2012 XC70 towbar options / opinions.

[westie1981]

Hi All,

I'm looking for some advice.

I'm looking at getting a towbar fitted to my 2012 XC70 and i'm wondering the two following things:

1) Do I go for an OEM one direct from Volvo or do I go third party? What are the advantages / disadvantages of the two options?
2) Do i go for a fixed one or a removable one?

Cheers

Paul

[Steff79]

Hi,

I can't comment specifically on the xc70 as I don't have one. I have just got a v70 which I will be fitting a tow bar on.

However I have had a few cars now with different tow bars, so will give you my thoughts.

My v60 had a volvo (Brink) towbar fitted from new. Personally I would not recommend the Volvo detachable as firstly it is expensive, it requires an unsightly cover even when detached and I haven't found it to be a very user friendly set up, often taking a lot of effort to get it to engage properly if I haven't used it for a while.

I have had a westfalia detachable on a previous Octavia and found it to be a much better system. When detached it is completely unseen unless you crawl under the car and I found the mechanism to be much more reliable.

I would however recommend the dedicated volvo wiring as I have found this really good on the Volvo, it changes things like the parking sensors, start stop and even the stability control. On the Octavia I just had a bypass system and I'm convinced it impacted blowing bulbs and a few other niggles.

You don't have to go to Volvo for this. I am pretty local to you and I go to northwest tow bars in Stockport. I have already spoken to them about the v70 and will probably end up with another westfalia.

[CTCNetwork]

Hi,

The question to ask may be: Why do I want a towbar fitted?

When I go my S80 I decided that having a towbar fitted would assist in persuading those following that it would likely be a painful experience for them should they drive too close to me. I also helps protect the fairly flimsy plastic bumper cover. Conveniently it also provided me with somewhere to hang my Minion!

On the above basis, a fixed bar was the right choice for me. With the modern electronics for cars I also selected to have it fitted by a dealer. This allowed the software to be installed that would adjust parking sensors and fogs etc when something was plugged in.
Convieninently some utter jerk reversed into my car (one of two cars in an otherwise empty car park, me behind my bosses boss, and he hits me and almost forced the car into said bosses boss's car).
So install was cheaper as the bumper was coming off anyway!

I would recommend dealer install, and you may as well go OEM as the saving, whilst there is one, may not pay in the long run.

Des. . .

[HDAV]

The genuine kits are made by brink, have one on my xc60 not had any issues getting it to engage, fixed or detachable is the first question, had fixed on previous car and shins prefer the detachable....... what ever you get car will likely need a software update to enable towing features (not important for a bike a rack or erode mini trailer, but for a boat or 2T trailer caravan rather.......)

They aren’t complicated to fit any garage should be able to do it in an hour or so, ask where you get car serviced.

[westie1981]

Thanks all, food for thought. Steffan Eldred, you are indeed local i'm based in bradshaw.

As for what i'm looking to use it for is as follows:

Boat towing (5.5 Meter Rhib)
Caravan / trailer towing.
Possibly bike rack but have a roof mounted system at present but finding that a tad limiting.

The point about getting the Volvo electronics is interesting as I didn't know it was possible to separate the two. Is it possible to get the TCM fitted at a towbar place or does this have to be done by a Volvo dealer as they have access to vida?

Cheers

Paul

[Tatsfield]

Personally I would not recommend the Volvo detachable as firstly it is expensive, it requires an unsightly cover even when detached

I found that difficult to accept as my 2012 XC70 has a Volvo removable tow bar which I never use and once I had found it in the load area under floor space I looked to see where it fitted and there was no cover. It seems to attached forward of the bumper and is curved to reach back from under it. I cannot comment on expense as mine came with the car.

[HDAV]

Originally Posted by westie1981

Thanks all, food for thought. Steffan Eldred, you are indeed local i'm based in bradshaw.

As for what i'm looking to use it for is as follows:

Boat towing (5.5 Meter Rhib)
Caravan / trailer towing.
Possibly bike rack but have a roof mounted system at present but finding that a tad limiting.

The point about getting the Volvo electronics is interesting as I didn't know it was possible to separate the two. Is it possible to get the TCM fitted at a towbar place or does this have to be done by a Volvo dealer as they have access to vida?

Cheers

Paul

I doubt any “towbar fitter” will have the Volvo software they would need every makes software and cost would be prohibitive..... but Volvo specialist should have software and fitting a tow bar is easy remove bumper, remove rear cross member (4-6 bolts), fit towbar, cut out slot in bumper (if required) run the towing loom, refit bumper. Upload software, test....

Pf jones have a range of options you can fit the bar your self connect electronics loom and just drive to dealer for them to upload the TcM module some will do it for £50


What RIB?


This is the same bar as Volvo https://www.pfjones.co.uk/volvo-xc70...wbar-wohc.html

How to fit https://www.pfjones.co.uk/Thule_Brink/533570.pdf

[60041]

I had the Volvo removable towbars on both my XC70 and the XC90 and never had any problem with fitting and removing them. My son has a fixed towbar on his XC70 and cracked his shins on it a few times before he learnt to avoid it. The choice is yours.
There are many cheaper alternatives to buying the Volvo bar; all are built to comply to the safety standards and will be fit for purpose, but only the Volvo ones have been designed to integrate with the safety systems on the car - I don’t know whether it makes any difference or not.
Brink and Westphalia bars are good, as are Witter. Towsure offer a good choice and a mobile fitting service.
Whatever bar you decide to fit, I would strongly advise using the Volvo wiring kit; this simply plugs into pre-existing sockets in the car and is an easy diy job however you will need to have the software update done by a dealer.

[Peter86]

If you break the locking mechanism on Volvo detachable towbars its the same price to buy a new swan neck as the whole towbar as I found out.
Luckily I upgraded my car so I didn't both paying for one.
Volvo towbar electrics all the way in my opinion.

[Steff79]

Originally Posted by Tatsfield

I found that difficult to accept as my 2012 XC70 has a Volvo removable tow bar which I never use and once I had found it in the load area under floor space I looked to see where it fitted and there was no cover. It seems to attached forward of the bumper and is curved to reach back from under it. I cannot comment on expense as mine came with the car.

Hi Tatsfield, I'm intersted in this. I thought that the Volvo/Brink bars all required a visible bumper cut and had a cover to go over that when not in use. The one for the XC60 and V60 is relatively flush, but the ones I've seen for the v90 stick out quite a bit like this:
https://www.volvopartshop.com/detach...08-16489-p.asp

Alternatives like Westfalia (which are used for the genuine bars for many German brands) offer a vertical system which, as you say, click in in front of the bumper.

Let me know if there is a genuine volvo one that does the same as I will look at getting one.

On the electrics front, I totally agree with the vehicle dedicated wiring, and ensuring the software is updated accordingly. My understanding was that the reputable towbar specialists (around me its people like Northwest towbars, chester towbars etc) are able to plug in and do that update. They certainly say they can. Maybe I'm wrong!