OE hitch came on car, but no frame reinforcements?

[Bdc101]

I don't think I have that plate. Isn't that the plate that you remove to install the OEM hitch? I don't recall seeing i on my car or in for sale ads for secondhand OEM hitches.

[MINIz guy]

The plate posted shouldn't be on the Westfalia hitch when installed.

Can you post a picture of what you have installed? No way to tell what you're missing if you can't determine it from the pictures online of all hitch components.

[Bdc101]

I do know what I'm missing. The pieces that extend into the frame rails.

[Bdc101]

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/x5-...-hitch-kit.jpg

Top left

[Bdc101]

I didn't remove the bumper, but I could see that I have the flat pentagonal plates. But the pentagonal plates with the tubing that extends into the bumper and bolts to the frame rail is missing. I pulled the trunk apart to where the bolts would be, and there is just gooey tar seal where the bolts would go through. Never has been a bolt there.

[Bdc101]

So I did a little more searching and I have a different part number than most E53 hitches I have seen. I have PN 71606 760 080 while most places show 71600 009 711.

I spoke with the local dealer parts guy and they couldn't even pull up my first part number. The second came up as zero inventory since it is out of production.

Not sure if that rings any bells with anyone who might be reading, but it might make sense if there was an earlier part number that didn't have the frame rail reinforcements.

[xbimma]

BDC101 I just installed OEM hitch kit last weekend so coming with fresh memory and soared muscles. From your description you probably have the impact absorbers however they were just bolted on half way. This is why
1) the tow bar can only be mounted on the impact absorbers and nowhere else, and the bumper could NOT have been mounted without the impact absorbers in place

2) in your case I think the impact absorbers were only bolted from their bottom. The bottom bolts remain inside the absorber and do not stick out inside the trunk. The installer most likely forgot to mount the top part which is where you noticed the untouched gooey stuff.

I'm frankly not surprised that you have not had issues because the OEM kit is full of redundancy.

PM me if you would like to discuss live



Garage:
E53 4.4i M62 born 2003-03-04 (SOLD)
E53 4.8iS N62s born 2006-03-16
E90 325i N52 born 2006-03-28
F30 328i N20 born 2012-09-06

[Bdc101]

Thank you for the insight!

So I called see one pentagonal plates bolted between the bumper, but didn't take the bumper off to see if it was the impact absorber or just the flat plate. I was assuming it was just the flat plate because I thought both had to be installed based on instructions I found here. As you can see in the picture linked above, both the flat plates and the impact absorbers are shown as part of the kit. That

I will take the bumper off next to see if I actually do have the absorbers installed already. If that's the case then I just need some bolts. Due to the tarry, gummy mess in the place where those bolts go from above, I wasn't able to tell if there were threaded holes to put bolts there.

Thank you so much!!

[xbimma]

Originally Posted by Bdc101

I will take the bumper off next to see if I actually do have the absorbers installed already. If that's the case then I just need some bolts. Due to the tarry, gummy mess in the place where those bolts go from above, I wasn't able to tell if there were threaded holes to put bolts there.

Thank you so much!!

M10x30 bolts with corresponding washers will go under the gummy stuff



Garage:
E53 4.4i M62 born 2003-03-04 (SOLD)
E53 4.8iS N62s born 2006-03-16
E90 325i N52 born 2006-03-28
F30 328i N20 born 2012-09-06

[hpy540]

Ok where is the lighting module? And i do have that plate on my x5. Is that round bushing where the wesfalia attachment goes? I JUST orderd a 2 " eTralr hitch. I dont intend to tow heavy with it.