TowBar for the UK
 

I know a fair bit has been written about fitting a towbar, but I thought I'd add some UK specific info.

First of all I established that the BMW OEM kit is made by Westfalia and their towbar kit (part no. 303207) appeared to be the same as that fitted by BMW, so at half the price (i.e. UKP 220) I was prepared to take the chance. BUT I decided to buy the BMW supplied wire harness and special relay because:-

1. I wanted to be sure I had the right/best electrics.
2. It was cheaper than that available from the 'discount' towing suppliers. Also, BMW supply a 13 - 7 pin adapter FREE. Yes, really, FREE.

I ordered the hardware kit from an eBay supplier and when it arrived got the shock of my life - the box was so heavy I could barely lift it. In fact dragging it across the floor was about all I could do.

I followed the various intructions available from here and also the Westfalia info that came with the kit. Some steps were not obvious, but it all came apart without much bother. Except that once the bumper shocks/brackets had been removed it took me some time to to work out that the large plate that runs between those 2 mounts and also to the body at several places along its length also needs to come off.

This was a blatant error in the Westfalia instructions as NO mention was made of this item, nor did they mention that the plastic spacer tubes from inside the original bumper mounts should be removed and re-used in the replacement equivalent. The instruction show that you remove the shocks/brackets and throw them away, so if you do follow this, you will be grovelling in the bin later to get these spacers out.

Following the re-assembly instruction failed to illuminate any more gaffs and it was all quite straightforward. However, I would advise that the 2 long bolts on each side that secure the new bumper mounts to the new towbar are left hand tight until the bumper complete has been refitted. In this way there is some adjustement that can be made to ensure correct alignment of the bumper. I used a small scissor jack each side pushing up on the Torx 55 socket fitted into the big mounting bolts to hold the bumper up while I finally tightened the inner nuts to hold it all in the correct position. Then I did it again twice more when realising I hadn't got it quite right - but you get the drift:-).

The kit includes the bracket for securing the swan-neck/tow hitch alongside the spare wheel and I am quite sure all the parts are the same as in the BMW kit. Did I mention it's only half the price of the latter:-) The final proof is that a BMW supplied towhitch not only looks identical to mine, but is interchangeable in the actual socket, so IMO it IS the same kit.

All in all it probably did take a surprising 6 hours, but undoubtedly half that if I had to do it again. Probably the most irritating aspect of the whole job is that every time I leant against the tailgate, the electic release would click/clack and the Navigation DVD would start whirring. Quite why I ALWAYS seemd to lean on exactly that spot I don't know. Next time I may just disconnect the battery first:-)

I appreciate this thread is getting on a bit but I for one have found it very informative. If nothing else me posting here will bump it and perhaps allow others to benefit from your shared experience.

Have been researching same with to possible future fit of detachable bar and dedicated wiring kit to my 2002 4.4i Sport. Was aware westfalia towbar components were one of the same & understand fitting the correct wiring kit will, (when activated by plugging in the trailer socket), tell the car that a trailer is connected and initiate what some refer to as a "trailer stability programme" ammending the cars DSC settings/parameters when towing. Buying a BMW wiring kit makes sense but would be keen to know if there are replica wiring kits otherwise branded too. I see relays can be bought which merely trick the car iinto thinking it doesn't have a trailer on the back plus allowing trailer electrics to work. Persoanlly a dedicated kit is the only way to go ( considering worst case scenarios when towing). Would be intersted to know what the wiring kit actually does specifically in relation to DSC/Trailer stability and/or other electrical functions, (i.e. dash warnings etc if bulbs blow in trailer).

If you have time I would be interested to know whats involved in the instalation of the BMW wiring kit. It would good to know if wiring instalation is simple or not. I have seen other informative posts by you and it would be fair to say your knowledge of electrics may be superior to mine - just assume you posting info for the village idiot and I should keep up - lol.

Thanks anyway for info to date in any case.

I didn't find any third party wiring kits that were cheaper than the BMW one and as I knew that would work perfectly it wasn't a hard decision as to which kit to buy.

As far as fitting the wiring is concerned, piece of cake. No holes need drilling and it simply plugs into the main harness. The instructions give adequate advice on routing.

Overall the fitment was quite straightforward.

The wiring kit consists of a control module that plugs into the BMW vehicle harness, and then a harness from that module to the hitch area.
The module probably doesn't have much inside it, but it is a dedicated BMW part, not something that others will likely ever produce. Recommend you just get the OEM wiring kit.

The module causes the trailer stability program to function (it senses sway). It also de-activates the PDC back-up sensors on the rear when the trailer is connected, otherwise the PDC goes off every time you put it in reverse as it sees the trailer. The module takes a signal from the lighting circuits (stop, turn, tail) and powers up the harness without changing the load on the vehicle circuits, which could cause a sensing fault for a bad bulb. The module does not sense that bulbs are out on the trailer circuit if they do fail.

I installed the wiring module in about 15 minutes, as part of the hitch install. Hardest part was finding where to plug it in, and releasing the snap on the harness plug. It plugs in around the spare tire, runs through a rubber grommet in the rear pan, and to the hitch area. No special tools required.

Thanks Guys - Just the info I was hoping for - appreciated.

towbar
 

have any of you come accross a towbar from a manufacturer called "oris"
for the e53 model

Searching on internet showed the name oris as assocaited with bosal http://www.oris-gmbh.de/Oris-Matic/E...rzeuge_EN.html the link does not show bmw x5 compatability. Bosal do make towbars although the bosal ones I have seen compatabble for E53 are swan neck and not detachable like the oris.

I know you're not in the UK but if I fitted one I would probably keep things simple and go for the westfalia detachable.

My factory fitted towbar on my X3 is made by Oris. Had some issues as I was only supplied with one key by the dealer and BMW cannot get replacement keys, even though they are listed in the EPC.

Am quite impressed with the build quality of the Oris kit, and their customer service is excellent. I contacted them and they sent me a pair of keys to fit; MUCH cheaper than the BMW listed price too.

It seems that BMW use various suppliers for Factory/OEM fit, Westfalia, Oris and Bosal (Oris are now part of Bosal I believe).

oris
 

i have bought an oris one from germany on ebay i has stated clearly that it is for an x5 e53 although it looks well different from the westafalia , i am only sounding things out before stripping off the bumper etc, i also ordered and took delivery of a wiring kit but they seem to have sent me the full harness and not the trailer socket and plug in control box

Best you give the seller a call. There are dedicated wiring kits and plain simple relay kits that just allow trialer electrics to work.

BTW I typed in oris towbars on ebay ireland to get 1 live and 2 completed listings - all Ford compatible items so assuming it was bought a while ago. Only Bosal one for E53 is a swan neck click here to view

My dad has just bought a genuine BMW wiring harness & relay but it didn't come with any instructions. Most of it looks straigtforward but there are a few wires with connectors that look like they need adding into an existing multi-plug.

Do any of you have a copy/scan of the instructions that you could send me?

Thanks in advance.

Steve

The BMW instructions are posted on the X5World home page, under Body and Wheels, item 2. I checked, and the electrical connection instructions are included there.

Good luck.

You're a star!

I was searching for towbar instead of hitch!

Thanks:thumbup:

Hi guys,

Having studied the excellent towbar installation guides on the site, I am planning on adding a Westfalia detachable towbar and dedicated BMW plug-in electrics kit to my ’04 UK Spec 3.0 Sport X5 (with parking sensors).

The installation steps seem to be reasonably straightforward mechanically and electrically for a reasonably proficient DIYer like myself (famous last words, I know), but the inner engineer in me wanted to run it by a pal in the motor trade. His impression was similar to my own - nothing too complicated and all doable *BUT* he did say that he thought it was necessary to bring the vehicle back to the main dealer to reprogram functions such as traction control, auto-levelling etc. to compensate for the additional weight of towing. I would have thought this should already be part of the factory installed trailer stability program (described in a previous posting) invoked once the wiring kit and trailer electrics connection is made. Can anyone shed some light on this, as to whether I do need to bring it back to a dealer to reprogram the vehicle after installation?

Perhaps my pal is just being over cautious, but I don’t want to take any chances as I will be towing a 2000 to 2500kg boat. I would go to the main dealers for the full installation except that they want an extra €950-€1250 (over the price of the parts) for the luxury of peace of mind...and that seems a bit steep for what’s involved (even if reprogramming is required).

Any technical input would be appreciated. Many thanks.

Installed using the proper BMW electrics without any problems. Everything just plugs/clips in & worked. Took it to local BMW dealer for an unrelated electrical issue & they checked it out - everything worked fine & nothing needed changing. ;)

After the parts are all installed, mainly the module and harness... It will have to be retrofitted in. (at least here in the states) What that does is tell the rest of the vehicles modules that it has been added. That way the rear PDC will turn off when a trailer is plugged in, the DSC looks for trailer sway, etc.

Just make sure you tighten the bolts properly on the instal and you should be fine with that.

This is exactly what I was told & expected but it wasn't needed on ours. PDC turns off when trailer on & I've not tested DSC with a trailer on yet!

Thanks guys for your input, it is greatly appreciated. The towbar suppliers assure me that everything is plug and play, and that all critical functionality (PDC cut-outs etc.) should be automatically implemented, but my local BMW dealer is strongly recommending the reprogramming of the car systems (for which they will happily relieve me of €180). I don't have a problem with that once I get something definitive of what "optimisations" I actually get for that...any thoughts?

I guess I am a bit wary of main dealer profiteering when they can't make any money selling cars, my last experience a month ago was a quotation to replace half the front braking system components on the X5 (over €1000) - which would equate to multiple component failure modes occurring simultaneously - when only a calipers (€350) was really required on the driver side front wheel. And don't even start me about the amount of parts they replaced to eventually solve an overheating problem on a Z3...both engine and blood were boiling! :-)

Just fit the parts and that's it, no need to reprogram anything - it all just works.

Follow the install instructions as it helps with the order in which to do all the various bits, but the only issue really is the weight of it all and holding the rear bumper in place while trying to get the bolts in. Overall it's a pretty easy job.

Oh and don't forget the FREE 13 to 7 pin adapter. Yes really, it's FREE from your BMW dealer. In the end I fitted a 13 pin plug to my trailer, but they are 10 times the price of the 7 pin variety so stick with that if you don't mind a slight inconvenience with the adapter each time (it cannot be left in place).

Go for it.

Hey UKenGB - can you post a few pictures of the bracket for securing the swan-neck/tow hitch alongside the spare wheel and the swan-neck piece as well? The US tow hitches look different and do not come with that bracket.

I fitted the Westfalia removeable kit to mine - really easy to do and with the pop-out panel it's very neat and tidy. I don't use the towbar very often (I do motorcycle racing) so it's nice to not see the bar when it's not in use. The removable ball fits under the mat in the back and Westfalia supply the holding bracket. I also bought the plug-in electrics kit to go with it, both came off ebay and were supplied by Towequipe. The electronics box just plugged straight in and was also really easy to fit. I'd previously wired a 3-series (E36) with a towbar and had to use scotch-blocks to tap into the light wires, but this made it really easy ... plug and play!

I've attached a couple of pics to show the holder under the rear mat.

HTH!

Very very cool and thanks for the great shots! Just curious since I've never seem them before, can you snap a photo of that Westfalia sticker and that yellow "spare tire inspection" sticker?

No problems, will do it tomorrow as it's a bit dark outside right now :D

The Westfalia sticker came with the kit. I think it's just about putting the latch onto the holder correctly. As for the tyre inspection, I don't think this is a BMW thing, just something that was put on by a dealer when they last checked the tyre (wear/pressure) during a service.

I love the Westfalia kit. It looks no different to a standard X5 without the ball fitted and the fact that the X5 comes with the pop-out panel in the rear bumper as standard just makes it even better!

Just to answer a few more question in the thread, the electronics box does indeed adjust the car's settings when towing; it ensures that the car can handle a weave caused by a trailer by applying the correct adjustments to the DSC. It also disables the rear PDCs when a trailer is connected and it also makes the car moan constantly that the trailer brake lights are out ... or maybe that's just my crappy trailer :D

:stickpoke

Sorry for the delay!

I've taken some more pics of the Westfalia setup, and the two stickers as well.

I've shown the "swan-neck" removable ball. You have to "prime" the hitch by putting the key in to the side handle, then pulling and turning the handle. This moves the handle round to the red section. It's spring loaded, so once you push the hitch home into the socket (I left the red cover in to make it more obvious!) it springs the lock and the handle goes back to the green section. You then lock with the key and you're good to go. The Westfalia sticker is to remind you to remove the key when the hitch is in use.

Hope this helps!