Fitting a towbar

[bristolracer]

Hi All

Has anyone fitted a towbar to a 9-3?

I am thinking of getting one as a tow car and was wondering how difficult the electrics would be to wire up.
I guess fitting the bar would be a bolt on job?

Would i have to fit relays etc to fool on board electrics?
i am thinking just basic 7 pin stuff.

Ta in advance

Edited by bristolracer on Wednesday 22 June 13:24

[Stiggolas]

Just done this to a 9-5 but I would think things are very similar. Mechanically it was a lot simpler than I thought it was going to be. Take bumper off. replace 2 spacers with supplied spacers, bolt towbar to bumper, refit bumper and add 4 extra bolts to join the whole thing to the chassis. Electrics will need a bypass relay with a buzzer for the indicators built in. Again simple scotchlock (I hate those things..) and a new fused feed from the battery. This was the hardest part as the grommet was extremely tight and I had to take the base of the dash out to get to it.
Towed for the first time with it last night and it was fine.

[hora]

Stiggolas said:

Just done this to a 9-5 but I would think things are very similar. Mechanically it was a lot simpler than I thought it was going to be. Take bumper off. replace 2 spacers with supplied spacers, bolt towbar to bumper, refit bumper and add 4 extra bolts to join the whole thing to the chassis. Electrics will need a bypass relay with a buzzer for the indicators built in. Again simple scotchlock (I hate those things..) and a new fused feed from the battery. This was the hardest part as the grommet was extremely tight and I had to take the base of the dash out to get to it.
Towed for the first time with it last night and it was fine.

Is there a brace/bracket already there? I was thinking of doing one for my bike carrier

[tiffx19]

The pre wired kits for Saab's are pretty cheap and save a lot of hassle. Just fitted a used genuine Saab towbar to my 9-5 estate and it's just plug and play- no cutting or wiring needed and no bypass kit.Buzzer is part of the kit- you don't need a light on the dash. A 9-3 kit should be about £50 ish.

[Stiggolas]

All the holes are there already and the extra spacers come with the kit. Estates and saloons are the same towbar too but the extra brackets are slightly different (my kit came with both sets).

My electrics were not plug and play unfortunately. Some early 9-5s were and I believe from 2006 they are too. Mine is a 2005 model.

[hora]

tiffx19 said:

The pre wired kits for Saab's are pretty cheap and save a lot of hassle. Just fitted a used genuine Saab towbar to my 9-5 estate and it's just plug and play- no cutting or wiring needed and no bypass kit.Buzzer is part of the kit- you don't need a light on the dash. A 9-3 kit should be about £50 ish.

Where did you buy it from and how much?

[tiffx19]

https://www.saabdirectonline.com/saab-9-5-7-pin-to...

They seem to be fairly easy to get- mine was a used genuine bar though, with all the kit.