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Sat 20 Nov 2010 21:26

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - likerocks

I'm still on the hunt for a diesel estate.....

I keep seeing nice models on 'trader but then see that they've got a towbar fitted. Am i right to run a mile at the thought?

I know there's a world of difference between towing a little trailer to the tip, or a small dingy and a huge twin axle caravan. I always kind of assumed that I'd never get a straight story from the dealer about what had actually been towed......

However, even assuming worst case - is it such a bas thing if (say) a 2.2 Mondeo tdci or Accord CDTi has done the odd thousand miles or so over caravan towing?

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Sat 20 Nov 2010 21:36

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - gordonbennet

Apart from possible extra suspension wear you've got to factor in a shortened life of the clutch and DMF in the mentioned cars which won't be cheap renewals.

OK if priced accordingly, trouble is as you say you have no idea how competent the previous driver was.

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Sat 20 Nov 2010 21:39

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - Manatee

I don't think my car's any worse for doing a few thousand miles with a caravan.

The main risk is probably clutch wear. Reversing a trailer can be hard on the clutch, especially if the driver isn't very sympathetic.

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Sat 20 Nov 2010 21:40

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - Collos25

Dealers that I still know in the UK take the tow bars of any vehicle that they want to retail selling the bars on ebay.Bearing this in mind it makes it even more difficult for the customer to know what the vehicle has been used for at least if there is a tow bar fitted it will save you buying one.

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Sat 20 Nov 2010 22:09

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - Mike H

I bought my car - 2004MY Saab 9-5 automatic estate - three and a half years ago at 71,000 miles, now covered 151,000 miles without a hiccup. The immediately previous owner had no idea what had been towed, he'd never used the towbar. If the car is sound, why worry? Seems a lot of people have towbars fitted then never tow anything of consequence.

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Sun 21 Nov 2010 08:06

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - bonzo dog

Am i right to run a mile at the thought?

Yes

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Sun 21 Nov 2010 09:51

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - Talking Hoarse

Surely it depends upon the car and what has been towed (if you can find out the latter). I would imagine that a horsebox is a lot harder work for the car than a garden trailer.

Suggest you weigh up the whole car, its condition & price, and if you want the car use the towbar to negotiate a lower price.

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Sun 21 Nov 2010 09:54

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - Vitesse6

One clue would be the electrics - if only a single socket fitted it is unlikely to have been used for towing a caravan as most use twin sockets for the caravan auxilaries.

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Sun 21 Nov 2010 10:27

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - injection doc

as a person who tow's large caravans and has done for years I understand your concerns but i have to say I have never found it being detrimental to any vehicle I have owned, in fact I have never even suffered clutch failure.

One of my cars that was used to tow a large twin axle around Europe for weeks on end and up and down the Alps went on for years after I sold it ( to a friend ) trouble free, no turbo clutch or EGR problems or even suspension.

From a personal point of view there are a few cars out there I don't consider strong enough for towing but most cope very well these days.

As I have always advocated treat with respect and the vehicle will respect you back.

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Sun 21 Nov 2010 12:32

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - jc2

My estate car has a towbar;it's never been used for towing,just carrying bikes but how does anyone know?

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Sun 21 Nov 2010 13:56

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - jc2

I did have a BMW run into the back of my car-not very fast thank God-all the damage was to his car,it didn't even mark my towbar.

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Mon 22 Nov 2010 13:27

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - dieseldogg

I think in this respect a towbar is a red herring, as the clutch could well be knackered without a towbar being involved.
I have witnessed such witless clutch misuse too often with my own eyes.
On the other hand i could sell you a 228,400 mile Galaxy on the origional clutch, which has towed heavy trailers, with no discernable wear, ie no signs of "slip", nor needing adjustment ( would this clutch self adjust? perhaps)
And why should reversing with a trailer/ caravan damage a clutch, at tickover or a fast tickover one can slip it a wee bit if absolutly necessary, virtually without incurring wear, if this is needed to keep speeds down, BUT REVS ARE NOT NEEDED.
cheers
M

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Mon 22 Nov 2010 15:41

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - ForumNeedsModerating

>> I think in this respect a towbar is a red herring

Not a real red herring, it's just another bit of 'forensic' evidence you can weigh when

sussing-out a used car. Towing can affect wear in more areas than just clutch - the whole vehicle's drivetrain & engine are stressed more & so any 'abuse' can be more pronounced.

Unless a car had one of those tiny trailer-only type towbars I would give a wide berth if alternatives are available.

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Mon 22 Nov 2010 16:46

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - injection doc

"sussing-out a used car. Towing can affect wear in more areas than just clutch - the whole vehicle's drivetrain & engine are stressed more & so any 'abuse' can be more pronounced."

years ago I would of aggreed but nowdays cars are more robust, even my auto doesn't struggle at all whilst towing a 29ft twin axle van, in fact the engine will rarely go above 2400 rpm and the box never hunts around changing gears, it tows with ease.

I would be more concerend about buying a 3 year old car thats just come of an option payment scheme and may never of been serviced bacuse the owner was so stretched with payments or cars that have been clocked.

So common nowdays for owners to buy two speedos and clock up 5-7k a year on one speed then swap over for the rest of the year, I have seen this over and over again and would worry me more than a towbar or a little abuse.

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Mon 22 Nov 2010 17:20

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - ForumNeedsModerating

Well, ID, there are lots & lots of things that one can be concerned about when buying used, but servicing record is easy to check & the 'swapping speedo' sounds far fetched - why on earth would someone (whose car is probably a company anyway doing large mileages) go to the lengths you describe? Assuming it's easy for the 'home mechanic' to swap in & out a speedo that probably has to be 'recognised' by the ECU? Let alone the rather odd looking service mileage record.

For the dedicated clocker maybe - but common? - can't see it.

The plain fact is that towing, is loading a vehicle more than 'normal' usage so must, cumulatively, cause more wear & degradation - otherwise we need to revisit the physical laws & theories about free lunches. You may never go above 2400rpm, but how can you be sure that your isn't wearing out more quickly when compared to a non-towing usage?

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Mon 22 Nov 2010 17:57

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - Collos25

With ID on this one .

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Mon 22 Nov 2010 19:31

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - injection doc

Well WB, heres how it goes, buy new car, run speedo up to 5-7k, fit s/hand unit or spare, reprogramed if nes, the fit the spare one, once the cars due for service just fit original back at the end of the year then do another 5-7 k then fit the spare again and so on. when you get to three years you have a car with a perfect service record of approx 18k and the stamps and MOt cert to match. Most speedos these day can be fitted in minuets.

This isn't for the clocker this is private individuals who do it, I actually learn't of this through customers who used to ask me to swap there clocks and then realised there was a pattern to it.

As for cars wearing out quicker towing , well i have never had a problem and as i stated earlier, I'm quite happy to sell my cars on to people I know and they have never had any problems with them iether, infact most seem to last rather well so may be the combination of treating them with respect, towing and quality fuel gives them a better life expectancy

One thing for sure, at least with towing the rings bed in properly and the turbo control get maximum use & the oils get up to tempreture evaporating acid condensation and the brakes have to work reducing the chance of siezing calipers etc etc.

I have never had a tow car suffer with oil burning, transmission back lash or suspension wear.

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Mon 22 Nov 2010 22:56

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - 4wheelsonmywagon

How often is a car used for towing? If its towing something big like a caravan, its probably only towing for a small number of weeks each year. While towing must add to wear and tear, its probably not worth worrying about.

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Mon 22 Nov 2010 23:56

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - Dutchie

Reading injection doc fiddling with speedos.

Iam surprised the lenghts some people go through with this obsession with a low mileage cars.

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Tue 23 Nov 2010 08:02

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - TheOilBurner

I only ever bought one car that had twin-socket electrics fitted with its towbar. The back suspension was shot and the engine suffered from compression loss. It had, however, done 110,000 miles or thereabouts.

OTOH, I've bought several cars with single socket electrics that have been no problem at all.

I tow trailers for camping and tip-runs and so have fitted several of my cars with tow-bars. Nothing for the second hand buyer to fear there. Very little weight pulled and very infrequently.

However, how would you know if some canny seller replaced the twin sockets on a hard used car with a single to look like one of these little used tow-bars?

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Tue 23 Nov 2010 08:32

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - davmal

Didn't you test drive it first?

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Tue 23 Nov 2010 16:41

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - TheOilBurner

Sadly I was young and inexperienced.... I'd grown up with the myth the modern cars are near indestructible, and believed it for a while too..

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Tue 23 Nov 2010 19:07

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - dieseldogg

But, erm, I tow a 3500kg IW trailer on a wee single electric set up, sometimes "bravely" loaded too.

So no reason to differentiate tween the caravan or other users.

Cept most caravanners are probably worse drivers, well towers leastwise.

(&ducks)

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Wed 24 Nov 2010 11:27

any - buying a car that's been towing - would you? - captain chaos

I'd be more concerned if the towing vehicle had automatic transmission, unless it had an additional transmission cooler fitted and documented evidence of an ATF change at least every two years.

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