Do you love your Audi?

Do you love your VW?

Do you love your BMW?

Do you love your Mercedes Benz?

Do You love your Skoda?

Do you love your German-engineered vehicle as much as we do?

 

At Australia Tow Bars & Performance, we love your German Engineered vehicle as much as you do and we want to look after your prized investment.

 

At our Sydney workshop, we lovingly take care of your vehicle and treat it with the respect it deserves. These are highly complex machines with more computerized systems in them than you care to believe. All of these systems are designed by the manufacturer to work together. When fitting a towbar to these vehicles, it is important that these computer systems continue to work together.

To achieve this, we approach the installation from the following perspectives:

 

1: We use only the best tow bars.

We have a choice of tow bars to suit various budgets and towing requirements and these tow bars are designed specifically for the vehicle they are to be fitted to. There is no cutting or drilling of the chassis and we utilise the vehicle manufacturers mounting locations.

Our preferred brand is Westfalia, since they are German Engineered and the oldest tow bar manufacturer. They invented the ball tow bar in 1932 and this has become the standard for vehicles around the world. Westfalia are also an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to Audi and VW amongst others. So we know their tow bars fit perfectly and work extremely well.

One of the major advantages of the Westfalia Tow bar system is the Vertical Detachable Mounting System. This allows for a ‘stealth install’ in most circumstances. If you have a high-performance version of a manufacturer's vehicle, think AMG Mercedes Benz, Audi S or RS, BMW M series, etc and you wish to tow your jet ski, the manufacturer will tell you that it can’t be done. We are here to say that it can, because we have.

The vertical detachable mounting system is extremely popular because it doesn’t spoil the beautiful lines of your luxury vehicle. In some instances, no cut is required and in other instances, the cut is very small. It certainly never compromises the structural integrity of the bumper bar and doesn’t affect any of the systems that are installed. This includes parking sensors, foot-activated boot opening, and closing systems, rearview cameras, lane assist, side assist or any other sensor system or control system.

Do you have a Mercedes C63 AMG or a Mercedes E63 AMG and want to use a bike rack? No problem.

Do you have an Audi RS3, Audi RS4 or Audi RS6 and want to tow your jet ski? Yes, it can be done.

Do you have a BMW X5 and don’t want to pay the exorbitant fees the dealer wants to charge, but you want to tow a horse float? We can help.

Do you need a tow bar for your Mercedes ML or GL (any series) to tow your trailer? Yes, we can and have installed tow bars on these vehicles.

We also carry other brands that cover different budgets and towing requirements. There are so many to choose from, that it is best to call 1300 237 690 and discuss your needs if you can't find what you need in our tow bar range.

 

2: We use only the best tow bar electrics.

Our preferred tow bar electrics are produced by Westfalia and these integrate perfectly with your vehicle’s electrical system. They are designed to work like an OEM part, since Westfalia are an OEM manufacturer to a number of German vehicle companies.

They integrate fully with the car’s electrics and computer systems and do not generate faults. They also inform the vehicles stability control systems and various other control systems, when a trailer is attached. By doing so, the vehicle can disable the rear parking sensors (if fitted), modify the reversing camera view and adjust the parameters of the stability control system to compensate for any effects introduced into the handling of the car, by the trailer.

At the very least, these modules are LED light compatible and will work with the vehicle’s central electric control module or body control module, to capture and isolate any bulb faults and display these on your dashboard.

It is amazing how many trailers in Australia have faulty wiring that often goes unnoticed and can result in fines or worse, accidents. By using high-quality tow bar electrics, we can help ensure you pickup on these faults before they cost you dearly.

We also have cheaper tow bar electrics, for those on a budget, who are just carrying a bike rack or a simple trailer. These are not nearly as integrated as the Westfalia tow bar electrics, but will do the job and not generate faults. But you will definitely miss out on the higher functions that you would expect in a premium German luxury vehicle.

 

3: We use manufacturer-certified installation techniques.

We have the electronic workshop manuals for every vehicle we work on. This allows us to follow the vehicle manufacturers procedures for disassembly and assembly of the vehicle. We follow these instructions to the letter, using the correct tools and techniques, so that whatever we remove, can be replaced without damage or subsequent incorrect function.

We use the following workshop software:

• AUDI: ELSA and ERWIN
• BMW – TIS (Technical Information System), WDS (Wiring Diagram System), ETM (Electrical Troubleshooting Manual)
• Mercedes Benz – WIS (Workshop Information System)
• VW: ELSA and ERWIN
• And others

Modern German luxury vehicles are incredibly complex, with very tight tolerances and precise panel lines. They have special clips, and fasteners that require specialist tools and knowledge to work with.

We have seen countless vehicles that have come in and been worked on by someone else and the condition of the vehicles is less than what the manufacturer intended. It affects the value of your vehicle and the safety and reliability. Panels squeak, and other noises are there that shouldn’t be. Clips and fasteners are missing, nuts and bolts are damaged. The list is long and scares us to think that this is the sort of work that is acceptable. Sometimes, even the owners will ‘have a go’ themselves and cause damage, without knowing it. Expect your new car warranty to be affected or even your extended warranty.

We take the time to make sure none of this happens as a result of any work we do on your vehicle. Quite often, we repair underlying issues that are uncovered as we disassemble your vehicle to perform the installation. Broken clips are replaced, the correct fasteners used and all cables and wiring are properly secured according to the design set down by your vehicle’s manufacturer.

We also find that on some vehicles, panels haven’t been properly fastened by the manufacturer, due to the speed at which the modern production line moves. We correct these issues as well.

All in all, when you get your vehicle back, it will be the same or better than when you left it with us. Expect it will have a professionally fitted tow bar.

 

4: We use the manufacturer certified software to scan and code your vehicle.

Before we do any work on your vehicle, we check it for any underlying faults or issues.

It often surprises customers that their vehicle, serviced according to the manufacturer’s schedule, still shows some faults or issues. These are sometimes ‘cosmetic errors’, ie errors that are peculiar to the vehicle being scanned and appear from time to time, which the manufacturer of the vehicle identifies as ‘cosmetic’, meaning they are something that can be ignored. Other errors are hard errors and are indicative of a fault or developing a fault. This sort of information might cost you a few hours of workshop time, in a dealer workshop, but we are happy to provide this information free of charge to our customers. It’s one of the many ways we try to offer our customers a better experience. We have helped a number of customers fix underlying warranty issues via these scans, that the vehicle manufacturer conveniently failed to mention at their last service.

We use the following Coding and Diagnosis software:

• AUDI: ODIS
• BMW: ICOM
• Mercedes Benz: Mercedes Benz Star Diagnostics
• VW: ODIS
• Porsche: PIWIS
• As well as VCDS, VAG CAN PRO, Autel MaxiSys and various other Diagnostics and programming tools.
• We also use the Westfalia programming tool, to quickly code your vehicle according to the Westfalia installation protocols and follow up with a scan using the manufacturer-specific diagnostics tools.

With the use of these tools, we are able to determine the condition of the vehicle before and after the tow bar system installation. It ensures that you receive your vehicle in the same or better condition than when we received it. It also means that we are able to program the vehicle to work with the tow bar system chosen. This ensures that the vehicle works as the manufacturer intended it to work, with a tow bar system fitted.

In the case of vehicles that the manufacturer didn’t think would have a tow bar fitted (think of the very high-performance vehicles in the Mercedes Benz AMG range, BMW M Series vehicles, Audi S and RS series, etc), we are able to use these tools to program the vehicle anyway, if a tow bar system has been designed to work with that vehicle. In these instances, we advise the customer to use their discretion about what the vehicle is capable of towing and to stay within the parameters of what the tow bar manufacturer has set as the towing limits. It is highly unlikely that you are going to want to tow a 3500kg trailer with your Audi RS3, but towing a jet ski or carrying a bike rack presents no problem whatsoever. If you stay within the limits of the specification, you will not have any issues. But then, that applies equally to all towing, for all vehicles.

 

5: We prefer to do the installation in our workshop.

Our workshop is fully equipped to manage the installation of your tow bar to the highest standards.

We have all of our tools and equipment and ample space in our workshop to install your tow bar system to the very highest standards. Your vehicle is secure at all times. Our installers know your vehicles and can offer any advice required about how to use your new tow bar system.

To make it more convenient for you, our workshop operates 7 days a week and offers an overnight installation service as well. Drop off your car in the afternoon and pick it up the next morning. Or bring it in on a weekend. Or bring it in early in the morning. We work around you. We service all of NSW from our Wetherill Park workshop and can provide a courtesy car if need be, for a small fee. Courtesy cars are in very high demand, so you would need to book in advance.

We can come to you if we must, as we offer a limited mobile installation service in special circumstances and the installation end result will always be the same but, we will not undertake a mobile installation if we don’t think we can offer the same quality as our workshop installation service.

 

6: We spend all of the time we need beforehand, to ensure you get the right product and information before you purchase anything.

We believe that Proper Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. It’s what we live by. We want you to ask any and all questions before you buy anything or commit to anything. The only silly question is the one that goes unasked.

We have confidence in our products and our service and we want you to have the best experience possible. We want repeat customers not because we need to do the job twice, but because we only have to do the job once. We receive a lot of our new customers via word of mouth that comes from the positive experience that you have.

It may seem that we go over the top for what should be a simple tow bar installation, but these days, there is no such thing as simple. Everything is complex. We understand this and aim to simplify the experience for you. Are other tow bar companies that committed to the customer experience? Are they that committed to ensuring your vehicle is treated with the respect it both requires and deserves?

 

7: We offer other value-added services in house.

We can tune your vehicle. We can add a trailer brake controller. We can supply all of your towing accessories as required.

Our tunes are great for adding mid-range torque to help with towing and fuel economy. Our trailer brake controllers let you legally tow a trailer greater than 750kgs if your vehicle meets the specifications to do so. We offer bike racks designed to work with your German vehicle.

 

Call us on 1300 237 690 and discuss your needs or email us.

 

We are here to help.

 

Australia Tow Bars & Performance