Caravan owners

[wilkoturbo]

Hi all had a caravan sins I was 21 anyways I've pulled the same van now with both x5's my 2 questions are would it ware the auto box faster than normal pulling 1600kg.
2 when in traffic stop starting do u go from drive to neutral all the time or leave it in drive would this ware the box many thanks boys and girls

[Neil48is]

Hi,recently towed our 2000kg caravan with a my brothers 4.6is due to my money pit 4.8is not being finished. I found it a lot easier towing in manual mode rather than auto,i found that on motorways the car was constantly changing between fourth and fifth at 60mph. I would imagine that this constant changing could wear the box.In town i would hold the car in first at lights etc.

[wilkoturbo]

Many thanks Neil mine does Stay in six just in stop start traffic I don't like the feelin of going from D to N all the time

[gmc15]

I tow a 1500Kg van and it does not hunt between gears at legal towing speeds. Not sure if it will wear the auto box, suppose it depends on how much you tow and where you tow. Steady motorway towing should not stress the box.
I leave the car in D when stationary unless I will be stopped for more than a minute or so.

Graeme.

[X5Sport]

The answer to your question about transmission wear is yes it will. A lot will depend upon driving style, but you will increase the wear rates on the clutches simply because of the extra weight. 1600kgs is well inside the abililty of the X5 as the 'advisory weight' from the Caravan Club is around 85% of the tractor weight for the trailer, which puts it around 1800kgs. That being said, you're probably a lot better off than if you had a manual X5!! That would probably need a new clutch plate fairly frequently!!

My old V8 Discovery II used to eat transfer boxes when we towed. I think in five years we had a new transfer box every year and two new auto gearboxes. Dreadful thing it was - it only did 45,000 miles!!

Towing anything substantial will always increase the wear on the drivetrain and on the brakes as both are being put under more load than if it was just the X5 on its own. Use of the 'Manual' selector is a good idea as it ensures that most of the changes are when you want them, not the computer!! I would not sit in Neutral though as I would not trust the parking brake to hold you and a trailer in the event of a roll-away!!

[wilkoturbo]

Hey many thanks for all the replys the D/N question was for solo driving and holding the car on foot brake ??