LR4 Tow Assist - does it exist?

hotdog said:

I have a new 2012 LR4 LUX.

The dealer is quoting $585 for the wiring harness & install. Seems pricey, he says the 2012 is a hassle to install (something to do with the keyless entry). Anyone know about this for 2012?

Also my 2012 has NO Vision assist. Does this mean I will have no Tow Assist once the wiring is done?

Thx in advance for any advice. Cheers

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It cost me about $130 to order a kit online and 30 minutes of install time. 2010, 2011, 2012 all same in this area. This has nothing to do with keyless entry.... it's all typical dealership BS. Then I took it to the dealer on next service and paid $75 to enable the features. and yes I have a 5 camera system and works great.

tjp74 said:

It cost me about $130 to order a kit online and 30 minutes of install time. 2010, 2011, 2012 all same in this area. This has nothing to do with keyless entry.... it's all typical dealership BS. Then I took it to the dealer on next service and paid $75 to enable the features. and yes I have a 5 camera system and works great.

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Thanks. I had suspected something similar but nice to know for sure.
Did you order a LR kit or an after market one for the harness?

Tow Assist

Interesting b/c I have a 2010 LR4 w/ the surround camera option, and the tow wiring harness installed and do NOT have the tow assist button. Guess i"ll add that to the dealer list.

nashvegas said:

Interesting b/c I have a 2010 LR4 w/ the surround camera option, and the tow wiring harness installed and do NOT have the tow assist button. Guess i"ll add that to the dealer list.

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Hi nashvegas,
There is no tow assist button. When you connect a trailer to the wiring, the LR4 recognizes that you connected a trailer and takes you through a series of steps to setup that trailer. Once a trailer is connected, you can access the tow assist menu from the cameras menu. This is a soft key, not a button and a trailer needs to be connected to the wiring in order to acces that feature. If you cannot access that feature, check with dealer. They may have not programed it on.

I've been working through this with my dealer. I installed the wiring harness myself. Then I had to take it to the dealer and they downloaded what they thought was the tow assist feature. When I tested it while still at the dealership I could not see anything different, but I didn't have a trailer installed so I figured I would have to test it at home. When I tested at home it still did not enter the trailer setup menu even with a trailer attached. I know it is seeing the trailer because the trailer display is there in the dash when the hazards are on, and the brake controller is also seeing the trailer. So it is only the trailer setup menu I am not getting into (and yes, I do have the vision package...2011 HSE). The dealer at this point doesn't know and has apparently never had anyone try to use the feature before. When I bought the trailer target they said it was the first one they had ever sold. They are waiting for feedback from Land Rover and I guess I will have to take it in again once the learn how all this is supposed to work.

My truck was the same: got the trailer electrics installed and there was not even a hint of the trailer-assist functionality on the screen. The trailer lights and brake lights worked, including the hazards and the trailer icon light on the dash.

Took it back to the dealer and they insisted they did everything they were supposed to do. Eventually I showed them a printout of the trailer-assist features and how the screen is 'supposed' to look with the new buttons on the screen, and they eventually got some instructions from LR-North-America. Some quick programming and now it works like a charm. Same as you - it was the first time they ever did it, so they had no idea they had to modify the CCF.

It is actually quite a nice feature to have, once you set it up and learn how to use it. Worth keeping on top of your dealer until it works.
- Hitch assist makes lining up the trailer almost trivial, it even auto-zooms on the hitch ball when you get close.
- The trailer assist shows where your trailer will go when you back up. This took a Lot of practice to understand what it was showing and how to interpret it, but now I like it.
- It adds a 'trailer view' button to the special views section of your camera screen, which I keep on anytime I am towing something.

It is very obvious on the screen when it is properly programmed. Even with no trailer connected, I still see the Tow Assist button on the camera screen, it is just greyed out so you can't select it.

Good to know that the tow feature shows on the camera screen without the trailer, that way I can make sure they have it solved before I leave next time. I even told them there was a Car Configuration File that had to be modified but the service adviser seemed to think they had already done that.

I'm thinking that since my trailer is white I can just paint three black dots on it using the sticker I purchased as a template.

Is it just me or does it seem like it's fairly complicated get a trailer fully set up with this rig? Things I have purchased:
- hitch receiver (ebay new)
- hitch arm, ball, and locking pin (etrailer.com)
- tow wiring (ebay)
- trailer sticker (dealer)
- brake controller and wiring harness (etrailer.com)
- 6 to 7 pin trailer wiring adapter (uhaul)
- dealer service to "enable" tow assist (at least 2 trips now)

My last pickup, granted I didn't have all these features, but I bought
- a ball (mounted on bumper)

Daniel Hull said:

Good to know that the tow feature shows on the camera screen without the trailer, that way I can make sure they have it solved before I leave next time. I even told them there was a Car Configuration File that had to be modified but the service adviser seemed to think they had already done that.

I'm thinking that since my trailer is white I can just paint three black dots on it using the sticker I purchased as a template.

Is it just me or does it seem like it's fairly complicated get a trailer fully set up with this rig? Things I have purchased:
- hitch receiver (ebay new)
- hitch arm, ball, and locking pin (etrailer.com)
- tow wiring (ebay)
- trailer sticker (dealer)
- brake controller and wiring harness (etrailer.com)
- 6 to 7 pin trailer wiring adapter (uhaul)
- dealer service to "enable" tow assist (at least 2 trips now)

My last pickup, granted I didn't have all these features, but I bought
- a ball (mounted on bumper)

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Which brake controller did you go with? Is there a reciptical or plug input for the electric brake controller under the dash somewhere? The dealer installed all of my electrics and tow package except for the after market electric brake controller. Can anybody help regarding electric brake controller and installing it in 2012 LR4. I do have the software enabled already with tow assist.

I went with a Tekonsha P-3. I ordered it online and it came with a harness to adapt to the LR4. Seems to be working just fine.

Yes, there is a receptical under the dash tucked in just above the brake pedal. Stick your head under there with a flashlight and you should be able to easily pull it down. This is a really simple install process.

I mounted the brake controller by using the screw already present on the bottom of the dash near your left leg. Seems to be plenty stable and stays out of the way. I remove the controller, leaving just the bracket, when I'm not towing - although there's really no reason to.

I still haven't been able to get the tow assist feature enabled

Daniel Hull said:

I went with a Tekonsha P-3. I ordered it online and it came with a harness to adapt to the LR4. Seems to be working just fine.

Yes, there is a receptical under the dash tucked in just above the brake pedal. Stick your head under there with a flashlight and you should be able to easily pull it down. This is a really simple install process.

I mounted the brake controller by using the screw already present on the bottom of the dash near your left leg. Seems to be plenty stable and stays out of the way. I remove the controller, leaving just the bracket, when I'm not towing - although there's really no reason to.

I still haven't been able to get the tow assist feature enabled

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great, really helpful! when i just called the dealer they seem to be pretty clueless when it come to actually hooking in an electric brake controller. i was thinking of buying the prodigy p2 as i dont think i need all of the features on the p3. do i just buy the adaptive cable from etrailer.com and its as simple as that??