Flat towing a 2004 Jetta TDI stick trans?

Can I flat tow my TDI? It is a 2004 manual trans. A dolly would be a real pain to deal with when I am not towing.

Flat tow as in ropes and drive it on the ground? I think for shorter distances its not a problem, you will obviously need someone to turn the wheel though, or do you mean something else?

Hank Folk said:

Can I flat tow my TDI? It is a 2004 manual trans. A dolly would be a real pain to deal with when I am not towing.

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Beware: Dolly's ruin oil pans.

My mistake for not being clear. Flat tow as in behind an RV with tow bar kit.

The transaxle input shaft lubricates the gearbox. The user manual states only to tow short distances at slow speed to avoid damage.

I used a car carrier and it worked like a charm - no flat tires to worry about or other hazards associated with dragging a car with any wheels on the ground. My only complaint is that the lower valence got caught on the wheel stops but that didn't seem to tear it up though.

Flat towing

From what I have read NO!

You guys are all wrong.

You CAN flat tow a TDI MANUAL transmission car. There are MANY different tow bars available for them. Get the one that goes out the lower side grills instead of through the bumper. Nasty looking and damage. the grill unit has removable arms and you can't really tell its a tow car.

You just need to keep a sign in the car that says "is it in gear?" I did a complete trans and engine replacement for a bus company that left one in 1st......all it took was a few hundred yards.....$11.9K......EVERYTHING was destroyed. I MEAN EVERYTHING.....wiring, radiator, inj pump, turbo, alternator......I still have the remnants.....

Jason, Thanks. Local VW service dept. also said OK, out of gear, steering wheel not locked.

Looked at tow bars and mounting plates. Found style you mentioned.

Thanks, Hank

guess what i have towed a 2000 NB behind my Rv for 5 years--ranging from 1000 miles to 7500 miles at one time--no problem at all--just one thing --if you make a tight turn in or out of a gas station or something like that --go back and chk to see that your sterring wheel did not relock---other then that--you won't even know its back there!

Jason--you are correct again!

phil

One other thing to note-you can't really back up while flat towing, either. The steering wheel (being unlocked, as it needs to be) will wander around if you try to back up while flat towing. Used to FT my Jeep behind my Ram before I bought a trailer for it.

Good luck!

PAW said:

guess what i have towed a 2000 NB behind my Rv for 5 years--ranging from 1000 miles to 7500 miles at one time--no problem at all--just one thing --if you make a tight turn in or out of a gas station or something like that --go back and chk to see that your sterring wheel did not relock---other then that--you won't even know its back there!

Jason--you are correct again!

phil

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__. I bought the tow plate for my Jetta from a guy who had used it to tow his Jetta something like 75K miles. He lives full time in his motorhome (actually a converted bus). His wife wanted a Passat so they pulled the plate, sold it to me, sold the Jetta, and then bought a plate for the Passat. No problems in the 75K miles.

I realize this is an old thread. But if you guys are still out there, I'm wondering if you can tell me what tow bar system you are using for your MkIV cars, or which one you would recommend that requires minimal surgery to the car. Thanks!

flat tow with a dsg in neutral?

Since the DSG is not a slush box, can I flat tow in neutral? Been using the jeep, but it was designed for the purpose, and does not count the miles on the odometer.

compignition said:

Since the DSG is not a slush box, can I flat tow in neutral? Been using the jeep, but it was designed for the purpose, and does not count the miles on the odometer.

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Does the owner's manual comment on it? I suspect flat towing is not a good idea with a DSG.

You cannot flat tow a DSG. You wll kill it.

jasonTDI said:

You just need to keep a sign in the car that says "is it in gear?" I did a complete trans and engine replacement for a bus company that left one in 1st......all it took was a few hundred yards.....$11.9K......EVERYTHING was destroyed. I MEAN EVERYTHING.....wiring, radiator, inj pump, turbo, alternator......I still have the remnants.....

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Wow... just... wow. For $12k replacement cost, somebody oughta fabricate up a 'The Club'-style shifter lock to keep it from being moved out of neutral, or just disconnect the linkages at the transmission after it's been verified in neutral. Just have to realign the shifter linkage when you want to use it, takes all of 3 minutes.

scurvy said:

Wow... just... wow. For $12k replacement cost, somebody oughta fabricate up a 'The Club'-style shifter lock to keep it from being moved out of neutral, or just disconnect the linkages at the transmission after it's been verified in neutral. Just have to realign the shifter linkage when you want to use it, takes all of 3 minutes.

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Yeah...I've heard nightmarish tales of this same problem with a few people that my parents camp with. Moral of the story, you only forget to put it in neutral once

Still hoping for recommendations on a tow bar setup for my MkIV Jetta.

I have a Blue Ox Alladin (Aluminum) tow bar and it works great for flat towing. The base plate is just as JasonTDI stated behind the bumper cover and the removable pins come out the bottom vents. When setting it up try to have the tow bar as horizontal as possible (drop down receiver) if you need to. Best of luck.

CarpeDiem

What's the advantages/disadvantages of flat towing over a car carrier trailer?

Steel said:

What's the advantages/disadvantages of flat towing over a car carrier trailer?

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Advantage.....less weight/length to pull. Being overweight/length can result in a fine as CDL rules may kick in.

Disadvantage.....the wheel bearings, CV joints, and transaxle rack up miles that are not reflected in the odometer.

Carpe: Would love to see some pix of your setup, especially how the car looks with-without tow bar attached. Thanks!

CarpeDiem said:

I have a Blue Ox Alladin (Aluminum) tow bar and it works great for flat towing. The base plate is just as JasonTDI stated behind the bumper cover and the removable pins come out the bottom vents. When setting it up try to have the tow bar as horizontal as possible (drop down receiver) if you need to. Best of luck.

CarpeDiem

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advantage/disadvantage of a flat tow

In addition to the weight and lenght factors, we find that the tow bar is much easier to store at the destination relative to a trailer. The bar simply folds and stores on the bus without removal from the receiver. A trailer would have to be unhooked from the bus then hooked up to the jeep and then maneuvered into a storage spot IF we could find one. We could never manuever the trailer with a 45 foot bus in the space available.

The advantage of a trailer is you can backup, save rotational wear on moving parts of the dingy, and deal with mechanical failure easier.

We cannot backup flat towing because the steering caster of the dingy is set up for the steer axle to default straight ahead, even though it will turn when needed. If you backup, the steering caster will cause the dingy to turn and skid the tires (high stress) when you want them to be straight. You can see the amount of castor built into the steering geometry of a car by looking at its front wheels. The more the wheels lean over when turned, like a road grader, the more castor they have and the stronger the tendency for them to track straight. BMW has historically had some of the most castor of all brands, but they have never made anything that can be flat towed. It is not enough to have a neutral position in the transfer case, which BMW does not have, but there also must be lubrication on the moving parts (bearings) in the trasfer case. The most common dingy seems to be the Grand Cherokee, but the wrangler is popular too. There is a company that makes quick connects for drive shafts that allow many cars to be flat towed.

compignition said:

In addition to the weight and lenght factors, we find that the tow bar is much easier to store at the destination relative to a trailer. The bar simply folds and stores on the bus without removal from the receiver. A trailer would have to be unhooked from the bus then hooked up to the jeep and then maneuvered into a storage spot IF we could find one. We could never manuever the trailer with a 45 foot bus in the space available.

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Good point!! I've never towed a car somewhere, so I've never dealt with the nitty-gritty.

I am using a Blue OX base plate a tow bar system. Works real well, just do not try to back up!!!

MayorDJQ said:

Disadvantage.....the wheel bearings, CV joints, and transaxle rack up miles that are not reflected in the odometer.

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I hadn't thought of that since I've never towed a car. I am considering buying a Mk 4 TDI that has been flat towed behind an RV. Anything I should look at myself during my inspection related to being towed? The car has about 100,000 driven miles, but I don't know how many towed miles it has.

Well, just like the stated above. You will need to make sure the oil is changed in the Tranny as it has more miles on it. Granted not stressful miles but miles none the less. Look for chipping of the paint on the front end if you are satisfied with it as it will likely be really pitted. Same with the windshield which affects driving close to dark the most (trust me I live in a state that gets pitted a lot and it is hard to see). Also you will likely need a suspension refresh as the shocks will have more miles on them along with the bushings. I wouldn't be afraid of it though as the interior and engine will have the 100K miles and the rest can be fixed replace and would need to with time anyways.

Thanks.
I can relate to pitted windshields as I live in the desert. I've got one car now that I'm hoping a big rock finishes the windshield off so I have to get it replaced!

Where did you find the plate and tow bar? How do you keep the steering wheel from locking over long trips?

calimacaw said:

Where did you find the plate and tow bar? How do you keep the steering wheel from locking over long trips?

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You have to leave a key in the ignition...it dosn't need to be left in the "on" position just don't remove or steering will lock.