Just been quoted £185 for on site supply and fit of a towbar. Is that about right?

sounds about right. Depending on the electrics installed, you can do it yourself for between £75 and £150.

Ive done both of mine. Lots of cursing but I did them both for <£80 but the electrics were easy in the T4 and the Freelander. Manufacturer electrics kits can be very pricey.

It’s a 2004 hatchback astra. The model changed that year, so ot’s the older one. Single electrics. Any thoughts on how easy it would be for a DIY job? What’s involved?

That’s not a bad price certainly, ring around a few local places and you’ll soon get an idea. Towbar kit with bits would probably cost about 80-100 to fit yourself. Fitting all depends on the car, some are bumper off, cuts to make etc and easier ones are just offer up and do up a few bolts then wire.

A lot will depend on the car. Some you can just plug in, 5 minute job, others you need to track down the right wire and join into it. Mine took about 2-3 hours to fit and wire not rushing it. Mine was £120 for the bits.

yes circa £100 for the kit from ebay /online and fitting depends on how competent you are.
the tow bar is dead easy as it just bolt on [ generally] its the electrics which require some [ IMHO limited] skill

Fitting mine this weekend ..cant wait

found this for £71 which looks like what I need. Agreed?

Blurb says “7 way bypass relay or car specific wiring kit recommended available from £26”. What are they? Which do I get? How do I find out which I need?

http://www.towbarandtrailercentre.com/smart-7-way-bypass-relay-kit-inc-cable-fuse–holder-480-p.asp

is probably the sort of thing you want. Essentially more modern cars don’t have one wire = one light from front to back so you can clip into the wire. Rather they have clever cables that also detect voltage drop. Clipping into a more recent car can cause an error code due to the current draw of the trailer ligths. Bypass relay takes almost no current so should be safe to use for almost all cars. Only snag is you need to run a new fused cable from the front to the boot…

PS Have got all set to DIY fit my towbar but it’s cold and wet and I can’t face grovelling around on the drive…

£240 mazda 6 estate, with twin electrics, come to my house, one week ago.

I paid (EDIT (£125)) for bar fitting and electrics (not on-site) on a Focus hatchback.