UKSaabs

Advice please, and suggestions, for supplying and fitting a towbar for my 2008 9-3 Aero estate please

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Nearly there

I had a tow bar fitted ,by a guy who new what he was doing, i do not think it is a DIY sort of job, I did not want to tackle it myself because of the electrics,it cost about £300,
I would ring around proper tow bar installers, if you are getting one get the detachable , I just keep mine in the boot, haven't used it in years.

The 9-3 needs an electronic module inserting in the Rear Electrical Centre. It’s not like the old days when you could just crimp the wires onto the car wiring.

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Everything will be OK in the end. If it's not OK, it's not the end...

Thanks Will. I imagine that a towbar fitter will know that?

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Nearly there

Have a look at the PF Jones kits.
https://www.pfjones.co.uk/tow-bars/tow- ... -bars.html

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Everything will be OK in the end. If it's not OK, it's not the end...

This is only my experience with PF Jones but on two occasions when I was after a tow bar for a 9-5 the order fell through after placing. This is over the last five years when transportation of other things was needed and I went for a tow bar before a cousin offered his works van which already had a tow bar.

This is not a slight on them. Each time they offered an alternative but as time was of the essence, I needed it yesterday as usual, I didn't take up the alternative. With it happening twice it is either me, Saabs or them - in order on most likely.

I had a tow bar fitted to a Zantia I had almost 20 years ago and it wasn't cheap back then. Though that was a double socket for pulling a caravan and took the fitter most of the day to install.

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Underskatta aldrig en gammal man med en gammal SAAB

Their quote was nearly £600!

Any economical suggestions please?

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Nearly there

I had a play on Google after I read this last time, party in curiosity for the Aero to tow a trailer, and I couldn't get it much below the £500 mark. In the Greater Wigan area I found a couple of smaller family firms who supply and also fit but had no quote facility on their simple websites. I reckon that this kind of setup are likely to be the places to call in for a chat and a negotiation. I've been trying to remember how much the Zantia cost some 20 years ago and I'm sure it was just over £300. But that was a 3-year old car and the cost v. car value was "worth it".

The only way to really keep the costs down would seem to be DIY. I'm sure I've read posts on UKS that have gone into this. To the best of my flaky recollection it's a bumper off job and iirc either existing bolt holes specifically for a tow bar or you use the bolt holes that hold the bumper and need longer bolts or a mix of that. Then it's just the electrics...

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Underskatta aldrig en gammal man med en gammal SAAB

As it's a quiet morning I tried some lateral thinking. Cashback sites...

But the likes of Halfords are only offering 3% which doesn't make much of a dent in £500+.

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Underskatta aldrig en gammal man med en gammal SAAB