X5 Towing - need electronic brake controller

[Bdc101]

The factory hitches seem to be easier to find due to so many E53s getting easily totaled, but they are very hard to ship, and have many parts which sometimes get lost by those selling, so it's best to look locally. The factory hitch is extremely beefy and solid, but requires a fairly large amount of work to install.



I already had the factory hitch and an aftermarket towing connector installed in mine (which was installed by the PO using spliced wires off the brake lights instead of the factory connector) and was not able to find a towing module at the time I needed it. I added a Tekonsha P3 proportional controller and wired it into the car myself. This unit (a wired controller) I can at least recommend without any reservation.



I believe that if you use a wireless controller you'll still need to wire up a trailer plug with brake, reverse, and running lights either way.



I have been towing my 18-foot Apex Nano camper (curb weight 3,050 lbs) with mine for the past three seasons. I'm definitely happy with the E53 as a tow vehicle.



A couple of times I've forgotten to install the brake controller and had to brake quickly without the trailer brakes, and it has been able to stop easily without trailer brakes. I wouldn't want to go down a long hill without them but it's just a much higher-quality vehicle than your average american pickup truck when it comes to brakes and suspension.