Towing Electrics Query

Robertdrinkswine · May 1, 2015

Hello all of you smug people who found out how fantastic the RX400H is before we bought ours (2007 vintage) on Thursday 30/4/15.

OK we are a bit late to knowing the obvious, but we are willing to accept our ignorance we (my wife and I) and can only appologise to all of you who made this journey before us.

The issue I am trying to come to terms with is..

We paid Lexus Garage £1300 to have a tow bar fitted.

We asked for the single pin wiring for our new caravan

Upon collection we were told

"we can only fit the old two plug sytem due to the age of the car"

is this correct or have we been hoodwinked....

Please advise

Robert

steve2006 · May 1, 2015

Could be wrong but I would have thought a 2007 model would ba Canbus and therefore the new type should have been compatible.

I'm pretty sure members with fitted towbars will chime in later.

Just had a quick search and it seems that the newer type 13 pin should be suitable, apparently Lexus even make and supply an adaptor harness.

They are available

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-RX-400-H-2005-03-2009-towbar-wiring-kit-13-pin-uni-NEW-AC-incl-manual-/261774336989?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&fits=Car+Make%3ALexus%7CModel%3ARX&hash=item3cf2f763dd

japanesebob · May 1, 2015

I am fairly certain that what they told you is complete bollocks-I wouldnt like to speculate about whether it is due to an inexcusable lack of knowledge of their part or because of 'hoodwinkery,' but I have a 2003 rx300, which I bought as a towcar for a modern caravan. I just had the car converted from twin plug to the single thirteen pin plug for approximately £60.

The chap who came to do it (three counties leisure, no connection other than being a customer) simply took the rain plugs off and then wired a single plug up to the existing electrics.

I would seek advice from an independant local towbar fitter and then go back to Lexus armed with what you have learnt.

japanesebob · May 1, 2015

I meant twin plugs, not 'rain plugs' as I put in my thread. There is no such thing as a rain plug, it was just my iPad making mistakes for me.

Robertdrinkswine · May 2, 2015

Many thanks for your replies.

I could not understand how twin plugs which carry 7 cables which include an earth wire to them both could not fit into a thirteen pin plug when only one earth would be required, hence 13 pin instead of 14...

or am I missing somthing..

Robert

Gliderpilot · May 4, 2015

No you're not missing anything, Westfalia supply the towbar and the electrics kit for the 400 and the 450, they are identical to the ones supplied by Lexus.

ChrisKaye · May 4, 2015

My '53 plate RX SE-L also has a 13pin witter tow bar installed - don't know who fit it as was on the car when I got it earlier this year.

Robertdrinkswine · May 7, 2015

Thanky ou for your replies but it seems we are all wrong.......

Lexus say and I quote from customer services " the 13 pin plug can only be fitted to cars after 2008, the older models will have the two seven pin and use the adapter"

I said I have paid £1300 for a tow bar and 13 pin connection, they replied "sorry about that."

now what do I do.

Can any one help, does Lexus read these forums.

Robert

steve2006 · May 7, 2015

If you have paid for a particular service or specific goods then that is what you are entitled to receive, it's fairly obvious you haven't but still being charged for it.

Nothing really different than going into a Lexus dealer paying out £100K for a LS600h and then being given a CT200h with a smile and a "sorry about that"

If they couldn't fit a 13 pin socket as you requested they should have told you this before starting the job not gone ahead with something different then washed their hands of it.

If you now need some kind of conversion for the caravan I would expect Lexus to provide the necessary free of charge.

If you obtained a written quote detailing the specifying the 13 pin socket take it up with the dealer management and then consider further action perhaps under the Sale of Goods Act.

As for the £1300.00 cost to supply and fit a towbar with the wrongly specified socket, I hope the gold plating is guaranteed for life! :)

Matt Middleton · May 7, 2015

Hi Rob

When I purchased my RX last year (is a 2013) model I asked the dealer to fit a detachable tow bar, same £1300 cost as yours.

However when I first went to use it I found it had a 7 pin plug on it - called the dealership, who apologised and have since re-fitted the 13 pin at no cost - pretty big job by the sound of it as they booked out 6 hrs labour.

So my guess is the difference between the 7 & 13 pin is the wiring assembly and interfaces (probably not correct terms there!) - surely if they can fit both types to mine they could do the same to yours!!

Sent from my Iphone using Lexus OC

Gliderpilot · May 7, 2015

Thanky ou for your replies but it seems we are all wrong.......

Lexus say and I quote from customer services " the 13 pin plug can only be fitted to cars after 2008, the older models will have the two seven pin and use the adapter"

I said I have paid £1300 for a tow bar and 13 pin connection, they replied "sorry about that."

now what do I do.

Can any one help, does Lexus read these forums.

Robert

This is a load of codswollop, a 13 pin socket can be fitted to any vehicle the year is irrelavant, in fact if you buy a modern caravan it will have a 13 pin plug as standard so you have no option but fit one. I fitted my electrics with a 13 pin socket, admittedly I used a bypass relay to power the caravan lights which involved running three wires fron the 12 volt Battery to the rear of the car one for the bypass unit and two the the split charge solid state relay, works perfectly with the caravan and the small trailer I have. The oly thing you have to watch out for is that if all the circuits of a 13 pin system are not working the this is an MOT failure, whereas with two 7 pin sockets only the main lighting circuits have to work.

japanesebob · May 10, 2015

there, you see? A load of rubbish, mine is 2003 and just had a 13 pin plug fitted. Why don't you contact the caravan club, they will tell you the same. The 13 pin plug can be fitted to your vehicle, and your lexus dealer is telling untruths to you.