Geez...$430 bucks? I guess that's not a lot considering you'll be towing cars. I'll only be towing 2-3 motorcycles so I think I'll be good with the aftermarket. but after seeing how ugly it sticks out like that, I may opt for OEM as I like a clean look. Had a Hidden Hitch on my Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7L Hemi and I forgot I had bikes back there most of the time.

However my question is this. With my Jeep, there was a "TOW/HAUL" button which pretty much locked the trans into 4th gear to keep it from fishing around between 4th and 5th. I noticed my X5 4.8is doesn't have such a button. Should I manually shift over and put in a lower gear? I'll be towing the bikes for approximately 900 miles. Should I get my trans fluid changed beforehand also?