Towing with the X5

[Tymatk]

Hi

When plugged the trailer cable into the X5, do we suppose to get some sort of message from the Dash at all?
I've got genuine bmw wiring kit which is the flat plug and old trailers use round plug so i bought an aftermarket adaptor to connect the two. Is this the reason why my PDC keeps beeping because i can't tell that i've got the trailer in the back?

Thanks

[JCL]

No dash acknowledgement in North America. Not sure about Oz.

If pdc is still beeping I would check if the trailer lights work

If not your vehicle may require flashing by the dealer so the vehicle recognizes that the trailer wiring module is installed. You don't list your vehicle details but it was 2004 models onwards that may need flashing, IIRC

[taosx5]

Here is my .05 worth. I too installed the Draw Tite with the support arm. The install took two of us about 3.5 hours but 2 hours of that was scratching our heads trying to figure out how to remove the rear bumper. The actual install is easy with the right tools. I think I wrote a bumpber removal thread but if you can't find it I know one exists.

I also used the wiring harness from E-Trailier and that was about a 45 min install. I did it months after the hitch install and it would not take long if you did it when you install the hitch.

Your M3 stripped down for the track is probably around 3000 lbs, your trailer maybe another 2K to 3K depending on your trailer. The Draw Tite is rated at 6000 lbs but I personally would not tow that much with my X5. It is too mountainous in my area and I would not feel comfortable towing that much weight with the X5. If I were close to the track and the drive not to demanding I would not hesitate pulling a trailer with an M3 on board with my X5. But the X5 is a mid size SUV that was not designed as a tow vehicle. You have to think about stopping and also consider the added strain on the tranny. A new tranny for the X5 will cost you more than you could by an older pick-up truck for so if I had the room I would probably buy an old pick up and save the X5 for what it was designed to do.

Lots of useful info on this board and tons of threads on hauling and hitch installs. Good luck.

[Tymatk]

Originally Posted by JCL

No dash acknowledgement in North America. Not sure about Oz.

If pdc is still beeping I would check if the trailer lights work

If not your vehicle may require flashing by the dealer so the vehicle recognizes that the trailer wiring module is installed. You don't list your vehicle details but it was 2004 models onwards that may need flashing, IIRC

Not too sure about the dash acknowledgement either but i do recall seeing something like a caravan on my dash.

PDC beep because it detected the trailer in the back as an object and not a trailer hence got me to think that maybe BMW genuine adaptor might have a trigger wire that tell PDC to shutup, i'm towing .

[JCL]

It isn't the adaptor that tells the vehicle there is a trailer there, it is the load of the trailer lights.

I suspect it needs coding. Model year?

[Tymatk]

Originally Posted by JCL

It isn't the adaptor that tells the vehicle there is a trailer there, it is the load of the trailer lights.

I suspect it needs coding. Model year?

02 4.4 (pre-Aug 02)

Trailer lights? This has nothing to do with the PDC is it?

[JCL]

Trailer lights being connected is what turns off the rear pdc. 02 shouldn't need coding. Are your trailer lights connected and working?

[Tymatk]

Originally Posted by JCL

Trailer lights being connected is what turns off the rear pdc. 02 shouldn't need coding. Are your trailer lights connected and working?

I see, thank you.

Yeap, we hooked up the trailer, tested all the lights to make sure the trip to the dumpster is safe for us and anyone else on the road.
Its got 7 pins.

[ibkevman]

Originally Posted by JCL

No dash acknowledgement in North America. Not sure about Oz.

If pdc is still beeping I would check if the trailer lights work

If not your vehicle may require flashing by the dealer so the vehicle recognizes that the trailer wiring module is installed. You don't list your vehicle details but it was 2004 models onwards that may need flashing, IIRC

What exactly does the flashing do? Is it mainly for PDC? I have an 06 4.4 with an aftermarket hitch and wiring (I know, I know).

[JCL]

Originally Posted by ibkevman

What exactly does the flashing do? Is it mainly for PDC? I have an 06 4.4 with an aftermarket hitch and wiring (I know, I know).

The BMW OE trailer wiring module plugs into the vehicle wiring harness, and provides an interface for the BMW OE trailer wiring harness (out to the hitch).

When it is plugged in and powered up the first time, the vehicle is supposed to recognize that it is there, similar to a plug and play CD drive on your computer ("new hardware found", installing drivers, ready to go...). Sometimes the plug and play aspect doesn't work, and the vehicle doesn't know it is there. In that case, vehicle flashing (software update) tells the vehicle that the module is installed, and then it all works fine. The trailer module doesn't get flashed, and programming to work the PDC cancel and trailer stability control programs doesn't get loaded, those functions are there already. Flashing just says "oh look, there is a trailer wiring module here now" so that those functions now work.

Up to 2003, flashing wasn't required. But then problems started happening, and it appears to have been due to a combination of build modules, ie how the vehicle is configured when it was shipped, or which options are installed, because it happened sometimes and not others. In 2004 BMW started advising to flash the vehicles when installing their trailer wiring module, and it wasn't always required, but if the rear PDC didn't cancel that was a good indication that flashing it was required.

If you have aftermarket trailer wiring, none of this applies. You turn off the PDC yourself, and don't get the trailer stability control program in DSC.

I'll skip the lecture on using aftermarket hitches and wiring