2012 XC70 towbar options / opinions.

[Tatsfield]

I had to put the camera under the car to see the attachment point and there is a cut out in the bumper but certainly not a visible one as I didn't even realise that it was there as you can see from the second picture! If that was putting you off, I wouldn't worry about it.

[westie1981]

Hi,

So i've contacted Peter Bowman Towbar Centre who have given me some prices for a detachable and a fixed tow bar. Suffice to say i'll be getting a fixed one fitted as it doesn't appear to give you any benefit other than it looking pretty.

The next questions I have are as follows:

1) Has anyone ever dealt with Peter Bowman Towbar Centre?
2) They are looking to fit a towsure tow bar. Has anyone ever had any dealings with this company?
3) They are telling me they can install a system that integrates with the cars stability program. Apparently this is a third party item that works with the cars existing stability program. From what I can tell, this is exactly the same as the OEM one, does anyone know anything more about this?

Peter Bowman Towbar Centre advised me that westfalia and witter have been merged and the production has been moved to romania resulting in an inferior product, does anyone know the detail behind this?

Cheers

Paul

[JonnyA]

I've been looking at towbars myself - not sure which way to go...
i have noticed that the instructions for the 'aftermarket' bars (eg: westfalia, witter) show the crash beam (correct term?) having a cut out or being discarded completely. the volvo details show no such cutting and the beam being re-fitted.

Tatsfield - are you sure that yours is a Volvo bar? Does it have the horizontal fitting of the tow bracket? the few i have seen seem to stick down further than yours, one (shallow) reason i am still undecided.

[Steff79]

Paul:
I haven't actually used Peter Bowman myself but have spoken to them a few times and plenty of people around me have had tow bars fitted or hired trailers from them. As far as I know they are a reputable place that know what they are on about.

I cant comment on Towsure. But I would have thought with a fixed bar they are all much of a muchness, just have to decide between a swan neck and a flange type.

As you are only up the road I would actually be interested in seeing what you go for. I still cant decide between detachable or fixed. I don't tow all that often so i'm thinking detachable.

Jonny -
I thought that all towbars tend to replace the crash bar.... they certainly have on ones I've had fitted but might be wrong.

And I agree, with your thoughts that the Volvo/Brink systems usually stick out more. It certainly does on my V60 and does on other V70s I have seen.

[Tatsfield]

Jonny, you're right. It is a Witter tow hitch. I hadn't closely examined it as I never use it. I've got nothing to tow! Pictures show both sides of hitch.

[apersson850]

My reason for having a detachable tow bar is that I don't slam my knees into it when it's not in use.
Should somebody drive their car into my rear end, I also get the stress in the bumper, which is designed to absorb it, instead if further into the structure of the car.
That you can see the cover over the attachment, when the ball is removed, doesn't bother me at all. It's not for cosmetic reasons I detach it.

[Peter86]

What about the paint? My previous Volvo one still looked pretty good after 12 years. Other brands don't seem to do as well from what I've personally seen. The one on my new car (non volvo towbar) is almost 7 years old and needs respraying.

[Steff79]

I agree Pete, thats another reason I think I'll go for a detachable as you see a lot of 3 or 4 year old cars with rusty towbars on.

[apersson850]

The towbar frequently has a very inferior rust protection, compared to the car itself. You have to apply rust protection on the towbar yourself. Preferably before it disintegrates.

[1monkey600]

The volvo detachable towbar does need a cut out in the bumper and a black cover slots into the attachment point. On the xc70 I think this cover is very inconspicuous, though.

If the towbar people are telling you that their electrics tie into the volvo stability control I would take this with a bit of salt as the modules would have to have some sort of software to communicate with the cars braking system.

Many of the 3rd party 'electrics' for volvo xc70 are much more expensive than genuine volvo ones, just as parts, unfitted. OK, genuine ones will need software from a volvo dealer but final cost is comparable but with many advantages with the real thing.

Genuine volvo towbars for xc70, v70, xc60, etc, fit between the original crash beam and the bodywork - they do not get cut or thrown away.