So I just spent the last hour running through the useful "How To" post on fitting the tow bar electrics:
http://www.rrsport.co.uk/forum/topic29704....6377e0903b

I fitted the sockets, threaded the cable, removed the light, removed the interior panels, and ... WTF... totally different setup inside. The MY12 clearly has different wiring loom. No green and grey sockets clipped to the chassis. There were clearly the MY12 equivalents (yellow, purple and black sockets), but they were tightly bundled to a thick wiring loom which ran front to back, and the sockets were near rear seats not near the rear lights.

There was only about 3" of free flex on the sockets before they merged into the wiring loom. This loom was twisted along its length and tightly bound with tape and material. I cut some of the tape to see if the sockets would just come free, but it was puzzling as some of the wires were directed following the loom down towards the lights and some followed the loom back towards the rear seats! I decided that I wasnt going to cut away the entire loom and try to unbundle it, so admitted defeat.

What makes it worse was that I couldnt just go to the dealers to get them to finish the job, as the towbar electrics wiring that I'd just fitted was trailing on the floor. So I had to undo everything I had just done. So close yet so far.

Anyone got any photos or advice for how to work with the wiring loom on MY12? Might be worth updating the How To thread to warn future DIYers.

So I took some photos with the hope that from looking at it some of you may be able to work out what I need to do.

This first photo below shows the wiring loom along the left hand side of the boot. Notice how the 3 sockets are extending from the loom quite far up the car.
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I've just been doing some searching and it looks like your problem is that you need the full "Towing Kit".

Here are the "Towing Kits"...

12N+S https://topix.landrover.jlrext.com/topix/c...oupId=1671

13-pin https://topix.landrover.jlrext.com/topix/c...oupId=1671

and the "Towbar Electrics"...

12N+S https://topix.landrover.jlrext.com/topix/c...oupId=1671

13-pin https://topix.landrover.jlrext.com/topix/c...oupId=1671

Does that seem right now?

 Visiting from DISCO3.CO.UK
2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 Auto HSE Zambezi Silver

Doh, so it does seem like I need the "kit"!

However the problem still seems to be in the setup of the wiring loom. The pictures in that Topix download show the setup where the 3 sockets of the wiring kit connect to the 3 sockets of the cars loom, at a position right next to the rear light. See pics 10, 25, 26. This is what I was expecting as its as shown in the HowTo guide in this forum. The wiring kit seems to be set up for this as the 3 sockets on the kit (pic25) are set right next to the circular seal. However in my car, as per the photos above, the 3 sockets are much further away from the rear lights and hence it would seem that there wouldn't be enough length in the wires of the kit and the car loom for the 3 sockets to meet each other to connect.

Hope that makes sense?

That looks to me to be the main difference with the kits? They have an extra piece of loom at bracket that connects in between the two.  Visiting from DISCO3.CO.UK
2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 Auto HSE Zambezi Silver

Thanks again.
I see the extra piece of loom, but that is designed to take the wire only just past the rear light to click onto sockets fixed to a bracket right there, but my car doesnt have that bracket-loom setup, so the new wire wont reach the position of my sockets.
Couple of annotated pics to get my point across.

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Unfortunately I've had no choice to book it in to the dealers to get it done. £300+! What a downer. Should have been such an easy money saver DIY too.

it will be interesting what it looks like after theyve done it as it looks like the wiring loom is messed up or a chunk missing..... Bodsys Brake Bible
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I'm fitting this kit over the weekend. Does it need to go to a dealer for some sort of software upgrade? RRS HSE TDV6 Autobiography

Andy, no, yours will work without enabling them.  Visiting from DISCO3.CO.UK
2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 Auto HSE Zambezi Silver

Great! Thanks  RRS HSE TDV6 Autobiography

Bodsy wrote:

it will be interesting what it looks like after theyve done it as it looks like the wiring loom is messed up or a chunk missing.....

Well I had the elecs fitted at the main dealer today, and am now £350 poorer.

I'm stumped for what they did, because when I opened up the car, those 3 sockets are still there untouched. I looked all around and couldn't see a single thing that was different. The only thing that I think is different (although I cant remember for sure) is a single black wire going vertically down through the chassis (identified to the right of the red line I drew on the photo below).

Oh well. Its done now. Got the usual atrocious service at Harwoods Tonbridge.

Also, how do I check whether they "activated" the electrics? I was expecting to see some new button under the "Extra Features" on the centre console screen. I havent got around to fitting the bike rack to see if it beeps.

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