x5 OEM hitch help

[jamie392]

Ok I know this topic has been beat to death. I was told that they were now available but after talking to several dealerships they don't appear to be available until August. I need to tow my boat within the next two weeks and need to figure something out.

I'm hoping that anyone with knowledge of what the OEM hitch actually has that is reinforced compared to the curt one could chime in. I believe it has some sort of inserts that go into the bumber support rails, would anyone happen to have pictures. I also heard that it has a different inner bumper, but I'm curious if that actually is there to add to the hitch reinforcement or just because the old bumper won't mount properly with all the hitch stuff underneith. What I am going to do is try to modify a curt hitch if it is possible.

Lastly, what wiring is there out there for the x5 hitch? Is there anything aftermarket that will allow the x5 to function as it should, meaning backup beeper disabled, and computer sensing sway etc? Any information would be greatly appreciated. I have looked through countless threads and all the pictures I could find of the hitch, but nothing is really a close up. I will need to tow 5000 lbs and am not going to risk damaging the truck, so I will really need to reinforce it well to make it as factory would be.

Thanks a lot for your patience!

[JCL]

First thing to do is to read the OEM installation instructions. Those instructions are posted on the home page, here:

http://www.bmwmotorsports.org/pdf/X5_trailer_hitch.pdf

It shows the swan neck tow ball instead of the North American 2" square receiver, but the rest of it is pretty much identical.

The reinforcement isn't to the hitch, but to the unibody structure where the hitch attaches. At the rear of the X5 there are two shock absorbers running fore/aft, and the bumper carrier attaches to these. Aftermarket hitches including the Curt bolt onto the sheet metal around these shock absorbers. The OEM hitch replaces the shock absorbers with two structural supports that tie the bumper carrier back into the box section frame rails in the unibody. Then, because the bumper is no longer shock-absorbing, there is a heavier and stiffer bumper carrier installed inside the bumper. That step isn't shown in the pdf. The wiring is shown in that link as well. The link shows pictures of the above, you are looking at the pentagon-shaped attachment points. The supports you would need to fabricate are item (c) in section 2.3. It isn't logical to modify a Curt hitch. The hitch doesn't need modification, you just need to fabricate the supports that replace the shock absorbers, and unless you have a pattern it will be difficult.

Ask your dealer to do a national search for a dealer that has a hitch available.

The electrical connection is a factory OEM part, but apparently ESC sell it as well. I haven't seen their version, so I don't know if it is identical or not. You can find their link on this site. It isn't essential to disable the rear PDC (you can do it manually each time) but it is handy. More important to me is the fact that the OEM module will avoid any potential fault codes related to aftermarket wiring connections. Some have had those problems, others have used aftermarket wiring with no issues. I would just go OEM and avoid the question.

If you do a search on X5 hitches in this forum, you will find a lot of links and details, but start with the link on the home page.

Good luck.

[cobra94563]

the 1st and 2nd page of this thread has some pics of the support.

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...-x5-hitch.html

But since the OEM hitch is (or will be) available, it is probably not worth it to make mods. If you don't want to risk it or tow heavy loads - get the oem.
If you tow under-capacity, and don't have a huge tongue load, the curt will probably work.

[X5 Meister]

I agree with everything the guys above said. Also, yes they are available. Here's one source, ebay listing # 270370835274

Please also read this excellent write-up:

http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/m...tion-tips.html