Flat towing?

Does anyone here have any experience towing an A4 Golf with all four wheels down behind a motorhome? I have seen it done, but have never talked to anyone about it.

Auto or manual?

If the Golf has a manual gearbox, there should be no problem, but if it is an automatic, forget it, you'll burn up the tranny. And for what it is worth, I know of no makes of vehicle for which that isn't true.

I forgot to mention that it is a manual.

There are several makes of vehicles with automatic transmissions that can be flat towed. They include the Suzuki Sidekick or whatever it's called now, and the Honda CRV. Honda specifies a particular procedure before towing and warns that damage can occur if the procedure is not followed.

mavapa said:

Does anyone here have any experience towing an A4 Golf with all four wheels down behind a motorhome? I have seen it done, but have never talked to anyone about it.

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Bentley service manual recommends no more than 50 miles at 50mph or less for front wheels down towing of the a4-platform Golf with a manual transmission. For automatic transmission, the recommendation is don't (0 miles / 0mph).

mavapa said:

Does anyone here have any experience towing an A4 Golf with all four wheels down behind a motorhome? I have seen it done, but have never talked to anyone about it.

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Go take a peek here and search for TOADS and maybe join and ask that question there:

http://irv2.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=cfrm&s=8076099152

I thought the recent TOAD of choice was either a Saturn or Honda; can't say I have ever seen a VW TOAD.

I look at some of the RV forums. Saturns and Hondas are, indeed, favorite toads. So are Suzukis. But I have seen a few late-model VWs under tow. We have a Honda CRV that would probably be our toad, but I might also like to tow the Golf at times.

Proud owner of a 02 golf toad here.. lol.. It rarely sees the rear end of the motor home anymore since i took it back from my mother. but its been set up to be towed behind the family rig. I wasnt aware that the recomended tow speed was 50 for it. we've towed it well above that and had no problems at all. Hope we didnt do any damage but it doesnt appear so. They probably said that to cover there butts if it were to get unstable, since some people think a tow strap is suitable lol

Apparently some car makers don't specifically approve their products to be flat towed mainly to avoid liability. In some cases they also apparently respond to individual requests for information but warn that damage would not be covered by warrantee. Of course that's not a problem for my 2001 Golf.