Technical Tow bar electrics on a September 2023 Doblo van.

[rover123mg]

Hi.
I'm on my 3rd new Doblo van - 2003/2011/2023 and have come across something I don't understand. I've never had any problems with the previous vans and have fitted tow-bars to them. However, with this new 2023 model I'm struggling. Fitting the actual tow bar was easy - easier than the previous two. I purchased a tow bar electrics kit, read the instructions, understood them and removed the trim and light clusters at the rear. And then came the problem. The looms for both the left and the right rear clusters have a tag on them that clearly says you should not splice into the wires leading to the cluster. I asked around and it was suggested that some modern vehicles have provisions made for tow bar electrics at manufacture as it is easier than retrofitting them. I noticed that on the left side under the side trim there was a unit that looks almost identical to the by-pass relay that came with the kit I purchased. Are the new models already provisioned with tow bar electrics and if so, where do I go from here? The wires from the van relay run forward when I would expect them to run rearwards. I don't want to splice my kit wiring into the van wires for fear or causing damage or a malfunction to the van's electrics. Any help would be appreciated.
rover123mg

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi

I don't know (too new..)

But a Search on here for
"towing electrics"

Found lots of threads.. Modern Ducato is the most likely to be of relevance to you


Good luck, please feel free to let us know how it goes

 

[The Panda Nut]

My wiring kit for the Panda just requires the unplugging of the loom from the lght units and plugging the loom in forst, the cars plug plugs into the loom.
I have wired quite a few bars with can bus and thin wires. I always pared the insulation and soldered the wires re insulating after. I suspect its to stop the use of scotch blocks that can cause a heap of issues. The current demanded for the signal wires to modern trailer multiway relays is so slight I have never found the car could detect that one was fitted. I have never used dedicated electrics until the new Panda, and found they are so much easier it was worth the money. The rear fog light and reversing light still require the cars wiring to be adapted though. I would invest in a dedicated harness to avoid any warranty issues on a brand new vehicle. Here is the firm I bought from. I wouldnt hesitate to recommend them. Very helpful place.

Towbar manufacturer: 30 years experience | ECS Electronics

ECS Electronics develops and manufactures a wide range of towbar wiring kits for every type of vehicle. Discover your kit in our online store!

www.ecs-electronicsuk.co.uk

 

[rover123mg]

My wiring kit for the Panda just requires the unplugging of the loom from the lght units and plugging the loom in forst, the cars plug plugs into the loom.
I have wired quite a few bars with can bus and thin wires. I always pared the insulation and soldered the wires re insulating after. I suspect its to stop the use of scotch blocks that can cause a heap of issues. The current demanded for the signal wires to modern trailer multiway relays is so slight I have never found the car could detect that one was fitted. I have never used dedicated electrics until the new Panda, and found they are so much easier it was worth the money. The rear fog light and reversing light still require the cars wiring to be adapted though. I would invest in a dedicated harness to avoid any warranty issues on a brand new vehicle. Here is the firm I bought from. I wouldnt hesitate to recommend them. Very helpful place.

Towbar manufacturer: 30 years experience | ECS Electronics

ECS Electronics develops and manufactures a wide range of towbar wiring kits for every type of vehicle. Discover your kit in our online store!

www.ecs-electronicsuk.co.uk

Thanks PN. The electrics kit I purchased (which came with the tow bar and which is recommended for the Doblo model) is exactly the same as the one from ECS Electronics even down to the number of tie-wraps. I think it is something basic, something simple that I am overlooking. The attached label is what is causing the problem. To me it says don't splice in tow bar lighting wires. Caution - go to - a manual. But which manual? There's nothing relevant in the Owners Manual. I think varesecrazy hit the nail on the head - too new!! There's not enough info out there yet on the new model.

I guess those that wanted a tow bar fitted had it done on delivery - and paid the price. I reckon I'll have a word with 'Fiat aftersales' or go back to the mechanics at the dealers.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I would say yes you dont splice in that way. The relay on a dedicated kit does not require any splicing into the wires, You unplug the plug off thevehicle lighting unit and plug in a harness from the relay. There is a socket to plug the cars wiring in to that harness plug. You should not need to splice into any wires except the rear fog and the reversing light. The towing socket wires are then attached to the relay as per normal. Either 7 or 13 pin dependimng on what you ordered. I always go for the 13 pin as the sockets are made properly and plast. They also lock the plug from the towed item in to the socket.
The RFL and reversing lights have to be spliced and the relay switches the car RFL off when the towing socket is in use.

 

[rover123mg]

My wiring kit for the Panda just requires the unplugging of the loom from the lght units and plugging the loom in forst, the cars plug plugs into the loom.
I have wired quite a few bars with can bus and thin wires. I always pared the insulation and soldered the wires re insulating after. I suspect its to stop the use of scotch blocks that can cause a heap of issues. The current demanded for the signal wires to modern trailer multiway relays is so slight I have never found the car could detect that one was fitted. I have never used dedicated electrics until the new Panda, and found they are so much easier it was worth the money. The rear fog light and reversing light still require the cars wiring to be adapted though. I would invest in a dedicated harness to avoid any warranty issues on a brand new vehicle. Here is the firm I bought from. I wouldnt hesitate to recommend them. Very helpful place.

Towbar manufacturer: 30 years experience | ECS Electronics

ECS Electronics develops and manufactures a wide range of towbar wiring kits for every type of vehicle. Discover your kit in our online store!

www.ecs-electronicsuk.co.uk

Thanks PN. The electrics kit I purchased (which came with the tow bar and which is recommended for the Doblo model) is exactly the same as the one from ECS Electronics even down to the number of tie-wraps. I think it is something basic, something simple that I am overlooking. The attached label is what is causing the problem. To me it says don't splice in tow bar lighting wires. Caution - go to - a manual. But which manual. There's nothing relevant in the Owners Manual.

I would say yes you dont splice in that way. The relay on a dedicated kit does not require any splicing into the wires, You unplug the plug off thevehicle lighting unit and plug in a harness from the relay. There is a socket to plug the cars wiring in to that harness plug. You should not need to splice into any wires except the rear fog and the reversing light. The towing socket wires are then attached to the relay as per normal. Either 7 or 13 pin dependimng on what you ordered. I always go for the 13 pin as the sockets are made properly and plast. They also lock the plug from the towed item in to the socket.
The RFL and reversing lights have to be spliced and the relay switches the car RFL off when the towing socket is in use.

Thanks PN. This sounds promising. Can I ask where you found that diagram you attached? That seems to be what I'm missing in my instructions. I can't do anything to the van until Thursday but I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Its part of the ECS manual. Is your kit plug in type. If so I could PM you a copy of the full thing it might help but cant upload it as its copyright.
Have a look at Ryder towing web site I think they have info. ESC may do downloads.

 

[rover123mg]

Its part of the ECS manual. Is your kit plug in type. If so I could PM you a copy of the full thing it might help but cant upload it as its copyright.
Have a look at Ryder towing web site I think they have info. ESC may do downloads.

Thanks again PN. No, my kit is not the 'plug-in' type, it is the 'splice in' type I know the problem!!!
My purchase of the tow-bar (pleased with - perfect fit) and electrics was through Ebay from a vendor in Germany. Even with the tax it appeared an economical buy. I didn't clock that the feedback score of the vendor was 92.5% meaning that nearly one in ten people were dissatisfied. (It might not be the vendors fault.) The advert assured me that the tow bar and electrics were compatible with my model. The advert title was:

Towbar fixed for FIAT Doblo 06.2022- + 7pin universal electrical-kit NEW CAR FP​

The picture of the box the item came in says: For FIAT Doblo 06.2023- including electrical kit, 7-pin universal.
Further down the advert was the 'compatibility table'. My model was the 3rd one down in the list:

for vehicle length [mm] 4403

Fiat

Doblo

2023

Diesel Van-Based MPV

BlueHDi 100

FWD -- 510_,511_

1499cc 75KW 102HP --

That's why I purchased it.
Then came the problems. On further research I found what looks like the required item:

Towbar fixed for FIAT Doblo 06.2022- + 7pin specific electrical-kit NEW​

Specific! That's what I need and from the pictures on the side of the box it looks the required parts too. I've messaged the vendor 12 hours ago - no response. The point is that the vendor is saying the universal kit is compatible with that model when myself (and Fiat) are saying it is not. No doubt I'll end up purchasing the correct kit, without a refund but it's the time and heartache I regret. The good news is that I didn't splice in to the wiring loom which might have created all sorts of problems - or would it?? I'll let someone else try that. Thanks again for your help. You were right on it with your last post asking whether my kit was the plug-in type.
I'll be making a small donation to the forum.
Regards, rover123mg

 

[The Panda Nut]

I decided to donate to get rid of the adverts, and I am very pleased with the results. Worth every penny. If you have a good towbar supplier locally and talk to them about a dedicated kit they might be helpful with information that will help. I still dont understand why the universal kit wont fit but as its a new vehicle a plug in typre avoids warranty issues. Glad your heading in the right direction now and wish you good luck. I was very happy with ECS and would use them again.

 

[rover123mg]

After further research and a response from the vendor I am now informed that the 7-pin kit I purchased will fit my Doblo so the vendor was quite correct. The problem is that fitting the universal kit rather than the specific kit will invalidate the warranty. I ordered the cheaper option and will pay more in the long run. So it's all down to what you think the remaining warranty is worth.

 

[The Panda Nut]

After further research and a response from the vendor I am now informed that the 7-pin kit I purchased will fit my Doblo so the vendor was quite correct. The problem is that fitting the universal kit rather than the specific kit will invalidate the warranty. I ordered the cheaper option and will pay more in the long run. So it's all down to what you think the remaining warranty is worth.

Thanks for updating. It will only invalidate anything related to its fitting. If you are careful it wont be a problem. I always removed insulation and soldered the wires in so they cannot come loose insulate each one and ten a strip of the loom so its totally sealed and I doubt you will have an issue. I think you need the correct tool to make the multi connector work so take care with this. I dont have the tool and ruined two of these before writing them off. I have done tow bars on a lot of cars over the years, at least 50 and at least 6 have been can bus wiring. I have neever had any problems relating to these. I always fuse the main feed to the relay at both ends of the wire just to be super safe. Take the normal precautions when wiring and you should be fine. Any main feeds, use some sleeving round the power feed cables from the battery to the relay.