to wire in my brake controller and I'm waiting on the delivery of my tow mirrors (Milenco Aero).

I know for a fact that the towing dynamics of my F-150 handled the trailer much better than my older 3/4 ton Excursion, so I'm no stranger to the concept that smaller is better. I can't wait to see how the Touareg does.

406 lb feet of torque available at 1,750 rpm baby!

[MrUKToad]

Tin, are you doing anything about sway control/elimination? I couldn't see anything on the photographs.

[MrUKToad]

Originally Posted by mojo

TinLoaf, welcome to the "You can't tow that with that" club.

An exclusive group if ever I saw one :~)

[TinLoaf]

Originally Posted by MrUKToad

Tin, are you doing anything about sway control/elimination? I couldn't see anything on the photographs.

Right now I just have a simple friction bar which was more than sufficient to provide tension between the trailer and F-150. If necessary I have the Equal-I-zer hitch that came with the trailer, but I'd prefer not to use it because the bars are too stiff.

[vinceb29]

Hi All,
I too am a happy Touareg owner (Gas v6). I have the factory installed towing package and am looking to tow my 23' 1969 Safari.
Similar to others I have questions about how to best tow with it.

• What brake controller do folks suggest (I am currntly looking at the Tekonsha Prodigy P2)
• What kind of computer updates have others done? I have read that for example with proper programming the rear hatch will not open when the trailer wiring is connected. Are there other computer programming things I need to make sure are done?
• Is a WD hitch suggested? If so, what kinds have people had good experience with
• Has anyone had good experience with add-on mirrors?
• Any other advice or suggestions on how to best tow?

Thanks!
- Vince

[JFScheck]

P3 for brake controller
ProPride Hitch
Your software is fine (the Touareg)
Don't forget the relay for your wiring harness when you hook up to your brake controller

[Brokerchris]

Originally Posted by mojo

TinLoaf, welcome to the "You can't tow that with that" club.

New Airstream 23FB owner here towing with 2012 Touareg TDI. Lots of reassurance from this group as well as John and Andy @ CanAM. I'll be using Equalizer WD/Sway and Prodigy RF Controller.

Has anyone had problems opening the back hatch (ours is power) with the AS hooked up? I haven't hooked up the AS yet but I would imagine there is a tight clearance. The rear window on ours does not separately open as I think it did on the earlier TRex's

Thanks!
Chris

[Westfalia]

The Touareg SHOULD sense that a trailer is attached and disable the power lift feature for the duration. An easy way to tell if the vehicle is sensing the trailer is to see if the backup camera has removed the backup assist overlay lines from the screen.

[Brokerchris]

Will the hatch open fully? It would appear from most of these photos that the hatch lid might hit or stop at the L/P cover

[Brokerchris]

Originally Posted by JFScheck

P3 for brake controller ProPride Hitch Your software is fine (the Touareg) Don't forget the relay for your wiring harness when you hook up to your brake controller

Can you be more specific on what type of relay is required and why? Will this vary if you have a RF Controller?

Newbie here and the dealer wasn't really sure. Thank you!

[Westfalia]

No idea on the Touareg gen 3. On my first gen Touareg, I believe that the rear hatch was not able to be fully opened. It will hit the power jack before it hits the tanks. You can turn your trailer power jack head 90 degrees to the side (consult manual) to allow for some add'l clearance, but that is only helpful if you are just trying to clear the head.

[TinLoaf]

Originally Posted by Brokerchris

Will the hatch open fully? It would appear from most of these photos that the hatch lid might hit or stop at the L/P cover.

Mine clears with two inches to spare even with the additional flag pole holder attached to the front of the jack post.

You have a great setup I'm sure you will enjoy.

[JFScheck]

With my ProPride hitch (pushes the trailer a bit aft) I could open the rear hatch on my T-Rex when hooked up but it was close....

[ALANSD]

Hey to all you Touaregers...what is the average mileage you all get with the various models?
My 66 is pretty light and could be a good candidate for this tow vehicle.

Also how is the reliablility in general? I know of only one friend who owned one and she did no fare well.

Thanks

[TinLoaf]

I've towed about 25,000 miles with the older 6 speed, diesel V6, including the Big Horn Mountains and Yellowstone. The lowest I've seen driving into a strong headwind has been 12.8 mpg. The highest in the low 18s. I'm typically in the lower 16s, although the Yellowstone trip averaged 17.3 mpg (towing only, hand calculated).

[ALANSD]

nice mileage.
I saw a lot of really bad reviews for the reliability and cost of maintenance. Alternator $1100-1800 was a common complaint.