2011 Cayenne - ball carrier and ball for pre-installed trailer hitch

[harmonix]

I bought my 2011 Cayenne S Tiptronic with the trailer hitch pre-installed.

What else do I need so that I can tow a trailer?

In these forums I found a suggestion to stay with the Porsche hardware because after-market hitches cannot take full advantage of the towing capacity of this vehicle.

Contacted the parts department at my dealer and was told there is no Porsche part for this.

Further, that I could get the wiring connector from the Audi dealer, and the trailer people would set me up with the right ball carrier and ball for my trailer.

Something does not sound right - I asked the wrong question or received an incorrect answer.

I do not have a trailer and the idea was to have a set-up just in case a need came up, including helping somebody who might be stuck somewhere.

Suggestions? Thanks!

[wvicary]

If you indeed do have the trailer hitch installed then look to the left of the receiver for the electrical connection. If it's there, then you need only to purchase a standard receiver with whatever sized ball you need a 4 or 7 pin trailer harness plug depending on what's required for your trailer. They are VW part number.

[harmonix]

Thanks. After posting my question, I got under the car and could now see a black rectangular plate fastened with four screws to the right of the hitch (looking up from below, facing the rear of the car).

The plug from the trailer wiring probably goes into whatever is beneath that plate.

Since it is a factory install, I am guessing the programming is already done.

[wvicary]

The black plate is a weather proof connector to protect the plug until you install the adaptor needed for your trailer. The rule of thumb is a 4 pole connector for a standard trailer and the 7 pole for a trailer requiring brakes. The module should be coded from factory but sometimes they needed to updated to function correctly.

[harmonix]

Thanks again. The part numbers I got are:

ZVW808007 @ $74

HOP47355 @ $25

The second one is likely a Hopkins part, not sure about the first.

Another question:

Is the brake controller part of the factory installation?

If one were to attach a trailer that requires/has brakes, with the appropriate seven-pin connector, is everything good to go?

Edited May 22, 2012 by harmonix

[wvicary]

The early Cayennes where pre-wired for the brake command wiring from the brake pedal area to the trailer module but I'm not sure if this the case on the newer models.

Prodigy Brake Controller by Tekonsha comes highly recommended and they now have a wireless option but I don't know the details.

[harmonix]

Thanks. I stopped by the dealership and confirmed that the pre-wiring for the brake controller still comes with the trailer option in the configuration of a car order.

The dealership does not do the the installation of the brake controller.

They sent me off to a trailer place.

It turned out that the trailer place would not touch any Porsche because of issues of updating the system.

They use a basic Draw-Tite controller.

All this raises a basic question - what is the point of a brake controller?

If one were towing just occasionally and over short distances, is the brake controller necessary?

[wvicary]

Trailer brakes are there for safety so you don't overcome the braking potential of the tow vehicle and have some control against sway in some cases. It all depends on the weight of the trailer.

[gardinyeah!]

I have had very good luck with the Tekonsha wired-type set up and tow a 6500 pound trailer every other weekend over mountain passes, through bad weather and fairly aggressive terrain. Brake controller and the activated trailer brakes distribute braking effort which results in greater stability and from a financial impact perspective, the reduction in replacement of the fairly expensive brake system components on the Cayenne itself are of substantial benefit.

[stronbl]

All - I posted a similar question in the Cayenne Gen 1 forum, but wanted to post it here too in case someone may have an idea or two to help.

I have a 2013 Cayenne diesel with factory installed tow package. I added the 7-way plug and Prodigy P3 controller w/ harness. When I connect the brake controller and test it (internal Prodigy tests), I see a 14v+ for the power, but I see 0 volts for brakes and lights. I did not have a trailer hooked up at the time of the tests, so perhaps that is the problem. Or is there something else I need to do? For example, even though it is a factory install of the tow package, is there still a step the dealer needs to do to activate the Porsche electrical trailer controller system?

Thanks for any thoughts.