I fitted the towbar to my Panda today. I'd chosen the Umbra Rimorchi, removable towbar - the price was only 30 euro more than the fixed towbar and while I don't have a perceived need for a removable towbar, I thought it was worth a try at that price. I went for Umbra Rimorchi because it'd been recommended, though I should note that you find other brands recommended on here as well.

Umbra Rimorchi themselves were nice to deal with, though it was obvious the person I was dealing with was new to international sales and English wasn't her first language, however, she did her best and the negotiations and transaction went well. Just don't expect to do this in a mad, screaming hurry.

For Australians, if you're going to do an international money transfer (paying by Visa wasn't available though should be by now, they were just setting it up), get your bank to do it for you, it's a nightmare and even my bank found it tricky. The fee is something horrendous too. All up, it cost me just under $AU480 to buy the towbar and have it delivered to my work.

It's been said on here that the job will take only two hours - don't believe it. A mechanic experienced in fitting towbars will do it in two hours easily. Not so for a mug amateur who needs time to study things, time to find tools, time to find nuts and bolts to replace the fittings he broke, time to do things two or three times, etc. It took me six hours from starting to final washing of the paws, but I just pottered along and a sizable chunk at the end was spent trying to get the Thule bike rack to do what I wanted.

The pictures in the instruction sheet are large and sort of clear. The language is multi-lingual... in that there ISN'T ANY! That's right, no words, just pictures, though considering some sets of instructions I've struggled with, that's a massive improvement.

The job.
With piccies

First piccy, the poor dear, trembling in the shed, not knowing what was going to happen but scared it might sting a little.



There are screws underneath the wheel arches and these are tricky to get at with the wheels on, so I jacked her up and whipped the wheels off. Actually, this is a very smart move as you'll spend a lot of time on your back working under the car and the extra room is a godsend.

It's easy enough to put a trolley jack under the crossmember, lift both wheels off the ground, then place a worshop stand under either end of the crossmember. Wheel studs loosened before lifting, bricks (or similar) front and rear of the front wheels, car in first - having it fall on you would certainly add to the fitting time.



In each wheel arch, there are two screws holding the splash cover to the bumper, plus a torx screw right at the top corner holding the bumper to the body. Across the back and underneath, you have a small screw on each side, and two of those useless plastic clips arrangements in between. Said plastic clips were broken during removal (even the screw in the middle is low grade plastic). The final two screws are torx screws in the opening to the boot area, one on each side. Pretty obvious.

You need then to pull the bumper away from the body work. Looking at the photo below, you can see a series of lips - these feed into gaps between two body panels, it's sort of like feeding a sheet of cardboard in between two books. They pulled out easily enough, once you got them moving. I started at the front (wheel arch) corner and worked back towards the boot. You'll then have the whole thing try to land on your foot... but it can't because all the wiring is intact.



There are three wiring clips to undo - two on the left, one on the right. All very easy to unclip - just lift a tag and separate.



There is a line of wiring running across the rear crash beam. This is held in place with plastic clips that just pull out of the beam... or you can break them, you won't be needed them again.



The crash beam itself is held in place with three nuts on one side and four on the other. Very obvious. There's also a lot of goop used in the assembly and you need to break that. I simply undid the nuts, tilted the crash beam and tore it free of the goop. Once the crash beam was off, I used a chisel to scrape the goop free - easy job.





So now I have a crash beam surplus to requirements. Interestingly, the instructions show you throwing it in the bin.



You're supposed to unhook the exhaust pipe to give you more room to work. This is done by pulling a big, rubber donut off a hook. I did it by sliding a screwdriver in there and levering it off - if you look closely, you can see the screwdriver and how I used it.



However, I don't reckon it helped a great deal so if doing it again, I'd be tempted to leave it hooked up and only remove it forced to. Having said that, it's easy to get off and get back on again.

This next one is an interesting one. There's a round hole in the chassis rail with a square hole about 4" in front of it. You're provided with a strip of steel that has a bolt welded into the end of it. You have to feed it in through the square hole, then manoeuvre so that the bolt drops into the round hole.

This shows one strip fitted, with the other one held beside it.



Looking at it for the first time, it's a real 'oh yeah, as if this is going to work' moment, but after a bit of fiddling, the trick is obvious (you come in through the square hole and hold the strip with the bolt down) and the second one dropped right in.

There is a new mount either side for the new crash beam/towbar mount. These slip over the existing bolts (the ones used for the factory crash beam) and those bolts you just fitted to the back. They will only go on one side due to differences in the hole placing.

They are a little hard to see in this photo - you are looking for two large, black brackets.



Leave the brutes loose because the new towbar mount is a really tight fit between them. The towbar mount is also very heavy so having someone to help is good. I found the dog to be utterly useless, particularly as he slunk away once I started swearing.



Once fitted, I tightened everything up - nipped up at first to things a chance to settle into position, then pulled very tight. I found the tension wrench settings in the instructions about two hours after finishing the job so if you want to do it properly...

Yes, the towbar fittings themselves did come loose and hanging like that from the factory. Nor was it immediately obvious how it all fits together but once again, there's only one way it can go together and once tightened up, it looks like this.



I tested fitting the towbar itself a few times. Very easy... once you know how (that's right, no instructions). I also discovered that I don't have the key to lock it. Most annoying - let's hope my local locksmith is up to the job (one of the joys of being on the other side of the world).

Now it was time to refit the bumper.

You need to cut a piece out of it to go around the towbar mount. You could go mad trying to work out what you need to do from the instructions because they show a small, rectangular cut, then lots of other, much larger ones. They also show how to measure the small one up. Pfft. I simply mounted the bumper on the car (using only the two torx screws in the boot opening), slid underneath and marked the outer edges of the cut. The instructions said it needed to be 30mm wide, so I made it that wide (turned out to be perfect by 3mm).



I cut the peice out with my dremel - an easy way of doing it but don't run it at full revs like I did, you melt the plastic. I quick clean up with the file and she was ready to reinstall.

Re-installation was easy. I did the two torx screws in the boot opening first, pushed the bumper back into place, then remembered I hadn't plugged the wiring back in. Bumper off again, I plugged things in, then realised I hadn't secured the wiring to the towbar mount. Some zip ties later, I plugged in the wiring and remounted the bumper.

Once the torx screws in the boot opening were loosely installed, I fed those lips of the bumper into their groove, and tackled the screws in the wheel arches. Once they were done, I tightened the torx screws in the boot opening.

Now for the screws underneath. The two outer ones were easy - they just went into existing fittings in the bodywork.

The two inner plastic clips, that I'd already broken, hook into metal L brackets that hang from the towbar mount. There are a couple of issues here. The first is getting those L brackets into exactly the right shape. Mine needed removing a couple of times along with associated bashing and bending. Easily done but yeah, another half hour burt up doing something 'minor'. The second issue is having the right clip. Having broken mine, I used two gutter bolts.

Naturally, I checked that the gooseneck still actually fitted and worked as intended. Failing to do so is guaranteed to ensure that it doesn't. This time though, because I'd checked, it did, so I put the wheels back on and dropped her to the ground. I even remembered to put the plastic hub caps on first... after taking the first few nuts off so I could.

Thanks to the shadows, the mount may not be all that obvious - it looks like a small, round tube under the bumper, noticeable but certainly not offensive.



And here she is with the gooseneck fitted. A nice neat looking job methinks... though once again the shadows are working against me (what is it they say about black cats in dark rooms?).



You'll notice that I've said nothing about wiring up the plug. I'd ordered the Panda specific kit... and got a universal one. Maybe it doesn't make a difference. It even came with comprehensive instructions in English (and a few other languages), about fourteen kilometers of wiring in various hues and thicknesses and a scary little box. There are three or four different options for installation. To be honest, I was in no condition to try to work out what each one meant or indeed, if any were applicable, so I just sobbed quietly and put all that stuff back in the box. I don't need the wiring to carry my pushbike so I can save up to pay an autoelectrician to do it for me at a later date.

And that bike rack?

The Thule clipped right on as expected.

My bike fitted on as expected... which isn't a huge plus as I hate those rubber strap systems. These though, are chunkier than I've used before so maybe they will work. They even grabbed my steel framed bike - the thinner than 'modern' tubing means that often they don't fit.

Then I did battle with the stupid straps they've included to 'tie your bike down'. Those straps probably made sense in the marketing meeting but they do not work well in practice because they pull your bike back against the carrier and the pedal against the car. So I took them off and made my own.

In the photo, you'll also notice that I've got a second number plate - that's so that our loving government doesn't miss out on any speeding fines or red light camera fines and is required by law. Hooking it on with an occy strap like that isn't the best because it tilts upwards when driving and one day, Mr Plod will chat me for it, but it'll do until then.





Reversing with the bike on the back has the parking sensor in hysterics... and then it shuts down leaving a huge, yellow triangle sulking on your dashboard. Next time you start, you get a warning message and that same damned triangle however, if you don't have an obstruction and you put the car in reverse, the triangle goes out. This is going to drive me crazy as I have to reverse out of my driveway don't I, so I'm going to spend all my time with that triangle showing. Similarly for getting out of a car park. Can't say I'm happy.

Thus endeth the journey... for now. Sorry for the long post but I wanted it to be useful to someone else, even if not fitting the Umbra Rimorchi towbar.

I don't need a tow bar - but I did enjoy reading your post, it gave me a few laughs !!! Well done

Thank you! I've been tempted to fit a tow bar... and will do in the future so this is handy info. When you do get to doing the wiring, you should find that, if there's a trailer plug in the socket, it will disable the reversing sensors.
Pete

Herts Hillhopper said:

Thank you! I've been tempted to fit a tow bar... and will do in the future so this is handy info. When you do get to doing the wiring, you should find that, if there's a trailer plug in the socket, it will disable the reversing sensors.
Pete

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So maybe fit a dummy plug when I'm carrying the bike... which is everyday of the week. Shouldn't be necessary. I don't expect the reversing sensors to work when there's a bike there (for starters, there's a flamin' bike there) but I don't think it's unreasonable for the system to be able to handle it. It's not as though reversing sensors are new technology or I'm the first person to ever carry a bike on the back.

aussiepanda said:

... Shouldn't be necessary. I don't expect the reversing sensors to work when there's a bike there (for starters, there's a flamin' bike there) but I don't think it's unreasonable for the system to be able to handle it...

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The system doesn't know you have put a bike there - its just detecting something behind the car, close enough to hit if you went backwards. You need to help it know you know the bike is there. Is there an over-ride button (like on most other cars), or a menu option to disable (like on my Volvo)? I don't have the sensors on my Panda so don't know...

[later] No, unusually, there's not an override. The Fiat manual says they will be disabled by plugging in a trailer's electric cable (I think a dummy plug may not do it). It also says they will be triggered by the presence of a tow hook (the Panda has three sensors, one of which is in the centre, right where the tow hook is). The manual explains that a removable tow hook must be used on a car with reversing sensors, and the hook removed when no trailer is being used to prevent unwanted activation of the sensors. (page 88 and 89 of the owners manual)...

There's possibly something in the system that allows you to turn it off. Pity to though, it's darned useful with that high back and I'm often having to park in very tight places around work. Of course, a bike on the back makes a very good indicator that you've got too close

So you went with the UR bar - good stuff.

I had forgotten about the funds transfer thing -- I think I paid by Paypal.

The wiring - if it's the Right Connections kit - should be a dedicated kit for the Panda. At least that's what UR sold me. It does take some time to fit, but it's all plug and play.

Yes the sensors would drive you crazy I bet. With the trailer plug connected I never had that problem. I don't know how it senses that it's connected - presumable it needs to sense a current or resistance through the trailer wiring. Or something.

AusPanda said:

The wiring - if it's the Right Connections kit - should be a dedicated kit for the Panda. At least that's what UR sold me. It does take some time to fit, but it's all plug and play..

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Says 'Universal' on the box and there are a number of options

I'm guessing you fitted yours before refitting the bumper. Any thoughts on trying to fit the wiring with the bumper in place?

for what it's worth, I have a fixed bar on mine, with generic wiring AND Reversing Sensors. The fixed ball sits right in front of the middle sensor and I was concerned that it would shout at me every time I put it in reverse. But it doesn't. Tech who fitted it said he has seen this level of 'intelligence' before in that it can ignore signals from the centre sensor in situations like this. Maybe, or maybe he disconnected the wiring to it, who knows. Either way, the parking sensors overall still do what I expect with the fixed ball in place, regardless.....

.... but NOT when the trailer is hooked up. Reversing is accompanied by a screech each time, but it's not like I drive for miles in reverse, so I live with it. It saved me a quoted £150 though to keep the generic wiring as opposed to the Fiat-compatible one, so I can live with the odd screechy when going backwards for that kind of money!

aussiepanda said:

Says 'Universal' on the box and there are a number of options

I'm guessing you fitted yours before refitting the bumper. Any thoughts on trying to fit the wiring with the bumper in place?

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I don't know if you can wire it with the bar on -- it's been almost 18 months since I fitted mine.

I just checked the fitting instructions (Right Connections Electric wiring kit for towbars p/n 19050520RC for Fiat Panda 319) and you have to drill a 25mm dia hole through the car at the rear of the spare wheel well. I remember having to touch-up the hole with paint and when it dried the grommet on the dedicated loom was a snug fit.

Did UR not offer you a dedicated loom? I remember it was expensive but well worth it I thought. There was one connection (to the reversing wire?) that RC wanted you to attach with a scotch lock -- which I wasn't happy about -- but the rest was all matching plugs to the factory loom.

I specified a dedicated loom. The one I got is definitely universal and no matching plugs for the factory loom, just wires with bare ends that they expect you to join into the loom using those connectors that have a slide that cuts through both wires. Bugga.

I might have a solution to the parking sensor issue, though I'm going to have to discuss it with an electrician. Apparently the little box senses reverse by current in the reversing lamp circuit and turns off the parking sensors. I'm thinking that a dummy trailer plug might fool the box into the turning the sensors off. It's something else to plug in of course, but I tend to use the bike carrier every work day, or at least for a series of days at a time, so would leave it plugged in and only remove it when not needed for a few days. See what the sparky says anyway, he'll no doubt have a good reason why it won't work (I have no faith in my electrical understanding at all).

aussiepanda said:

I specified a dedicated loom. The one I got is definitely universal and no matching plugs for the factory loom, just wires with bare ends that they expect you to join into the loom using those connectors that have a slide that cuts through both wires. Bugga.

I might have a solution to the parking sensor issue, though I'm going to have to discuss it with an electrician. Apparently the little box senses reverse by current in the reversing lamp circuit and turns off the parking sensors. I'm thinking that a dummy trailer plug might fool the box into the turning the sensors off. It's something else to plug in of course, but I tend to use the bike carrier every work day, or at least for a series of days at a time, so would leave it plugged in and only remove it when not needed for a few days. See what the sparky says anyway, he'll no doubt have a good reason why it won't work (I have no faith in my electrical understanding at all).

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Perhaps get in contact with UR saying that you wanted the dedicated loom (quote the brand/pn from my post above) saying that was what they sent to another Australian customer and that's what you want.

You might have to top-up a bit for the unit and some shipping costs (to return the universal kit you have) but I think it's worth it, TBH.

If you have paypal it's a lot easier to sent them any payment too.

I've just been to chat with my auto-electrician and while it can be done, he'd rather not deal with the universal one simply because modern cars and their computers are so complicated - it's not simply a matter of cutting one wire into another. :bang:

I'm definitely getting on UR and am highly unimpressed with the whole deal. I requested a dedicated loom and can not see why I should have to pay extra or postage to get it. There's a message here - don't deal with people who don't speak your language very well.

Just sent an email to UR. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

The reply from UR?
Essentially: What we sent you is perfectly okay. We do sell a dedicated wiring set and if you want one, we can sell you one as well as the one you already have.

Oh, and they did warn that fitting needed to be done by a professional because of the complexity of the system which I accept after seeing my auto-electrician shy away like a horse from a flapping sheet (oh okay, not quite that bad).

My question: Why didn't they quote and supply the correct unit in the first place? Looks like I'll be either trying to get this one fitted locally or buying one from the UK :bang:

So my thoughts on UR?
I like the towbar, it certainly seems to have fewer parts to bolt together than something like the Witter (ie, fewer bolts to loosen over time)
I don't like dealing with the Italians... though they tried hard.
I think you're better off dealing with one of the UK firms, if only because their websites are a lot clearer and can't imagine that there's any real life difference in the product.

Had a chat with my Fiat dealer. He's encountered this before with the Panda - he was travelling with a dealer's number plate that obscured the reversing sensor (I think that was the story) and had to look into turning the parking sensor off - there is no way on the Panda. Try to reverse with an obstacle in place, very quickly, the system gives up and disables the sensors while throwing up a message on the dashboard along with that yellow warning triangle.

Interestingly, the 500 doesn't do this, if you want to reverse with the sensor beeping all the time, that's your problem.

I've taken the 'Universal wiring loom' to two towbar places. Both are willing to install it but neither are willing to mess with the parking sensor turn off function - in other words, if I reverse with a trailer, I'll be in the same boat. They are unwilling to do this because there just isn't enough information provided with the 'Universal wiring loom'.

In my 4x4, if I go into the menu I can turn down "alert sounds" all the way down, and the sensor beeps are included in this. That means that while I can't disable the sensors themselves, I can turn the beep all the way off, with the added bonus that it also silences that damned seat belt warning.

Unfortunately, my wife has gotten quite attached to parking sensors, which means their sound (and the seatbelt howl) stays on.

I've no problem with the sound of the beep, which dies in about half the length of my driveway as the system disables itself and throws that yellow warning triangle up on the dash anyway. It's weird (oh okay, it's 'Fiat') that the Panda system is different to the 500 system though (nice for the 500 owners seeing they got the good one).

Well, I've got my plug wired in. Finally found a towbar specialist that would tackle the 'Universal kit' but even then, could not get the parking sensors to disable when a trailer is attached.

So, if you're tempted to buy from Umbra Rimorchi, don't assume they are going to supply what you order, there's a good chance they won't, even though they do sell the correct unit but chose not to supply it. Also, they think they are right and it's then your problem.

Universal kit? Steer well clear. Despite being assured by UR that thousands of them are sold throughout Europe and no-one has a problem with them, the kit they supply does not perform as described. If they were an Australian company, I'd be having discussions with the Consumer Affairs about now but on the other side of the world in a foreign language just makes it too difficult.

Do yourself a favour, buy a Witter and be done with it.

aussiepanda said:

The reply from UR?
Essentially: What we sent you is perfectly okay. We do sell a dedicated wiring set and if you want one, we can sell you one as well as the one you already have.

.

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Did you say you would pay postage to send it back? Just realised, because it's an electrical item, perhaps that's why they won't accept it. Sell it on Ebay then?

Perhaps someone here who is fluent in Italian can write it in Italian for you so you can email them again -- so that they are clear about what you want to do?

Was it Anna you were in correspondence with?

If they do accept it (or you sell it locally and get the new loom), I'd get a Paypal account if you don't already have one. Makes payment much easier.

I think I had looked on their website, and at the time they were promoting the dedicated loom. As I knew I would be fitting it myself, I thought it was worth the extra $ to get it.