OE Hitch - lucky score

[LVP]

I've been looking since I got the X5 for a hitch. Wreckers, dealers, ECS, etc. - no luck. At lunch, I went to the local dealer for valve cover gasket grommets for my E36 track rat. I was walking out and thought, what could it hurt to ask to see if they have a hitch. She looks it up - nope. How about BMW Canada - nope. US - nope. How about stock in Germany - nope. Any chance you can search other dealers? Sure - seems there is one in stock at Sherpa she says, but she doesn't know where that dealer is. I DO! I do a double take, and quickly chalk it up to out-dated inventory. She prints the page, jots their number down, and I make the call. Parts kid says - yep, we have one. Looks like the ball in stock too. Still, not a believer, ask him to go check the shelf. Returns - yep have one. I ask to confirm with VIN - yep it'll fit. I hung up the phone and headed straight there. Even got the BMW Club discount. It was a bit hard driving home with an arm and leg missing, but worth it given the rarity of these kits. Came with all the bolts, reinforcements, wire harness and control module. I'm going to get Maureen a bottle of wine.



Note - I had already made this request from two other dealers and they told me nothing in any inventories. Don't give up scouring the inventories.

[Mr.Wrong]

Nice score sir! I have to admit, I'm more excited about seeing Sterling Gray clone of 4.8is in your sig though

[LVP]

Thanks. One of the POs spent a decent buck getting the 4.4 to look like a 4.8. I'm all for the look, but he badged it a 4.8. That, I'm not a fan of. Eventually, I'll peel it off. But for now, it has a rare look around my parts, so I'm enjoying it.

[e30cabrio]

congrats!!

[Mr.Wrong]

Originally Posted by LVP

Thanks. One of the POs spent a decent buck getting the 4.4 to look like a 4.8. I'm all for the look, but he badged it a 4.8. That, I'm not a fan of. Eventually, I'll peel it off. But for now, it has a rare look around my parts, so I'm enjoying it.

Seems like a nice purchase then. You get to enjoy all the benefits hehe yeah I'm with you on fake badging
I know BMW never offered 4.8is in Sterling Gray in US, but what about the Canada? Do you have any?

[LVP]

Really don't know on the 4.8s in Canada. I initially started looking for them, but the 2 or 3 I saw were all riddled with issues and poorly maintained. So I went down the 4.4 road and stumbled on this one. From what I saw, they all needed an overhaul. Most of the "well maintained" ones meant they just went through a car wash every week, but were maintained only if something broke. And mostly not at a dealer, but by some hack mechanic and no records. The rest had some pretty big issues.

[tmv]

Nice score! I'm gad to have it already installed by one of the PO.

[Clockwork]

installing my factory hitch next weekend (had it in storage now for about 2 years)

[Riggodeaux]

Clockwork, you get that hitch installed? Mine went in a couple of weeks ago, still haven't towed anything. See my post for a couple of pointers during the install process, though the old original install thread was a great help. Also - note the tricky points about the hitch shaft and ball: OEM shaft w/2" ball from ECS is the way to go, as aftermarket short shafts [nmt 8"] aren't there. If you plan to pull a substantial trailer, one with a 2 5/16" mount, you'll need to shop for a 1" shaft ball in that size, too. All should note the very high torque specs for ball mounting.

[Rev Engineer]

Can anyone who has installed this tell me what role the bumper core insert piece is for? I was lucky enough to find a junkyard x5 that had the OEM hitch. I grabbed all the pieces, but I forgot the bumper insert piece. Will I be able to make the OEM hitch work with the standard bumper core support?