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Old 03-09-2013, 10:36 PM   #21
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John looking at the VW Parts that were posted it sure looks like a control module in the wiring kit they sell.... without a module its a good bet not much in the way of trailer lights will work well if at all........
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Old 03-09-2013, 10:47 PM   #22
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The hitch shop reported that they didn't have to do as much work as anticipated "because it's already there." I made it clear that I wanted all the normal seven-pin functions.

I'll hook things up tomorrow, when it's warmer, and check the electrical functions first.
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Old 03-09-2013, 11:08 PM   #23
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Well having a modular unit hidden in the back with the wiring harness is pretty standard so one would think that the hitch shop would have said something if there wasnt one there and be able to confirm it. If there wasnt one it a good bet your bill from the hitch shop would show you where charged for one.
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Old 03-10-2013, 06:24 AM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John McMillin View Post
I've never been satisfied doing things the usual, proven way, so once again I've chosen an atypical tow car.
You and me both...lol

Have seen a few Tig's around here. They look good. Test drove a Jetta Carrat years ago. Very solid German built feel. Also drove an 89 Mercedes 190 E 2.3-16 (Cosworth) and owned a 75 450SEL. All great road manners with vg TV potential.

It is similar to the BMW X1 and X3. The X3 on other forums is a highly rated as a TV. Some towing substantial full height trailers.

Good luck with the Tig. Keep us posted.
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Old 03-10-2013, 06:47 AM   #25
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Love the Tiguan and was going to buy one, but they discontinued the color I wanted and would have to wait till anywhere from June to August to have one Factory build. Ended up ordering a 2013 Ford Escape SE 4WD 2.0L turbo in Ingot Silver yesterday which should be built and in my hands in 6 weeks. With the tow package will tow 3500#. Which is a lot more then my 1971 Boler 13' needs but it opens the possibilities.

Good luck with your Tiguan, hope to see you on the road one day in our travels.

Rick
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Old 03-10-2013, 10:22 AM   #26
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I am amazed at the fuel economy of the BMW X1 SAV. It is about the same size as a VW Tiguan, which also has a turbo 4, but the Tiguan only gets 26 highway while the X1 gets 34. Possibly the direct injection, aerodynamics and the 8 speed tranny.

A 6 speed Jetta Turbo 4 turns 2,400 rpm @60
while a Tundra 5.7L 6 speed loafs along at only 1,500 rpm.
The X1, turned 1,400 rpm @ 60 mph. I have never heard of such low rpm cruising from a 4 cylinder motor. I suppose it is possible because of the 258 lb-ft or torque at only 1,250 rpm. Anyhow this is probably the biggest reason for the dramatic increase in fuel economy.

Guessing the X1 Bimmer is more money than the Tig??
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Old 03-10-2013, 10:41 AM   #27
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Guessing the X1 Bimmer is more money than the Tig??
Yup looked at it as a possibility as well and it most definitely is.

Rick I have not owned an American made vehicle in years but the Ford Escape has made my possibly list - due to its tow cap and affordability, still need to test drive one though. Hope you come back and give us some feed back on your towing experience with it.
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Old 03-10-2013, 11:07 AM   #28
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You are right Carol. I just checked price difference in Canada.

Tig's start at 25K

X1's aound 40K
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Old 03-10-2013, 11:15 AM   #29
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ESP senses a loss of traction as the vehicle starts to slide, I think, and applies brakes selectively to certain wheels in an attempt to stop the slide. If a trailer is hooked on, it pushes the back end sideways in those slide-type situations. So if the vehicle 'knows' the trailer is back there, it probably changes the braking force on those rear wheels to some degree. This is all guesstimation. How much effect this has on the outcome depends on how extreme the situation is, probably, and I bet it would take an engineer to calculate forces and tell us more. Absent any qualified engineers on the forum with a lot of spare time, the answer to John M's question is probably going to remain a matter of speculation.

I think my '98 Jetta came from one of those not-so-good dealers. To start, the salesman convinced me that my Wolfsburg Edition was built and shipped from Germany, unlike the other Jettas. He knew what I wanted to hear. I found out later on that it was assembled in Mexico.

And then there was that pesky check-engine-light problem. Every time I took it in under warranty, they claimed they could not find any codes and everything checked out. When about to go out of warranty, I asked the service manager what they would do if it came on again after warranty expiration, in light of the fact that it was ongoing? He assured me they would take care of things and not charge me under the circumstances. So, 500 miles out of warranty the light's back on, I take it in, and Voila for the first time they CAN detect a code and the service manager calls to tell me how many hundreds it will cost! When I reminded him of his earlier promise, the best he would agree to do was to split the bill 50:50.

That was the last time I took the VW to the stealership. Oh, and as I drove the Jetta home that day....... the check engine light came back on!
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Old 03-10-2013, 11:48 AM   #30
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Quote:
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You are right Carol. I just checked price difference in Canada.

Tig's start at 25K

X1's aound 40K
Yup the price difference gets even uglier if one dares to look at an X3 which is a pretty popular daily drive around here. I buy the LotoMax tickets every week in hopes of one day being able to keep up with the neighbors, never hurt anyone to dream!
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Old 03-10-2013, 11:57 AM   #31
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That was the last time I took the VW to the stealership. Oh, and as I drove the Jetta home that day....... the check engine light came back on!
LOL can relate - my mother owned a little ford that had the same issue. While it was under warranty she attempted to have it fixed many times. She didnt say anything to anyone in the family about it until after it was off warranty. We eventually gave up on fixing it and the car remained running under her ownership and later another family members ownership for another 5 years without an troubles but the light was always on. My Subaru's check engine light will come on often while traveling in Oregon where one cant pump their own gas - gas station attendants often fail to put the gas cap back on tight enough which will trigger it making me wonder if perhaps it was simple the gas cap seal on my mothers old car that was the issue.
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Old 03-12-2013, 08:03 PM   #32
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Progress with Tiguan

Today I drove out of my way to Gebhardt, the Boulder VW dealership. They confirmed from my VIN that the control module was already installed, and spent two hours activating it (trans: feeding it computer code until it woke up). They charged only $65, and I'm quite pleased with that. Back home, I plugged in and the brake, tail and turn signal lights all are functioning now.

I'm shaking my head over the fog of misinformation that shrouds the towing issue, though. Besides by first dealer, who offered a "wiring harness" marked up 1000%, I asked the another local VW dealership that told me they couldn't do the job, referring me to an independent shop with a VAG-COM computer. That's a well-known system for accessing VW-Audi programming codes to adjust a wide range of settings. It sells for $400-- every indy foreign garage has one, but they don't? I wonder how many Tiguan owners would have the persistence and luck to find a knowledgable dealer?

My best advice, ask one in a high-income locale like Boulder, where folks don't blink at the price of a loaded Tiguan like mine. Tiguans were all over their lot and service bays, unlike in Denver where I'm lucky to see a couple in a day of driving. I'm ashamed to name the price of ours. Let's just say that the other night we saw the small Mercedes SUV advertised on TV. "How much did we pay," my wife asked? "That much, but the Benz wouldn't come with all the options you wanted."

That little BMW x1 looks dandy. I'd probably love it for my everyday car (presently, a GTI). But I don't think I've seen one on the roads yet.
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Old 03-12-2013, 08:45 PM   #33
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About the BMW x1-- I can't find much solid info on its tow rating. One online source said 1,660 lbs, while Motor Trend review says "n/a". Tow ratings are really sagging on new models. The new Audi Allroad is rated at just 1,000 lbs, despite a porky 3800 lb curb weight and a beefy 258 torques at a trucky-low 1500 rpm. They'd really rather you step up to the midsize SUV, you know.
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Old 03-12-2013, 11:34 PM   #34
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I drove a 1981 VW Rabbit with an anemic 48 HP diesel. Like all my other diesels I put a second tank in it--this one took the place of the spare tire and doubled the fuel capacity to 20 gal with a corresponding gain in weight when full.

Believe it or not I used it as a tow vehicle. I towed an old steel motorcycle trailer turned into a snow machine hauler. I'll guess it weighted 1100 lbs or more.

I don't recall my fuel economy. The car was rated 41 mpg on the highway but I drove it flat out at times and drive fast downhill to help make it up the next without losing too much speed. I rarely got more than 38 mpg. Around town I commonly got 34-36. Driving it hard, low 30's.

A few interesting facts.

It was surprisingly stable towing, particularly on ice. I had snow tires on the front and was able to avoid a 25 car pileup on the interstate during one ice storm--perhaps it was the tires, but I did lose traction and was able to regain it.

Fuel economy whilst towing. I don't recall exactly. Probably a relatively small hit, but I did struggle going up hill and slowed down traffic pulling over often. It was about 25-29 mpg pure estimate because it was many years ago.

Pick was decent and the manual transmission was trouble free. I never changed the clutch while I had it.

I rust proofed it when I bought it and it had everything mechanical broken when I sold it (my brother beat on it and gave it no msintenance). and no rust. He reported getting the best ever fuel economy 42. And also trailered with a much heavier trailer at slow speeds in the interstate.

I just wanted people to know that you can tow with a small diesel and if you get a speeding ticket while towing the judge will throw it out.

The combination of a front wheel drive and manual is not a bad one, and in a diesel you will get the best possible fuel economy towing. I would not use the highest gears, drive fast, or an automatic.

Probably the cheapest tow rig for fuel economy would be a VW 4 cyl diesel and one of the lighter egg campers.

If the Tiguan had a diesel I'd consider it.
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Old 03-13-2013, 12:05 AM   #35
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I just wanted people to know that you can tow with a small diesel and if you get a speeding ticket while towing the judge will throw it out.
perhaps you should post your VISA number so that anyone who decides to believe that and finds out your wrong can have their tickets cover.


John I dont think its a coincidence that new towing capacity tests started and a seemingly large number of vehicles have suddenly had their tow ratings dropped down in the 2013 and 2014 model years. One things for sure we will probable never know why some of them dropped other then the few truck manufactures who dropped their rating last year on some of their trucks did acknowledge it was due to the new testing agreement.
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Old 03-13-2013, 07:03 AM   #36
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I drove a 1981 VW Rabbit with an anemic 48 HP diesel.

Probably the cheapest tow rig for fuel economy would be a VW 4 cyl diesel and one of the lighter egg campers.

If the Tiguan had a diesel I'd consider it.
I think you are on the right track. We know the Jetta diesel works great as a TV. Many are using them here..... RV Lifestyle - Hitch Hints
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Old 11-01-2018, 03:28 PM   #37
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Thanks for the images!

Silver Ghost, thank you very much.
We have just received our 13" Scamp and are trying to outfit.
Not so easy to do here.
Sincerely,
Patsy
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Old 11-01-2018, 03:29 PM   #38
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Thanks Mr Silver that's a big help.....
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Old 09-19-2022, 11:41 PM   #39
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Just for the record, and for the sake of posterity, our tow experience with the 2013 Tiguan was excellent. The car itself wasn't so lucky. The 2.0T engine pulled us effortlessly up to camp near Leadville, the highest town in Colorado. It performed beautifully from Denver to Yellowstone and beyond to Seattle and back. That was to deliver our daughter to college. Then we sold the trailer and gave her the car. It wound up being rear-ended by a semi on I-5, and totaled. So all those hours of worry about tow weights and turbo durability were for nothing. Our stripped down 16' Scamp was light at one ton, but we were towing at 100% of our tow rating, BTW.
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Old 09-20-2022, 07:24 AM   #40
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Our VW Jetta Sportwagen TDIs were excellent tow cars. Plenty of power from the Diesels and 25 MPG towing the FrankenScamp (heavy).
I had air bags installed to help with the tongue weight and kept it balanced light. A big help would have been a weight distribution hitch.
In Europe the VWs always rate pretty high with electronic stabilization.
We replaced the TDIs with a 2015 Passat 1.8 TSi which had good power and is a great car, but the bought a Town and Country van to tow wit and it also towed pretty well.
We ended up trading the Passat for a 2012 Touareg TDI which is a magnificent tow vehicle! we traded really because the Passat was a little low for getting in and out where the Touareg is as high as the T&C.
I think that the key is the receiver hitch on whatever you get and use a light duty WDH no matter if the manufacturer says to use it or not.
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