Im done , could'nt wait any longer !!
 

so yesterday i got so frustrated with this whole trailor hitch situation , that i searched everywhere online for 4 hrs and decided to go aftermarket !!

at this point i don't even give a shit if i bend up the chassis or rip the bumper off this damn truck !! it'd just be another reason to dump the gas and light her up !!

so i went with this hitch:

http://www.etrailer.com/pc-H~13070.h...cleid=20067611

and this wiring harness:

http://www.etrailer.com/pc-VWH~11919...cleid=20067611

so i should have it by the end of this week , and im going for a sat install , i will give everyone a good impression of it !!

and as for all the newb's and others telling me i shouldve gone w the oem and this and that , there's none anywhere !! so save it !!

NEIL....

Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel about it. ;)

I now have that hitch myself, it is definitely the best aftermarket one available. The only problem I had was a clearance issue with the rear center pdc sensors (plugs), but I solved that one this past Saturday.

well weasel how did you solve it ??

cause i assume im gonna have the same beef !!

Are these supposed to have the same towing capacity as the OEM ones?

Any pics installed?:D

I'm sure weasel will chime-in but the solution may be that he just removed them! :D

yeah thats what i was thnking !!

i got the side one who needs center ones !!

I didn't take any installed pics yet, but had taken pics of the old vs new pdc sensors that I used to solve the clearance issue. The plug connection on the back of the sensor was hitting the hitch, not allowing the wiring to plug into it. What I did was get a pair of new sensors with 90 degree plug design. What this made me do is cut about 1" by 1" reliefs in the back of the bumper support while I had it off. Here's the pic of the different sensors.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r...116_203600.jpg

ok, ok .. I'm wrong .. you replaced them not removed them. :D :thumbup:

I did not have any clearance problems with the Curt hitch and the PDC.
I have an '05 sport.

ok good !!

well ups just delivered this thing to me @ work , im surprised cause i ordered it online sun nite @9pm and s+h was only $7.49 :wow:

so i only got the hitch , the wiring is set to be here on thurs anyway tomorrow is a snow day here in ny so im not goin in to work and i already called my cousin at the indie shop to let him know about my install for the mornin !!

i'll keep you guys posted !!

NEIL

Cobra94563, Good to hear you didn't have the same clearance issue I had. I guess it may be a hair different for the facelifted X's, Or maybe different for the 4.6is rear fascia? Either way, if I'm the only poor fool who had clearance issues then take it for the better.

Intresting news
 

so the install went off without a hitch !! haha couldnt resist !!

only prob is that my pdc isnt working at the moment , we never checked it after we put the bumper back on !! i noticed it this morn as i 1st got in , i get a loud weird beep from the rear and the pdc button just blinks !!

anyway the hitch is pretty serious , that thing aint goin anywhere !! i was there all day yesterday for the install and even helped out a bit aswell ! it looked pretty similar to the job we did on my old 4.6 w the oem hitch only diff was that we didnt replace the bumper support , we just put it back in !!

im feelliin pretty confident that this hitch will suits my and many others needs !! should get the wiring today / tomorrow and will install and fix pdc on sat !!

NEIL....

:thumbup:

The one thing I noticed is how large the bumper cut-out is for the hitch.
So I trimmed the cover and put it back and I think it looks much better, myself.

(Unfortunately, I think I trimmed more than needed on the left side. I ordered another for $20 and will redo it.) That is the way I'm going to go. I wonder what others have done and if you did trim it, post a pix, pls.

Looking forward to pics and your feedback on the wiring install. I'm not in immediate need of a hitch, but would certainly like one in the future. Wonder if BMW will ever come through with new OEM hitch kits again?

Weasel, do you have the part number of the 90-degree PDC sensors you used in case others need to do the same?

nah i left the cover off. it looks the same as it did on my 4.6 so i was ok w that !! i was trying to take pics this morn but my camera died !!

we were thnkin about trimming but decided to not !!

I didn't keep the packaging the sensors came in with the #s, but any competent parts counter personnel can find them for you. ;)

Wiring
 

Thanks for this great post!

Really looking forward to the pictures and more importantly I can't wait to hear how that wiring harness worked out?

I have made my mind up on the Curt hitch, but really not sure on what the right wiring is, so if your set up works I'll buy the same stuff.

Thanks again,
Scott

i got all the wiring stuff , but due to some unexpected personal problems with my mechanic , we could'nt get the wiriing in this weekend , should be done soon and we arent expecting any prob's such as error codes all looks pretty straight foward !!

Are you planning to manually turn off PDC each time you shift to reverse (with a trailer attached)?

yup !! really i could'nt give a crapp about that simple stuff as long as i can tow !! :p:

Weasel56 - I re-looked at the PDC sensors and the wires on the center PDC's are right up against the hitch. The bumper goes on, but there is not room and it's impossible to replace the PDC without taking off the bumper. So I can see where the angled connectors are probably better.

I don't think I'll replace the PDC's now (as they are expensive.)
But if a PDC ever fails, buy the angled version and swap it that location.