Another Touareg-er!

[jcl]

The models changed in 2010 I believe, to the second generation.

There is also a 3.0 diesel.

Not sure on towing prep, as it seems to differ between the US and Canada. New models here have a receiver as standard, but it used to be an option. The receiver and wiring interface was the extent of the towing prep, IIRC.

Lots of confusion about the 3500 kg/7700 lb tow rating and the corresponding tongue weight limits. Some vehicles had documentation that said 616 lb, (8%) while others said 770 lb (10%). VW shipped out replacement owners manuals and stickers to some purchasers who asked for them and had the 616 lb stickers, but not sure if that applied to all years of production (1st generation vs 2nd generation).

Good info on ClubToureg forum, as well as from some current and previous owners here.

Jeff

[JFScheck]

Check out the new Grand Cherokee's too - I've owned Cayenne S, TDI Touareg & Srt Grand Cherokee - the diesel version would be a great option.

Diesel Touareg or Grand Cherokee and your doing fine!

[Erik Olson]

Any reason to use the small teardrop mirrors instead of the larger "universal" Milenco units?

[Erik Olson]

Originally Posted by Brokerchris

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!

I've got the VW parts but am also trying to figure out the RELAY. Is this a VW part or something my installer will have? Same query out to my installer today. Thanks in advance for the great advice!

Best,

e

[JFScheck]

You purchase the "automotive relay" from any good auto parts store or electronics store - I used Waytek at www.WaytekWire.com .

[Buck944]

Hi all!

For the one that tow a 25 feets airstream with an hensley hitch, Can you tell me which stinger drop you are using??

[mojo]

I use a 2" drop.

[Buck944]

My Hensley came with my trailer, I have a 4" drop and it is not bad...

I would like to try it with a 2"...

[Erik Olson]

Maybe I'm being really ignorant about this (not a vehicle electrician), but is there a particular relay that you folks have used? I've procured the appropriate VW parts. Dealer seems confounded.

[TinLoaf]

It has been a few years since I went through all this with my Touareg. I don't remember anything about a relay, but I remember a "Trailer Tow Module" that instals in the rear corner near the two 12 volt and one 120 outlets. When a trailer is plugged in, it switches the VW to "tow/haul" mode, disables the remote tailgate, etc. It also detects the low voltage of LED tail lights so your display isn't warning you about burnt out trailer lights.

I found all my information on ClubTouareg.com.

[Buck944]

It is the mots commun relay in automotive, it have a 12 volts DC coil and a normally open and normally close contact with the same commun... Here a shot of one.

[Tom_T]

Originally Posted by Xray

It just hit me that we have another Touareg-er on this forum.

Turns out he's a nice guy with a great wife and from the looks of his posts so far, he's a real contributor to boot! And, he got himself an '04 19' CCD (as of last weekend)...

Welcome aboard Westfalia !!!



I know Westfalia (Aircooled) from the Touareg forum (www.vwvortex.com) and can attest to his technical prowess and love for fun and adventure. He's an asset.

Glad to have you with us!

So Westfalia/aircooled - are you also over on 914world as the latter??

I'm Tom_T over there too & we've chatted.

I'm here for the spin-off Cayenne S (V8) TV info, as we're thinking of one for our older & lighter Avion T20. I think my initial Porsche 928S/S4 idea fell out due to minimal back seats in it's 2+2 configuration, but it's 4144# towing capacity, 316 HP & 317 ft/lb TQ V8 & 4-piston Brembo brakes, low CG & cool egg-shape made it an interesting & very capable classic car match for our 2850-3500# 20' vintage trailer - even if not a 1960-61 car!

Cheers!

[Westfalia]

Sorry Tom, not the same Aircooled. My nickname on both sides comes from my old 77 Westfalia Camper that I still have. I also still dabble in Touaregs, owning a 2006 V8 and a 2006 V10 TDI.

Welcome to the forums!

[FCloud9]

Thought I may as well add to a great thread before it begins another decade!
We love our 2011 Touareg Sport towing our 2014 Flying Cloud 20'.

[Westfalia]

Wow, I hadn't even realized that this thread had been started in 2005.


Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

[Tom_T]

Originally Posted by Westfalia

Sorry Tom, not the same Aircooled. My nickname on both sides comes from my old 77 Westfalia Camper that I still have. I also still dabble in Touaregs, owning a 2006 V8 and a 2006 V10 TDI.

Welcome to the forums!

Thanx for the welcome.

I've actually been here for a couple of years since 2012 - signing in under the account I set-up for my wife on "HER" trailer, but got tired of tracking replies to my posts over to her email, & it wouldn't let me change or add a 2nd email to that account.

This is us....
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f417...ers-99135.html

The other "aircooled" guy on 914world also has a 77-78 Westy Bus, so I thought it might be the same one, but he hasn't posted over there lately.

I'm leaning towards the early Cayenne S for the better suspension/handling & brakes, & bigger V8 with more HP & TQ, than in the 4.2L VW-TR/Audi Q7 V8 in `03-`10 - & their prices are on all 3 is close for similar mi & cond. So why not a well cared for low mile Porsche at $10-20k +/- for `03-06 & high teens to $30+k for `08-10!?

I see drawbacks to the BMW X5 & MBZ M450/550 V8s, & no real long term cost advantage to their oil burners - & the Cayenne Diesel is 2013-14, so still high priced (I can buy a lot of premium gas for the $20-40k price difference). Likewise, IMHO the 2000-10 Toyota Gland Bruisers & 4Runner V8's & Lexis twins are overpriced at more than a Cayenne S, & are usually at 2-3x the mileage. Also the Cayennes have a better chance of being lightly used, well cared for - or pampered - & in better used condition than some of the other makes.

The V10 TDI Cayenne is an interesting beast, but apparently higher service costs & fuel mileage not much better than the V8s & V6s gas. I want to stay away from extra complications of turbos & probably the diesels in general, for both fuel & maintenance costs. While some good friends have `13 Cayenne Diesel & love it, I see our local diesel prices at +10 cents over Premium around here, plus high maintenance costs discussed in forums on here & vortex & elsewhere.

I'm both a PCA & BMW-CCA member, so no maker bias & either Cayenne or X5 would offer club activities' use on either, but the Porsche seems to be a better SUV for the money if well cared for & low miles - & if the key factory upgrades & services were done timely (coolant pipe upgrade, ignition coils upgrade, upper ball joint replacement @ +/-40k mi, Kardan/drive shaft & bearing replacement if needed, timing belt/tensioners/water pump, regular fluids changed + trans/xfer/diffs per factory schedule or sooner - per my research with owners & tech sources).

Those are my thought so far, but....

I'd appreciate any input from early 2003-10 series 1 & 1.5 (2) Cayenne S owners who've towed a TT in the 3000-6000# range. Hopefully Jscheck will chime in here too, as I sent him a PM or email under the wife's account a few days back.

Finding no Cayenne specific topics/threads on here after a search, I figured that this is the closest thread to get PO input.

Cheers!
Tom
///////

[DaveSchulz]

This is my first post on this site. However, I have been reading and learning from this site over many months

I bought a new 2014 Touareg TDI last year after purchasing my 23FB. I wanted a vehicle that could safely handle the AS and provide a day to day vehicle for my wife to use. I commute on a motorcycle.

I leased an F150 Ecoboost for the first couple of outings, thought it good but wasn't convinced that it was right for us. Going through the minefield of information from VW, Touareg and AS forums I finally bit the bullet and decided to make the commitment to the Treg.

I took AS dealership advice and purchased an Equalizer hitch, realizing that this was contrary to VW advice. My rationale being that the 23FB was well within the Treg's towing capability (7700lbs, 660lbs tongue) and we would not be exceeding the vehicle max payload. No mods have been carried out to the OEM hitch. Most of our gear goes in the AS but I'm careful not to stow much at the forward end.

So far have towed the AS 7000 miles, all in Western US. Most notable trip was from Fairfield CA to Yellowstone NP, via Teton Pass, 3 adults ,my daughter and a dog. The Treg towed like a dream. I have never experienced sway or issues with controlling the rig. Plenty of power and torque with excellent handling and have I full confidence in the vehicle. With 20,000 miles on the Odo the Treg is just about run in. No reliability issues either.

I am sure that the cost of repairing these vehicles will be high if something goes wrong, but do have reassurance of a 5 year power train warranty.

Finally, I would recommend this vehicle to anyone wanting to tow an Airstream, but you have to be sensible and keep within the vehicle max payloads, even with a WD system.