Originally Posted by fishhouse4

I looked for a factory one but they were all stupid expensive new OR too beat up used. And then after much research I couldn't justify the cost of a factory setup over an aftermarket Class 3 (Curt, Reese, etc).

I opted for a sort of hybrid approach. Aftermarket Curt hitch but purchased a used BMW towing module off eBay. Couldn't find a cheap factory wiring harness/cable/plug but wanted to use the X5s wiring after seeing several posts about horror stories (instead of the generic wiring direction that Curt recommended). So I just tapped into the existing harness with my own wires to extended the wiring down to the bumper for a nice hardwired Hopkins aftermarket plug.

Turned out fantastic and as good if not better then factory IMO - for MUCH less.

Installation was not difficult (if you don't have a 4.8is I bet it would be just a matter of bolting it on). You can see more details and pics here: https://xoutpost.com/1134426-post9199.html