C5 X7 Tourer tow bar

[2cvandy]

Hi all, quick question (I hope)
Looking for a tow bar for my 2012 2.2 HDI Tourer.
In the past I've fitted a few myself, but my old bones aren't too keen on lying under the car these days so I've been looking for an installer (I'm in France).
I've found one reasonably local and their web site says my car needs a Citroen specific wiring harness ( which they can supply for an extra 100 euro ), but their fitter says it doesn't need one and the universal wiring harness that comes with the bar will do the job just as well.
Thoughts ?

[Sloppysod]

The benefit of a dedicated control until is that it interacts with the car, adjustments are made to the suspension and ABS to name just two. This is the much safer option, remember if you are unlucky to get into a "trailer sway" you need all the help you can get.

Make a point of hunting down the correct nose weight you need for your Citroën, normal cars are just off (5-10kg) balance towards the nose, my Citroën, if I remember correctly was about 50kg at the nose.

The non dedicated control systems, those that just take a live feed to activate a small relay do not.

[2cvandy]

Thanks for the reply, this is what the supplier's web site has to say, which tbf I took to mean this was needed for my car, but their own fitter says not. I just thought I'd check before going back and insisting they use the correct harness.

" This original type harness option (sometimes called a specific harness) offers a tailor-made solution for your car model.
The electrical configuration is 100% preserved by managing the radars and reversing camera as well as the various driving aids (ESP, emergency braking, etc.), which the universal harness cannot manage.
If your vehicle is equipped with this type of driving aid, we recommend this option. In certain cases (for example for vehicles equipped with emergency braking in reverse), this option may be made mandatory to prevent the detection of the ball from putting the vehicle at fault.
This type of harness is connected to the vehicle's original connectors. However, it may require programming using a diagnostic tool. If necessary, programming of the harness is included in this package. "

I'm not too worried about trailer sway tbh, it'll only be pulling a small motorbike trailer anyway, but I've towed a lot of stuff of all sizes over the years ( HGV class 1 ). I'll cope

[PaulC5]

If you go for the Citroen harness I would expect fitting time to be a lot less than a universal one with connections to the various lights wiring. Hence the labour cost ought to be less so could offset the higher parts cost.

[2cvandy]

Thanks for the thought, but that's not how they work.
Towbar is 700 Euros including wiring and fitting, if I want the original spec wiring it's 100 extra, so 800 euros.

[Sloppysod]

....... I'm not too worried about trailer sway tbh, it'll only be pulling a small motorbike trailer anyway, but I've towed a lot of stuff of all sizes over the years ( HGV class 1 ). I'll cope

It's up to you of course, but I have experienced trailer sway, ½ ton of sand behind Xantia, and it was not fun!

• The bike on your trailer has a high center of gravity therefore may be more prone.

• I assume the trailer has been designed to be 'balanced' when loaded, I suggest a box with a bag of sand at the trailer front to give a better, nearer the required nose weight. The Citroën suspension tends to try to always push up when loaded, hence the higher nose weight.