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Factory Tow Bar with 600W fan

11K views 62 replies 14 participants last post by  fka 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I wonder if anyone has successfully managed to get an upgraded fan installed by VW on older an Treg?

I have recently purchased a T4 which had the factory fitted swivel tow bar. After reading the advice on here and with some nifty camera work have confirmed that the fan is a 600W fan.

I didnt buy the car from a main dealer (incidentally it was originally owned by a main dealer and then the wife of the owner for 3.5 years) and its soon to be 5 years old. Anyone think theres scope to try and get the upgraded fan as i do intend to tow in the future.

TIA
 
#2 ·
It's certainly worth a try - start with your local dealer but escalate to VW Customer Services at the first opportunity - you can quote the fact that other customers have identified mis-builds and had the correct fan fitted under warranty.
 
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
Worth a try but you might have missed the boat.

T3 and T4 models have been successfully upgraded but it will depend on the support of your local VW dealer and the stance of VW Customer Care.

You will need the exact build date of your car and find the appropriate brochure and spec/price list to see what it says about the factory towbar/fan upgrade - that would support your case, but the car is now 5 years old and you were not the first owner.

I'd try negotiating with the supplying VW dealer who first registered the car and cite examples of owners of similar cars who have successfully got their fans upgraded by VW.

https://www.mytreg.com/index.php?/topic/17665-brochure-downloads/

https://www.mytreg.com/index.php?/topic/47593-historic-vw-brochures-online/
 
#5 ·
I got my fan upgraded at no cost.
Car is 67 reg and still under warranty.
I emailed VW customer service first who confirmed that the car had the wrong fan fitted and told me to take to a VW dealer. I took the VW email to the dealer and after some persistence finally got it done.
 
#10 ·
https://www.ebay.co....tm/184322809599

Does anyone have experience of the ebay 'oem' ones?
You need to be careful with these as its not just the motor that's different but the blades on the 850w are quite a bit wider than on the 600w fan. There was a separate thread about a month ago where someone found an 850w fan on fleabay but it looked from the blades like a 600w fan being sold as an 850w. The poster fired questions to the seller and, I believe, it all suddenly went quiet on him.
 
#12 ·
Does anybody know if upgrading the cooling fans are a requirement on the gen 3?
There's no mention of it in the brochure, even the deal fit removable towbar (part no. 760 092 150) listed in accessory section doesn't mention it.
I've had a dealer tell me it doesn't need upgrading and one telling me it does!
 
#15 · (Edited by Moderator)
What year is your car, when did you buy it and from whom
- just read your post again and if it's a Gen 3, I seem to recall that there isn't any stipulation about this as a factory option and if it's a third party/dealer accessory fit, it's also not specifically mentioned


As a comparison, I ordered and paid for the swivelling factory towbar on my 2013 R-Line and got the upgraded 800w fan.

Many other owners with factory towbar have got a free upgrade from VW via a dealer, but recent reports seem to indicate that VW UK aware not offering this support any more.

If you didn't buy from a VW dealer (which should be your first port of call), then try to use the dealer that says you do need the upgrade and get them to seek a goodwill gesture from VW but I'd say your chances are slim
 
#13 ·
What will you be towing and where will you be towing it?
 
#14 ·
1500kg shed on wheels. Here and abroad, potentially, France, Spain etc..
 
#16 ·
I've asked someone with a Gen 3 with a factory fitted towbar if they will kndly take a photo of the coolant fan to see if there is wattage figure on it.
 
#17 · (Edited by Moderator)
Thanks Nooby

I've spoken to a VW service centre today and they gave me a price of (wait for it!) £3600, which they claim includes a cooling fan upgrade.
However I've spoken with a dealer who told me he'd checked with his service centre and they said no fan upgrade needed and they could fit one for £1500. Obviously if no fan were needed I could go to someone like Professional Retrofits and get one for less than a grand. I called Retrofits also this afternoon and they came back with the statement that many don't have the fan upgraded, they wouldn't do that work but I may wish to have one fit.

It's really a mixed message and I wonder if a lot of people are erring on the side of caution following the issues with the T3/4 not being fitted with the correct fans in the factory. Therefore by default are stating the gen 3 need one??

I was originally only looking for an example with a factory tow bar. Since that limits my options, I started looking at examples without and reto-fitting one.
There's a used approved available at the moment which isnt listed as having a towbar but from the pics clearly has an after market bar fit.
I spoke to a sales guy about it today and he's confirmed it has one and since there's no comment about it from the initial inspection, their tech guys must be happy with it. When pressed he admitted that if it did need a fan upgrade and hasn't has one, any fault that could be attributed to it not having the upgraded fan, would not be covered under the warranty. I've asked him to do a bit more digging. Will let you know what he says..
 
#24 · (Edited by Moderator)
If the salesman is offering to sell a car he believes needs a fan upgrade, then it's not fit for purpose and the selling dealership is liable for any repairs and remedial work, regardless of what he says about the warranty.

I see you have decided to buy elsewhere, so ring back this dealer and tell them why you bought from another dealer
 
#18 · (Edited by Moderator)
Can you find out the wattage of the fan that is fitted to the car you are interested in?
 
#19 ·
Not easily but I'll try.
I also tried to speak to the VW UK technical team today but couldn't get through to them. I'll try that route again tomorrow if I have time.
 
#20 · (Edited by Moderator)
Brian from Nottingham [previous owner of 2010 Altitude, 2012 SE, 2015 R-Line] has very kindly taken the trouble to shine a light - literally as it was attached to a mirrror - on the coolant fan wattage this morning.

He has just taken delivery of a new Generation 3 [T5 in our terms] 2020 R-Line with a factory fitted swivelling towbar and he has confirmed that the Bosch coolant fan is 850 watts and has an Audi badge.

I have a strong feeling that we are back in the 600 watt no factory towbar/850 watt factory towbar scenario once more.

Someone with a new T5 that has no towbar needs to do a Brian please and report back with findings!
 
#21 ·
Looks like the same mess as with T4s. Suggest the OP contacts VW customer service direct, we know the dealers are useless when it comes to Touaregs, and gets a definitive answer from them which can be shared on the forum.

Think we all know what it'll be though, a very expensive upgrade required to overcome VW penny pinching.
 
#22 ·
Thank you Nooby and Brian!
I apologise but I stopped trying to find out any more info as I've just reserved a "T5" R-line Tech with literally every option box ticked, Air suspension, 4 wheel steering... etc .. and of course a factory fitted towbar! It came up in my budget - it pays to have patience it seems

Will post pics once it's a done deal..
 
#23 ·
Glad you are sorted!

We still need a no towbar T5 owner to tell us what wattage their coolant fan is . . .
 
#28 ·
From what I cam see on these pics, which are the best I can get with my phone, it looks like the part number is 3 137 232 008 and that appears to be a 600W motor. But I've gleaned that from spare parts listings

Tire Wheel Automotive tire Bicycle tire Hood


Wheel Tire Hood Automotive lighting Automotive tire
 

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#31 · (Edited by Moderator)
From what I cam see on these pics, which are the best I can get with my phone, it looks like the part number is 3 137 232 008 and that appears to be a 600W motor. But I've gleaned that from spare parts listings
I'd email your dealer (your purchase contract is with them) and also VW Customer Care to clarify that you have the correct cooling fan fitted with the factory towbar, just so you have something in writing for warranty/goodwill purposes should anything untoward happen whilst towing.

In post #20, Nooby referees to a T5 owner who has the 850w fan fitted to his car, so which is correct
 
#30 ·
#32 ·
We've got a borescope at work I can borrow. I'll pick it up next week when I'm in the office and get a proper picture of it before I go chasing my tail with the dealer.
 
#33 ·
If it's any help - I've owned from new a 2015 R Line with factory fit towbar and 600w fan. I regularly tow 3.5 ton box trailers with it for work. I've spend a considerable time communicating with VW head office so called ' technical' experts. Like politicians - they refuse to answer a direct question. I've been told to 'check the sticker in the drivers door for gross weight/train weight etc. They tell me that only the V8 Touaregs have an 800w fan (I thought the V8 was dropped on my model year and that the fan was an 850w). They refuse to discuss anything from the internet forums and deny that they have retro-fitted any misbuilt vehicles in the UK. I also tried to explain that many people have paid extra for a dealer specified 'uprated' fan when getting a towbar fitted - presumably wasting their money if not required?

Why did they not offer a limited recall for factory fitted towbar cars. ?

They will not discuss the matter further and have referred me to the motor ombudsman.

I wished them luck with the global brand re-building excercise after dieselgate

Anybody got any further than me?
 
#35 ·
I got mine changed under warranty - but only at 3rd attempt as dealer initially only checked the build sheets and ignored my photos of the label on the fan itself.

The 850w fans are available on Ebay for Touareg and Cayenne - BUT - the picture looks wrong as my 600w fan had slim fan blades while the 850w fan eventually fitted has broad fan blades.
 
#40 · (Edited by Moderator)
That's really interesting that it's a single fan. The T5 has a double fan, the fans are Bosch not Brose and there is no wattage listed on the fan I have visibility of, which is the larger 600w fan.
The Audi part I found when I searched the part number I found on the fan housing is common with a 2015 Q7 and Q8 amongst other models. It lists 1x 300w and 1x 600W fans for "radiator fan with control for trailer towing".
There are other fans and controllers listed for vehicles not prepared for towing. But no 850W fan.

I asked a few posts back Nooby - was your friend who checked his T5 sure he could see 850W printed on the fan motor?

From what I can see there is an upgraded fan for the T5 but not an 850w fan!

This is not the site I found when I searched part but shows the same information.

http://www.oemepc.com/audi/part_single/catalog/au/markt/RDW/modell/AQ7/year/2016/drive_standart/675/hg_ug/959/subcategory/959060/part_id/256888/lang/e
 
#37 ·
Get a copy of the car's build sheets. Several pages of useful info every owner should get and keep safe.
 
#42 ·
Yup totally different on the T5. Here's a pic of a salvaged part from a Q7, Q8 etc, which has the same part numbers I can see on one of my fan motors and the fan housing

My [URL=linkhttps://www.ebay]linkhttps://www.ebay.com/itm/Audi-Q7-Q8-S6-4M-4K-8W-OEM-cooling-fan-assembly-8W0959455E-8W0959455D-8W0121003D-/164463247718[/URL]
 
#44 · (Edited by Moderator)
Here's the 2020 brochure - also no mention...

View attachment touareg-brochure-pricelist-p11d.pdf

However the Audi parts listing for for the 2015> Q7 for that fan housing does list a specific combo of fans for towing prep'd cars.
"Some" VW Service centres that quoted me for a dealer fit bar (before I bought one with a factory bar) stated a fan upgrade. I was given a breakdown of costs so surely they must have an uprated fan part listed on their system
 

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#45 · (Edited by Moderator)
Here's the 2019 2020 brochure - also no mention...

View attachment 35284

However the Audi parts listing for for the 2015> Q7 for that fan housing does list a specific combo of fans for towing prep'd cars.
"Some" VW Service centres that quoted me for a dealer fit bar (before I bought one with a factory bar) stated a fan upgrade. I was given a breakdown of costs so surely they must have an uprated fan part listed on their system
VW will only quote for VW parts and most VW dealers/sales and parts staff can only quote from the VW parts catalogue - they often have no real expertise on the brand and the same can be said for VW Customer Care staff.

I am sure that the factory towbar/cooling fan misbuild is a problem they want to forget, deny and move on from.

VW once sold me a misbuild car and I rejected it, eventually getting a replacement car but not until months of haggling and dialogue with VW Customer Care and further dealer preparation/delivery issues, which resulted in me even rejecting that car. I'm certainly persistent if not very patient
 
#46 · (Edited by Moderator)
You obviously like the product enough to be so persistent


I lived in central London for 16 years and even when we moved out to the burbs, we both commute on the train. Having a reliable car only became a deal for us when we had kids and even to this day, it's most important task is taking us all on holiday, visiting family or day trips to wherever..
Which is why I've been quite happy indulging my love of Saabs and having one as my daily for the last 14 years or so. Since their demise, all the maintenance manuals and parts catalogues have become effectively freeware and I've only ever dealt with specialist mechanics who are all enthusiasts themselves.
Not having access to maintenance literature and parts catalogues, I feel like a fish out of water. Not to mention dealing with dealerships but I'd better get used to it!
 
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