BMW X5 E53 DIY OEM Hitch Installation Notes and factory installation PDF

[Omerta]

Finally got it all together. Putting on the T55's was an utter pain in the ass. I couldn't get any tool up there other than the socket so I used some vicegrips/pliers to rotate it. So much for 65Nm of precision.

Next time I remove the bumper I won't touch the T55's. The two M10x130's connected with a 16mm nut and washer on each side is all I would remove and the bumper would come right off. The bolts are held in with the cages once you peen them over.

[Omerta]

Install went well, towed no problem electronics worked as they should

[CrazyOneToo]

Originally Posted by Omerta

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Install went well, towed no problem electronics worked as they should

[e30cabrio]

Cool! Did UHaul give you ish? I hear they don't like to rent to BMWs.

[Junkycosmos]

Happy to report my factory hitch did not fall off today when used to retrieve our van side of a hill snowbank pile (long story) via Hitch on the X using
hook and strap:
MaxxTow Tow Strap Loop for 2" Trailer Hitches - 10,000 lbs MaxxTow Off Road Accessories MT70029
Erickson Recovery Tow Strap with Reinforced Loop Ends, 2" x 30' - 18,000 lbs Erickson Tow Strap EM59600

Would not really "recommend this" but it did work out very well with a nice smooth pull.

[Brads2002]

You are the man for making this guide! I just wrapped up my install in 4hrs. It would have taken me a hell of a lot longer with the factory instructions. Your instructions were so clear I didn't look at a single picture.

I have a lift so the only thing i did different was tie the mufflers up VS supporting them from below.

Thanks very much for the time and effort you took to put this together.

Brad

[Riggodeaux]

I finally installed the OEM hitch this weekend that had been sitting in the garage since December. Some key additional points and one question:
1. When installing the two bumper brackets [item f, #8 in the 'D' diagram in the BMW .pdf], make sure the 'long' sides point down! otherwise, the bumper cover won't fit where it meets the tailgate! Lining up those two T55, M10x85 bolts is a pain, but you can reach the T55 heads with a 'wobbly' extension on your 3/8" socket drive, lying on your creeper and looking up at the bumper.
2. When removing the original bumper, remember to leave on the two plastic caps on either end, so you can see how to fit them on the new bumper. Counterintuitive. Their function appears to be to divert rain/spray draining down the back away from the bumper innards.
3. When reinstalling the new bumper [with the end caps and cover attached], aside from 1., you need to angle the cover in the get the caps under edges of the rear corner panels, then line up the plastic clips inside the outside corners with the slide-in clips behind each wheel well, and the top of the bumper on top of the two 'verticals' on the bumper brackets. As Ed on 'wheeler dealer' sez, it really helps to have two for this function.

If you don't miss-mount the two bumper brackets and err by taking off the two end caps, this is a 4 hour job with two guys, even with the tedious job of removing all the plastic punch-pin clips.

And my electronics question. The kit comes with an electrical module [p, trailer module AHM II, shown at 19 on diagram H, and in the Circuit Diagram as X609. It mounts under the spare over the battery. Iits installation is described at 2.4, E-H of the BMW instructions. What is its function?

Finally: While doing all this, make sure you view and copy the bluetooth code from the 'motorola' white box on the rear left side. Easier to see when you have taken everything out of the cargo area ...

[Riggodeaux]

One more point, going to the earlier issue raised about the hex heads not fitting the locking indents in the bumper brackets: mine did fit, though you needed to tap them in to lock with a hammer. You then tighten to 50ft/lbs 65nm on the nuts from inside the cargo area.

[LVP]

Hahaha - I'm in the process of doing the exact same project. Got it all torn down last night. Today is re-assembly. The only thing that helps get through it is knowing what the end product will be like

Thanks for the tips - very timely…

I believe the module activates the wiring harness when something is plugged in and disables the park distance control when a trailer is plugged in. I doubt the harness will work correctly without it plugged in. From what I have been told by a few people and the parts guy at the dealer, this is a plug and play solution that won't require programming. I'll know by Thursday when I can actually get it down on wheels and plug into a trailer.

[Riggodeaux]

Good luck, LVM! The OEM hitch kit is very well-made [by Westphalia in Tennessee, it appears], and everything fits together very well, though close tolerances, and you have to fit certain things together all at the same time to install. I expect you are right about the plug-in X609 trailer module. If you have the backup warnings, you already know to be very careful when taking off the old bumper to unplug the wiring harness inside the cargo area and at its rubber grommet so as not to pull the wires out of the sensor unit(s). Note the kit comes with a warning sticker about 'no brake controller', to be added to the hitch if you don't have a controller; note also the rec'd limits on length/height of the hitch ball/shaft in the OEM instructions. I'm still leaning toward the RF version of the Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller, which requires not wiring in the vehicle, as we'll be moving the controller between my X5 and the CEO's Mercedes diesel ML .....