Well, after A LOT of reading, I decided to try an aftermarket carrier. It got nearly 90% good reviews, and I'm not seeing anything that would indicate that the BMW parts are reliable at all in this case. So, I decided to try it. I t will be here fast through Amazon Prime, so I figured, what the heck.

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2002 e53 X5 4.6is Estroil blue/ Black interior (Build Date 04/02)