Does anyone have any idea of the cost of installing a car tow bar here? I'm looking at bike rack options for my car, I'd find a tow bar mounted one easier to load up than lifting bikes onto a roof mounted one.
Plenty of bike racks can strap on, fitting a tow bar just for a bike rack is a very expensive solution.
I noticed those being sold on amazon.de not long ago when I was looking at bike racks on there. They're relatively inexpensive and many have received pretty good reviews.
Apparently, Amazon.de even has a function where you can enter the make and model of your car and it will filter the results to only show the ones that can be used on your vehicle.
https://www.amazon.de/s?k=car+bike+r...ref=nb_sb_noss
Unfortunately, my car won't take one of these. That would be the ideal solution, but no go!
What is the car? I need to check out something for my wife's Peugeot RCZ which is likely to be a challenge.
It will depend on the towbar type, the more flexible the pricier. The people from the local horse riding club say a fixed one (sufficient to tow a trailer that keeps the combined vehicle under 3.5 tons) costs at least around 1k (like, 4-500.- for the material, 4-500.- for the work, plus assorted details and VAT). But as usual the sky's the limit and upscale brands like BMW will try to milk you for a multiple of that.
I believe that you need to pass an MFK test with it, and have it documented in your grey card. Some garages may be accredited to do that themselves, i.e. without you visiting the StrassenVerkehrsAmt (STVA).
You could ask your cantonal STVA for a list of the accredited garages (download from their website, rather), talk to one or two asking for an estimate, and take it from there.
Ugh I didn’t even think about mfk approval etc. Roof mount gonna be easier and cheaper (if harder to use).
I paid CHF 850, all in, on a Ford Escape a couple years ago, including MFK.
Mainly use it for pulling a motorcycle trailer a couple times a year.
Tom
I've bought bike racks for the roof last week for 100 CHF on Ricardo, for 2 bikes. It's actually really easy to get them onto the roof, even though it's a relatively heavy e-bike.
yeah, quite expensive I would say...
https://www.mvg-ahk.ch/en/Towbars-mv...rical-kit.html
Mine was much cheaper and I mounted it myself.
I have a 2019 version.. Dealer quoted me 2k to fit a towbar
Yep - think I’ll go for roof mounted!! Especially as planning to get a new car in a few years!
If you use it for 1-2 light bikes and you have help (or built like the Rock), then roof mount is ok. Remember, on a given day out you have to mount/unmount 4x.
If you have a leased car, I understand the hesitation of adding a towbar. However, with roof mount, you also have to consider paint scratch especially at the end of the day when you're tired and just want to go home.
In my experience, a garage in DE will be able to install a towbar at least 500CHF cheaper than here.
Take the wheels off and throw it in the trunk or back compartment
That’s what I do now. But if we have 2 bikes, or the dog, or luggage, then it’s an issue. I’m quite a short female so if I’m on my own, lifting it on to the roof could be interesting.
The Thule Outway should fit a countryman. You can check your make/model here:
https://www.thule.com/en-ch/bike-rac...ks?q=rTcuqjYSH
EDIT: Sorry, just saw that you have a 2010 model, so that doesn't work.