MKIV VW Golf Trailer Wiring
So I got a hitch for my Golf because the hatch back is damn useful except when you want to pick up a cubic yard of dirt from the soil place. I’de love to have a truck but I get sick to my stomach thinking about all the dinosaur juice the thing would drink even when I’m not hauling stuff around.
The hitch was from ETrailer.com. Pretty basic install, had to drill (4) 1/2″ holes in the trunk floor and tighten 5 bolts. I actually waited until I had all the stuff to do it CORRECTLy for once. I sealed the holes I drilled so they wouldn’t leak or rust and I used lock-tite on the bolts so they won’t come off on their own. I must be getting seriously patient in my old age.
I was kinda on my own as far as trailer wiring goes. Since I had to piece info together from a bunch of different places I decided to be nice and consolidate it here.
Each bulb holder inside of each tail light has some extra connectors that you can tap into. Below is a picture of the driver side taillight. I got a trailer wiring adaptor for $15 and after you hook up the ground/turn/parking/stop lights from the driver side, you just have to run a wire to the passenger side turn signal to complete the wiring. The only real pain in the ass here is that the connectors that go into these jacks is not available from VW so I had to use the smallest female spade connectors I could find at Radio Shack (0.110 inch size) and slip each wire on individually. The spade connectors just crimp onto the wires of the Trailer Wiring Adaptor. Luckily the spade connectors have insulation over them, I hear the electrical systems on these cars can be finicky so this should help keep me from shorting stuff out!
– Dave
P.S. here are some pictures of the hitch install:
June 8th, 2005 at 9:29 pm
Which hitch did you purchase from Etrailer for your golf ?
Do you have pictures of the hitch installed ?
June 8th, 2005 at 9:42 pm
Hey Paul,
This is the hitch that I got, Hidden Hitch #60943: http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=E&Product_Code=60943&Category_Code=H
I’ll try to get some pics together this weekend.
July 4th, 2005 at 8:44 pm
dmann, Nice of you to post this as I’ll be doing the same soon. Just one question though, the wiring taillight converter you bought, is it for vehicle that does not reqire power isolation? I bought a Hidden Hitch model 31822 and don’t want to use it if it is wrong. Thanks for any info.
http://www.hitchesonline.com/acces_includes/tailight_converters2.htm#SMART:
Joe in Titusville FL
July 5th, 2005 at 9:06 am
Hey Joe,
I bought the cheapie $15 converter which draws the trailer light power through the wires that you hook inline with your current taillights.
For the least risky route I would go with the more expensive unit that isolates the trailer lights from the car power system by supplying the trailer lights directly from the battery.
I decided to go with the cheapie because I’m usually using a trailer during the day so the lights will only be drawing power if I am braking or have my turn signal on.
If you are using one at night and have a trailer with running lights, those lights could potentially suck a few amps @ 12v and I’de rather have that much power come directly from the battery instead of through the VW electrical system.
– Dave
July 7th, 2005 at 11:56 am
Thanks for everything, I did it all myself thanks to your post. Joe.
July 29th, 2005 at 1:25 am
David,
I saw your post from vwvortex.com and found it to be very informational. Your setup is very nice. Do you remember how much money you spent for all parts, shipping, and accessories (bolts, lock-tite, …)?
Thanks,
tony
July 29th, 2005 at 8:40 am
Hitch + shipping $130 (The 1/2″ bolts and hardware came with the hitch)
Lock Tite (Blue flavor) $4
1/2″ drill bit $4
Wiring harness $15 -$45 depending on which one you buy (See July 5 post from above)
Mini Spade Connectors from Radio Shack $5
Testors enamel paint (for sealing metal) $2
July 29th, 2005 at 8:47 am
Oh, another thing is gas mileage. I pulled a U-Haul 4×8 enclosed trailer about 500 miles round trip from Raleigh to DC and back. I’ve got a 2.0 8v engine and ended up getting 23mpg or so. Normally I get about 28 in town and 31 on the highway.
The trailers are easier to handle once they are loaded. On the way back I got a P1128 Check Engine Code after driving loaded for a few hours. This is the code for “long-term, fuel trim lean code.” I pulled over and checked the engine oil, etc. I definitely was taxing it more than usual (i mean its only 115hp, not really made for towing close to a ton). We continued home and I ordered a new MAF. Of course by the time the MAF was delivered the code had just cleared itself. I think it was all because of the lower gas mileage and taxing the engine. The car is fine now.
More info on P1128 on AEG engines:
http://www.asashop.org/autoinc/jan2004/techtips.cfm
– Dave
August 25th, 2005 at 9:07 pm
Just got the hidden hitch for the Jetta. Doing the wiring tomorrow. Got the spade connectors. Do I need a spade connector for the ground wire? The ground wire has a circle loop at the end. Where does that plug into in the back of the tail light?
August 26th, 2005 at 8:47 am
Hey Jeff,
Good question, looks like I totally left the ground wiring out of my description above.
I have a Golf. Near the top of the rear driver side shock tower there was a ground point, it had a bunch of black wires going to it already. I took the nut off of this ground point, put the new wire on there and secured the nut again.
Electrically I don’t know if it would hurt to use something other than an official ground point, but I just wanted to be on the safe side. The Bentley manual for our cars has a diagram of ground points throughout the car.
August 26th, 2005 at 11:38 am
OK great thanks. Also, my hitch didn’t come with the hardware for some reason so I went and got all the bolts. The bolts that came with it were they zinc or galvanized. Also, did you have a torque wrench to tighten all the bolts? Don’t want to spend a ton of money for a torque wrench.
August 26th, 2005 at 12:01 pm
Hey Jeff,
If you can find them I would go with something that inhibits rust. The bolts that came with mine didn’t look particularly fancy. They might have been zinc coated but definitely not galvanized. The holes in my hitch were 1/2″ around so I would find hardware that fills up that hole. The bigger/wider you can get the hardware the less you will have to worry about it shifting around or loosening.
Oh there are a bunch of spacers and things that came with the hardware pack, you might want to call the company up and get them to send you that. One of the bolts has a special flat nut that holds the hitch against the tow loop that is integrated into the spare tire well. Some of the spacers are important so you don’t crush some of the double wall structures parts underneath the car.
As far as the torque. I do have a torque wrench but I totally forgot to use it. I used lock-tite on the threads and just tightened as much as I could with my ratchet.
– Dasve
August 26th, 2005 at 8:59 pm
I called the company today. Suprisingly they are overnighting me the hardware kit and refunding me my money for shipping. Great company….Should be installing tomorrow as soon as the hardware arrives……Thanks for the help.
June 5th, 2006 at 8:03 am
hi – i have a vw golf disel (4 cylinder with turbo) and am about to move cross country from maryland. trying to decide on using a small encolsed trailer, but from looking at the manual and talking with the vw shop they don’t recommend it. My car is fairly new 12,000 miles and idon’t want to hurt it. I saw the post with the v8 engine and am thinking using the trailer will be too much on my car though i’d really like to take more with me cuz my big dog will take up the back seat… Anyone have any experience with the golf disel or some advice if this would be a wise decision or not?
thanks,
lisa
June 5th, 2006 at 9:19 am
If I were heading cross country I don’t think I’de tow more than about 500-600 lbs considering my experience above towing about 800lbs. The car was definitely taxed to pull the weight + added air resistance. Plus you’ll have to deal with lots of hills and mountains as you get further West.
The diesel does have a lot more torque than the gas engines though, so you’de probably have an easier time accellerating from slower speeds.
– Dave
June 5th, 2006 at 10:31 am
thanks dave, i think i’ll start giving away my big items and go for the roof rack : ) It might be good to travel light for awhile. thanks again, lisa
July 30th, 2006 at 3:03 pm
hey i found the blog, i was wondering about the hitch from e trailers, i noticed that one part goes (the left side) goes up pretty high….and it has some holes in it…do these holes line up to anything or do you have to drill holes?
also i was wondering about what it takes to install, do you have to remove your bumper or any of that stuff to get at it? i have a 2 door tdi and i just want to put a small bike carrier on it..this should be ok right.
thanks a million aaron
July 30th, 2006 at 6:26 pm
Hi Aaron,
Yeah, the high side goes up above the muffler and bolts to the floor of the trunk on the driver side. On that side you will have to drill two 1/2″ holes.
The low side bolts to the tow hook on the passenger side on the tub that holds the spare tire.
What I did was I unbolted the muffler mounts and bungee-corded it out of the way so I had room to work. Then I test fit the hitch and drilled 2 small pilot holes. Then I finished the holes from the top inside the trunk. Then I finished up all the hardware and tightened it down (using loc tite so I didn’t have to worry about them loosening on their own).
No tools are really needed besides a socket set and the 1/2″ drill bit. The bumper can stay on, but get the car up on some ramps or jackstands so you have enough room to work. When working with the hitch under the car a friend would be helpful to help steady the hitch because its a little awkward and heavy when you are under the car.
I used my hitch for a bike rack as well, it worked well.
– Dave
August 29th, 2006 at 9:53 pm
Hey Dmann,
I am in the initial stage of research for a hitch and installation for my ‘03 golf. Just wondering if you disconnected your battery or fuses before getting into the wiring? Also, what are lock tites?
Any way you can give a step by step for the wiring? Even if you had a photo of your aftermath so i can get a visual.
August 30th, 2006 at 8:22 am
I didn’t disconnect any fuses or battery since I used the spade connectors from the bulb holder. There is no live juice running through that harness unless you have the lights on (brake, tail, turn signal).
Lock tite is a thread locker compound. It keeps bolts from loosening due to vibration.
If you get the female spade connectors wiring is about as easy as you can get. There is no cutting of wires required, you just have to plug the female spade connectors in the correct place on the harness.
I don’t have any pics available except of the bulb holder above.
– Dave
September 10th, 2006 at 7:35 pm
Hey Dmann,
I just finished hooking up the wiring harness for my new hitch. I bought a Reese 3 wire to 2 wire trailer light converter- part #74209- at Canadian Tire for $27 and the .11″ female disconnects- also at Cdn Tire- for $1.50.
If it wasn’t for your blog, I don’t know if i would have attempted the process. It was the easiest thing i had to do. I haven’t received my hitch yet, but i have had confirmation that it is on the way. I’m not sure if i am going to hook it up myself, or shell out the $80 to have it installed. Living in an apartment with little space to work and lack of equipment is enough to lay down the cash. Thanks to your info, I purchased the hitch from etrailer and they have sent it from an Ontario warehouse to avoid duties. I saved about $60 there and saved another $150 in parts and labour for the wiring.
Now I’m just about ready for the trek back east. My wife and I are taking a uhaul back to the Maritimes. I read up on the other suggestions you had pertaining to the trip, so I am going to get an oil change before we leave and we’re not packing too much weight in the trailer. I have the TDI torque to rely on, so hopefully it will be a smooth trip with some timed stops along the way to give the ol’ girl a break.
Thanks a million!
September 10th, 2006 at 7:36 pm
Hey Dmann,
I just finished hooking up the wiring harness for my new hitch. I bought a Reese 3 wire to 2 wire trailer light converter- part #74209- at Canadian Tire for $27 and the .11″ female disconnects- also at Cdn Tire- for $1.50.
If it wasn’t for your blog, I don’t know if i would have attempted the process. It was the easiest thing i had to do. I haven’t received my hitch yet, but i have had confirmation that it is on the way. I’m not sure if i am going to hook it up myself, or shell out the $80 to have it installed. Living in an apartment with little space to work and lack of equipment is enough to lay down the cash. Thanks to your info, I purchased the hitch from etrailer and they have sent it from an Ontario warehouse to avoid duties. I saved about $60 there and saved another $150 in parts and labour for the wiring.
Now I’m just about ready for the trek back east. My wife and I are taking a uhaul back to the Maritimes. I read up on the other suggestions you had pertaining to the trip, so I am going to get an oil change before we leave and we’re not packing too much weight in the trailer. I have the TDI torque to rely on, so hopefully it will be a smooth trip with some timed stops along the way to give the ol’ girl a break.
Thanks a million!
September 11th, 2006 at 7:54 am
Glad the wiring went well.
I forgot to mention that I found a trailer light tester for about US$3 that can help you verify that the correct signals are going to the trailer wires. I used it as a sanity check after I installed everything. You can also use a multi-tester.
I’ve been happy with etrailer. Prices are always good and shipping is quick. Glad they were able to save you the duties.
You should be good to go with a TDI.
Have a good trip!
– Dave
November 3rd, 2006 at 2:57 pm
Great blog.
I found this doing a google search for “VW golf trailer.” I’m looking for a trailer to pull a motorcycle (1977 RD400) if and when I break down and need to get the bike home. This blog has the best info I could find. I’m on the vortex (vwvortex.com), but that site has gotten so big, it’s hard to find relevant info in a search. I think this blog has convinced me to go ahead with the install. Have you ever had problems with the hitch hitting the ground? I have a 2.slow Golf, and worry about pulling out of some driveway with a little slope and dragging along the ground.
Thanks for the great info. This page is bookmarked.
November 3rd, 2006 at 4:00 pm
Hi Pete,
I have a sloped driveway myself and haven’t had a problem with it scraping. Your mileage may vary depending on the angle of your driveway though.
You can see from the pictures above that the hitch receiver is pretty snug up underneath the bumper. It only hangs down from the bumper about 2″. If you can get in and out of your driveway with about 2″ of space to spare under the lip of your rear bumper you should be OK.
When the drawbar is inserted in the receiver it extends out but it doesn’t reduce the clearance any unless you are at a real extreme angle.
– Dave
January 7th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
Excellent!!