XC90 - Westfalia Detachable towbar fitting guide

[Ron_XC90]

You need to use the kit for your MY, as there has been a change in the wiring/connectors round 2005. Best to get the original volvo loom, check with Rufe for some discounted prices.
Most newer bike racks have 13-pin plugs, so might be worth to fit that as you then don't have to use 7-13 pin converter plugs

[XCShep]

Thanks Ron, will check it out.

[exdirectory]

Just ordered mine from FRF for MY 2005

Latest prices for info:

Trailer module £31.69 inc VAT and discount
7 pin kit £18.20 inc VAT and discount

Should be with me on Friday, that gives me 4 days to install them!

[exdirectory]

And now ordered a Mottez 4 bike rack and Westfalia towbar from TowEquipe

Mottez 192.95 inc VAT
Westfalia Detachable 206.05 inc VAT

The Westfalia is not available via their volvo XC90 page but it is there if you phone, part number: 320057 and here

Inclusive delivery I now have a 4 bike rack with all electrics for £486.06

Just to fit now.

BTW, this is probably worth more than the 4 bikes we own but at least they will be transported with style.


One last question: What have people done re getting a number plate?

[Ron_XC90]

Originally Posted by exdirectory

One last question: What have people done re getting a number plate?

Just go down to Halfords with V5 document and they make one while you wait. Approx £15,=

[cosworthy2000]

Originally Posted by exdirectory

And now ordered a Mottez 4 bike rack and Westfalia towbar from TowEquipe

Mottez 192.95 inc VAT
Westfalia Detachable 206.05 inc VAT

The Westfalia is not available via their volvo XC90 page but it is there if you phone, part number: 320057 and here

Inclusive delivery I now have a 4 bike rack with all electrics for £486.06

Just to fit now.

BTW, this is probably worth more than the 4 bikes we own but at least they will be transported with style.


One last question: What have people done re getting a number plate?

Hi, thinking about getting thwe same rack. I have the Westfalia towbar and would be interested to find out how you get on with the Mottez rack.

Ta

[Snaffleit]

Originally Posted by ABC

Hi,

Am new to this forum, but read some of the advice given before I fitted a Westfalia detachable towbar to a MY2010 XC90 Active, so I hope this info on my install is some use for others.

I avoided the Volvo dealer fitted Towbar as I didn't like the way the Volvo towbar fitted, and the amount that was left visible when the towball was detached.

I bought the Westfalia towbar as it's invisible when detached. I got it from PF Jones website. Delivered next day for around £175.

I bought the Volvo 7 pin wiring kit from Volvo for around £50.

I had a friend help me fit the towbar at the weekend. Here's how we did it. ..

1) Remove spare wheel

2) Remove rear most exhaust hanger rubber and then undo two 10mm bolts holding next exhaust hangers on under rear axle. Allow exhaust to drop. It doesn't drop that much as it's supported about midway on the car body.

3) Remove exaust heat shield. 4 x 10mm nuts. Plenty of room to remove with a ratchet spanner.

4) No need to remove anything else on the bumper, or losen any part of the bumper trim - despite what the instructions will tell you.

5) In the car boot, lift luggage floor hatch , then remove the two triangular floor pieces on either side (they just pull up) and also the clip out panel just above on the left hand side.
Feel down on each side and pull off the foam strips covering the holes in the chassis rail (two more underneath the car covering the same holes)

6) Push in the Westfalia metal bolt guides / supports (see Westfalia instructions for more info ) on each side, and slide in the 6 bolts with washers.

7) Remove the tow ball from the towbar and offer up the towbar. We found it easier to offer up from the non exhaust side first over the exhaust pipes. Once in place the towball receiver will sit with about 2/3 over the existing half moon cut in the bumper and 1/3 obscured by the bumper. You need to make a small cut to expose the receiver but more on that later.

8) Once in place push the 6 bolts through from the inside of the boot.

9) Put the washers and nuts on. By pulling the bolts back in to the boot we could get a ring ratch spanner on for the majority of the thread on the bolt. Once bolt nearly pulled tight we switched to open ended spanner. One person with spanner on bolt in boot and one underneath car to tighten.

10) Remove battery cover and then start with Volvo wiring. It fits in from outside of car. Feed wiring loom through swivelling 7/13 pin socket holder on towbar. Then up through battery drain gromit in boot floor ( kit has new gromit on it already to replace the existing boot floor gromit)

11) Attach earth wire to existing earth point by battery.

12) Place wire loom behind battery and then through gap in trim to left hand side boot floor void (where bolts for towbar fitted)

13) Ignore Volvo instructions and don't remove any trim in boot on side. Instead feed wire up to fuse box and reach hand in and plug into socket on fuse panel and add a couple of fuses to same panel. Check your socket works by attaching to lighting board. All should be ok if you have followed these steps. No need for SW download from Volvo unless you want car fog lights deactivated (unlikely if you are fitting a 7 pin socket).

14) Trim bumper. All cuts are to the horizontal underside of the silver part of the bumper. If you lie on your back under car it makes it simple to cut around the inside of the towbar receiver and around "ears" on towball. I had to enlarge the existing half moon cut by about 1 cm. To avoid having to cut too big an opening I trimmed the towbar receiver cap ( for use when the towball is not being used) as the ears on this are bigger than needed).

Check your cuts as you go with the towball. No need to cut any more than needed to have towball engage /disengage cleanly.

15) When all is done nothing is visible from the rear of the car when the towball is not attached. Not even if you get on your knees and look. To see anything of the cut you would have to lie on your back under the bumper

All in all I am very pleased. I have saved over £300 and have a cleaner looking towbar install, and also by doing it myself I know exactly what was done (i.e bumper not removed etc) and I have managed to take the time to ensure I cut the bumper the absolute bare minimum I needed to - I am sure if I paid someone to fit this towbar they would have followed the template and made a much bigger cut than was needed which might have meant some of the cut was visible.

Hope this helps - will see if I can take a photo to show what it looks like and if I can post pictures on here.

Hi just seen your article I agree the volvo supplied towbar is really ugly. Just ordered a westfalia towbar being delivered saturday and volvo are fitting it monday.
Did a bit of research and everyone agrees the car has to be remapped if a towbar is fitted. So i took the easy way out and let Volvo fit it.

[XCF]

Originally Posted by Snaffleit

Did a bit of research and everyone agrees the car has to be remapped if a towbar is fitted. So i took the easy way out and let Volvo fit it.

I presume you mean the software download for the trailer module rather than an engine remap.....if so all this software will do on the XC90 is disable the cars fog lights when you turn them on. It does this to avoid any glare off the front of a white caravan. If you don't tow a caravan then you don't need the software download, so I would say it's not correct to say the car has to be remapped if a towbar is fitted.

Other features - such as parking sensors automatically deactivating happens by default without any software if you use the Volvo plug and play wiring /trailer module.

[allegoricus]

Originally Posted by ABC

Am new to this forum, but read some of the advice given before I fitted a Westfalia detachable towbar to a MY2010 XC90 Active, so I hope this info on my install is some use for others.

So glad I was able to read this before I embarked on my own fitting project.
Would have been straightforward but for a less-than-best-fitting pair of bolt guides and a real struggle getting the towbar itself into position - I ended up using a hydraulic jack.

If this experience in any way parallels your own, I would think your daughter now has an extensive repertoire of colourful language. ;-)

Anyway, done now (took about 6 hours) and we're off on a jaunt tomorrow with the caravan.

Thanks & best regards,

Peter

[bluey_xc90]

Just refitted mine - took it off an 04 SE and put it onto an 11 R-Design. In some ways it is easier to get onto the R Design than the SE due to the rear valance not being as deep and clearer space underneath. Disadvantages are the dual exhausts which are a pain.

Main issue is getting it into position and wacking it with large hammer to get the bolt holes to line up. Trick was to undo both rear exhausts at the rear and the next set of mounting brackets as well.

Other trick to speed it up - have an air ratchet to hand! Can undo all the exhausts in seconds, and will fit into the rear boot area to tighten up the six bolts while person underneath uses a 19mm spanner to hold the nuts. Total time to do them all up - under 5 mins.... and lot less cursing! Managed to get the bar in place and installed in under an hour and half in the end.

Just doing the electrics now, putting trailer module in place...