2003 X5 Tow Hitch Options
 

I think I kinda know the answer to this question, but I need to put it out there anyway.

Many moons ... okay, months ago when I acquired my X I started looking into adding a tow hitch to the car. I researched on here and discovered that it was an option and that BMW provides a kit.

I also learned that the car needs a certain Module to use it's tow hitch? Is this correct?

Here is my problem. Month ago when I checked for this kit, BMW had some available. Well, I am guessing some of you here or some other X owners conspired and bought them all up because BMW has zero inventory at the moment. Not a single one in NA. :(

I checked around and U-Haul claims to have a kit that works on the X5. Has anyone ever used the U-Haul one? Is if safe? Will it work with this car? Are there electrical issues to look out for?

I can DIY the car myself - which would be necessary since U-Haul wants to charge $520 for the installed kit. I don't mind forking out the money, but I need to know it's okay / safe for this car.

Cheers!

Check the ECS tuning, i thought they had some back in stock... the U-Haul does not have all the parts that the factory authorized kit has and their module will not integrate into the i-bus of the car...

There are two approaches to both hitch and electrical connections, factory and aftermarket.

For the hitch, any receiver is pretty much the same, but the difference with the OE receiver is in how it attaches to the vehicle. Since there isn't a frame (unibody) the attachment point is critical in the opinion of many of us. The OE hitch includes strengtheners that the aftermarket ones don't, they just bolt on to the sheet metal pan in most cases. If you are just towing 1000 lbs, it doesn't matter much, but if you are towing more, or carrying a load carrier or bike rack that puts a twisting moment on the receiver then you need to judge whether it is strong enough.

For the electricals, the OE module is integrated into the vehicle. That means that the vehicle knows when a trailer is connected. The vehicle turns off the rear PDC (which you can always do manually), and has access to a trailer stability control program that senses extreme trailer sway (it is another mode in the standard dynamic stability control program). The lighting is integrated, which can be important due to the use of low voltage data signals that are employed in addition to the power to the bulbs. If you use an aftermarket kit, it essentially taps into the tail light and brake bulb connections and duplicates them for the trailer. The problem some have had is that the vehicle sees that imbalanced load and can throw up error messages. Doesn't always happen, but has happened more than a few times.

ECS listed the electrical module separately back when BMW was out of stock. It would be worth contacting them if the dealers are currently out of stock. These are not regular replacement parts for BMW (like service parts) because the hitch was an accessory, not an originally installed component. BMW has run out of stock before, and each time there has been a delay and then they got them back in. Not sure if they will do so again given the age of the vehicle, but I would expect them to.

Back when I had my 2003 X5, I rented a U Haul many times. One time they asked me about my hitch. They looked at it. They said it was fine (it was OE). I asked why the concern. They advised that due to problems they had had with X5 hitches that they had installed themselves (the U Haul kit available back then), they had a letter from management that they were not allowed to install hitches or electronics on BMW X5s any longer. It has been a few years, so I expect their hitch and wiring kit has changed since then, but I always remember that their shop wouldn't put their own kit on a BMW. That would make me nervous.

So how much weight are you towing?

Some of the aftermarket kits I've seen attach to both the unibody and the rear subframe, which seems like a Really Bad Idea™. If you buy the UHaul kit, make sure it's not one of those.

Most BMW forums will state the same, "Go OEM or go home". The E53 X5 has a towing capacity of 6,000lbs with the OEM hitch.

Aftermarket hitches are going to be more available and cheaper than the OEM kit. The aftermarket kits will tell you they have XXXX capacity but that may not be speficically with the X5 (universal kits or whatever).

Check out this Write Up

The guy explains things even better and claims he bought his kit for $415. On my to-do list is to add a hitch to my newly purchased 4.6is, I'm going OEM

$408 for the OEM kit

The BMW kit includes inserts for the longitudinal sections of the rear unibody that replace the collapsible bumper struts, in order to properly transfer the load. The aftermarket kits generally attach just to the sheet metal, and some have twisted off and damaged the vehicle pan. They have no strength to counteract the bending moment, and the receiver ends up pointing downwards if the attachment point fails.

If I had an aftermarket hitch, I would want one with the longitudinal strut that was added in to resist that bending moment. It doesn't look as good (because it hangs down low), but it will prevent damage to the rear pan. It runs forward to the rear subframe. It wouldn't be my first choice for a hitch, but it would be stronger with that strut than without it if it wasn't an OE design. And if there are no OE hitches available, the OP may have no other option.

Guys - Thanks very much for the responses. I have decided I will NOT be getting the U-Haul unit, it's just not worth the risk and at about the same price as the OEM one - I will just wait.

JCL - Thanks a mill for the detailed information. I am planning to two a car on a trailer. Not yet sure how much weight that equates to. The car is an E38 and I will be using a U-Haul car trailer for it. As far as I know, the X5 can handle this.

I need to two it 500 Miles - From LA to SFO.

fuz9 - I checked on this kit - ECS is out of stock at the moment and the kit is on back order and I am not sure BMWPartSupply has it in stock or whether or not this is a complete kit like the one ECS offered.

That sounds like about 5000 lbs, give or take. I would make sure I had a solid hitch. Also, make sure you have trailer brakes, as the tow limit with no brakes is around 1600 lbs. The U Haul car trailers I have seen have surge brakes, so you won't need a trailer brake controller.

It would be worth calling a number of dealers and seeing if any of them have an OE kit on the shelf.

Quick question - I went on that site and I came up with a totally different Tow Kit.

https://www.partswebsite.com/bmwpart...page=1&rcatid=

Yeah.. that sounds about right and yes, the U-Haul trailers have surge brakes. I am not fond of them, but oh well - they do the job.

We checked all over, no dealers close enough have a kit available. They usually don't stock them.

This thread's excellent info got me worried (my X came with a hitch with spliced into the tail light harnesses electricals) I assume is Uhaul. I just looked at the hitch which is hard to see as it is pretty well covered and there is no Uhaul sticker and it appears to be mounted under the bumper struts. What do I need to look for to determine what hitch I have?

OE trailer hitch is made by Westfalia, and it is NOT well covered in the E53 rear - as a matter of fact, it stick out like a pair of balls on a champion breeding bull...

some aftermarket hitches hook up to the sheet metal under the car and some actually drill a hole and tap thread to the rear carrier... While latter is better than the sheet metal version, it is still not a factory approved method to tow a trailer. There are some folks on this board that claim that their aftermarket version is doing as fine, if not better than the OE version, but having removed and installed an OE trailer hitch, i saw all the engineering gone into the design and implementation (supposedly, newer OE kits have set of bolts that are wrong size, though). I'd say, OE only... no substitutes...

The actual receiver sticks out, I mean inside the bumper it is very hard to see what is attached to what. It does seem like a Uhaul deal.

Luckily I have no towing plans in my future.

the hitch comes handy for bicycle hauling, or a tray... in years i had the X, i towed only once...

snap a pic of your hitch, a lot of people here can ID it just by looking at it...

Not to argue the point, as in the end I would agree that OE is the only way to go, but anything that attempts to create a solid connection between the unibody and subframe cannot be a good thing. The subframe is designed to move independently of the unibody, albeit in very minute amounts. Bolting a solid piece of metal to both the unibody and the subframe is going to cause problems. If someone wants to go cheap for carrying a bike rack or the like, the sheet metal version would be preferred, but again, not optimal.

I think it comes down to what each of us mean by the word 'subframe' as it is a rather imprecise term IMO. I took it to mean the boxed sections that are welded to the unibody, run fore and aft, and provide stiffening. They are what the rear axle carrier attaches to. If by subframe you mean the rear axle carrier itself, which is rubber mounted, then we are in complete agreement. :thumbup:

It may not be U Haul, as the Curt, Hidden Hitch, Reese, and others all mounted the same way. The easiest way to see if it is OE is to see if the two strengtheners are installed (apart from finding a Westfalia label).

Look at the two screen shots of the OE hitch install manual, below. Those inserts replace the two one-time collapsible shock absorbers the bumper was originally mounted on. The faces they bolt to (the pentagon shapes) are designed to be strong and resist impact loads pushing forward, because that is the only way the bumper shocks are loaded, from impact (other than the weight of the plastic bumper). When the bumper shocks are removed for an OE hitch install, and those strengtheners are added in their place, they are bolted up from below, and down from inside the tool area in the trunk, tying it all together with four additional bolts per side. That ties the hitch receiver into the longitudinal box sections of the rear unibody. That is why the OE hitch is stronger in bending, ie vertical forces on the hitch ball. You can see the new bolts in your trunk area or underneath. If they aren't there, the hitch is just attached to the bumper shock absorber mounting faces, which are sheet metal. If you have a longitudinal strut running forward from the hitch for 2 feet or so, then that is the brace that several aftermarket manufacturers added in lieu of using the stiffeners, after they had some bent rear pans earlier on.

The picture of the Curt hitch shows that this particular one is attached to the same locations as the OE hitch (the pentagons) but it doesn't include the strengtheners, so it can twist the rear pan (unless it has a longitudinal brace underneath).

The picture of the Reese hitch shows that this particular one doesn't even use the pentagon locations, but rather just the rear sheet metal between them. It does include the longitudinal brace, but I am not sure where this particular one bolts to at the fore end.

It is interesting that many consider the aftermarket hitches suitable for load carriers and bike racks, as opposed to towing. The failure mode of the early hitches was always in bending. The receiver square under the bumper ended up pointing down at the ground from a vertical load applied further rearward than the hitch was designed for. BMW lists a spec limit of 600 lbs tongue weight, applied at a restricted maximum distance from the receiver pin, for their OE hitch. (I think it is 8 inches from memory). Applying the same 600 lbs further rearward applied a proportionally larger bending or twisting moment to the receiver, and has resulted in damage to the rear pan of the vehicle with aftermarket hitches. An additional longitudinal brace addresses that weakness of the aftermarket hitches. I think luggage racks are actually harder on hitches than towing is, as a trailer isn't likely to pull the hitch off during acceleration, and the hitch is very strong in resisting braking forces. It is the bending moment caused by the tongue weight that causes the damage. This doesn't matter with a 15 lb road bike on a rack, for example, but can matter with a motorcycle carrier, or a luggage carrier that has a CoG 24" rearward of the design point for the hitch ball.

Yes, subframe = rear axle carrier.

The Reese hitch you pictured above looks to be the kind that attaches to to the subframe/rear axle carrier.

This subject was pretty thoroughly hashed out a while ago in this thread: http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ler-hitch.html. Makes me wonder how Mr. TerminatorX5's hitch is holding up. Hmmmm... ;)

I think mine looks like the Curt. I had to crane my neck and force a flashlight in to see that much. I'll try to get a picture in there but it will be tough.

To get the picture of the mounting point (it is under the bumper shock) I have to look through the exhaust tips, not easy.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ps51aa7bcc.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ps49b81520.jpg

That certainly looks like the Curt hitch. Have you used your X to tow anything with that Curt hitch?

Does anyone know if that hitch would be solid / strong enough to tow a car trailer with a car on it without damaging the X5?

Nope, I don't currently have a ball to put in the receiver, sold it with my FJ80 Land Cruiser.

I might need to which is why I am concerned. Guess I need to disassemble it to see if it has the arms that go into the frame.

It doesn't have the strengtheners that go into the frame, those are only on the OE hitch. You don't have to disassemble anything to see evidence of them, the bolts are visible in the trunk and from underneath if they are there.

Agree it looks like the Curt hitch, but all of them look very similar.

It is a subjective opinion regarding whether it is strong enough. Curt (and others) rate the receiver itself at 6000 lbs.

BMW rate the vehicle at 6000 lbs, but only when used with their OE hitch. BMW do not put any rating on anyone else's hitch.

Others here have used hitches such as the Curt hitch without incident. Others had problems earlier on in the evolution of the E53. Opinions tend to be polarized.

Your decision. If there are no OE hitches available anywhere, you may not have a choice. Personally, I would exhaust the OE possibilities before using an aftermarket hitch. Maybe we are already there, I don't know. If I had to use an aftermarket hitch, I would get it reinforced by a good hitch shop. That reinforcement would run to the unibody, with a longitudinal runner, but not to the rubber-mounted axle carrier. It wouldn't be a big job to do so.

Cool. I'll pull the floor & look for them. Thanks.

ehh... hmmm.. mine is Westafalia hitch = OE hitch, with the BMW part number on the sticker... I personally did the work (actually a more experienced fella did it, i was helping with the tools, heavy parts, aligning things) - mine is OE hitch, nothing aftermarket about it...

I'll need to visit the referenced thread, to see if i left some incorrect impression, that mine was aftermarket... sorry for confusion, if i misled folks into thinking that i had an aftermarket hitch - i don't...:dunno:

It wasn't you, Term, it was XSX450 with the aftermarket hitch. He was hanging a motorcycle and a carrier on it. Hope he didn't have any problems.

I just re-read the referenced thread - the confusion may have from the post # 15, where i am "questioning" the engineers... lol... which was more of a sarcastic/rhetorical question then a real question...

As i have mentioned throughout the entire thread there, and here - i am only for an OE hitch.. and that is what i have on mine

sure thing - and his was attached to the dynamic part... i can't believe it, i actually had some NASA formulas there!!! :nanana: for a tow hitch!!! I must've been drunk!!! hahaha

now, i really wonder, how he is doing with his hitch - has he mentioned his hitch anywhere since then?

I put the part number in that auction into Google and BAV Auto shows in stock for 565.

BavAuto
 

When you actually put in the year and model - in my case 2003 X5 4.4iS - this is what comes up. It's not an OEM item and I am not sure what to make of it:

BMW Parts and BMW Accessories | Bavarian Autosport

this one does not appear to look like the OE looks like... :(

Call tomorrow & ask? I hate their site. They don't let you see anything unless you put in your year & model info.


Odd. It is from a dealer & shows the PN.

The hitch receiver part number is likely being used as an equivalent in this case. The good news is that they have the OE electrical connection kit for those that need it.

Individual part numbers are here:
</head> <body> <center><a href=http://www.unofficialbmw.com>UnofficialBMW.com</a></center> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"> <HTML xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd" lang=

Would this be what I need to strengthen my assembly?

Cross-member (includes Carrier Insert) 71 60 6 750 925 Fits 4.4i and 3.0i X5 models. $395.00 $296.25


Here is what I have under the floor:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ps3d59f05c.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ps16dbbdd7.jpg

What is this?
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...psc4db1007.jpg

What would attach here:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ps7b423cc2.jpg

Hard to tell from the part numbers without the pictures, but I would guess no. There are two frame strengtheners (and the list doesn't indicate 2). There is the receiver itself, and the bumper insert that strengthens the bumper since it no longer has the shock absorbers. I think the carrier insert refers to the bumper insert, which would be required in the event of bodywork involving a bumper replacement.

I found the reinforcement on eBay:
BMW E53 x5 Bumper Reinforcement Support Rear Hitch Package 2000 2006 | eBay

I asked if they have the rest of teh parts I need.

The shock absorbers that are originally mounted attach to the old bumper carrier and hold up the bumper. The reinforcement inserts replace those shocks. The new receiver now holds up the bumper, and matches up to the new bumper insert.

All this means that if you take the shocks out, there will be nothing to hold up the bumper. You don't just need the inserts, you need the hitch, and the bumper insert. It all fits together. Unless you use the inserts and custom fabricate a bumper support.

that connector on the last picture is for the hitch electronics - this particular harness runs from that spot to the battery compartment, where a same connector is fitted, and a trailer module would be plugged in (battery compartment)... the one on the picture connects to the harness that comes from the plug by the hitch and is fed through the grommet hole - the hitch harness has a built-in grommet already...

Understood. Thanks.

Thanks!

Any idea what that rubber "U" (that is broken on the left side) is?

BMW calls it a tension strap. part number 51717033682. It straps things down so they don't rattle.

Thanks!

Yep...that tension strap is used to hold/keep your jack in place. Looks like your jack is missing in those pictures?

The jack is in the left front of the compartment.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...psac7ffed2.jpg

I had not looked at the picture on the floor.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ps5f0702ce.jpg

What is the plastic hat on the spare tie down that supports the floor called(picture 3)? Mine is broken.

This is a very interesting topic indeed! I will be calling around this week, including to BavAuto to find out more about their kit.

As it turns out, I NEED to get a hitch on the car as quickly as possible.

If at all possible, get a factory hitch.

Can't seem to find any anywhere. Only one I found so far was the one posted from eBay for $600 :dunno:

check the junk yards - there might be some totaled E53s out there that might have one installed... I saw a few months ago a 4.4 that probably rolled on its roof, that was being hauled on a wrecker south on I-95 around Springfield area in VA - that one had a tow hitch, if i remember correctly...

with the junk yard ones, you have to be careful, as the kit contains a lot of parts that a junk yard person might not pull - you'd better do the job yourself, print out the picture of the complete kit and have it handy during break down...

I checked with BavAuto today and the hitch they sell is the Curt one. And they don't even have it in stock. I am not keen on the Curt one either. Seems I am in a pinch here. Dang! Also, even BavAuto takes a week to two weeks as they need to order it from Curt first.

The Curt hitches require you to drill the car, they require you to splice into the tails lights and you'll also have to trim your bumper since they are not OEM design and no allowance for the complete bumper cover re-install.

I talked with the Dealer again today. Not a single Dealer in North America has a hitch kit in stock.... so I am wondering about that eBay ad.

EDIT:

OMG! I found one at a local dealer !!!! Apparently, the internet DOES lie now and then. Best advice is to call around dealers. The going price is $495 + Tax and it is the complete kit with harness and all. I hope it has the bolts too though.

If you are in LA - I think Century West has it in stock.
If you are NJ - Bloomfield has 7 in stock!

When I worked at a (non-BMW) dealer, dealer parts inventory only showed up in the national system if dealers made it available to other dealers. If they wanted to not share it, it didn't show up in national searches. Sounds like it may be a similar situation with BMW parts.

http://raising-reagan.com/wp-content...03/stewie.jpeg

I DID IT!!!! I found one!!! FYI - Sonnen BMW of San Rafael has two left in stock for $495 and they will ship it to you if needed. They are awesome - Oscar their Wholesale Parts guy is a stand up chap and help me with it.

We opened the box up and confirmed the kit comes with everything including the module! This was not really in my spending budget but I think it was the right call. I think it is a great practical upgrade for the car. I really hope to install it this week.

I will keep you all posted.

Congrats! Can you please post the part number of the electrical connector that goes between the X & trailer lights?

Thank you! Are you referring to the round connector or the whole cable?

Yes please, the cable that goes from here:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ps7b423cc2.jpg

Try this link: http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E5...r_accessories/

These are covered....

http://ills.bmwfans.info/36u9.png

Thanks!

You're welcome!

UPDATE: I installed the hitch yesterday. It was an almost 7 hour job from start to finish including prep time, and clean up. It's an involved job.

I used information and DIYs from this thread - http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ation-pdf.html.

Some really great notes in here that will help you if you plan on doing this.

Congratulations!!!

since you installed this thing yourself, you probably understand why so many o f us kept saying to go the OE hitch and not aftermarket - you see how involved the process is and how many parts are used for such a "simple" mod as a trailer hitch... Aftermarket can't even come close...


@e30cabrio

if you are refering just to the connectors themselves:

61131378138 - 12-pin connector
61131378136 - 12-pin recepticle

and the pins

61131376202 - pin-female no wire
61131376193 - pin-male no wire

Thanks! You are absolutely right about going OEM. I would recommend this to anyone - especially on the X5. This was truly designed to strengthen the car for the inertia of a load on the back. I could not even dream of drilling my sheet metal to mount a hitch or the rear subframe.

Funny thing is the night before, I saw an X5 with the Curt Hitch that has that perpendicular bar that has to be bolted behind the differential. Just did not look right to me.

So...... after all my work, research, hunt, purchase and install... I DID NOT GET TO TEST THE HITCH! LOL!

I had gone to LA over the Thanksgiving weekend with the intention of towing home a car (E38) with the X5. I sold the car while I was in LA! No towing! LOL! Now I need to find something else to tow.

And if you hadn't installed the hitch, you know the car never would have sold, right? :thumbup:

I managed to find an electrical harness but it is mount/doorless. Anyone know if the missing part can be found on it's own and if so what the part number is?

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...pse3b8311c.jpg

I think I found one:

Pollak 11-893P 7-Way Sealed RV OEM Socket : Amazon.com : Automotive

So you bought the E38 and sold it in that short time period? I want to know your secret, M.
Wanna tow a car to Atlanta for me? :bustingup

:iagree: LOL! I know huh! Funny how life works out like that isn't it. :dunno: ;)

Yeah.... go figure. I bought the E38 to part it out. Next thing I know, it's sold. I was sad I could not test out the X5 with the tow hitch. I did make the money back for the hitch though - so that's a good thing.

You got the money for the tow to Atlanta? I could come visit my brother out there... LOL! :nanana: :rofl:

I thought you ordered an OEM wiring harness? Doesn't it have that mount? That one on amazon looks like it might work, just be sure the bolt holes will line up with the mount on the OEM Hitch. You'll also need the mount plate - unless that one is able to screw on directly.

I thought you wanna test out the hitch, and doing me a favor :dunno: :D

I just want to say thanks for all the folks who contributed to this. I have an '02 4.6is and plan to start pulling my car to the track with it. I've been holding off on a hitch for a while and had NO idea these things were as scarce as they are now. When my local dealer explained, I found this thread - called the place in San Rafael - then went to ebay - then called the dealer who's selling on ebay. Dealer from ebay quotes me $638 on the phone, ebay is $600 INCLUDING shipping of a (what?) 100lb+ box?

So… I ordered it through ebay - keep fingers crossed - haha. Will have the local dealer on indie install it - don't have the time, patience, or strength to tackle this - anyone know what the dealers are gonna charge me for the install?

Thanks again - VERY helpful thread for me. Cheers.

Ordered it from mybimmerparts.com/Passport BMW, Saturday. Monday they refunded the payment with this message:

Note from merchant
This item is currently backordered - please accept our apologies! You will see a refund shortly. Thanks for your patronage.

That picture is an oem missing the mount/cover which he sold with the hitch. I feel sorry for the guy that got the hitch minus the bumper support module & harness at least and frame inserts at worst.

The mount from Amazon has a bunch of customer feedback that says it worked perfectly with oem harnesses on Cayenne, Q7, Toureg & F250/350s.

It appears to be ok, if not Amazon has a great return policy.