Toyota Corolla Verso (2004 - 2009) - 08 2.2D Detachable towball - what should it cost?

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Mon 1 Jun 2009 12:35
08 2.2D Detachable towball - what should it cost? - Brian Tryzers
We're looking to fit a tow hook to our Verso in order to mount a cycle carrier, since I find the current palaver of hoisting bikes onto the roof puts me off, and my wife won't do it at all. It must be a detachable one, for all sorts of reasons - not least that I'll otherwise be the one to bash my knee on it when squeezing past the car in the garage.

Our Toyota dealer has quoted a fitted price of £500 - which seems steep, but they can get it and fit it inside a week, which may be important. I have two other dealers locally I can try, but is there another option I should consider that won't invalidate the warranty?

Much obliged,
WdB.
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Mon 1 Jun 2009 22:40
08 2.2D Detachable towball - what should it cost? - jonat127
Five hundred quid sound good to me. The dealer wanted £700 for one to fit the Volvo I am buying and it was over £800 for the Chrysler that I previously owned.
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Mon 1 Jun 2009 22:44
08 2.2D Detachable towball - what should it cost? - Pugugly
£1100 quid on a BMW, £275 on a Skoda and £408 for my Honda. I wouldn't let anyone mess with the electrics on my car inside its warranty.
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Tue 2 Jun 2009 14:38
08 2.2D Detachable towball - what should it cost? - Brian Tryzers
Thanks chaps. I've since dug a bit more and learned a bit about what's involved in fitting the thing - and suddenly £500 seems pretty fair. Amortized over the years we plan to keep the car it's not so much to spend, especially if it means our bikes spend less time idle in the garage.

One final question: presumably our insurers will want to know. Is it likely to make a difference to our premium?
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Thu 11 Jun 2009 18:08
08 2.2D Detachable towball - what should it cost? - Brian Tryzers
Quick update: we had the Toyota detachable bar (actually manufactured by Brink and about £275 for the hardware alone) fitted on Tuesday at a cost of £574. Turned out the original quote didn't include VAT but it was still the best of the three quotes we got. Take into account that they included a number plate for the cycle carrier, and didn't charge us for the end caps we needed to replace the ones that fell off our roof bars last year, and it seems pretty fair to me.
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