Anyone out there towing with VW Touareg V6 Disel, any advice regarding this vehicle as a tow rig would be appdictated, not a bad price second hand with low km.
We have had 3 Touaregs over the years and have a 23'6" Traveller Prodigy that is 3380 kg over the weigbridge and 275 kg ball weight
The 2008 had steel suspension and did not need WDH but was fairly thirsty by comparison to later models. Still 15 litres per 100 k is pretty good
The 2012 model had steel suspension and needed WDH ( must have different springs) but economy was 12.5 to 13 l/ 100 k from Melbourne to Karumba inland and return by coast last year a total of 10,600 kilometres
the current 2015 model has air suspension and does not need nor are you allowed to use a WDH
we have done a couple of trips Melbourne to Lightning Ridge and across to coast and back to Melbourne using 12.5 l/ 100 k
Melbourne to Batemans Bay and back via coast both ways used 15.1 l/100 k. But had reasonable headwind
the car does not feel the van at all and basically lock on cruise at 94 which seems to be sweet spot in the car
the car has trailer stability control that is activated when hooked up and works well
gear shifts are automatically changed as soon as van hooked up and makes it easy to drive without taking out of auto, the only time I do is on a downhill to use some engine braking rather than touching brakes
if the car you are looking at has a towbar make sure it is genuine VW as it then gets an extra electronic box that includes Trailer Stability control etc which you do not get with others such as Hayman Reese etc
Any question please send me a pm and I can give you my mobile
Thanks Fred K, I was looking at 2008 model with 80 to 100 km on the clock, can pick them up for around $30k, is servicing expensive, and is there any big items that have to be done at certain k's, like timing chain ect, are you able to carry a load on the roof eg small boat.
Bryan, parts availability in remote areas, is a problem that ALL of the modern vehicles face. It used to be true in the old days that there was a ready supply of parts available for some vehicles away from the major cities (mainly because they needed so many parts), but in recent times that has changed. A few factors have driven the change:
1. There is not much need for replacement parts, so it is not economic for the dealers to carry parts. Many do not even carry basic service parts, but order them in as and when required.
2. There are so many parts involved in the modern vehicle, and they change so rapidly it would not be possible for a dealer to carry all the parts that could break for even one model now.
3. There is a proliferation of makes and models on the road, so the range of parts just becomes enormouse, even within one make, there are dozens of models, and thousands of parts.
The old myth about buying a Land Cruiser because you can get parts anywhere, is just that a myth. If you look back through prior posts you will come across the tale of the Land Cruiser owner who had to wait a few weeks in a major centre for a water pump.
The real question we should be asking is how long will the manufacturer guarantee parts availability for?
My son has a VW Toureg that he tows a 25' van with. It seems to handle the towing duties well and is very comfortable. He had to have his front brake rotors replaced at 65,000 kms but apart from that it has just been regular servicing. He is very happy with his unit.
Geoff and Bev
Actual servicing costs are reasonable and possibly fractionally higher but service interval is 15,000 k
brakes are normally pad and disk replacement at same time and could get expensive, I did the last ones at 65,000 k so not too bad
roof rails are either factory fitted on some years and if not they have tracks built in for 100 kg
timing chain is not a replacement generally needed but the centre drive shaft bearing normally needs atention around 6 years or 100,000 k, if done by dealer they replace whole shaft a big $, but aftermarket replacement bearing is quite cheap. Fortunately I have not had to do one as I change every 2 - 3 years and around 90,000 k
