Westfalia euro-style towbar on an '09 JSW

Westfalia euro-style towbar on an '09 JSW [UPDATED w/ Bike Carrier Pics]

[UPDATE: post #36 contains photos and purchase details of a bike carrier made to mount to this hitch, along with pricing and where it can be sourced.]

As I've posted before, I was not too comfortable with the Curt hitch on my '09 Sportwagen. It wasn't connected to the car as solidly as I would like and it hung down very low on a car that already drags the ground from time to time.

I was intrigued by the factory hitch. It's not available in the US (and not, I am told, DOT approved) but has the advantage of being very solidly attached to the car frame and easy to hide when removed. It also starts in the bumper so there's nothing to drag the ground with.

I believe that the factory towbar is made by Westfalia, although some have mentioned Bosal as the OEM. BTW: "towbar" is the European name for a receiver hitch, not to be confused with a US towbar which is used to pull one vehicle behind another. Towbars come in three flavors: fixed (which are permanent and non-removable like a bumper-mounted truck towball), removable and swan-neck. I'm not real clear on the difference between removable and swan-neck, but Westfalia has by far the coolest removable I found. Check out this video of someone taking the removable part out and reinstalling it:

http://www.strimoo.com/video/12744090/Westfalia-Detachable-MySpaceVideos.html

It really is that easy.

Here's another video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uP349JHXsw

although the shape of this one is a little different than the one supplied for the Jetta, the installation is exactly like that. To top it off, once installed, the tow ball is an extension of your car. Jump up and down on it and the whole car bounces with you. There is absolutely no slop, either up and down or side to side, as there is in a US receiver/hitch combo. This may be part of the reason that the hitch specs and the Euro Jetta specs list the pulling strength at two tons -- more than the weight of the car!

I purchased the Westfalia towbar model 321630 from TM Tuning for $340 + $13.35 "international order fee" and shipping (2-week "standard air") of $105 for a total of $458.35. I found the same towbar in the UK for far less (a product of the extraordinary GBPound to Dollar exchange rate) but I couldn't convince a single vendor to ship one to me. A US company offers them for over $650.

Here are the photos of the finished product:









The U-shaped part leading from the tow ball to the receiver has a lock integrated into the spring-loaded install/removal mechanism. You put in a key, turn it 90 degrees, then pull a knob and turn it 45 degrees and the tow ball part comes out:



The red cap you see is the top of the key. The black piece of plastic on the ground is the cover that goes over the key slot when the towball is installed and the key has been removed (presumably to keep water and road grit out).

With the tow ball removed, the remnants of the towbar are recessed inside the bumper:



Here are other angles. In the first, you will see the cover on the ground. I haven't decided how to make it installable and detachable yet so I've just left it off:





Next up -- installation photos

OK, I installed this during a snow storm in my relatively cramped garage between midnight and 3am, so the photos are less than ideal but hopefully you'll get the idea.

Fist, take the bumper off by removing the two taillamp assemblies and the bumper attaching screws which gets us to this point:



Next remove the metal behind the bumper by removing three attaching bolts on each side:





You may notice that the left side only has two bolts. The removable part had a hole for a third bolt but if it was present on the body of the car it had been covered up because I only saw two holes.

Now you will have removed the bumper reinforcement:



and the back of the car will look like this:



In the process you will have exposed the open ends of the frame rails:



into which the Westfalia towbar is installed:



Ignore the three bolts with silicone around them. Those are the bolts that held the bumper reinforcement on. Per the towbar installation instructions, I gooped them with silicone and reinstalled them with nothing attached. It protects the threads but I'm not sure that there is any other reason to do this. The towbar is bolted to the frame rails from the outside as shown in these photos from the right:



and left:



(note, the left-hand bolt holes are covered by the exhaust shield which has to be lowered just a little to gain access:



Next up -- the bumper cut

The one thing that gave me pause about this hitch from the beginning was the bumper cut. In Europe, I could purchase a replacement for the lower bumper skirt that has a removable cover to conceal the hitch. While I could get this imported like the hitch had been, it would likely be expensive to ship due to it's size and relative frailty. Also (and more importantly) it appears to only be available in textured grey and we are blessed to have body-colored bumpers and bumper skirts on the '09 TDIs which I wanted to preserve.

Someone here posted that the inside of the bumper would be marked for the cut-out so I took that on faith and indeed that was the case:



I used a Dremel cut-off wheel to chop along the line in the straighter parts and then used a straight-cut micro router bit in the Dremel to free-hand the rounded corners. The results were rough:





but easy enough to sand down:



A couple of notes here: the scratches on the ouside of the cut-out were indeed where I sanded by accident but they were accented in this photo by all the white plastic dust that the sanding process kicked up. Once I wiped it down they weren't visible.

I had planned to go all the way to 600-grit wet sandpaper with this, but after hitting it with 200-grit I decided that it looked great for what it was and that more would be a waste, particularly since this area is not very visible.

I haven't worked out how I want to attach the knock-out portion to the bumper when the hitch is off the car, but I have several ideas. For now I'm leaving the hitch installed and saving the question for another day.

Feel free to post any questions or photo requests that you have.

-darren

Sweet !

(now all you have to do is to find someone who can weld two rings on the sides of the swan-neck so you can attach the chains. that way, you don't give any underemployed county employee ideas about pulling you over. )

10then34 said:

Sweet !

(now all you have to do is to find someone who can weld two rings on the sides of the swan-neck so you can attach the chains. that way, you don't give any underemployed county employee ideas about pulling you over. )

Click to expand...

The ring where you attach the chains is right above the receiver. It was concealed in all of the "installed" photos but was marginally visible in the shot of the towbar bolted to the frame rails.

That was another HUGE drawback to the Curt hitch. It sat so close to the ground that it was pretty much impossible to attach the chains such that they could allow turning of the trailer *and* not scrape a lot. These are higher by 6" or 8" so that problem should go away.

-darren

really nice system. i have held off on a hitch system becuase i was worried about how it would look and function under a jsw. that is very clean. do you know if there is an attatchment that would allow you to install a receiver hitch for bike racks?

darrenf said:

In Europe, I could purchase a replacement for the lower bumper skirt that has a removable cover to conceal the hitch. While I could get this imported like the hitch had been, it would likely be expensive to ship due to it's size and relative frailty. Also (and more importantly) it appears to only be available in textured grey and we are blessed to have body-colored bumpers and bumper skirts on the '09 TDIs which I wanted to preserve

Click to expand...

Call John @ worldimpex and ask him about the bumper. I seriously doubt there are only texture gray bumpers in EU.

coolbreeze said:

really nice system. i have held off on a hitch system becuase i was worried about how it would look and function under a jsw. that is very clean. do you know if there is an attatchment that would allow you to install a receiver hitch for bike racks?

Click to expand...

You would have to use a bike rack made for European towbars. They are amazing bits of engineering that attach to the ball and nothing else. I still don't fully understand it but apparently they clamp to the ball and the taper below the ball and can carry the full rated tongue weight it many cases.

Here are two that I'm considering:

Thule Express 970 (2/3 bikes)

Thule HangOn 4B 9708 (4 bikes and tilts to allow rear door access)

I'm considering those two because I'm cheap, but there is a full line of impressive bike racks (many for the very rich ) including ones with light bars and license plate holders:

http://www.thule.com/Thule/ProductListPage____83171.aspx

Westfalia also has a very cool one that I similarly can't afford, but it's an impressive piece of engineering nonetheless:

Westfalia Portilo

Of course, I will have to get these "from the other side of the pond" which could be easy (if Thule will let me special order them) or difficult if I have to get someone overseas to ship it to me.

-darren

maloosheck said:

Call John @ worldimpex and ask him about the bumper. I seriously doubt there are only texture gray bumpers in EU.

Click to expand...

Good tip. At this point, I am satisfied with the results of my chopping operation so I'll decide how I want to mount the cover and be done with it, but this is a good tip for the next person who wants to do this mod. Thanks!

-darren

We need to do a group buy on those bike racks. Maybe we could save on shipping.

Windjammer said:

We need to do a group buy on those bike racks. Maybe we could save on shipping.

Click to expand...

.

i would be in a a group buy. i wonder if the install would be over my head though?

I pulled the jetski trailer yesterday to see how the new hitch performs:



This trailer is reasonably heavy and in particular the tongue weight is high (~150lb) because the trailer is designed for mid-engine skis and mine are front-engine. I also added a box forward of the skis and that compounds the weight issue.

When I pulled this trailer with the Curt hitch, I was not very comfortable although this might have been because I already didn't trust the Curt hitch and was babying it. This time, I whipped it around and took full advantage of th 236ftlb of torque. Very smooth and plenty of power. No clanking like I got with a receiver and hitch bar either.

-darren

Windjammer said:

We need to do a group buy on those bike racks. Maybe we could save on shipping.

Click to expand...

Are you referring to the bike racks or the trailer hitch?

coolbreeze said:

i would be in a a group buy. i wonder if the install would be over my head though?

Click to expand...

If you're talking about the hitch, don't stress about it. My photos make it look harder than it is because of all the black-on-black and the fact that I couldn't back up to take photos with proper perspective.

I completed it in ~3 hours including chopping and sanding the cut-out in the fender. The hitch wiring took longer than that. Heck, putting together this post probably took longer than that.

-darren

Are you guys aware of the risk your putting yourselves in by using these in the US?

These have come up before. It's not DOT approved.

God forbid you have an accident while towing. First, I can bet your insurance company will not cover you if they find out that is not DOT approved.

Second, should that accident involve an injury or death, you can bet criminal charges are very possible.

Just not worth it.

But hey, life is a gamble

Awesome! Looks great.

TwoTone said:

Are you guys aware of the risk your putting yourselves in by using these in the US?

These have come up before. It's not DOT approved.

God forbid you have an accident while towing. First, I can bet your insurance company will not cover you if they find out that is not DOT approved.

Second, should that accident involve an injury or death, you can bet criminal charges are very possible.

Just not worth it.

But hey, life is a gamble

Click to expand...

I appreciate your concern. I noted these conversations with interest when I was researching hitches and I couldn't find anything at the federal DOT / NHTSA website to substantiate that hitches undergo any certification. Curt doesn't mention it either. They designate which DOT "class" (I, II or III) that a hitch falls into, but that's simply a matter of it's rated carrying capacity as specified by the manufacturer.

The requirement for chains isn't even a federal law, although it is required by most states. Don't get me wrong -- I use chains -- I'm just using that as an example of how this is not a heavily regulated area.

Looking at the construction and mounting of the Curt and Westfalia hitches and jumping up and down on them has convinced me that the Euro-style receiver is manifestly more capable than the US-style bolt-on (on the Jetta, that is). That's what's most important to me.

And trust me -- this hitch won't fail. It's a beast!

-darren

unsub1 said:

Awesome! Looks great.

Click to expand...

Thanks!

BTW: How did you decide to carry bikes around with your JSW? I considered the roof but wind drag seemed to be a big problem and meant that I had to keep a roof rack on all the time. I also considered one that straps to the rear hatch but decided that the struts were too weak to hold the hatch up if I add any weight to it which would remove one of the primary benefits of that setup (access to the back).

I'm hoping that a Euro-style bike rack mounted to this hitch will be the ticket -- particularly if I get the tilting one that leaves access to the hatch. It should keep the MPGs up and give me full use of the car. It stores compactly and is light too, especially compared to the two receiver-mounted models that I use on our other car -- they weigh a lot, even empty.

-darren

TwoTone said:

Are you guys aware of the risk your putting yourselves in by using these in the US?

These have come up before. It's not DOT approved.

God forbid you have an accident while towing. First, I can bet your insurance company will not cover you if they find out that is not DOT approved.

Second, should that accident involve an injury or death, you can bet criminal charges are very possible.

Just not worth it.

But hey, life is a gamble

Click to expand...

Is anyone surprised vw doesn't sell towbars in the US? The first thing out of folks mouth is lawsuit. What would you rather have 1. a curt hitch that everyone says flexes really bad or 2 a solid euro hitch? For me it's a no brainer, euro every time.

My Grandfather had a hitch installed at a welding shop once. I was there. They cut the metal & welded it right to the car. I didn't see a dot inspector or his stamp when the job was complete.

It's been said before, but worth repeating. "DRIVE MORE, WORRY LESS"

I looked at U-Haul's site and they will allow someone with an 09 Jetta to rent and tow their 4X8X4 (smallest) enclosed trailer which has a 2,500lb GVW rating -- assuming we have a class-1 hitch. I wonder how they will react if we show up with the Westfalia? It's obviously far superior to most class-1s but that may not matter if it doesn't have a U.S. hitch rating.

In my experience, most U-Haul outlets would likely take your money and send you on your way. Anyone needing a rental trailer would want to find out before showing up for the trailer however.

ON the group buy question; with todays airline prices it would probably be cheaper for someone to fly to England and bring a bunch of hitches back rather than shipping them individually. An alternative would be to find someone there who will buy several and ship them over -- for a price of course.

fcatwo said:

ON the group buy question; with todays airline prices it would probably be cheaper for someone to fly to England and bring a bunch of hitches back rather than shipping them individually. An alternative would be to find someone there who will buy several and ship them over -- for a price of course.

Click to expand...

The hitches are here. TDIparts has them. It's the bike racks & other accessories that need to be imported.

FWIW, the Westfalia hitch is rated at 220lb tongue weight and 3968lb of towing weight while the German Jetta brochure shows a towing weight of 3747lb. We have to take the lesser of the two, obviously, but that still gives a tongue weight >DOT Class 1 and a towing weight >DOT Class 2 which is pretty cool. For those of you with two vee-dubs that means that when your wife's Jetta breaks down you can tow it home.

-darren

Windjammer said:

The hitches are here. TDIparts has them. It's the bike racks & other accessories that need to be imported.

Click to expand...

I looked at TDIParts before I ordered mine and they were only ordering the Bosal hitch which seems to have a much less sophisticated attachment and locking mechanism than the Westfalia. I also read that the Westfalia hitch is VW's current OEM hitch although I haven't confirmed that.

-darren

darrenf said:

I also read that the Westfalia hitch is VW's current OEM hitch although I haven't confirmed that.

Click to expand...

Here is the VW hitch for the Jetta. They list the manufacturer as westfalia
http://www.volkswagen-accessories.ie/tow_bar_removablern
Here is the page for the Golf V towbar which is the same chassis as the Jetta.
http://www.volkswagen-accessories.ie/towbar_detachable2
The Golf V towbar is manufactured by Oris which is also Bosal.
http://www.oris-gmbh.de/english/

For anyone that is afraid of the liability issue, here is your answer.
http://www.oris-gmbh.de/english/produkte/ak40_naftamarket.html

Stupid question - what size is the ball?

The install looks fantastic.

John F

barshnik said:

Stupid question - what size is the ball?

The install looks fantastic.

Click to expand...

Thanks! Sorry that I forgot to mention that. The European standard is 50mm which happens to work out to 1.97", so basically the same as a 2" US towball that's had the paint scraped off of it.

Windjammer -- great finds. I might have to get one of those adapters -- just in case I need to tow something with a 1-7/8" ball.

-darren

darren,

just looked on TM tuning web site, and the price is shown as $459, and I'm assuming substantial shipping on top of that. How did you get yours for the 'relative' bargin price in your first post?

John F

Tdiparts has the Bosal for $379 with free shipping. I didn't realize the Bosal and Westfalia were so different. I was about to get the Bosal, but now I guess I have some more research to do.

That Oris adapter (for the NAFTA market!) that Windjammer linked to looks like it has a Westfalia-type connection, rather than Bosal.

karltinsly said:

That Oris adapter (for the NAFTA market!) that Windjammer linked to looks like it has a Westfalia-type connection, rather than Bosal.

Click to expand...

As I understand it, the hitch on the Chevy SSR came factory installed & the owner would buy the hitch adapter from the dealer. It would would be interesting if we could find an SSR & test the westfalia adapter in the hitch.

barshnik said:

darren,

just looked on TM tuning web site, and the price is shown as $459, and I'm assuming substantial shipping on top of that. How did you get yours for the 'relative' bargin price in your first post?

John F

Click to expand...

John,

When I ordered the hitch, I didn't even think to check the website. Since you pointed it out, I just looked at the TM Tuning website and the hitch listed there is different than the one I ordered. I emailed Damian at TMTuning for a price before placing an order in the usual way (order a zero quantity of something and list the item you really want in the order notes). You might want to ask for a quote before you order because the Euro/dollar exchange rate has been all over the place lately.

For pure price advantage it would be really great to source it from the UK. I think the price at current exchange rates was less than $250. I e-mailed three retailers though and none could ship to the US (do they not have UPS?!?). That's what's great about TM Tuning. They have streamlined shipping to the US and will go out of their way to get you what you need.

karltinsly said:

Tdiparts has the Bosal for $379 with free shipping. I didn't realize the Bosal and Westfalia were so different. I was about to get the Bosal, but now I guess I have some more research to do.

Click to expand...

I looked at some photos of Bosal brand receivers installed on MkV Golfs and they looked kind of sloppy with part of the receiver protruding out of the bumper which is why I gravitated to the Westfalia. I think the Jetta bumper has a lot more room inside, though, and would hide the receiver fully.

I just found this video of a fellow connecting the tow ball to a Bosal hitch and it looks almost as easy as the Westfalia. Had I seen this in advance, I might not have even messed with the Westfalia towbar. That said, the Westfalia still seems to be a little more highly engineered. When I go to install the swan neck part, it just about jumps out of my hand to lock in place -- it could not be more effortless.

If you go with the Bosal, be sure to take photos -- I expect a full reporting.

Windjammer said:

As I understand it, the hitch on the Chevy SSR came factory installed & the owner would buy the hitch adapter from the dealer. It would would be interesting if we could find an SSR & test the westfalia adapter in the hitch.

Click to expand...

I would like to get one of these adapters and try it out but given that this was on a German website, I would speculate that the euro-style towbar is only installed on SSRs sold in Europe and that we would have trouble sourcing the part here.

Is anyone reading this thread located overseas and willing to give it a test?

-darren