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BMW 3 SERIES DETACHABLE SWAN NECK TOWBAR

£848.40

Price Includes Fitting & VAT

Vehicle Registration

Fitting Post Code

Electrics Socket Type Which should I choose?

7 Pin Electrics (Included)

Twin Electrics + £74.98

13 Pin Electrics + £54.99

Electrics Wiring Type Which wiring should I choose?

Please Note: If your vehicle is under 3 years old, we recommend that you choose Vehicle Specific Wiring to protect your manufacturers warranty. All coding of your vehicle is included when you choose vehicle specific wiring.

Vehicle Specific Wiring (Included)

Preferred Fitting Date What is a preferred date?

What happens next?

We'll email you back

Once you have placed your order we'll email your booking confirmation. If your preferred booking date or time is not available we will call to discuss alternative fitting dates.

Need it sooner?

If you need your towbar sooner, please give us a call on 0800 328 0592, we may have cancellations available.

£848.40

Price Includes Fitting & VAT

Quantity

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Description

Detachable swan neck towbar, where the neck of the towbar can be removed when not in use.

Detachable towbars avoid any issues with parking sensors picking up the tow bar neck, so ultimately if your car has reverse parking sensors this would be the best option for you.

Neck removable when not in use
No issues with reverse parking sensors
Compatible with ALKO Stabilisers
Compatible with most Cycle Carriers
Please remember to check your vehicle's towing capacity shown on the VIN plate. A call-out fee may be applicable if our engineer attends your appointment and your vehicle doesn't have a towing capacity.

More about the BMW 3 Series Touring Estate

Renowned for its athletic style, the BMW 3 Series Touring boasts a sporty exterior that catches everyone's eye. The BMW emphasises its sporty appearance with a modern flat-front design, characteristic double kidney grille, and sophisticated front headlights.

Designed to get its driver comfortably from destination to destination, the BMW 3 Series boasts modern technologies. Equipped with the Driving Assistant Professional, the 3 Series helps the driver feel safe no matter how far the journey is. This safety feature includes Active Cruise Control, Front and Rear Park Distance Control and Parking Assistant.

The Active Cruise Control is an innovative kit that has a Stop & Go function; this helps protect the driver against collisions and gives warnings when it detects a cyclist or pedestrian. If the vehicle feels the need, a braking function will then be activated to avoid any collisions. The Active Cruise control function can also help with steering and lane control if required.

The Front and Rear Park Distance Control is the perfect aid for reaching your destination and being ready to park up. Using the vehicle reversing camera, you can confidently park without any need to look over your shoulders. The BMW's new Reversing Assistant function remembers the last 50m of your journey and can automatically steer and reverse. This also features the Surround View System, including Top View, Panorama View, Remote 3D, and a lateral parking aid.

If exploring is your thing, then the BMW Maps is the perfect addition to the BMW 3 Series Touring. There's no need to panic about getting lost as the Maps can be used during planning and preparation, even when driving and parking. The perfectly tuned feature allows the driver to feel confident about their chosen route, so they only need to worry about who is coming with them.

Whats my Towing Capacity?

The BMW 3 Series Touring has a towing capacity of around 1800KG, the perfect amount for adding a cycle carrier to the back of your vehicle. Due to the different models of the Touring Estate, we advise checking your towing capacity by referring to your VIN plate as the towing weights may vary on other models.

Which Towbar is best for my vehicle?

We list a fixed flange towbar, a fixed swan neck towbar and a detachable swan neck towbar for the BMW 3 Series Touring Estate.

If your vehicle is fitted with reverse parking sensors, we always advise opting for the detachable swan neck towbar, as this can easily be removed once towing has been completed. Depending on the location of the parking sensors, the Towbar can be detected, causing interference when reversing. The detachable Towbar also protects the vehicle's aesthetics as it is almost invisible once the towbar neck has been removed.

The fixed swan neck towbar is the perfect choice for those who don't wish to remove the Towbar but prefer the thinner style of Towbar. Due to the design of the Towbar, it is less likely to be detected by parking sensors when the vehicle is in reverse. The fixed swan neck has all the functions of the detachable swan neck towbar, excluding the option to remove the neck of the Towbar.

The fixed flange towbar is a chunkier style of Towbar that offers a backing plate to its driver. The backing plate allows bolt-on towing accessories to be fitted to the Towbar, which can be used simultaneously with the tow ball.

Will it need a bumper cut?

No bumper modification is required to fit any of the towbars to the BMW 3 Series Touring. However, this is just on the standard bumper; if your bumper model has been modified or has a different trim level, a cut may need to be made for the Towbar to be fitted. If you are unsure and would like further assistance, please contact our sales team for further information.

Electrics

Manufacturers are developing more environmentally friendly and efficient vehicles. To keep up with the times, we offer many options to make sure you, as the customer, choose the right products at the right price. There are many things to consider when you select the type of electrics, and we are confident that we can guide you to the correct option that suits your vehicle.

Which socket type should I choose?

7 Pin Electrics

Single 7 Pin Electrics are fitted as default with a towbar installation. They provide power to operate the lights (indicators, brake lights, sidelights, fog lights) on a standard UK trailer, caravan, horsebox or cycle carrier. The 7 Pin socket will not activate the reverse lights on a cycle carrier or trailer; however, this is not a legal requirement. If your trailer has reverse lights or ALKO-ATC Control fitted, you may need 13 pin electrics.

Even if you are only using your towbar to support a cycle carrier, you will still need these electrics to power the lights on the cycle carrier or a light board over the bikes. This is a legal requirement because bikes on the carrier may obscure the lights on your car.

Twin Electrics

Twin Electrics (12S) Electrics are fitted in addition to the standard Single 7 Pin Socket if you will be towing a caravan built pre-2008 with two power cables.

The 12S socket provides power for:

-Your caravan reverse lights.

-A permanent 12-volt live feed to your caravan.

-Live feeds to your caravan that are only live when your car engine is running to provide charge to your caravan battery, charge your fridge as well as give power to your interior lights.

-The twin electrics were a standard fitment until 2008, when the 13-pin socket replaced it.

13 Pin Electrics

13 Pin Electrics are fitted when you tow a caravan built from 2008 onwards. The 13 Pin socket combines the old style twin seven-pin sockets into one. The socket provides all the power needed to operate the road lights on your trailer or caravan and provides 12-volt power to operate all the other functions of your caravan.

You can use a trailer or cycle carrier with a 7-pin plug, but you would need an adaptor available in our Accessories section. The 13-pin socket is a neater fitment compared to the twin electrics, as the socket will usually fold under the bumper when you are not towing, making it discreet and a neat fit.

Which wiring should I choose?

Universal Aftermarket Wiring

Universal Aftermarket Wiring is fitted to your vehicle using an interface relay to protect your cars electrics. This type of wiring is available for most models where the vehicle is out of its warranty and does not have built-in safety features that must be activated. The universal wiring is connected to a 7-way bypass relay that protects the Canbus system, which won't cause any faults on the dash as the car doesn't detect the towbar system. If your vehicle is still within its manufacturer's warranty, we would recommend the fitment of Vehicle Specific Wiring.

Vehicle Specific Wiring

Each kit is designed specifically for the vehicle it is fitted to. Rather than soldering or using 'Scotch Locks' to connect the towbar wiring, which is the case with universal aftermarket wiring, these kits interface with the vehicle systems in the same way as the vehicle manufacturer intended. If your vehicle is less than three years old or is still within its manufacturer's warranty, you would need vehicle specific wiring to protect that warranty. Other towing functions such as Trailer Stability Control (available on your car) could be activated when vehicle specific wiring is fitted. This is vehicle dependant as towing functions vary from car to car.

What is coding, and does my car need it?

With any vehicle specific wiring loom, there is a chance your vehicle will need coding. All our engineers are equipped with coding machines to plug into your car to update the system. Most new vehicles have towing functions, and without the coding, it is possible they won't work. Some functions include deactivating your parking sensors, trailer stability control, and deactivating some safety functions such as lane assist.

Although this may sound daunting, we have invested heavily into up-to-date coding equipment. All our engineers are trained in using the new equipment, which means you will have the whole installation done the right way and save you from taking your vehicle to a manufacturer to finish the job. There are minimal occasions where we cannot code a vehicle, and you may need to get the dealership to complete this for you.

Guarantee

Details

Guarantee

Towbar Warranty

Towbars that we supply have a manufacturers lifetime guarantee against manufacturing defects. This guarantee covers the fixed parts of the towbar assembly, and not moving parts such as detachable necks, or other accessories.

Towbar Neck Warranty

The neck section of the towbar has a 12 month warranty. It is very rare that these necks have a fault. Most of the time when there is a fault it's usually that the neck wasn't released from the car properly last time it was used. It simply needs to be reset, and you can view a video guide here.

Electrics Warranty

Once your towbar and electrics have been fitted, we offer a 12-month guarantee on the installation of your towbar, electrics and other parts that are not covered by the manufacturer's warranty. Any electric faults that appear during the 12-month period that has been reported to us, will be fixed completely free of charge. If the fault isn't to do with the towbar fitment then you may be charged a call out fee, however this will be discussed at the time of booking.

Vehicle Warranty

Dependant on the make and model of your vehicle, the manufacturer may have offered a 3 year warranty at purchase or you may have taken an extended warranty to cover the electrics of your vehicle. If this is the case, then we recommend you choose the dedicated wiring loom. If you choose to have the universal electrics fitted to your vehicle then its possible you may lose your manufactures warranty. If you are unsure which wiring type to choose then please click here for more information.

Cycle Carrier Warranty

The Thule Cycle Carriers have a 5 years warranty. If you do have any issues then please get in touch so we can contact Thule as they will need to see the cycle carrier and determine the fault and then either fix the issue or replace the carrier. The decision is final from Thule.

For more detailed information about warranties please click here.

All of our warranties do not cover faults or damage caused by improper use or wear and tear from normal use.

You should be careful not to overload your towbar, as this is the most common cause of damage. You can check the maximum towing weight for your car here.

Specification