Well, I guess it was going to happen eventually in south Texas, but the 35d got rear-ended.
After getting my
German dealer to install his first American hitch, I figured I was good to go for years.
The bumper and hitch assembly took up the entire low speed impact, and the other driver's Honda Civic was much worse after kissing German-American iron. The insurance companies handled things well and quickly, so just had to wait for parts. I was glad the body shop found BMW supplied parts, figuring a 2009 hitch kit might be scarce.
Appears someone complained loudly enough about the OEM setup. I was surprised when the body shop called to ask if i knew we no longer had to cut the bumper panel to accommodate the receiver and 7-pin plug. The gap didn't bother me a lot, but it was far uglier than necessary.
The new hitch tube is missing the odd "handle" bracing above the receiver opening, and the bumper cap has a smooth radiased opening already cut.
Will post the finished product, hopefully next week.
