I found one!
 

There's two left! Get um while there hot!

eBay Motors: BMW X5 E53 TRAILER HITCH KIT CLASS III 1999 - 2006 X5 (item 290303822621 end time Apr-17-09 10:53:02 PDT)

Hi Guys,

Haven't posted in a while as our 2002 (pictured in Avitar) went bye bye after lease end and we've just got back to the mighty X5! Couldn't be more happy with our 2006 E53 (Highland Green on Beige with NAV!!! Rare I know!).

Anyway, my 2 cents with the hitch was from our past experience with the '02. I had a Draw-Tite put on WITH-OUT OEM wiring, just what the local shop used for these hitches and everything was perfect for nearly 3 years. No lights on the dash or anything.

Mind you, we only pulled about 2k lbs max of ATV's and street bikes so for those towing more the OEM has got to be the way to go.

Anyway, great to be back and long live the E53....the original and eventual classic BMW SAV!!!

Thanks for the info... I have been thinking about adding a hitch for future use, but looking at the various threads here, it seemed like the OEM was the only solution, and that was unavailable and in high demand to not justify the cost for a 'potential' use upgrade. My towing needs (if any) would be a small trailer with a 500-600 lb motorcycle on it.

Good to know the draw-tite trailer worked for you. :thumbup:

Finally...
 

I spoke to a local dealer and apparently there are 36 in the BMW parts depot in Mississippi. My local dealer still shows backorder though but I think these just got released. It will probably take a few days for the dealer network to get caught up.

At any rate it finally sounds like they are shipping! It's been so long I need to research all over again how to install the damn thing...

Ordered. I have one being sent to BMW N scottsdale was released yesterday should be there early next week. $495, which is the MSRP.

I called Bmw of Bloomfield in dirty jersey about the $430 hitch they had in their online catalogue they told me its just the hitch not the kit (no harness, bolts, etc...).

I still see that they have 2 on eBay. I think they are purposefully listing low quantities just to make them seem more scarce. I bet they will have two available for a good long time and snag their little premium up and sell those babies like hot cakes.

Yes, the hitch fairy is here to stay.

Yep. Hey we350z you've got the same interior trim as X Foomph. Never saw it before, now 2 in as many weeks!

Great minds drink alike.

Hi we350z,
Did you receive the hitch?
I called the same dealer and they said they are still back-ordered - also quoted me $1150. Any chance you can share your contact info at the dealer please?
Thanks.

I saw BMW Bloomfield's ebay account had a couple for sale, so I asked via email about them and this is what I got back.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r...icture1-28.png

And once I saw that I remembered seeing in a service roundtable video about the warehouse switching from old to new, just would never have thought they would find a couple hitches hidden in the back of the old one when emptying it...

So we350z, you should feel mighty lucky to have your hands on a lost and found treasure!!! (go play the lottery while you're at it)

Mine came yesterday from Bloomfield. I am going to do the install later today. They estimate 4 hours. We'll see. Thanks to the install instructions here on X5 World, it should be a easy!