Thanks for the hitch info!
 

This past weekend I installed a trailer hitch on my 2006 4.4i. The DIY instructions made the job much easier and filled in many of the gaps where the BMW instructions assumed a knowledge of how these vehicles are put together. Thanks to all who took the time to document the process and share it with others.

A few notes from my experience:

1. The entire job can be done by yourself although I would highly recommend two people to reinstall/align the rear bumper. I have a minor nick on the top of my bumper from doing this by myself using everything I had in my garage to shim the bumper to the correct height.

2. Make sure you install the trailer harness before you mount the hitch. I got so excited I forgot to do this and there is no way to sneak the harness through after the hitch is mounted. Save yourself some disassembly and follow the instructions here.

3. The hitch kit I received was slightly different than the ones in the DIY. I am guessing BMW has changed the hitch slightly and there were no spacers in my kit and the bolts were different lengths. Everything fit so I believe the spacers have been incorporated into the hitch design.

4. The PDC connector is on the lower right side of the cargo area next the the hatch. I had conflicting information and this may have been changed over model years but the harness has a silver label which is marked PDC as well as some other things.

Again thanks to all who took the time to help others like myself with this project and saving $800 is always a good thing. :thumbup: Next project....a brake controller.

HOw long did it take you to do it?

It took me about 7 hours from start to finish with an hour of breaks or about six hours of work.

With an additional hand reinstalling the bumper I believe another 30 - 60 minutes could be removed from that time.

those rivets and metal bumper reinforcement is a PITA huh? :)

Between the plastic fasteners and figuring out how to disconnect the three connectors/plugs I wasted a couple hours. Thanks BMW :rolleyes: but I guess all auto companies use those annoying pieces.

Question: Why do you have to remove the PDC connector to remove the bumper / install the hitch?

From the Hitch Install Article:

E) Once the left aft trim is removed you can then unplug the PDC connector - if applicable.

there's a connector right there.. just unplug it...

From the way the instructions were written it seemed you were to disconnect the PDC by the PDC module at the battery. That made no sense to me. Disconnecting the harness that goes to the bumper does.

A) Remove the rear floor deck

B) Parcel tray too if you have one

C) Tire chocks and holder

D) Left and right aft trim pieces. They have 10mm black plastic nuts securing them.

E) Once the left aft trim is removed you can then unplug the PDC connector - if applicable.

F) remove spare tire -....duh!

G) Remover battery cover and refer to Mfr's instructions for installing that control module gizmo.

H) While you're in that area,...you'll see a large black connector -
that's the male end of the tow harness - remove the black filler cap. I
wasted 30 minutes on that stupid plug.

i think that most diy's are written after the fact... so its done by memory and sometimes, thats not very clear, especially when you wait a day or more till you start to jot down the notes... as you can tell, those instructions are backwards, since the procedure is really: A,B, F, C, D, G, then H...

Thanks for the clarification!