Trailer wiring

[kataleen]

Hey folks, after searching long and wide across the interwebs, couldn't find a definitive answer to my burning question. I will install a hitch to my 2017 eGolf and I am planning to tow small utility trailers occasionally. I am looking for a wiring solution and there are so many types of kits and converters, but none specifically designed to work with the eGolf. I am guessing it should be a standard one, but not sure which one. I am looking for a class 1 hitch so the wiring will end up with a standard 4 way flat connector for the trailer.
My questions are: do I need a powered kit (run wire to the battery) or a non-powered one? Also can I use a kit that splices in the current wires, or do I have to get one that comes with T harnesses?
Any suggestions/models/part numbers are much appreciated. I already know about Curt kits, but not sure which one to get.

I have to add that I am pretty handy with wiring these things, it's just that I don't know which one will work with the eGolf.

Thanks

 

[JoulesThief]

Hey folks, after searching long and wide across the interwebs, couldn't find a definitive answer to my burning question. I will install a hitch to my 2017 eGolf and I am planning to tow small utility trailers occasionally. I am looking for a wiring solution and there are so many types of kits and converters, but none specifically designed to work with the eGolf. I am guessing it should be a standard one, but not sure which one. I am looking for a class 1 hitch so the wiring will end up with a standard 4 way flat connector for the trailer.
My questions are: do I need a powered kit (run wire to the battery) or a non-powered one? Also can I use a kit that splices in the current wires, or do I have to get one that comes with T harnesses?
Any suggestions/models/part numbers are much appreciated. I already know about Curt kits, but not sure which one to get.

I have to add that I am pretty handy with wiring these things, it's just that I don't know which one will work with the eGolf.

Thanks

I don't think VW recommends any towing with the e-Golf.... check your owners manual for recommendations. High stress and heat on battery and electric motor windings and brushes on the motor, if it has them. A hitch used for a bicycle rack is another matter.

 

[seacycle]

I don't think VW recommends any towing with the e-Golf.... check your owners manual for recommendations.

Funny thing, the owners manual. My Golf 2L TDI with DSG owners manual said in no uncertain terms that towing was a no-no, with warranty implications. I wandered over to the UK Volkswagen site to see what they said about towing, http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/need-help/owners/towing, which refers to The Caravan Club Ltd.

So, have a look at the Tow Car of the Year awards:

2018 - Skoda 2L TDI with DSG

They seem to have hidden the previous years roundup, but as I recall Volkswagen brands with the 2L TDI and DSG drivetrain have featured prominently for a number of years, winning in certain classes, if not overall. Go figure.

 

[kataleen]

Thanks seacycle. I kind of suspected that this is the case.
As much as I can understand that towing caravans and bigger thing is a questionable thing which requires the car to have certain qualities to be safe, towing a puny 4x7 foot open trailer won’t be even be noticed by the car. Heck, even I can pull fairly easy that trailer when loaded.

 

[JoulesThief]

Thanks seacycle. I kind of suspected that this is the case.
As much as I can understand that towing caravans and bigger thing is a questionable thing which requires the car to have certain qualities to be safe, towing a puny 4x7 foot open trailer won’t be even be noticed by the car. Heck, even I can pull fairly easy that trailer when loaded.

Then direct your question to Volkswagen of America and their legal team for a definitive answer.

You're dreaming if you think VW is going to design a robust gearbox for something they only see as an urban people mover. VW is all about the car barely making it through the warranty period. That the e-Golf is not covered under the 5 year 60000 mile power train warranty on all other VW's should be a clear sign to you what is up.

There is no comparison at all between a TDI and an e-Golf, and what their capabilities are, for towing. I tow with a TDI, but it's a Touareg, and VW designed it to tow, which is why it's offered with a tow hitch and has a towing spec, from the factory. I believe a towing spec for a VW electric car is a generation or two of cars away from us still.

 

[seacycle]

You're dreaming if you think VW is going to design a robust gearbox for something they only see as an urban people mover. VW is all about the car barely making it through the warranty period. That the e-Golf is not covered under the 5 year 60000 mile power train warranty on all other VW's should be a clear sign to you what is up.

According to the "USA Warranty and Maintenance: All-electric models" book that came with my e-Golf, the powertrain warranty is 5 year 60000. Is that new relative to the pre-2017?

Various TDI + DSG combinations clearly have had towing in mind and independent evaluation of their towing capability. The reasons for disclaiming any such capability in the US market I'm sure has some reasons which may or may not be technical. Whether or not the e-Golf can tow, I doubt towing was anywhere near being on anything that could be construed as a list of design criteria, and absent any evidence that it can tow without adverse consequences, I would be reluctant to try. I'll let someone else donate their car in the name of science.

 

[JoulesThief]

You're dreaming if you think VW is going to design a robust gearbox for something they only see as an urban people mover. VW is all about the car barely making it through the warranty period. That the e-Golf is not covered under the 5 year 60000 mile power train warranty on all other VW's should be a clear sign to you what is up.

According to the "USA Warranty and Maintenance: All-electric models" book that came with my e-Golf, the powertrain warranty is 5 year 60000. Is that new relative to the pre-2017?

Various TDI + DSG combinations clearly have had towing in mind and independent evaluation of their towing capability. The reasons for disclaiming any such capability in the US market I'm sure has some reasons which may or may not be technical. Whether or not the e-Golf can tow, I doubt towing was anywhere near being on anything that could be construed as a list of design criteria, and absent any evidence that it can tow without adverse consequences, I would be reluctant to try. I'll let someone else donate their car in the name of science.

Bottom of page, on link, for 2018 e-Golf. It's an exception. http://www.vw.com/warranty/ Vw had a disclaimer about towing with 2.0 TDI's with DSG transmissions. I've read of several folks that melted the CV joint bootie off their driveshaft and seized the now greaseless CV joints in the middle of nowhere in various mountain states, one for sure being on I-80 in WY.

 

[kataleen]

Any chance someone can give me some pointers on the wiring question? I do appreciate the discussion on towing with the Golf though.

 

[seacycle]

Any chance someone can give me some pointers on the wiring question? I do appreciate the discussion on towing with the Golf though.

At erwin.vw.com, for $35, you can get a 24 hour pass to download all the service manuals you want, including wiring diagrams. I recommend searching by VIN to narrow the scope to your particular car.

 

[kataleen]

Looking at the Curt website, I am wondering if I should go with a custom wiring solution which is also powered separately and has its own connectors, or a tail light converter that taps into the tail lights. For each one, there are multiple models and not very clear what is different between them.
I guess one question would be, are the eGolf tail lights PWM ST?

I think this may be the one that I need. https://www.curtmfg.com/part/59236
Thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[cattlerepairman]

I will install a hitch to my 2017 eGolf [...]
I have to add that I am pretty handy with wiring these things, it's just that I don't know which one will work with the eGolf.

My 2018 owner's manual is very specific. It says IF YOU INSTALL A TRAILER HITCH YOU WILL CAUSE EXPENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE which will not be covered by warranty.

I have not investigated, but my sense is that the location of the rear portion of the battery pack interferes with the usual mounting locations for a trailer hitch. I am envisioning people running a drill bit right into a couple of battery cells.

 

[kataleen]

I have to say, that is not specific at all. In fact, it's very vague. I already installed the hitch and it has clear mounting points, away from any battery/conduits. The hitch mounts with 4 bolts directly into the frame and does not require any drilling.
That statement in the manual sounds to me like a big umbrella and a way of VW saying we don't want to spend time to explain which cases may do damage and which ones would be ok so we will be lazy and say don't do it at all. I would like to see specifically what damage they expect to have from installing a hitch and also what damage would incur from towing trailers at different weights.
Many people already installed hitches and the perform flawlessly on the eGolf in different cases, mostly sports racks.
Sorry, I'm the kind of guy that before bowing to a generic statement, I want to know why. :twisted: :twisted:

 

[kataleen]

Here are a few pictures after the install. i highlighted in orange the shape of the hitch mounting profile
As you can see from the pic where I have the torque wrench in, there is a lot of space between the hitch and the high voltage cable. And that was the only thing anywhere near the mounting points of the hitch.

 

[NurStrom]

Nice work !

 

[cattlerepairman]

Thanks kataleen for posting the pics! It may well be as you say - a statement to avoid liability. So, quite clearly, a trailer hitch can be installed. Good to know.

Is that the 114121 Class 1 Trailer Hitch? Which harness did you use?

 

[seacycle]

This week I came across a (nearly) hidden hitch from TorkLift, https://torkliftcentral.com/rving-and-towing/ecohitch/volkswagen/2015-2017-volkswagen-golf-ecohitch. A little more involved to install as it involves taking the bumper cover off, but it mounts in way similar to how the OEM hitch mounts, and involves no modification to the car.

 

[kataleen]

Thanks kataleen for posting the pics! It may well be as you say - a statement to avoid liability. So, quite clearly, a trailer hitch can be installed. Good to know.

Is that the 114121 Class 1 Trailer Hitch? Which harness did you use?

Yes, that's the 11412 from Curt. With regards to the wiring I'm still trying to figure out the egolf wiring for the tail lights. If anyone has a diagram by any chance, I would appreciate it.

I got the Curt 59236 wiring kit in the mean time.

 

[kataleen]

I finally figured out the wiring problem. Nothing a good old multi-meter can't solve!
I added more pictures of the hitch install as well as the wiring process at the link below. Got a chance to test it and works like a charm.

EDIT: Sorry, the original link was wrong. This is the correct one:
http://www.thebrainspike.com/adding-trailer-hitch-and-wiring-on-the-2017-volkswagen-e-golf/

 

[kataleen]

....and I finally got a chance to try it out. Tows like a dream
I rented a trailer over the weekend to haul some garden soil. Got about a cubic yard which weighs about 2000 lbs. Withe the empty trailer, you don't even know it's there, if it wasn't for the coupler noise and chains. I noticed that especially when the car started to creep at lights. It just goes as usual.
With the trailer loaded, it just feels like you're going uphill when accelerating and downhill when braking. That's about it. The car is not straining with the weight by any means. I always kept it reasonable driving slower and also did not go on the highways.

Some pics with the egolf + trailer:

 

[JoulesThief]

Any idea what that weight is doing to the brushes, and windings of your electric motor? Or to the battery pack.

You should have bought a manual 6 speed TDI Golf instead. Seriously.

I hope you own this e-Golf and don't lease it.