Hello, I hope you don’t mind me asking about this? When you say the trim on the left side, is it the trim inside the boot space or underneath the back? I’m sorry for bothering you, I was just reading these and I have a 2001 ml270cdi and I have also fitted the rear wheel carrier and am just about too fit a tow bar. ThankYou, DavidIf you are getting an after market T bar, you should get the wiring with it. Any Westphalia bar should come complete. Mine is a removable one and the wiring is easy. I just fitted a rear wheel carrier and I was really not sure about fitting this, ask Malcolm. But no sweat well easy but a lot of sweat. Any bar will have two stiffening plates that fit to the rear cross member (all pre drilled) on the INSIDE of the joint between chassis and cross member. You need to remove the spare wheel, use a lot of penetrating spray after a few years under there without being used take it's toll it is a sod to move. the bolts go through from the rear forwards and you should have two spacer plates with pipes welded on these need to go inside the cross member to give strength to the tow bar. I bought a complete tow bar from Dronsfields for 90 notes, I now have two tow bars but it saved me a lot of problems to bring back my Honda Goldwing from Holland. I should think that an indy would do the whole job in about 4 hours, it took me 5 days of lying on my back (I am an invalid) so if I can do it so can you. Oh and the wiring for the tow-bar and rear wheel carrier are in the left hand side at the rear looking from the back to the front. so you need to remove the trim on that side to get at it.
Good luck.
Thank very much for the information, my son has looked at it and has seen the threaded holes. It sounds quite straightforward enough, I will have a look in a while and see whether I can find the wiring. I have got a spare wheel carrier on the back with a full sized spare because when I got the car it didn’t have any spare because the underside carrier was broken and just tied up. My son wired the rear carrier straight to the light wires. If I remove the cover from the side panel, should the wiring be their or are they hidden? I Have just had too tow start my older sons car because his starter motor has just packed up. When I towed it I never even noticed any strain on the ML, on the other cars I have had it and towed another car I have felt it pulling on the back with the strain especially when they let the clutch out too start it. It was as if their was nothing their! I appreciate your help It was very kind of you too send me this, kindest regard, David.Tow bar.
Been about 4 years since i fitted one to our ML270, so i am sorry if got it incorrect.
Bumper removal is easy, remove all the small cover plates in the bumper, four bolts are located, remove these and it slides off the fittings, its quite heavy, so be careful.
Fitting tow bar is very easy, threaded holes are already there if i remember correctly, you must fit the corner reinforcing brackets.
when re installing bumper, the cover for the tow bar has to be cut to allow fitting.
wiring, there is a plug at the rear, and a fuse will be missing out of the engine fuse box which sends a live feed to the plug. I used one of the new type relays, which bleeps when indicators are on, I think it was called a 7 way relay which allows fitting the electrics, with out interfering with any other systems, it requires a live feed (hence putting fuse in !)
Ours has worked faultlessly since fitting, wife tows a horse trailer with it. I can remember having a heavy cold when i fitted it and it was all done during one day.
The plug on the car is located under the passenger side rear cover, and i fed the tow bar electrics in via one of the vent covers under the bumper on the left of the vehicle. The relay was fitted under the rear cover as well, instructions on the relay are easy to follow, you may need a small meter to sort out which wire does what on the vehicle plug end.