I need Towing Package - Page 2

LudjakR1 · #11 03-28-2011, 03:19 PM

Purchased it, it was the best deal i could find for the money, I havent heard anything bad about Curt hitches. It will do the job!

Thanks for all the help.

Sponsored Links

LudjakR1 · #12 04-01-2011, 08:50 AM

So i got the towing package from CURT, I didnt get a chance to do install it with my mechanic by that time i got to his shop he was almost done.

I am not satisfied with the wiring harness, looks like its a general wiring harness. It doesnt plug in to the oem one in the trunk.

Also the bolts they sent looks like they are for hauling bicycles. So we had to drill and put bigger bolts of course. But thats ok, i am really pissed about the wirign harness after he wired it all the brake light will not work because he cant hook that up if he does it will fry it all.

Should i contact these people and return the whole package or just the harness and buy OEM harness?

JCL · #13 04-01-2011, 01:58 PM

As several of us posted from the start, the safe way is to use the OE hitch. Even if you don't want the OE hitch, the safest way to wire it is with the OE wiring harness, and I gave you a link above to buy it separately. It is the only one that will plug in to the vehicle.

Some owners have had no trouble with aftermarket wire taps, others have had similar experiences to yours. You need to decide if you are going to drive without brake lights (!!), get your mechanic to finish the job properly (if he is capable?), get someone else to try to rectify his work ($), or go back and get the OE wiring harness ($).

I think you should get the OE wiring harness, myself.

Only you can decide if your trust in your mechanic and the solution he installed is broken to the point that you want to replace the hitch as well.

I refer you to the signature line that Weasel famously uses on here: "If you think professional is expensive, just try paying for amateur"

Good luck.

LudjakR1 · #14 04-01-2011, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCL

As several of us posted from the start, the safe way is to use the OE hitch. Even if you don't want the OE hitch, the safest way to wire it is with the OE wiring harness, and I gave you a link above to buy it separately. It is the only one that will plug in to the vehicle.

Some owners have had no trouble with aftermarket wire taps, others have had similar experiences to yours. You need to decide if you are going to drive without brake lights (!!), get your mechanic to finish the job properly (if he is capable?), get someone else to try to rectify his work ($), or go back and get the OE wiring harness ($).

I think you should get the OE wiring harness, myself.

Only you can decide if your trust in your mechanic and the solution he installed is broken to the point that you want to replace the hitch as well.

I refer you to the signature line that Weasel famously uses on here: "If you think professional is expensive, just try paying for amateur"

Good luck.

Thank you so much sir, me and my mechanic who is also my personal friend, we most likely will have to get OE wiring harness i also think its the best way to go and safest. He did tell me he can wire it all together but will take too long and recommends OE wiring harness and was also pissed for me going this route at all.

Yeah i am not going to tow anything until i have everything working properly.

TowX · #15 04-01-2011, 02:38 PM

The biggest problem with having someone not familiar with an X5 Hall Effect wiring harness is that you end up with electrical problems. You have to know where to tap for the correct signal since one wire may be shared by multiple electrical circuits, thus the Hall Effect. Per the factory, there are only two acceptable ways to connect brake lights- 1) with the factory harness adapter or 2) by tapping the correct wire in the Light Control Module which is behind the right front kickpanel (basically by the passenger's right ankle). Anything else is a crapshoot. Please do yourself a favor and get the factory harness. The $$ you spend today will save you the horror of having to replace a melted harness later. It really is plug and play.

Also- did your mechanic prime, paint and caulk all the holes he had to drill in your body to install the Curt? There's a lot of electronics in that spare tire well that you don't want getting wet from a leak, and you certainly don't want rust in an area you're relying on to support the hitch. Glad he used bigger hardware, the stuff that comes with the Curt looks cheap. Hopefully he used at least grade 8.8 if not 10.9 hardware. As I recall all the bolts with the factory hitch are grade 10.9, but it's been close to 4 years since I installed mine so maybe it was 8.8.

Hope you get your harness squared away.

LudjakR1 · #16 04-01-2011, 03:15 PM

thank you tom, i will get OE harness i dont really want to mess with the wires.

LudjakR1 · #17 04-01-2011, 03:19 PM

Oh and to add when i spoke today to the customer service for the hitch i got for Curt he told me if i went with OE wiring harness it would be 500.00 plus. I told him thats how mucht he hitch is for OEM he said oh no sir its way more then that the wiring harness is 500.00.

Zulu95 · #18 04-01-2011, 03:44 PM

Try here:
BMW Parts and BMW Accessories | Bavarian Autosport Part # 71 60 0 009 698
$179 plus S&H

LudjakR1 · #19 04-01-2011, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zulu95

Try here:
BMW Parts and BMW Accessories | Bavarian Autosport Part # 71 60 0 009 698
$179 plus S&H

wow that is steep for wiring harness, i guess i have no other choice.

JCL · #20 04-01-2011, 06:06 PM

It is a better price than the same part at ECS, the supplier I suggested above, as long as the shipping is not expensive. Worth having the info in case Bavarian don't have it. ECS is a board sponsor, and I believe that they offer free shipping.

BMW E53 X5 M54 3.0L > Exterior > Trailer > ES#185391 Wiring Harness - 71600009698

Sponsored Links