PLEASE CAN SOMEONE ADVISE ME

[ed1]

hello
due to unfortunate circumstances we have no longer got our discovery 3....but we still have our compass corona club 524 which i think is 1440kg .....we now only have the use of an audi a4 avant s-line 1.9tdi (116bhp) 2007 ive tried the matching what car, online service, and im still not sure if i should tow this van with the audi.....ive had conflicting kerbweights and towing limits from audi....its either 1550kg kerbweight or 1700kg and im now totally confused....so if anyone can say tow or not to tow ...that would be very helpful....thankyou regards ed

 

[dougie201]

Hi Ed
Have checked up on the info you state about your van and towcar, and comes back as your van is 120kg to heavy. Towsure state your car is 1600kg but has a manufacturer towing weight of 1300kg, Your van is 1420kg laden which gives a 89% match which would be okay to tow , but with the manufacturers towing weight being so low would make it illegal .
Please be aware this is the info i have found so this could be wrong !.
Pity you dont have the disco anymore.

Dougie.....

 

[ed1]

thankyou dougie....
due to the recession we have been forced into not having the disco, and we cant get another van as tied in too much with this 1.....we could loose 1000s if we sell it and still owe it back to the finance company.. so if it is correct im stumped now....thankyou for your help..ive just found another guide on parkers and that is saying braked trailer towing limit is 1700kg...i think this is what audi quoted to me, and i thought that it would be ok to tow at that limit......but the kerbweight is now 1450 on this site or 1550kg on whattowcar....im going to go in a darkened room and scream very soon...regards ed

 

[dougie201]

Hi
As i say i could be wrong , If there is an Audi dealer near you give them a call state your model and year and hopefully they can give you the exact weight . Hope things improve for you this year tho, dont want to lose the house or the van if possible.

Dougie.....

 

[xtrailman]

Have you checked your V5?

The Audi i had came with a 1500kg tow limit back in 2000.
That was a 1.8T Avant quattro.
I would have thought your kerb was likely in the 1600kg area, as i recall my old Audi was around 1550kg.
Cars seem to get heavier in the main. In the same model range.
Do you have the handbook?

 

[ed1]

thankyou ray.....we are in the process of buying it and dont pick it up until wednesday...it is a good practical car for what we need, and will be a lot cheaper to run than the disco.....i stupidly took someones word for it....but we are definately happy with the car.....if it is 1550 im happier with that, the van is never loaded fully as its only 2 of us....and if it were to move it would be down the road to a 5 van site if necessary..( thats if we loose the house)....im just slightly annoyed at myself.....but if we manage to keep the house and the van doesnt move for a couple of years and we can go back up to a more suitable car, then to me, ive won the lottery....damn recession...building trade is hopeless at the minute...thankyou again regards ed...(trying to make the best out of a bad job.....but never giving in)

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello,

There is a fundamental problem with virtually all the third party web sites that offer technical information about cars and caravans, they contain errors. The big problem is we don’t know which record are erroneous or not, so you must always treat their outputs with some scepticism.

The only way to get the accurate information is to check the vehicles data plates V5 documentation Vehicle hand book, or failing those, supply the vehiecle registartaion number and VIN number to the manufacture and they should be able to give you chapter and verse about the vehicle.

Having said that a number of different sources I have checked list the Audi Avant A4 S-Line (years 05 to 08) list the vehicle weight as 1450Kg with a max towing limit of 1700Kg.

You don’t give enough detail about your caravan, for example the year, but again the databases I have seen suggest the MTPLM of Compass Corona 524 ranges between 1360 and 1375Kg depending on the year, - the same notes regarding accuracy of dat a applies here too.

Assuming the data I have seen is correct then, the caravan is within the cars legal towing limits, and is between, 1360/1450 (94%) and 1375/1450 (95%).

For good reasons it is always better to keep the trailer as lower weight compared to the car, and it is seen as fool hardy to tow at 100% or more. It is only guidance and has no basis in law, but the UK caravanning industry and clubs suggest you should not exceed 85%.

Towing at 95% obviously requires great care and would not be recommended for novices.

 

[ed1]

thankyou john l
im checking the log book tomorrow....ive mentioned to audi that they need to double check figures quoted (my sister in law works for them, hence the good deal we got) but what bothered me was, someone who isnt sure on weights would have been advised by someone who wasnt fully aware of car to caravan ratio......we have towed caravans for over 20 years, and to the best of our ability have been ok, but conditions could always play a part....but thankyou again for your advise, ...i just felt i was going round in circles as to what figures were correct.......kind regards ed

 

[Hazzar]

Have a look at the cars data plate usualy in the engine bay if you check your hand book it will tell you what all the codes mean most cars have the weight details on that plate hope this helps