Hitch install and Doh!

[admranger]

I installed my hitch over the new year holiday. It turned into a real pita when I was about to install the cross member (big, heavy thing with the receiver). The top tab on the passenger side had been mis-aligned and only had a partial weld on it! Fortunately, I had gotten two hitch kits from BMW of San Diego (there for the Holiday Bowl and BMW of SD had $100/off the hitch kits -- friend wanted one too). I zipped over to my friend's house and stole his crossmember and completed the install.

Sent the crossmember back to BMW of SD and they are pulling a new one out of a different kit and sending it to me (so I can replenish my friend's kit).

Soooo, moral of the story is to look over each part of your hitch kit prior to tearing your X5 apart. I'd have been dead in the water if there wasn't a spare kit to take a cross member out of!

Definitely something to look out for. I did take a pic but it is not that good (autofocus went to a distant object...).

[LightWerkz]

Any picture of the issue?

Just so I know what to look over. I plan on installing mine this weekend. HOw many hours did it take you?

[chefwong]

No issues here with crossmember....

If memory serves me, 2-3 hrs borderline.

Remove bumper
Install new cross member
Route wiring through grommer

Remove trunk lid
Remove spare, etc to get all the way down to the module
Install TCM module, etc
Connect Wiring

Tighten bolts on crossmember, button the trunk back up.
If memory serves me, the only difficult issues if any is

Using a torque wrench should you choose to tighten up either the hitch ball or the nuts on the cross member.

Hammering the ~tabs~ down to lock the nut in (this is not covered in any of the writeups*

Lining up the rear bumper and keeping it aligned as you tighten things up.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by chefwong

No issues here with crossmember....

If memory serves me, 2-3 hrs borderline.

Remove bumper
Install new cross member
Route wiring through grommer

Remove trunk lid
Remove spare, etc to get all the way down to the module
Install TCM module, etc
Connect Wiring

Tighten bolts on crossmember, button the trunk back up.
If memory serves me, the only difficult issues if any is

Using a torque wrench should you choose to tighten up either the hitch ball or the nuts on the cross member.

Hammering the ~tabs~ down to lock the nut in (this is not covered in any of the writeups*

Lining up the rear bumper and keeping it aligned as you tighten things up.

It took me considerably longer than 3 hours. Hammering the tabs was on my instruction set or one of the instructions off the front page here.

[Skip110]

Hopefully you informed your friend you were snatching his parts or else the poor guy is sitting there wondering where that piece could be...

[admranger]

Finally, my high quality <cough> pic of the similar quality weld...

[rlabair]

Oh Snap! That is bad. Thanks for the reminder to look everything over before installing.