Towing my Jetta TDI with a RV

I have a 2003 VW Jetta wagon with a standard transmission. I recently purchased an RV and am trying to figure out how to tow the Jetta around. Options are on a trailer with four wheels off the ground, a dolly with two wheels off, and finally on a tow bar with four wheels on the ground.

Tow bar is preferred due to cost and ease. The VW stealership says that it cannot be towed with all four on the ground becuase some bearings only get lubricated when the engine is running. This sounds a little shady to me. Does anyone know the truth or have any experience.

Thanks,
Scott

I heard the same thing. front wheels off the ground or tranny go boom!

millsap2 said:

I have a 2003 VW Jetta wagon with a standard transmission. I recently purchased an RV and am trying to figure out how to tow the Jetta around. Options are on a trailer with four wheels off the ground, a dolly with two wheels off, and finally on a tow bar with four wheels on the ground.

Tow bar is preferred due to cost and ease. The VW stealership says that it cannot be towed with all four on the ground becuase some bearings only get lubricated when the engine is running. This sounds a little shady to me. Does anyone know the truth or have any experience.

Thanks,
Scott

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Agreed. Use a tow dolly.

with a standard trans the diff is submerged in oil and will turn as it should (in neutral of course) you will also notice that the oil level in the trans is about 1/2 way up the main shaft so I would have NO problem with towing it with a tow bar. there is NO pressuer lube to any of the trans gears or beaarings it is all splash

I know that towing an Automatic is a big no-no because, "transmission go boom" but it was always my understanding that a standard tranny was fine to put into neutral.

I've been towing my Passat on a dolly for years w/ no problems. One thing I did was put in a battery disconnect so I can have the key on w/out power. The key has to be on to unlock the steering wheel. Hooking up is no big deal. I just drive on and use straps (called "baskets") over the wheels to hold it on, takes about 5 minutes to hook up.

This may be a dumb question but how is the odo driven? Will it show accumulated miles if towed w/all four wheels on the ground?

If you read the owners manual it says you can flat tow a manual tranny. Meaning you can use a tow bar. I have towed a VW over 2000 miles with a tow bar and worked way better than towing on a dolly.

Greg

Just be prepared for a LOT of rock damage. It's flippin' UGLY!

Ya manual is a yes tow anyway you like, automatic no-no and even though some use different bearings and say it can be done I still wouldn't since the seals are not being lubed. So the front wheels should always be off the ground.

Good idea to disconnect the battery and leave the wheel unlocked when doing all four like someone mentioned.

Yes, it is fine to tow a manual trans VW flat. Just be aware that you are going to need to wire the car so that the lights (brake, turn) will work with your RV, and you will also need a braking system.

Also you might have a hard time hooking up a tow bar. At least thats what I've been told by others. I use a tow dolly myself.

Let us know if a tow bar works out for you, I'm curious to know how hard it is to hook one up.

Later--B

jasonTDI said:

Just be prepared for a LOT of rock damage. It's flippin' UGLY!

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Jason has a point. I have seen some "dinghy's" w/ a full front bra, from air dam to the top of the windshield, but I'm guessing they've been custom made. I'm would think that a dolly would lessen the abuse as the car would set on an upward angle.

For my purpose, I have made up a set of four oversized mud flaps that go across the entire rear of the tow vehicle (usually a F550 SD w/a utility body) . They are at the very back of the truck and keep most of the larger debris from hitting the car, but you still get a ton of dirt, grit, etc thrown up by the tow vehicle.

As far as lights, I have a portable light "bar" made specifically for towed vehicles. I put that in the rear window, run the cord out thru the front door, and connect to the truck. I also use it as the lights on the dolly when it's being towed. It's a bit of a pain as the thing gets dirty (esp. this time of year) and I have to clean it before it goes into the car. I have considered a hook up to use the cars lights (a much better system), but haven't done it as yet.

As far as brakes, I have seen a couple of dolly's w/ hydraulic surge brakes. Most however, don't have any braking system, and I am unaware of any system that could be intregrated into the car's brakes. FWIW I don't have any braking problems towing w/the F550's, in fact I can't even feel the car back there. But these trucks usually weigh in about 12,000#.

BTW, if you're ever looking for a rear view camera system PM me. I can set you up.

Camera. Harbor freigh. $49. Works great. I use it right on the hitch for hooking up.

Tow bars go through the bumper. Like I said...ugly.

I am unaware of any system that could be intregrated into the car's brakes.

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There are many of them. Most of them are boxes that mount on the floor of the towed car and physically press on the brake pedal (although not boost-assisted). The coolest one I have seen was one that included a small electric vacuum pump that you plumb into the booster (with a vacuum switch to maintain the proper amount of boost), and a simple weighted block on a slide that simply slides forward when you start braking and presses the brake pedal, until you stop braking, and it returns by means of a spring-assist. There are just two settings on the springs -- normal, and mountian. The mountain setting gives more return force, so that the brakes are not actuated while pointed down a steep grade.

These systems are legally needed in some states for a towed vehicle, no matter how well the towing vehicle can brake. I have towed a few different cars behind my motorhome on a dolly, and never used a braking system. If I was going though the effort to convert a car for four-down towing, I would install a braking system. The difference in braking distance is significant, even if it doesn't feel like it. I have seen tests of one particular system that actually stopped an RV with a towed Jeep Cherokee in a shorter distance than the RV by itself!

Link McBrew?

Sounds really neat.

www.roadmasterinc.com
www.remcotowing.com
www.brakebuddy.com
www.usgear.com

If you are gonna tow with all four wheels on the ground, you WILL need to keep the steering column lock from engaging. Simplest is to disconnect the battery and leave the ignition switch on. **Watchout: have your stereo's code on hand, if it is a stock VW stereo, as you will need the code each time you reconnect the battery.

I have towed several cars with a tow bar, all four wheels down. It works fine if the towing vehicle is heavy enough. Gets dicey when the towing vehicle is less than say 4000 lb. Then a dolly or a trailer with its own brakes makes your tow a lot more stable.

I've wondered about all the RVs with cars in tow. During the summer season, just about every third RV has a small car, truck or SUV four-wheelin' behind it.

How is it that so many do this with no apparent trouble?

What might be the warranty implications? The way that mfg.'s are looking for anything that might VOID the warranty. Anyone know what VW says?

I can't seem to remember the name of the "passive" one. I know that there are a number of companies that are using vacuum assist for "toad" braking. SMI "Stay N Play" is one that comes to mind -- not cheap, though. The "passive" one was around $500, if I remember correctly -- other brands are usually $1,200 to $1,500.

How is it that so many do this with no apparent trouble?

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There are certain cars that are well-known for being good "toads" -- Saturn and Jeep are the number one and two.

Then a dolly or a trailer with its own brakes makes your tow a lot more stable.

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I disagree. As I mentioned, Saturns are one of (if not the) most popular towed car. Towing on a full trailer requires inspections and license plates... possibly mroe insurance. I have towed MANY times with a front-wheel dolly, and they are a bit of a pain. Given that most full-time RVers are older retired folks, loading a car onto a dolly can be a little too much strain. Once a flat-four towing system is installed and set up, it is very fast and easy to connect and disconnect it from the RV.

chrisfiat said:

with a standard trans the diff is submerged in oil and will turn as it should (in neutral of course) you will also notice that the oil level in the trans is about 1/2 way up the main shaft so I would have NO problem with towing it with a tow bar. there is NO pressuer lube to any of the trans gears or beaarings it is all splash

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This is absolutly correct, but at the same time absolutly wrong. There is also a splash oiling system that is conected to the imput shaft, and this will NOT operate with the vehicle in neuteral. You will notice in the manual it says you can tow flat, but also gives you speed and distance limits. If I were you, I would rig up a bar you could wedge between the seat and depress the clutch to the floor, then leave the car in 4th gear. This way the car might as well be running, all transmision lubrication will be taken care of. As far as miles added to your car, all miles logged on your rv will also be added to the odomoter of you car. If this is ok for you, at least make a log book of it so the next owner can understand the actual mileage of the motor will be with the mileage with towed miles subtracted.

Does anyone know if a 2001 Jetta TDI can be safely towed behind a Class C motorhome? Also, any suggestions on a tow bar/bracket setup?

Thanks.

Marcb said:

Does anyone know if a 2001 Jetta TDI can be safely towed behind a Class C motorhome? Also, any suggestions on a tow bar/bracket setup?

Thanks.

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__. Marc, the book says you should not tow an auto Jetta at all. It also says that you can tow a manual but never more than 50 MPH and not more than 50 miles at a time. That said, I have discussed this with the owner of a "converted Greyhound" who towed an '00 Jetta manual something like 12K miles over about 4 years and had no problems. (His wife had the hots for a new car so I bought the towplate that he took off that Jetta -- it wouldn't fit the Passat that they replaced it with).

__. I had a number of people recommend "Blue Ox" to me but there are several suppliers of quality tow bars and matching towplates. The install of the plate on a Jetta is super-easy. Just pull the front bumper cover, take out a couple of existing bolts, drill two holes, bolt it all back up and reassemble the bumper cover. (You also have to trim out a couple of holes in the center black lower grille but that's easy, too.)

Get good mud flaps for the RV and a BRA at a minimum for the car. Most tow vehicles look like crap in short order.

Towing an Auto

Sorry to keep kicking this dead horse, but I have a question.

I'm going to pick up an '02 TDI Jetta Auto that has a blown timing belt. I will be using it to piece my '01 back together. I will be towing it approximately 800 miles. I already have an old tow bar laying around that I'd love to use to save diesel on the way in my '05 TDI wagon (manual). How could I best prep the Auto to be towed 4 down? I'd rather not bring the diesel truck and flat bed, but will if there's no way to tow the auto 4 down. Note I will not *need* the auto trans, but would like to resell it since it's currently in working shape.

Can't you read ? DON'T DO IT with an automatic - period. Get at least front wheel dolly and preferably a trailer to get all 4 wheels up.

If you have the time and money you can remove the axle shafts and find some old junk outer C/V joints and put them in there and you can tow your automatic all over the country. Joe

Thanks Joe, That's what I'm thinking of doing. Now I know the inner CV joint is different from auto to manual, time to find out if the outer is.

Oh and Thanks for the constructive post scooperhsd, I've not only read it all over the TDIclub, but have searched damn near every RV forums. I was asking for 'outside of the box' answers. I'm not one to blindly follow owner's manuals or the like. I'll figure out what I need and how to do it safely.

__. Skater, Scooper is right. If you don't disconnect the axles, the transmission turns over without the fluid being pumped and circulated. It will fry an auto transmission in only a few miles. VW recommends that a manual can be towed up to 50 miles at not exceeding 50 MPH "4 wheels down" but not to *ever* tow an auto "4 wheels down" for any distance at any speed.

So would it be possible to pull the CV joints out so the trans isn't spinning? I'd have to source the outer joints? What about just cannibalizing the ones there, either cutting them really short or ripping the outer joint apart?