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Our 2018 SQ5 was originally delivered without the tow package. Our car suffered some rear end damage that required a new bumper and support structure underneath. I had originally inquired at the dealership as to how much it would cost to retrofit the tow package. Almost $3000. So fast forward to the body shop and I ended up paying the shop the difference in part costs between the tow package parts and original. Just about $400. A nice consolation prize for having to have the rear end refinished. All OEM parts including the 7pin connector.
I have a brake controller and 4 pin harness that I harvested out of our traded in Q7. I looked up underneath the driver’s side footwell and I peeked into where the steering column is and I can’t find the connector. So all of this to ask, where is it? Or because it didn’t come from the factory with the tow package it’s not there? I understand the tow package is a port installed accessory and because the MMI had/has a tow setting I believe it’s somewhere up there. The kick panel looks to be more difficult to remove than previous models so before I dig into it, I though I’d ask.
Chiming in to bump this up... I also had the tow hitch installed by my dealership on my 2018 Q5 PP, and now that I plan on towing stuff, I cannot figure out where on earth the plug is. I looked in the following locations:
- Fuse panel between driver door and dashboard (with door open)
- Fuse panel under dead pedal on drivers side
- Hanging under steering wheel
Couldn't find it anywhere. Can anybody chime in, if they know the location of theirs?
I went to the Q5 with best intentions of ripping apart under the steering wheel, alas I can't even figure out how to remove all of the plastics. They all are very tightly interconnected. The screw furthest to the door seems to hold together 3 layers of plastic, of which the largest piece goes up and around the steering wheel. Anybody got any pointers on how to disassemble this area?
Success!!!
I took the car to the dealership and had a tech help me remove the trim piece and lower kick panel. And yes! The plug was tucked away up next to a wiring harness on the left sidewall. Better yet, my harness that I had used with my Tekinosha Prodigy brake controller plugged right in. As long as the lower kick panel (and integrated storage tray with door) was out, I found what I think is an elegant mounting solution. It fit perfectly and if any of you follow in my footsteps, be very sure you mount the controller in such a way where you can still squeeze the brake gain switch and close the compartment door.
And just to clarify, this is an SQ5 that was delivered without the trailer tow package so I think it’s safe to say that ALL 2018 Q5/SQ5’s come from the factory pre-wired for the tow package. I mention this because the tech could not find any reference to a 4 pin plug on any of the wiring diagrams but yet it was there.
06-02-2018, 03:25 PM
Trailer brake controller harness location.
