Towing with 2015 Golf TDI 2.0 sportwagen

capnjack

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2015
Location
Florida
TDI
2010 Jetta Sportwagon (sold back to VW), 2015 manual shift TDI Sportwagon, w Westphalia hitch
Manual says towing limit not yet determined. Service managers I've asked are all over the board - some say don't tow at all, right on up to 1500 to 2000# should be fine. I've read that in Europe folks often tow up to 3000# without problems with the same car. (I'm in Florida) I'd love to hear from people who tow with their Gen 3 TDI's - how heavy loads, and whether you've ever had any problems. What sorts of problems? If yes, did the dealer give you any grief about voiding the warranty? (my car sold as certified - still under warranty for another 18 months or so.) Also - any of you (in US) have a class 2 hitch? If so, where did you get it?
 

Mike in Anchorage

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Location
Anchorage, AK
TDI
2016 Touareg Lux, 2015 Golf Sportwagen SE, new 4 Sept 2017;2009 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen (Ruby) sold to VW on 22 SEP 2017
The most important question is, "Which tranny do you have?"
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I use an OEM Volkswagen hitch on my car, which is rated for about 3300 pounds. Your car will easily do that with the proper hitch, regardless of transmission. I would, however, use some common sense when towing.

This subject comes up a lot here, and the results are generally the same: those (like me) that HAVE towed with our Ax TDIs, have done so many times successfully, and have no issues. And those that never have, insist we'll all crash and burn. :rolleyes:

Some DPF/SCR demands may change, depending on load. DPF regens may occur more often, and SCR may use more DEF, but unless you are hard at it on a lot of hills constantly, it won't likely change drastically, and certainly not enough to worry about.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
Other thing there are strict driving restrictions in Europe when towing, speed mainly being the biggest restrictions.

In NA, if you can't cruise at 90MPH and still stop on a dime the lawyers just say no.

One thing of note on the GSW '15 TDI, it does have smaller brakes than the JSW of '09-'14. A trailer brake system would be well invested if you are looking to push the limit above 2,000lbs, as that's how Euro ratings were calculated. Also there is coding change in the MK7 that will run the fans more to try and cool the engine down more than normal.
 

capnjack

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2015
Location
Florida
TDI
2010 Jetta Sportwagon (sold back to VW), 2015 manual shift TDI Sportwagon, w Westphalia hitch
Thanks - more info

Appreciate folks weighing in (so to speak) on my towing options. Forgot to mention that I have the six speed manual transmission, and would use common sense, and keep the speeds moderate - probably no more than 65 mph on the flatland highways. Less in the hills; try to skip genuine mountain routes.
Jack
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Personally, I wouldn't want to tow much more than 2000 lbs. with my golf- maybe 2500 if it were a gsw. Then again, I have a truck for hauling the heavy loads.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
My ALH Golf will pull another Golf up hills easier than my F150 does. No kidding. And the truck is geared lower, too. But the truck is more stable at higher speeds, and has less issues slowing down with the added weight.

Still, when I have to drag a broken Ax car home with the dolly, the Golf handles it with ease, and still gets into the 40s MPG wise. If it were not for its "semi classic" status, I think I'd part ways with my F150, but I like it too much. :eek:
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Maybe the F150 just needs a tdi swap.

And I have a BHW in my garage that would be the perfect fit! As the BHW in stock form is pretty close to the 4.9L I6 that is in there.

136hp vs. 145hp

247tq vs. 245tq

And the RPMs at which those peak is almost the same, too. With nothing but software, the BHW will easily best the big beast that Ford built, plus even with all its extra "stuff" (turbo, intercooler, etc.), it is still going to be half the weight.

And I know people have already done TDI swaps into Rangers... both them and the F150 use a similar Mazda R5 transmission, although the bolt patterns are different... but I could use one of the common R5s from a Vulcan Ranger, everything else would work just fine.

So yeah, it isn't like I haven't given it some strong consideration. :p
 

GreenLantern_TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2014
Location
Iowa
TDI
2015 GOLF SEL
Those straight 6s were good engines tho. Seems most straight 6s i can think of were good engines. 4.0 in the jeeps were amazing.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Low tech, so yeah, they have that going for them. The AMC I6 was no so great after the stricter emissions regulations and monitoring came in. LOTS of valve issues with those, causing random misfires... something the older engines couldn't care less about.
 

Discovery

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2018
Location
Montréal
TDI
Mk7 SportWagen
I'm currently waiting for ID parts (since February) to ship my Bosal Hitch for my '15 GSW TDI DSG.
Seem like they have trouble getting part from Bosal.



I also have this adapter for 2" hitch carrier or other hitch:



And this brake controller Prodigy p3


Only thing missing is the light wiring, I might order this one, its plug and play and pull his juice from the battery instead of the car light wiring


And all of this will be use to tow this 1400lbs dry (1800lbs fully loaded) trailer +2adults 2kid


I'm also about to restore a 4x8 utility trailer that I'll use with the VW. Axle will be replaced with a torsion axle because they drive nicely. W/brake, because I love to stop when I press the brake pedal.

I have great faith in this car as a tow rig. I'm aware it's not a Super Duty Dually, but i am also aware I don't need that either.
 

PB_NB

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Location
Vancouver, B.C.
TDI
1999 New Beetle
We started our RV adventure by looking at the Pro-lite trailers. We were looking at the smaller Pro-lite trailer at 1,290 lbs. Once we got into the manufacturing process, we found that the wood and other materials may cause issues for people who are sensitive to those chemicals and off-gassing. So we found an aluminum trailer starting at 1,600 lbs. with trailer brakes.

We have the same brake controller installed too.

There seems to be a lot of small Trailer manufacturers in Quebec. It feels like a movement is starting!

The 3 different companies that I know of building small trailers between 1,000 to 2,000 lbs in that area.

Discovery, please post some pictures of your setup when it is all done.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
If people are complaining about a tdi towing the irony of a Tesla towing is ever better.

Even though i imagine its mainly used for bike racks.

Whats the make of that aluminum trailer? looked at those T@G and T@Bs but darn they are pricey.
 

PB_NB

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Location
Vancouver, B.C.
TDI
1999 New Beetle
Whats the make of that aluminum trailer? looked at those T@G and T@Bs but darn they are pricey.
Our aluminum trailer is a Camplite made by LivinLite.

Ours is a 2011 13 footer. It is wide as well as tall. Has an empty weight of 1,620 lbs. They have headroom so I don't hit my head on the roof and width.

Just need to use clamp on side mirrors to see around the trailer.

The newer models are heavier (about 500 lbs more) and have a curved front for better aerodynamics. I think they started to put more more into the new ones as well as a double floor.
 

Discovery

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2018
Location
Montréal
TDI
Mk7 SportWagen
Our aluminum trailer is a Camplite made by LivinLite.

Ours is a 2011 13 footer. It is wide as well as tall. Has an empty weight of 1,620 lbs. They have headroom so I don't hit my head on the roof and width.

Just need to use clamp on side mirrors to see around the trailer.

The newer models are heavier (about 500 lbs more) and have a curved front for better aerodynamics. I think they started to put more more into the new ones as well as a double floor.
Camplite will probably be our next trailer.
The Prolite is nice but 100% aluminum is better.

I was dreaming about an airstream until I find out that the floor is plywood and the frame steel.

Can't wait to receive that Bosal hitch!
And yes I will fload this forum with GSW pulling thing picture
 

tdidieselbobny

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
TDI
'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
I'm currently waiting for ID parts (since February) to ship my Bosal Hitch for my '15 GSW TDI DSG.
Seem like they have trouble getting part from Bosal.



I also have this adapter for 2" hitch carrier or other hitch:



And this brake controller Prodigy p3


Only thing missing is the light wiring, I might order this one, its plug and play and pull his juice from the battery instead of the car light wiring


And all of this will be use to tow this 1400lbs dry (1800lbs fully loaded) trailer +2adults 2kid


I'm also about to restore a 4x8 utility trailer that I'll use with the VW. Axle will be replaced with a torsion axle because they drive nicely. W/brake, because I love to stop when I press the brake pedal.

I have great faith in this car as a tow rig. I'm aware it's not a Super Duty Dually, but i am also aware I don't need that either.
From what I've found, there are NO plug and play wiring harnesses for the '15 GSW. They have them for the regular Golf, but not the GSW. I believe the one for the regular Golf can be made to work for the GSW, but you have to switch wires on the plug for each side-there is a thread here that shows what wires to where. What Tekonsha kit# is that?
 

Discovery

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2018
Location
Montréal
TDI
Mk7 SportWagen
From what I've found, there are NO plug and play wiring harnesses for the '15 GSW. They have them for the regular Golf, but not the GSW. I believe the one for the regular Golf can be made to work for the GSW, but you have to switch wires on the plug for each side-there is a thread here that shows what wires to where. What Tekonsha kit# is that?
It's the 118646

https://www.etrailer.com/question-136465.html
 

Discovery

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2018
Location
Montréal
TDI
Mk7 SportWagen
From what I've found, there are NO plug and play wiring harnesses for the '15 GSW. They have them for the regular Golf, but not the GSW. I believe the one for the regular Golf can be made to work for the GSW, but you have to switch wires on the plug for each side-there is a thread here that shows what wires to where. What Tekonsha kit# is that?
Thank you for bumping the instructional thread!

I've ordered the tekonsha kit and a 7 way car end connector.

I'm wondering what everyone did to send power on the 12v lead? Having the car alternator charging the trailer battery would be nice.
 

PB_NB

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Location
Vancouver, B.C.
TDI
1999 New Beetle
I left my charging pin alone. I didn't want to cook my alternator by charging extra batteries especially now that I have 4 x 6 volt deep cycle batteries. I have solar panels to charge when no plug-in's are available.

Lights are all I want to pull from the car to avoid any strain on the charging system.

Before I put the 6 volt batteries in, I had a single 12 volt which is really only good to run the trailer lights. With the 6 volt I can run my stove and kettle and almost everything else. Adds about 250 lbs to the trailer but I took some other items out to balance the weight.
 

Jedadiah

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2010
Location
Central Kentucky
TDI
Former: '15 Passat TDI SE 6M, '15 Golf S 6M and '10 JSW
The Westfalia kits will charge a battery no problem. You can choose whether the 12v output is hot all the time or just charges when the car is running in the VCDS coding.
 

Discovery

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2018
Location
Montréal
TDI
Mk7 SportWagen
I left my charging pin alone. I didn't want to cook my alternator by charging extra batteries especially now that I have 4 x 6 volt deep cycle batteries. I have solar panels to charge when no plug-in's are available.

Lights are all I want to pull from the car to avoid any strain on the charging system.

Before I put the 6 volt batteries in, I had a single 12 volt which is really only good to run the trailer lights. With the 6 volt I can run my stove and kettle and almost everything else. Adds about 250 lbs to the trailer but I took some other items out to balance the weight.
That's what I'm afraid too.
The Westfalia kits will charge a battery no problem. You can choose whether the 12v output is hot all the time or just charges when the car is running in the VCDS coding.
What kit did you use?
 

Jedadiah

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2010
Location
Central Kentucky
TDI
Former: '15 Passat TDI SE 6M, '15 Golf S 6M and '10 JSW
The trailer wiring was
Westfalia 305408300113

Here's a link to my install threadhttp://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=478382

One change to my post above. You can change the 12v output with VCDS, but not exactly how I said above. You can code whether pin is hot all the time or only with a trailer attached. However, you can choose to use pin 9 which is always hot or pin 10 which is only hot with the ignition on on your 13pin to 7 pin adapter.
 
Last edited:

tdidieselbobny

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
TDI
'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
Don't think this will work. I looked at the compatibility chart and says all Golfs except the Sportwagen. I think the colored wires need to be moved over on the connector. When you get this and do the install, please post and let us know if this kit actually is a plug-n-play for the Sportwagen with out changing wires around...
 

laminated

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2004
Location
Canada
TDI
15 Sportwagen
you can wire in the harness from a 14, I got one from a forum for 15 bucks. and the guy just wired in in and took power from the rear cig lighter
 

tdidieselbobny

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
TDI
'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
you can wire in the harness from a 14, I got one from a forum for 15 bucks. and the guy just wired in in and took power from the rear cig lighter
Was that a plug-n-play or did it involve splicing wires? The harness from a 14 what, Jetta wagon or a Golf?
 
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