04 E53 4.4i tow hitch question.
 

I've been considering on adding a tow hitch on my X5 but have a few questions. Will my car be ok towing a trailer with a vehicle on it as is or will that be a problem? If I'm not mistaken I thought the X5 with the tow package had additional cooling or something different on them??? Second will a aftermarket kit be ok or is it better to go oem? And if oem where is a place I can buy it from? For the most part it will probably be used for smaller trailers to move things from here to there but would like the ability to tow vehicles as well.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Do some research on the site. There is a lot of information on this. Briefly, OEM is much better than aftermarket due to the way it mounts. It's not easily available, if you can find one used grab it, but ensure you get everything, especially the brackets which replace the rear bumper shock absorbers. The vehicle had no changes otherwise, it will tow great.

You're going to want to get the electrical connections that allow for the use of an electric brake controller, then you will want a trailer with electric brakes. Your X5 will not enjoy trying to haul the additional weight of the trailer plus the vehicle that's on it to a stop. I suppose you could get a trailer with a compression brake, but it's difficult to go in R with a compression brake. You resolve this difficulty by paying attention, and selecting a path that will not require using R. The factory hitch is a Class III, so carrying a vehicle is not beyond the scope of its ability.

e53 V8 can tow more than a Ford F150 crew cab. Just saying.

This should do it. http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ation-pdf.html

Now you just have to catch a unicorn!

Love the towing ability of my 4.8iS
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps2dwmwwwu.jpg
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...pstjxbuw0f.jpg

Small trailers are no problem with no electronic brake or compression brakes on the trailer. I tow a 3000lb boat & trailer regularly with 5000' elevation changes.

More than that I'd want trailer brakes, but most small/medium trailers have compression brakes.

Check around your local salvage yards & Ebay to find an OEM one. As mentioned before the OEM hitch is far superior to the aftermarket options which just aren't engineered to the same standard. In Georgia we have a few BMW salvage yards which is where I found mine. It was well worth the wait and persistent phone calls, it came 100% complete with all the hardware and accessories including the module to make it. Just keep looking for one, they're getting harder and harder to find but they are out there.

Not sure how it works in the US, but in Europe if you exceed manufacturer permitted weights it's illegal and the insurance won't cough up in the event of an incident.
4.4: 750kg unbraked (1650lb); 2.3-2.5 tonnes braked (5050-5950lb).