Urgent - Advice needed please C5

[fastjet]

Hi, I need some urgent advice please regarding tow bar electrics for my 2004 C5 hatchback.
I have had a dedicated tow bar wiring kit on order from Citroen for some time now. Today my Citroen dealer told me that the electrics remain on back order with no expected supply date. Apparently there are no electric kits in the UK warehouse or the French warehouse. Does anyone know where I can get one from or a suitable alternative.

[JohnD]

Can you find what you need here;- https://www.pfjones.co.uk/towbar-wiring ... -kits.html

I've wired two C5s for towing and on neither did I use dedicated wiring kits. Instead I used the recommended relays from Ryder towing. For fridge and caravan battery charging I made up my own wiring using two 17amp cables direct from under the bonnet.

[fastjet]

Thanks for the link. Believe it or not they charge £80 more than Citroen do for the genuine item. If I can't find anyone else I may have to pay over the odds.

[Paul-R]

Is this the one you're looking for?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CITROEN-C5-B ... XQvTlRhkLA

I came across these when I was looking for genuine electrics for my X7. That was last year so it's been on offer for a while. Out of interest the vendor also has a genuine kit for the estate car. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CITROEN-C5-M ... xyshFRdNgO

[fastjet]

Thanks Paul-R, I'll drop a line to them, looks promising.

[fastjet]

Hi, does anyone know if the salon tow bar wiring kit the same as the hatchback?
Thanks

[Paul-R]

Saloon is the hatchback. Also called berline in France. The other model variant is the estate car (break in France). There is no traditional 4-door saloon in the Mk1 and Mk2 (facelift) C5. It was only with the Mk3/X7 (2008 on) that the saloon became a standard 4-door with separate boot

Be careful not to confuse the 5-door hatchback with the 5-door estate car.

Now, assuming you mean the saloon and the estate, the electrics are not the same. The two links I posted are for the saloon and estate versions respectively. Exactly what the difference is I don't know.

[fastjet]

Hi Paul-R, thanks for your reply.
Confused? well I certainly was, Saloon is a hatchback clears up why all the wiring kits are for Saloons or estates. The Ebay link was very useful, I am just waiting for confirmation on what is actually in the kit. Do you happen to know what the 12S supply current is on the C5 wiring loom?
Thanks

[Paul-R]

Sorry, I don't. Unless you'll be using the auxiliaries circuit for a caravan and there are a lot of power hungry devices in there I doubt it will be a problem. I had a 12S socket on my Mk1 C5 and I can't recall ever using it.

[fastjet]

Thanks

[JohnD]

If you are hoping to use a caravan fridge on 12volt power you need to take a suitable cable directly from the car's battery. 2.5mm is the recommended diameter. A supply from anything less will give disappointing results temperature wise.

[fastjet]

Hi, thanks for all the advice.
This seems like a silly question but its better to check than get it wrong.
Am I right in thinking that a dedicated wiring kit does not need relays as it use the ones already fitted to the car for the 12n and 12s.
Thanks

[JohnD]

a dedicated wiring kit does not need relays

I've never used a dedicated wiring kit - although I've been fitting my towbars and wiring for 50 years past, but I don't know. However since the caravan fridge supply needs to know when the engine is running, surely it needs a voltage sensitive relay to let it know?

[JohnD]

a dedicated wiring kit does not need relays

I've never used a dedicated wiring kit - although I've been fitting my towbars and wiring for 50 years past, but I don't know. However since the caravan fridge supply needs to know when the engine is running, surely it needs a voltage sensitive relay to let it know? Is one included in the kit?

[fastjet]

Good point JohnD, thanks. I have also only ever fitted universal kits in the past with relays. I have been warned off fit a universal kit to a C5 as it can cause problems with the electrics. Although if I'm honest I am still considering going down the universal route as I will know exactly what I will be getting and what it can do.