Make a huge mistake and did not order a towbar….. can’t be added as it’s factory fit only!

[joejet]

Well I have kicked up my order I did not realise the towbar did not come with the Trailmaster in the UK and only realised after the cutoff for changes. I emailed Ineos and was told “A tow bar is factory fit only, as the electronics need to be wired from the factory.”

This is very annoying but also surprising I asked the dealer if i can order a wiring kit and parts and I will fit it and I was also told no. I think this is crazy and hope it can be done later. If I do amend the order i will push back delivery at least a month or 2.

Anyway might have to live with it or work out some after market wiring. When can we expect to see parts catalogue and what’s available?

 

[DenisM]

Don't panic.... the wiring to the rear lights can always be "hacked" to connect to a trailer plug. The issue is rather where/ how to attach the towbar. I am sure that other "standard" Trialmasters will require a towbar in due course.... The fact the Australian versions come off the same production line, it's quite possible that the brackets etc are already in place for the UK spec Trialmaster where the towbar wasn't ordered as part of production... or an 'after market' option will arise in due course...

 

[Eric]

Hacking the rear lights might be an issue, I believe they are all LED and not sure if they are CANBUS controlled, I would have thought so, hence need to be wired, and programmed, from the factory. The days of "scotch connecters" for towing electrics on a modern vehicle have long gone.
However if it is true that tow bar and electrics can only be factory fitted then the 2nd hand value of such vehicles will attract a premium. Although in time after market fitments will probably catch up.

 

[Krabby]

Well I have kicked up my order I did not realise the towbar did not come with the Trailmaster in the UK and only realised after the cutoff for changes. I emailed Ineos and was told “A tow bar is factory fit only, as the electronics need to be wired from the factory.”

This is very annoying but also surprising I asked the dealer if i can order a wiring kit and parts and I will fit it and I was also told no. I think this is crazy and hope it can be done later. If I do amend the order i will push back delivery at least a month or 2.

Anyway might have to live with it or work out some after market wiring. When can we expect to see parts catalogue and what’s available?

A 1-2 month delay, as bad as it might be, could prove prudent if there really is no way to add the tow package. I’m pretty sure it’s slated to be standard kit on the US spec Trialmasters, but if it’s not I will certainly be ordering it.

 

[Trialmaster]

This is a joke surely? I too wanted a tow bar, and thought the dealer could have fitted one. I best call them.

 

[DCPU]

I think we are still in the period of half answers, half truths.

It defies all logic to be strictly true. I could see a version that the agent can't do it because there's a known shortage of towing looms and they are all going to the factory for production line demand; or variations on it.

 

[AZGrenadier]

I think anything that comes prewired from the factory really makes sense to simply check the box. You might save 10-15% on an accessory but the hassle of wiring it up, splicing into vehicle electronics will quickly make that savings looks like a non issue. Other things like the Snorkle, rack, table etc can be added later as they are simply an add on and not integrated into the vehicle itself. But High Load, Winch, towing, lockers and such fundamentally change the build. Can they be added later, most likely. But it won’t every be as seamless as just getting it built that way from the get go.

 

[Halliwell Jones Chester]

Well I have kicked up my order I did not realise the towbar did not come with the Trailmaster in the UK and only realised after the cutoff for changes. I emailed Ineos and was told “A tow bar is factory fit only, as the electronics need to be wired from the factory.”

This is very annoying but also surprising I asked the dealer if i can order a wiring kit and parts and I will fit it and I was also told no. I think this is crazy and hope it can be done later. If I do amend the order i will push back delivery at least a month or 2.

Anyway might have to live with it or work out some after market wiring. When can we expect to see parts catalogue and what’s available?

I'd much rather my build move back a month and have everything done right to start with to be honest. When is your current build date?

 

[frankkk]

I wouldn't worry too much...same issue when MB built the first Sprinter (the beginning of the end as they say)..mechanically it was plug and play but the electrics were the problem. A new wiring loom had to be routed all along the vehicle, the four or five different ends plugged into various (mainly existing) sockets in three electrical compartments (central electrics under the drivers seat, fuse box 1 under the steering column, electrics in the engine bay). The work took the mechanic 15 minutes and the sparky half a day. But, it could be done and it would work just like the factory fit w/o any holes drilled in the dash, error messages, malfunctions etc.

Just a year or so into production, the wiring loom became a standard feature on all vehicles, with ends taped off and tucked away in the rear undercarriage, accessible only to the ones in the know.

The vast majority of utility vehicles are used for towing, the manufacturer will encounter that problem over and over again, if he hasn't thought of it yet. Since Magna Steyr and MBtec did the development, I can't imagine they didn't think of retrofitting a tow bar.

They might not be saying it though...why ? The Mercedes dealer was charging in the region of 1K for the retrofit of a tow bar at the time (with the existing wiring loom). The part was just over 100 wholesale and bolted on in 15 mins with another 15 mins for the electrical trailer coupling . 1000% markup and half an hours work, not bad, ey´? The ones with a professional interest in the Grenadier might want to look at that issue first thing..interesting earning potential and happy customers..

As previously mentioned, there seems to be a good vibe here, problems like that should be sorted within no time even w/o the help of INEOS, if they are deciding to ignore the problem.

 

[joejet]

I'd much rather my build move back a month and have everything done right to start with to be honest. When is your current build date?

February!!

 

[Jean Mercier]

When my partner bought a new car some 4 or 5 years ago (Nissan Micra) I was so fond of the rearview camera that I thought: “I want that in my Suzuki Grand Vitara” (the car is now 10 years old).

Therefore, I bought a cheap Chinese camera and screen on AliExpress (about 18€) and installed it myself. No wiring in the car for that purpose (the car is from 2013!)!

Of course, I had to make a hole in my bodywork (not mine, that of my car), and dismount some interiors panels to hide the new electric wiring, and hijacking the rear light, …

It took me one day, because I am not used to do that, but it was fun, because of the result: it worked!

After one year I had to replace the monitor, cheap Chinese stuff (no warranty), didn’t work anymore, but the new monitor is still working now.

Anything can be adapted in a car, well at least the non-essential parts, but if you leave it to a dealer or stealer, it costs you a lot of bucks. But I understand, they (the dealers) have the right to live and earn enough money to buy their own Grenadier!

 

[Khalfan323]

I asked my dealer a month or so ago regarding this same question, answer was that it can be retrofitted. Ineos said they can get the bar and the wiring loom to the dealer.

 

[joejet]

I asked my dealer a month or so ago regarding this same question, answer was that it can be retrofitted. Ineos said they can get the bar and the wiring loom to the dealer.

that’s great news, thanks

 

[Eric]

that’s great news, thanks

Sounds like the two differing stories of what can and can't be done come down to HIC. Human interface communications

 

[emax]

Anything can be adapted in a car, well at least the non-essential parts

I agree. It is however a question of cost.

If the wiring requires one or more extra wires to be run from somewhere in the middle of the vehicle, it could be a bit of a hassle.

But normally a CAN bus controlled system should not need any extra wires. In fact, any load can be attached to the 12V rail and receive a signal connection to the CAN bus. In such a case, only an appropriate configuration (aka reprogramming) of the respective control unit plus the signal cable to be connected to the trailer lighting is required. That's what makes a CAN bus so attractive for the engineers.

I prosume, that currently nobody outside Hambach knows how to do this (programming and wire routing) - and thus they say "no, not possible".

 

[Krabby]

Just noticed this. I’ll be honest though, seems odd. That was from the US configurer just now (12/31).

EDIT - that same thing seems to pop up on nearly every option - including the winch - so who the heck knows.

 

[Michael H.]

Just noticed this. I’ll be honest though, seems odd. That was from the US configurer just now (12/31).

EDIT - that same thing seems to pop up on nearly every option - including the winch - so who the heck knows.

That statement only applies to items which have an asterisk next to them.

 

[dlevett]

A 1-2 month delay, as bad as it might be, could prove prudent if there really is no way to add the tow package. I’m pretty sure it’s slated to be standard kit on the US spec Trialmasters, but if it’s not I will certainly be ordering it.

I guess Ineos saw a way to ‘add value’ - not standard on any NA variants

 

[joejet]

I did the same thing in the UK but managed to order it before it went into build. I don’t think it added extra time but i was a 1st day order and still don’t have my car yet!

 

[DaveB]

I guess Ineos saw a way to ‘add value’ - not standard on any NA variants

US it is an option on all models as shown below
Under that is the Australian price list showing it is standard for all Belstaff editions and optional on the others.
I guess they are going with comfort inclusions and driver aids in the US instead of useful stuff.