Why Do German Car Manufacturers Make It SO HARD To Tow?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ธ.ค. 2024
- ( duckco.com/tfl... ) Check out TFL's apparel store! In this video, we try to tow with the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. Only...there's a problem. If you try to tow right after buying one of these cars, you're going to hit an issue.
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#VW #Atlas #Towing
Being a German vehicle, I'm surprised that the adapter doesn't require programming at the dealer.
Dude, no kidding!
This is hilarious
That's German engineering!
Germans always over complicate stuff.
That's interesting. In germany we usually have a round 13-pin connector on new cars. I think the 7-pin is an older design but rarely used in Germany nowadays (only on older trailers). An US-designed and US-built vehicle should definitely have the american standard socket when sold in the US... Not only that, but in Germany we don't even get the Atlas.
Americans can't pronounce Touareg so we get the Atlas.
So the connector that comes on this vehicle doesn’t connect to anything. Just curious what do the extra 5 pins of the 13 pin in Germany control over the 7 pin?
@@supporterofsanity I think those extra pins are mainly for rear foglights, permanent power for a caravan and communication (might be a CAN bus but I'm not sure).
@@andreasbayer and just for extra lights I guess
@@supporterofsanity it might be the old german style (7 pin) connector. But I think (hope) this could be a pre production car and normal cars might have this external connector suiting the local style. Should not be a problem for volkswagen (or any other company)...
This is a female and this is a female; it just doesn't work.
- Andre
Correct 😀
😂
Omg lol
You forgo the “,2020” after his name.
This reminds me of apple products. They look nice but you need adapters for just about everything.... Poor design
Intentional design man. How will you sell air pods if you have a headphone jack? get rid of it. How will you sell split adapters for the bottom charge connection to use it? dont make it a USB C port. That's what I would call "predatory design".
Yeah, as opposed to Android phones which are only coming with USB-C connectors. Which requires you to use Bluetooth which has been around for over a decade, or.....using....an adapter. Go back to chasing kids off your lawn with a can of Duff:Hatorade in your other hand, Grandpa.
@@BelowMeGoggle oh no, did I touch a nerve there sunshine? So mean...
@@SoWeird4U whatever it takes to justify your hypocrisy, Fandroid
5:49 giant Andre lol
splewy Andre The Giant to be precise:)
This comment deserves many likes 😂
That is the connector behind every GM, Ford, Ram pickup or SUV 7 pin plug. This allows worn 7 pins to be replaced if the have bad pins. This connector also allows manufacturer to market area adapt vehicle easily by using the correct bumper plug and nothing else is changed on vehicle harness. Sold at AutoZone and OReilly’s. Industry standard tow light plug.
Curt 55415-$12 on Amazon its a USCAR standard for IS cars and Toyota not german
It’s the Pollak 11-893P 7-pin adapter. You then need a 4-pin adapter to plug in for use on most trailers. I have both items for my Atlas Cross Sport, with the 7-pin connector installed where the blank plate was.
If you get the higher trim level Cross Sport, it comes installed from VW. And by the way, go to Amazon a pay about $12.00, NOT $53.00.
👍 thanks
I have a 2020 atlas and it comes with the standard 7 pin. However I do need and adapter for the 4 pin
I believe that’s a dealer installed option.. I know when I was working at our VW dealership we installed the adaptor on all the new Atlas’s during the PDI’s... maybe it just wasn’t put on this particular car since it’s a press car? 🤔
Exactly my thoughts! I remember working at a dealer and would occasionally catch little things that were not installed and still in a plastic bag in the trunk.
I love the tip for the top view reverse cam! I haven't tried that with my Atlas yet.
I have a tip for the adapter installation. You can get the Pollak 11-893P RV 7-Way Socket (Oem Style) for roughly $10 on Amazon. Much cheaper that the dealer part, only 4 screws to remove the blank-off plate and install the adapter, and takes less than 15 minutes to install. Also, there is a brake controller wire hidden behind the driver side kick panel that makes installing the brake controller easier. Tekonsha makes an adapter (part number TK22FR available on e-trailer) that connects to the factory harness so no need to cut and splice.
Guys, here is some information for you. I am a German, living in Germany. I drove VWs almost all my life. Here we use trailers a lot, because pick up trucks are not so popular. However, that connector you showed is not the european standard. The european standard has 13 pins, not 7. The connector is a factory standard. The Atlas shares the electrical system with many other cars like the Tiguan. And these are sold everywhere. So, the Atlas might not be sold in Germany, unfortunately 😪, but its electrical system is sold worldwide inside of different cars. With the adapters (the two package) the system adapts to the local standard.
Towing wiring and all is an option. That particular unit just doesn’t have that option box checked.
My 2019 Atlas has the Towing Package, and I had to buy and install the connector, exactly as shown. It's a sore subject because I didn't notice until it was too late and had to borrow another tow rig because I couldn't connect the trailer lights. I understand that some dealers have gotten tired of the complaints, and install the adapter in vehicles that have the tow package before the customer gets mad about it.
Ford does the exact same thing, it is because the connector that you plug the trailer wears out and you can easily replace it without having to replace a major section of the harness or hack the ends of the wires. Both my F250 and Expedition have an adapter exactly like that. They just came from the factory with it installed.
That's not a European 7-pin plug, but probably a VW specific connection so it can be fitted with different plugs.
The European 7-pin (ISO1724) looks like this: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1-1111-Anhaeng_buchse_7-pol-ISO1724.jpg
Thanks for correcting that
Wait!! Go back in Tommy just brought Lunch lol
I agree with Nathan on the plug - so dumb that it doesn’t come with it. Truly I’m not surprised it’s like buying an appliance and having to buy a power cord!
German cost cutting at its finest
you can get these adapters on amazon for about 15 buck for the 7 pin.
MyAudi Q7 came without adapter as well. Ordered it on Amazon for $15 and took only a few minutes to install.
Is it really an adapter? On my Colorado there is a plug which plugs into the back of my 7 way plug which enables you to disconnect it to remove the bumper. I wonder if that plug is the same type of thing. Easier to wire all the vehicles and add the correct plug to the ones with that option. Car manufacturers do things like that all of the time.
Sorry but that is NOT the European 7 or 13 pin connector... My guess is that the car has the option "ready for trailer hitch" and not the complete package.
Good guess but incorrect. It has the hitch and upgraded trans cooler and wiring. Just need the adapter that VW cheaped out on including on a $35-45k vehicle.
Same problem with my Ranger wildtrak. All trailers in Oman use American 7 pin, Ranger uses European standard. I had to get rewiring done on my car.
It's actually more complicated than just rewire. Germans have different wiring standards regarding indicators and reverse lights on the trailers. The brain box of the towing package will get confused if you plug in an American break controller into a European standards car. So had to do some serious wiring gymnastics to make it work
Bought the adapter from on online company for $13. Took like 30 seconds to install.
I just recently purchased a new atlas. Where did you find the adapter?
I like how Dathen puts his seat belt on to back up ten feet. Lol
So the car wouldn't be beeping the whole time
This is by far one of my favorite auto channels!!! Awesome work everyone. This team kinda has the same chemistry as Clarkson, Hammond and May have.
When backing up to a trailer the breaks lock up an it won’t let you what opinions do I have to change
I have found this same adapter on Amazon for 12 bucks. Been towing with it for over 6 months now.
Link please?
I’d checked in rear spare compartment. The car may have came with one.
i install hitches at u haul and the german cars are on the hole the must difficult. we cant do wiring on audis because theres some computer that controls the taillights and it doesnt like to work with our harnesses. the standard hitch and wiring we install is a 4 pin flat
Why is a trailer brake controller needed? Why don't larger trailers have that hydraulic thing that brakes the trailer when you brake?
That trailer has electric brakes, like most 20k lb and under trailers. There are some kits that use an electric pump to get hydraulic brakes - which are more effective than electric, most of those are aftermarket. Some, mostly boat trailers, and inertia hitches that effectively push a mechanical actuator that enage hydraulic brakes. Problem is these systems are famous for turning on when you don't need them, and going through brake pads like no other.
You don’t NEED a trailer brake controller to tow a trailer with electric brakes. The trailer brakes will still work as long as your vehicle has 7 pin wiring. You just won’t have any control over how strongly the trailer brakes. My truck without a brake controller defaults to using a lot of trailer brake force.
@@splewy thats not always true. I have yet to see a vehicle with a 7 rv blade connector without a brake controller, that actually provides any power over the trailer brake blade.
bdreed85 That doesn’t make sense. Why even have a 7 pin connector if it doesn’t provide power to the trailer brake pin? That’s the whole point of having a 7 pin versus a 4 pin, since the additional 3 pins on the 7 pin are for trailer brakes and two optional functions very few trailers use (reverse lights and accessory 12v). That’s also the reason the 4 and 7 pin connectors are so different, so you can’t plug a trailer that requires brakes into a vehicle that doesn’t provide trailer brake power. So I’m pretty sure a 7 pin connector that doesn’t provide trailer brake power would be illegal.
@@splewy look back at many trucks built and sold from 1999 to 2007. It might even apply to trucks sold now without a brake controller - which probably isn't many. GM sold a separate wiring harness for connecting a brake controller to their 1999 to 2007 trucks. Without this harness and controller, nothing came through the brake blade on the 7 blade connector. The additional 3 are not all for brakes, one is for electric brake, another for constant 12 v power, and another for reverse lights. Legal, there aren't laws that I'm aware of that require the manufacturer to have a brake controller functioning when selling a vehicle. Its the vehicle owners responsibility if they need it.
7:13 Whoa hey, this is a family show
My US made 2021.5 Atlas came with the proper 7 pin plug. Basically they have fixed this issue.
Anybody know what part number is that 7 pin adapter, im searching all the web and i dont find it 😅
Fun fact: when east and west Germany come together, we have the same connectors because of having same standards
even separated over decades by the wall
free world and communists
Is thata USCAR socket?
So strange that you in the US use electric brakes that need a controller. Here in Europe trailers only have mechanical brakes that work with the force of the towhitch for perfect brake application.
Soooo the Amazon one for $13 won’t work?
Prodigy RF is great - I am not sure about your zip-tie solution as the sensors may need a fixed position to function properly (and theft.) I thought the idea behind the RF was to permanently mount one to each trailer and you can use one wireless controller for all trailers and all vehicles? Unless your trailer is a rental then ignore this comment.
I got a boat amd trailer that is 6k and it doesn't have brakes on it
Good video, I have a 2020 Rockwood 15 TB single axle approx 3500 loaded travel trailer, 360 lb tongue weight, that I tow with a 1999 Infiniti, 3.3 V6, tow rating 5,000 lbs, high mileage. I avoid steep mountain passes and do fine going to the Oregon coast. I also have a VW Routan that I love but is not rated to tow the trailer. I have a rear view camera on my trailer that works when I have the headlights on and is powered through the 7 pin connector U Haul installed. I hsve a weight distribution hitch and in considering the Atlas, which I like, view as having similar horsepower, I have read I can not use the weight distribution hitch spring bars or will void the warranty. Is this true? I have the Prodigy also and a blue tooth controller. Viewing the tandem axle trailer in your video it appears not too much sag so wonder how my single axle trailer would sit without the spring bars connected and if still safe to tow? No sway wanted, and my trailer tows wonderfully, I have not tested it without the spring bars on my Infiniti, obviously want to know how the Atlas might perform.
sharing the problem with wonderful way with perfect solution
Do it on the Ike! Love the thumbnail with the teeny bike on the giant trailer! Also, is that Prodigy controller really just zip tied to the trailer?
LOL You 2 make a good team. The facts, the fun, the TFL on the run. How much better can it get? Thanks for the well thought out content. :)
How about do a comparison with the atlas cross and the touareg y'all have and see the difference
May I tow? “Nein!”
i agree with nathan it should come with 4 and 7 pin hook up .if you dont know that volkswagon has you by the_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ P
Your using a manufacturer demo, hence manufacture plate. So could be for over seas. Buy one off a lot and try it again. It’s a better hitch than comes on the Model X.
Well obviously the first place to look in is the owners manual.
Yes that is a European type connector and yes there is an adapter for it. I live in a country where there are countless US vehicles as well as lots of European vehicles as well . The European way of doing things is simple and straightforward one double size and 50 mm and Basically one connector for light trailers . Even if the vehicle is built in the US for the US market that does not mean parts like wiring harnesses will be specific for one country and I’m sure the car gets Lots of its parts from Europe and elsewhere.
Amazon "Polack adapter" same as whats sold at Volkswagen for $50.00 sold for $10.00. Takes 10 minutes to install
That top view for camera guidance looks like a Touareg instead of an atlas lol
Why does the car have a Michigan plate...
It's a press vehicle Volkswagen provides and their press fleet is in Michigan. Despite their having their US headquarters in Virginia.
my 2019 VW (purchased brand new) came with this hookup from the dealership (I just ordered the tow package). I actually thought I needed to order this pollak adapter separately based off everything I've seen online, so I got one off Amazon and went to put it on my atlas and boom...it was already there.
well i guess each dealers charges different prices.
I think it’s funny Nathan puts his seatbelt on just to back up to the trailer. 😂
Probably company insurance reasons
probably doesnt want that annoying dinging noise while filming
Just buy the $20 adapter on amazon.
It should come standard especially if the vehicle is designed for Merica
Just buy a different vehicle
@@ernestochavez5106 that too
@@ernestochavez5106 I'm not a fan of the atlas, it's a real shame the Touareg didn't make it back to America, because it is a great vehicle.
Gentlemen the 7US and the sevenpin European connector are as different as Night and day😃
Ich könnte verstehen, einen europäischen Abschleppadapter für den europäischen Markt zu verwenden, aber für den nordamerikanischen Markt sollte das Auto bereits mit dem amerikanischen Standard-Anhängergeschirr geliefert werden (ohne Aufpreis für den Kunden).
(English) I could understand using a European towing adapter for the European market, but for the North American market, the car should already be delivered with the American standard trailer harness (at no extra cost to the customer).
i worked at an rv dealer for a few years... if you think german vehicles make it hard to tow, try installing a fifth wheel hitch on a new ram
Something is clearly wrong, I am in an out of the dealership on a regular basis, I’ve owned 15 plus vws, plus I have several friends who work at different dealerships and none of us have ever seen this on any vw. This has to be an option that a customer requested.
That is NOT a European 7 pin connector. They look different. And by the way you hardly find the 7 Pin in germany because the most Vehicles come standard with a 13 pin connector.
Why does it seem like all these "issues" are known in advance and then they act like they are solving them on the fly? So that was the first time you realized the wiring was different? And the plate just happened to be unscrewed? And Andre just happened to have the correct adapter? Which was in the factory package still?
Our Macan came with the US 7 pin socket... *shrug*
A 7 pin plug we use the same in Australia
buy the connector on amazon, for 17.00$ dealer charges you 75.00$
Same reason VW make changing ur own oil difficult. This is why I don’t buy VW.
The answer is simply because it wasn’t meant to tow a big trailer with a heavy load!
Whhhaaaattttt!!!!???? Tfl bike. Oohh yeah gonna sub right now.
The ending makes me remember Johnathan Winters "...a girl's bike"
Now this is some valuable information. And for some reason VW doing this strikes me as rather sleazy.
That is the German answer. You have to pick your adapter. 7 pin or 4 pin? You can not have both!
Why difficult? That's a ISO1724 connector. 1.-The fact you use a 4-way or 7-way US spec connector doesn't mean the rest of the world use that. 2.-most probably all the wiring of the Atlas is made somewhere within EU. 3.- What is weird is the adapter is not included with the towing package.
Why does the North America not use ISO1724 because its a new standard enacted back in 2003. While the 4 pin and later 7 pin Heavy pin were designed Nearly 50 years ago.
Because they're overpriced overhyped over engineered junk
Just a question, why doesn’t Volkswagen offer the Porsche Cayenne GTS V8 as an option on the atlas?
Das boot is weighing you down still eh Nathan?
Let's see an ike gauntlet VW Atlas vs Subaru Ascent towing 5k lbs!
Sadly, that's not gonna happen since Subaru blacklisted TFL.
So Subaru won't send them one. What is to stop them from finding an owner willing to lend them one for the test?
Has anybody but me wondering how they came upon that bike? 🤔
What did VW say when you contacted them? File a complaint with VW North America.
need 4 inside plus a few golden retriever or labs then see it it tows 5000lbs
VW lost a point for that problem
You need an adapter on a NA only car? What a Fing fail.
hey tfl, is nathan ok? he seems to breathe heavily😥
its a mile above sea level... he's not used to it yet, he has only been there for twenty years
German cars are expensive crap.
@Bryan M they are unreliable, expensive to repair and over engineered
@Bryan M what kind of car did you have before you bought the VW? and how long ago... if you had a Fiat or Cadillac the VW is going to seem very reliable... now if your last car was a Camry you are in for a rude awakening
@Bryan M You are so full of shit your eyes are brown. I agree...I cannot afford German cars because they are expensive crap. You are also right....I am poor and can only afford Toyota...like my new Tundra.
@Bryan M nobody drives neons😂😂😂
@Bryan M if you say so. I cannot afford the 💩
German engineering at its finest. If you remember when the Volkswagen Touareg first appeared; Volkswagen claimed something like 7500 pound towing capacity. It was complete nonsense, it couldn't be done. Lawsuits were filed by customers who purchase a vehicle believing what Volkswagen told them about towing their trailers. Of course Volkswagen denied responsibility even though it was clearly their fault.
Because Americans are serious about our towing. If you claim 7500 lbs you know people are gonna ride right up to that limit or break it on occasion.
Species 8472 yes, but in this case you couldn't even get close. The car could not handle anything like the amount of tongue weight required
They make it hard because their drivetrains are made of glass and they don't want you to tow anything.
Great job guys, the acting is getting much better 😀
I count 7 pins.
You need to add a new channel. TFL SUV. This content doesn’t belong on TFL Car
TFL channels names are a mess. Some SUV video on "truck" channel, some on "now", only few end up on this one. BTW, what happened with TFL Off Road from Canada, where's Stephen?
@@nenadmil He now has his own channel, Truck King.
All that and you didn't tow.
Too complex
Cool
Since when? Most of them have electric tow bars that retract and release with a button. It's Americas fault for the strange tow hitches used not the Germans. Everyone else uses the normal thing then the US has something different. Why is it that you guys don't get the electric ones? A GLC, GLE, GLS etc for example, have electric ones. Touch a button and they pop out.
The german hitches can't handle any tongue weight. The german hitch Design sucks. Everyone else fuses the 2" square hitch. I am german, automitive engineer and staying that. Germans know a lit about going fast but nothing about towing. Just look at the 1940's trailer brakes still used in Europe. Total carp! All row vehicles should have the us hitch with trailer brake controller! Much better setup that the "I don't want to get my hands dirty" fancy useless german hitches that are not even hight adjustable!
@@ralfhiller9043 You just need to load a trailer properly. I've seen people towing 3,000 kg caravans with those normal European hitches. They work just fine. During testing, they test the cars with trailers. You can't tell me they don't know anything about towing otherwise their cars wouldn't be so good at it. These American hitches are cumbersome and untidy.
@@SDav21 the us hitches are universal, not car specific. Much more usable. If you lift your vehicle in Germany you can't tow anymore because the hitch is too high. I have lunch ed it the US and towed a lot an the us trailers with more tongue weight tow much better than the EU trailers. Same with tow vehicles, tow with a fullsize truck and you see what stable towing is, the EU cars are much worse for towing. That is why I now only have US tow vehicles in Germany with the US hitch. If you think a Mercedes tows well, tow with a fullsize us truck or suv and you will see how much more stable they are! And the surge brakes in europe suck bigtime. But I am working on changing that soon!
@@ralfhiller9043 Yet the European models always have a higher tow rating. Why would that be?
We tow a 1,600kg caravan (granted not the heaviest) with a C Class 2 litre diesel. Even at 120kph it is utterly stable. It depends on how you've distributed the weight inside the caravan.
Because A pop out hitch wont be good for anything above a small trailer. Not when travel trailers here weight up to 15k lbs or 6,800 KG.
When have cars turned into iPhones
but in germany it is really easy to tow
put four quads on the trailer... at least that way you wont look completely stupid ... just regular stupid
this makes no sense. its built in America and its built for America only. it should have a standard American connection. and the American adapter is made in Germany? vw has no clue what they are doing.
stay away ! this cars will suck all your savings away and at the end will fail ,
mined from beginning
Everything american is better
An epic fail for Volkswagen
Real men don’t tow with that crap
First comment.