Anyone considering installing a BMW OEM hitch on their X5 READ THIS!!

varun · #1 10-02-2007, 05:36 PM

Ok first of all I am VERY mechanically inclined and have lots of experience with tools/cars/motorcycles and have done several intermediate jobs so I know how this works... If you are a newbie and cannot change a car tire, then do NOT attempt this. Pay the stealer $500 and let them do it. If you are somewhat mechanically inclined but a little lazy and 6-7 hours of your time + frustration is worth $500, please pay the dealer and let them do this. IT IS A LOT OF WORK and the instructions are PATHETIC. The articles on this website are definately helpful and I couldn't have done it without them but they are still incomplete and miss out a lot of tricky stuff which they should have made more clear.

Whoever is in charge of these articles, add these points to it, they will help.

->The rear bumper is HEAVY and if you dont want to scratch it, have 1-2 friends help you

-> If you are standing behind the X5 looking to its front (so you are at the tailgate), the PDC wiring harness which leaves the cabin is on the RIGHT side in the corner. The connector is mounted on the body of the rear and this is where you disconnect it and then pull out the rubber seal connnector which seals it in the hole.

-> At the rear, the inpact absorbers AND the long bracket which holds them both come out and stay out, these are now extra parts

-> The dome in the trunk has to be removed (self leveling suspension). This is because there is a sneaky plastic L panel below that that bends around the battery. This has to come out as the white connector box that the hitch comes with connects in here.

-> DO NOT tighten the 4 LARGEST bolts that hold the hitch up. You have to align the rear bumper (nightmare) and have someone hold it in place (he will sweat, moan and curse you to hurry up - probably regret helping you at this point) while you tighten them AT THE END.

-> You HAVE to drop the mufflers by disconnecting only the rearmost hanger, one on each side, in order to remove the 2 TORX bolts that hold up the rear bumper. It is real easy to scratch the tips with your ratchet if you have the 4 quad pipes on the 4.4i. If its the 4.8is, its easier to scratch them!

-> By the time you have it all torn apart, there are a thousand nuts and bolts everywhere, be organized and remember what goes where. Also with the hitch bolts, its real easy to use a wrong bolt, make sure you have the correct ones, some of them only idffer by 10mm in length!

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X5 in AK · #2 10-02-2007, 07:30 PM

Those are all great tips for installing the hitch, thanks for sharing.

But, I have to respectfully disagree with how difficult the install is. Between the homepage article and the instuctions (yes, they are pathetic, but that is why X5World is around!), it is not really that bad of an install for anyone who owns a tool set and knows which end of a screwdriver is the business end.

I don't think anyone considering a DIY hitch install should be scared off by it, if they have some mechanical aptitude.

varun · #3 10-02-2007, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X5 in AK

Those are all great tips for installing the hitch, thanks for sharing.

But, I have to respectfully disagree with how difficult the install is. Between the homepage article and the instuctions (yes, they are pathetic, but that is why X5World is around!), it is not really that bad of an install for anyone who owns a tool set and knows which end of a screwdriver is the business end.

I don't think anyone considering a DIY hitch install should be scared off by it, if they have some mechanical aptitude.

I agree, but its still a lot of work and not as simple as putting in some thing like an intake etc. Go into it with lots of patience and a full day to kill!