Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

Before our Namibia trip I checked out the trailer, hooked it up - checked the lights and took it for a little run around the block. All was fine. On the day of departure, hooked up end checked the lights before take off and all was fine. Stopped at one of the big highway garages on the road to Jhb, as I walked away from the rig I pushed the lock button and kept an eye on the trailer lights for the indicator flash - NOTHING. Repeat the test while keeping an eye on the Paj lights - the Paj lights work, but the trailer is dead. Wiggle the plug and repeat - nothing. Turn on the lights - nothing.

In Jhb the BIL and I remove the trailer plug and reconnect and plug into the car - FINE. Good job done!

First pitstop at Vryburg I repeat the remote test as I walk away - NOTHING. Luckily the GEN 4 lights sit above the trailer, so we accept that we are not a danger on the road, but illigal and we need to get this lot sorted. Overnight at Oranjerus just other side of Upington the lights seem fine on arrival. Next morning, lights work. At the Pink Padstal outside Kakamas - NOTHING. We are in the middle of Easter weekend and have no choice but to push on.

Next morning at Port Nolloth the lights work. We stop at the garage for petrol and cooldrinks - NOTHING.

Next morning is the first working day after Easter and we get up early in Luderitz and really get stuck into the problem. BIL is a qualified sparky, (although he doesn't practice the trade anymore) so we brought quite a bit of testing equipment and skill with. We traced and tested and stripped and eventually found the Pajero connecting plug under the jack housing in the bottom of the boot. The wiring from that connector to the trailer plug tested fine. Then we found no power on the Pajero side of that plug, but we did expose a circuit board in the little plug. BIL said this car is so fancy, there could be a switch to activate to enable the trailer lights to work. We find no such switch. Then in Aus, filling up with petrol I found the switch - TURN ON THE FRIGG'N IGNITION!

So please, if you are a Gen 4 owner and your trailer lights are acting up - make sure the ignition is on. The trailer doesn't get it's power from your tail lights - the fact that they work doesn't mean the trailer lights will as well.

The only good thing about this experience is the fact that at least the lights were working while I was driving. The worst was the names our spouses called us when our idiotic behaviour was admitted to them.

Very fancy and interesting.

Try to disconnect the trailer when the car's alarm is on. Maybe it does the same as the touaregs and sounds the alarm when it detects the trailer has been disconnected.

It's a nice safety feature if it does that.

Those Tregs are pretty fancy and I like them plenty. Got within an inch of buying one this time round - the 3.0 diesel, but then I realised VW had dropped the low range.

The problem with the Pajero setup is that you can't walk away from your car with hazards or parking lights working on the trailer.

RoelfleRoux wrote:Those Tregs are pretty fancy and I like them plenty. Got within an inch of buying one this time round - the 3.0 diesel, but then I realised VW had dropped the low range.

The problem with the Pajero setup is that you can't walk away from your car with hazards or parking lights working on the trailer.

You can get low range in the new treggs. The 3.0 V6 Tdi has it as an option.

http://www.vw.co.za/content/medialib/vw ... rt_141.pdf

Page 3 - Terrain Tech package - R20'000 option that offers low range.

It's only available in the V6 TDi as an option.

Hmmmmmm Do you know how often I have rewired mine......

KaiV,

Are you serious?

I had the plug on both the Pajero and the caravan replaced after this symptom cropped up earlier this year when I towed my caravan the first time. Thing is I used the van only once to the Kruger, experienced this problem and then on return took the rig to an auto elec. He tested the Pajero side and it was fine (the ignition was obviously on - by "on" I mean that first click). He tested the caravan and it was fine. Because I knew it didn't work on the Kruger trip, I had him replace both the plugs.

Thing is, because it's just me and the missus - I hook up the rig on my own and then test the lights by turning on the hazards and the parking lights and then walking to the back to check those. I then assume all is fine and carry on with life. It stands to reason that sometimes the ignition will be on and sometimes the key will be in my pocket.