Westfalia Euro Trailer Hitch – DIY – 54 pics

vw_leadfoot

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Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
TDI
2010 Golf TDI Wagen
Well I finally got around to installing my Westfalia hitch last weekend on my 2010 Golf Wagen (=JSW) and all went well. It was more difficult that the model I installed on the Passat a few years back but generally it wasn’t too difficult. Many thanks to Forum Members darrenf and karltinsly for their exhaustive write-ups, pictures and information. I thought I would document my install and lend some more information to others that may want to do the same thing. I also used the Bentley manual but barely as karltinsly’s pic’s were extremely helpful especially since his car is red.

I ordered my hitch from PF Jones in the UK and it was delivered by an international courier in about 3 days from the order. The total order was 300€ or about $460 CDN. It was actually much cheaper that the Passat where I arranged my own deliver from someone in Austria. It comes with the Euro 7-pin wiring adapter which is generally unusable in North America but some of the pieces can be scavenged from from it.

Westfalia is the VW OEM supplier in Europe, and since having installed one on my previous VW, I knew it was the right way to go. I have a 4x8 heavy duty utility trailer in which I haul construction materials from time to time and will also be using it for transporting firewood, and hauling around my Honda ATV which I got in the Spring. The ball fixed to the swan neck and is detachable from the vehicle and measures 50mm in diameter. I have a Euro Thule bike rack for the 50mm ball that I ordered from the UK an few years ago. The 2” trailer coupler works perfectly fine with it. Typically there is a nut in the coupler that can be adjusted for a perfectly tight fit.

For more pictures of the actual hitch go here (see post #4): http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=286714

Just some background on the modifications that I did to mine BEFORE I started. In Europe they do not use safety chains the way we do here. My understanding is that they used a wire tied back to the car that if the trailer becomes uncoupled, they wire snaps and triggers the brakes on the trailer to activate. This is why on this Westfalia model there was a thin chain link welded to the neck of the hitch. As my safety hooks didn’t fit through it and it seemed a little thin, I had a welder friend remove this link and add two heavy duty 3/8” links and weld those to the neck. He even painted it up for me and it looks great. In the Passat, I had a custom bracket made up that a few people here have copied. Being tighter for space behind the bumper I opted not to go this route. I also wanted to use the pulldown wire holder, which I never did on the Passat. I got sick of hanging the wiring out through the rear hatch I bought a 4-flat metal holder form a local trailer shop which was angled and I flattened it out, dremelled it to fit the Euro hitch, drilled three holes and used the machine screws that came with the Euro wiring kit as the hitch was pre-threaded. They were a little long, so I trimmed them off once I had it all together. The other thing required for this install is to cut out an access hole in the bumper. This is actually very easy to so. If you have tons of money you can buy the whole Euro bumper kit and get it repainted…I opted just to buy the access cover panel (~$25) and I will use the cut out piece for making the back up supports. I ordered it from ECS and it took almost two months to get which is one of the reasons I waited to do this installation as I didn’t want to cut the hole and then get the cover. This way I was guaranteed it would be the right cut out size, even though it is marked on the inside of the bumper cover.

Another note before starting, it would be best to wash the car really well before starting especially in the rear wheelwells and all around the bumper.

Ok so enough of the background info, on to the install…

STEP 1: Remove Tailights (approx time ~10 minutes):

On the driver’s side open the storage compartment.


Open compartment to access rear of taillight. Use a 16mm socket with a long arm to remove the three bolts holding on the light. Be very careful not to drop them. Disconnect the wiring harness by squeezing the two narrow ends together of the housing to release it from the bulb holder.


Note the positioning of the weather stripping on the taillight on the side that faces into the car. Gently pull the taillight outward slightly diagonally. And store the unit carefully away from the work area.


I stored the three nuts onto the back of the light for safekeeping.


Goto the passenger side and remove the access cover.


Disconnect the wiring harness.


Remove three nuts as was done on the driver’s side.


Both lights should be removed at this point and safely stored.
 
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vw_leadfoot

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Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
TDI
2010 Golf TDI Wagen
STEP 2: Bumper cover removal (30-60 minutes)


Using a Torx T30 screwdriver, remove the two screws that were hidden under the taillight. Do the same on the passenger side. Store screws in a container.


There are three T25 Torx screws in each rear wheel well that need to be removed. I really short screwdriver is required or what I did was use a torx bit in a small ratchet. This pic show the one at the bottom.


Here is the one at the top…


This is a nasty little self-expanding plastic rivet that is required to be removed from each side…


Here is where it is located and it is really small!


This is what it looks like removed. It is part number N 905 369 01. I broke one trying to figure out how to remove it. They cost me 31 cents ea. I have since bought a replacement and an additional two for future use….


Here is how to remove them (of course I learned this after the fact!). Use a Philips screwdriver and insert it into the open part of the expanded rivet. Push it really hard to push the “piston” back and it should be able to be pried out with a small flat screwdriver.


There are three T30 screws across the underside of the bumper that need to be removed.


There are two T25 screws on the Passenger side at the rear that need to be removed.


Prepared some old sheets or towels on the floor and the bumper cover can be removed and placed there. Ideally a second set of hands should be used here.
 
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vw_leadfoot

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
TDI
2010 Golf TDI Wagen
STEP 3: Bumper rail removal (5 minutes)

This is what the wagen should look like now.


Here is the left side of the bumper rail. Note the two 13mm bolts that hold it on.


Here is the right side of the bumper rail. Note the three 13 mm bolts that hold it on


Remove all 5 bolts. These are no longer needed. I taped them to the bumper for possible future use.


Bumper removed.
 
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vw_leadfoot

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
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2010 Golf TDI Wagen
STEP 4: Install Westfalia hitch (30-60 minutes)


On the drivers side you will need to lower the heat shield and muffler. There are two “star” type washer type fasteners that are a “b-i-t-c-h” that hold the heat shield in place. Using a screwdriver pry back the three little metal crimps. I then spent 45 minutes trying to get these damn things off using needlenose pliers and a screwdriver. I think they are meant to go on but never come off! I did rip one but was able to reuse it. If I was to do it again (hint hint), I would cut them off with tin snips and would have bought two new ones from the dealer (Part No. N907 965 02, 45 cents ea.) before I started. I did buy two new ones for potential future use and they have been restyled slightly. The dealer said they don’t a special tool for them and just pry them off with a screwdriver. That would be hard here as the muffler is in the way.


Here is it removed. The backup piece you see here is attached to the heatshield.


I took a break from this side of the car and went over to the passenger side and loosely screwed in the two bolts that came with the hitch through the “frame” of the car into the hitch. Holes are already in the vehicle.


Same area, different angle. When the bolts get tightened I used a torque wrench to get them to the 55Nm (485 in-pounds) as required.


Back to the passenger side, you can see the metal arm of the hitch that goes into the car. The other arrow is pointing to the two bolts that hold the rear muffler clamp that need to be removed such that you can secure the hitch to the car on this side.


Here is a close up of the muffler clamp.


So with the muffler clamp loosened and the two crazy heat shield mufflers washers removed, it will all hang down by about an inch or two.


Bolts can finally be installed on the driver’s side. Torque them down and then you can replace the heatshield washers and tighten up the muffler clamp again.
 
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vw_leadfoot

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
TDI
2010 Golf TDI Wagen
STEP 5: Bumper Foam (beyond normal installation) (15-25 minutes)

I am not sure why VW/Westfalia doesn’t make a foam strip for the new metal bumper. They did for the Passat!? Anyways since a new piece of Styrofoam was about $60, I decided to just reuse the one from the stock bumper that I just removed. It is held on in about 6 spots with a black gooey adhesive. It was hard to cut though but in the end I was able to just pry it off. I unfortunately broke it once, but it really didn’t matter.


I used my Exacto knife and removed a bit of the convex forming such that it would lie tight to the Westfalia. The ends also needed about ¼” or so removed such that it would lie tight to the steel.


I put some double-sided foam tape on the bumper and stuck it in place.


You can see the neck of the hitch, the wire pulldown, and the grommet has been removed where the wires go into the trunk area.


Driver’s side closeup of the hitch.


Passenger side closeup of the hitch.


Foam installed, passenger side


Foam installed, driver’s side


The double-sided tape didn’t work as well as I had hoped so I had some Strip-calk lying around….


This stuff is great….flexible and sticky. I could have used hockey tape too like I did on the Passat but didn’t have any handy.
 
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vw_leadfoot

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
TDI
2010 Golf TDI Wagen
STEP 6: Bumper Cut (30-40 minutes)

Close up of the central area and why we need to cut a hole.


You can see the outline in the plastic of where it needs to be cut. This is a lifesaver!


Primed OEM Access Cover. I researched the heck out of this and was able to get it form ECS Tuning, Special Order. I will need to get this painted once I have it perfectly fitted.


Part number. Note that black texture plastic ones are also available, but you should change out your whole ‘spoiler’ if you go this route. It is less expensive overall but I like the painted lowers….


Cover matches the cut lines perfectly.


Dry fit test.


I used my dremel tool with a reinforced cutting wheel and started by making a working score about 1mm inside the cut line. I took my time and since I am not using the inside cutout as the access panel as others have done, I didn’t have to be too precise on the corners.


Full cut through. The painted side was surprisingly very clean and had no paint peel or chipping. Next I used two grades of sanding drums. Medium to take off the plastic right to the cut line and then a very very gentle touch with the fine one to smooth it out and east the edges ever so slightly.
 

vw_leadfoot

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
TDI
2010 Golf TDI Wagen
STEP 7 – Bumper Cover Reinstall & Replace taillights (30 minutes)

Bumper back on, the hole looks really good!


Gooseneck installed.


Side view.


View from lying on the floor with the black plastic protection cap installed.


Another very low down view.

Next up is the wiring and the Access Panel backup pieces…..stayed tuned for their write-up too….
 

vw_leadfoot

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
TDI
2010 Golf TDI Wagen
Great install! Looks so clean and fresh from the factory. Do you have any pictures with the access cover installed?
Thanks! Not yet....that will be Phase 2 of the project and as soon as it is done, I will post how I did it and plenty of pics of course.....I did tons of research of them on a UK forum and know how they are supposed to work, just need the time....should be fun!!
 

Swatch

Veteran Member
Joined
May 29, 2010
Location
Montréal, Québec
TDI
BUYBACK : Golf Sportwagen TDi 2010
I installed a Curt hitch on my Sportwagen but like all this kind of hitch, it's very easy to scratch it because the car gets very low on the rear.

Would be willing to buy a Westfalia hitch but don't want to do this myself, seems to much complicatd for me. Would like to find a place (near Montreal) that can do this, but didn't find any place that sell this hitch.
 

vw_leadfoot

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
TDI
2010 Golf TDI Wagen
The only seller of Westfalia in North America that I know of is http://eurohitch.es/ but the shipping will kill you ....order from the UK direct....about $460CDN all in...as a comparison, Eurohitches sells the hitch and wiring for $850 USD and they wanted about $200 USD to ship to Canada...this should be a no-brainer....

As for the install I doubt you'll find any place to install it for you as they would likely butcher your car...hitch guys here (sorry for the generalization but have spoken with a few) only know the basics and I am fairly certain this would throw them for a loop.....

The install really isn't that hard, just potentially time consuming....I bet I could do it in half the time now having done it on this car and on my Passat. If you are serious about it and are in the Toronto area I would lend a hand....
 
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EuroTrio

Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2010
Location
Greenville SC
TDI
2010 JSW
So were you successful installing the hitch cover. I just received mine with the same few misc parts as you show, but can really figure out how it should stay in. I'm wondering if a couple of little parts are missing.
 

gumaku1

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2010
Location
Ohio
TDI
2010 Sportwagen TDI - DSG
I would like to also understand what the hitch looks like when the spoiler is installed, do you have any pictures of a euro vehicle with the VW stock part installed? also how does the stock spoiler kit work when you install it?
 

vw_leadfoot

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
TDI
2010 Golf TDI Wagen
So were you successful installing the hitch cover. I just received mine with the same few misc parts as you show, but can really figure out how it should stay in. I'm wondering if a couple of little parts are missing.
Christmas break project, so No I have not completed it yet....well the big part you're missing for it to stay in is the OEM spoiler at around $500. I am custom making a backing to use the access cover in the existing spoiler.

I would like to also understand what the hitch looks like when the spoiler is installed, do you have any pictures of a euro vehicle with the VW stock part installed? also how does the stock spoiler kit work when you install it?
Yes I have plenty of pictures of the Euro versions. All are taken from posts on the VW/Audi UK Forums http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/ .....don't have them uploaded or on this computer....sorry....it will look just like the punchout for the tow-eye....it isn't that hard to imagine, is it? As above the stock spolier kit is very expensive and replaces the whole bottom of your bumper cover....I am avoiding this by just using the access cover for $20 and getting it painted $50, and assembling a backup with the piece I cut out of the bumper....special body part adhesive, a dremel tool and some ingenuity....I will post pictures when it is done but have decided not to get into a full blown explanation of cut sizes, thicknesses etc....I am 99.9% sure it will look amazing when it is done and totally OEM! :D
 

gumaku1

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2010
Location
Ohio
TDI
2010 Sportwagen TDI - DSG
did the ECS tuning (OEM) Euro Cap 1K9-807-397-A-GRU come with the quarter turn clips and hardware pictured in this post?
 

Krfar

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2010
Location
Dallas, TX
TDI
2010 CandyWhite JSW TDI DSG, NAV & Pano
I exchanged a couple of e-mails with Curt manufacturing a while back asking them about a Westfalia or Bosal type hitch. He was very interested in seeing the product info I had sent him. There is such a big difference between this design and what we get here in NA. Great job documenting your project Leadfoot.
 

vw_leadfoot

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
TDI
2010 Golf TDI Wagen
do you have part#'s for the quarter turn clips, etc.
Yup, here they are:

Plastic Washer ECS#403645, 6N0 129 355, 2 required $1.68 ea.
Clamp (Metal Insert) ECS#403875, 6Q0 807 180, 2 required $0.93 ea.
Pin (Plastic 1/4 Turn) ECS#403876, 6Q0 807 643, 2 required $2.05 ea.

Dave
 
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vw_leadfoot

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Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
TDI
2010 Golf TDI Wagen
Finally finished the access cover:


Dremelled up the cut out into selected pieces, typically 12mm and 15mm wide. The cover material is ~3mm thick.


Sometimes I needed the assistance of clamps, but the adhesive was fairly sticky and worked ok on its own.


My typical build up was two fillers and one backup which gave an approximate depth of 9mm. Note that the access cover is ~11mm deep so it needed a little shaving with the dremel…


Here is a closeup of the side piece. I left about 3mm wide for the backup.


This was by far the most difficult part of the install making some angled spacers to hold the metal receiver clip. The OEM panel has these on an angle so I ended up sanding the crap out of these little things. They started out at about 25mm in diameter.


I then chiseled a hole making sure to bevel the edges just right to hold the clip in place.


Test fit of the clip.


Determining the clip location by using the access panel and tracing the hole location.


Dremelled out the fin piece to accept the clip. The clip actually expands when the pin goes in so if these are a little oversized, that works better.
 
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vw_leadfoot

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Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
TDI
2010 Golf TDI Wagen

Here is the body adhesive I used. Purchased at ECS Tuning. Black, sticky and messy. Dries in about 5 minutes and fully cures in about 5 hours. I used many pairs of surgical gloves. The first day I didn’t use gloves and it is nearly impossible to get off your hands. All surfaces must be rough sanded and cleaned for proper adherence.


Glued in place….this took a lot of time as you can see I needed to trim the back side of the disc for the cover to fit. Used more adhesive around the discs for better attachment. Love the salt and dirt from winter…


Took a dog walk break, then washed the car. Rounded and cleaned up the edges…


Left side close up.


Right side close up.


Panel in place. I have used black electrical tape for now until the Spring when I will get it painted. The fit is almost perfect! It hangs a little low in some spots by about a mm but is below eye level.

The electrical tape is a trick I learned from a car detailing nut who showed his car and used it in areas of repeated road salt/sand spray…I actually have it on the nose of my car and in the rear tire spray area…On a black car it is practically unperceivable and is simply removed in the Spring before detailing… a cheap and easy bra…

Overall this took about 6 to 8 hours and I spread it out over a few days…
 
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Boatman

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Aug 15, 2006
Location
Mill Spring, NC
TDI
'11 Jetta, '04 Sprinter, '14 GLK 250
I've been waiting to see what you came up with on the install of the panel. Looks good but also quite a bit of work. I used the cutout panel and did a similar job of fastening. In the spring I'll clean up the edges a bit more and paint the edges to match. Right now I have 2 stainless steel screws holding the panel and have plans to use a couple 1/4 turn Dusz fasteners.

Sorry for the dirty car.....




 

vw_leadfoot

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Location
GTA, Ontario
TDI
2010 Golf TDI Wagen
Looks good Boatman! What material did you use for the backup? My dremelled corners were never that clean so using the cut out would have been an issue. Although know how much work it was to do the OEM panel, I may have been more careful...I used a rotary disc on the dremel and the rounded corners keeping both pieces intact would have been difficult. I do however really like the quick 1/4 turn on/off pins and no need for a screwdriver....
 

Boatman

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Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Location
Mill Spring, NC
TDI
'11 Jetta, '04 Sprinter, '14 GLK 250
I cut mine out with a jig saw (being a boatbuilder I have lots of experience with this tool). I had some 1/8 Kydex (plastic) lying around and glued it in using SikaFlex 241. I had limited time when I did ours but my wife insisted that she needed the hitch installed. In the spring I'll clean up the edges better and get the 1/4 turn fasteners installed.

Just an aside for the wiring.. I installed a cig plug on the power wires on the light adaptor and plug it into the outlet in the back for the once or twice a year it will be used.
 

mewton

New member
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Location
Spokane, WA
TDI
2010 Jetta Sportwagen
why don't I listen

Oh how I wish I'd taken this threads advice and ordered directly from europe. I ordered my hitch from eurohitches last March, they finally got it to me in July and it was the wrong hitch, they sent me a Golf hitch instead of a Jetta hitch and the holes didn't match up. Well it's January (almost a year) now and I'm still waiting and about to ask for a refund so I can order it from europe since I'm supposed to pick up my trailer in less than four months.
 
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