Trailer hitch for 2011 X5 5.0 w/ M Sports Pkg

My dealer just called me with the sad news that the M Package X5 5.0 I ordered yestereday cannot accomodate BMW's trailer hitch. It took me a month to whittle down my list of vehicles and test drives to come to the X5 solution and now this.

This is going to be a deal breaker if I can't come up with a solution. Any one out there have any experience with fitting this on an M- Package X5?

Thanks.

Jody,

You might check out these guys. They have hitches that are designed to avoid cutouts. There isn't much as far as applications for different cars on the website so you will have to call them.

http://www.execuhitch.com/

Chuck

Thanks Chuck. I went to their site and there wasn't any information under BMW so I'll try and give them a call in the am.

Someone, somewhere, (xoutpost, xbimmers, or here) did a custom cutout on their M Sport package with a hitch that looked very nice. Factory fit and finish. If you don't want that, then getting a Non Sport, version with Adaptive drive will give you almost the same thing...no painted moldings and bumper but....you can tow your jet ski

X

Found it...

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ification.html

X

Dealer will not install it but a good body shop can and it will look fine. The stealer will need to program the hitch lights

Thanks for the sources, Ill check them out.

I know I could just drop the M Sport pkge but I really like the looks of the painted wheel arches and the front valence. The pictures that I have seen of the standard X5 with the hitch offered by BMW is not something I would want either with that big cutout and surround trim. I'd like to know what BMW was thinking when they designed the back of the X5 and called it a Sport Activity Vehicle? Does it imply that the X5 is the Sport part or that you can use it to get to or use it for other sports, e.g. towing a motorcycle trailer, carrying bicycles on a receiver hitch carrier? It all seems like an afterthought to me.

J

I did the drawtight on my 2011 X5 and I like it much better than the BMW hitch as it does not require you to hack up and ruin your bumper - I just had to trim a little under the bumper where you cannot see to cut a slot where the support comes down to the receiver, but you would have to crawl under the car to see it - no cutting on the face or visible pieces of the bumper. I did the wiring myself with aftermarket wiring, but you could just order the BMW wiring harness and have the car programmed just like the BMW hitch setup, but use the Drawtight hitch to work better with your bumper.

Here is a pic of it http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...&postcount=122

Rob

Rob,

Which draw-tite hitch did you install on your X5M? What's it rated at and the road-height of the hitch? I'm looking at the 2012 X5M, and need to have a hitch in order to pull around my son's 4-wheelers..

Thanks,

Execuhitch in Atlanta is what I wound up having installed. I love it because unless the receiver is in you can't see anything from the back of the vehicle.

I also installed the Execuhitch myself on my 2012 X5 M-Sport... It took me about 4 hours and I must say that the hardest part was not the removal of the bumper (a couple of hidden screws under wheel arches) but stuffing the wiring harness thru the grommet. There is a large connector that plugs into the electronic module on the outside of the vehicle (under the bumper area) that is impossible to stuff thru the small grommet. The wiring is pretty straight forward inside the vehicle and everything worked first time with no error codes thrown by the computer. My dealer refused to install the hitch because it wasn't BMW OEM... I reminded them that there was NO OPTION for M-Sport and they acted like it wasn't their problem... They do charge about $700 labor to install the BMW hitch for total price of almost $1500 I was told by the service manager.

Blacker, just for clarification....you didn't need your dealer at all to code for the hitch?

Dealer did NOTHING to code for the hitch... Execuhitch (Dean) told me when I ordered that if the vehicle was going to tow "near the limit" which I believe is ~ 6,000 lbs. then he suggested getting to program computer to help with sway control or something like that. I did hear that the programming also changed rear camera focal area to above hitch for back-up assistance. I'm not sure if that change is permanent or only when a trailer is connected to the wiring harness. If it changes rear camera all the time I would not want that modification done I like current focal length. I just switch to "top view" and hitch is pretty visible when backing up.

The rear camera change is not permanent. It is normal with the trailer software. To switch to the hitch view you just push down on the iDrive knob and to switch it back to rear view push it again. The software does the trailer anti sway and turns of the rear PDC when you have a trailer attached so it does not continue to beep because it sees the attached trailer. The anti sway feature is good for any weight trailer if you have to swerve sharply to avoid something.

Chuck

After a big move to Duluth, GA and retooling we are ready to serve you at Execuhitch. Please visit www.execuhitch.com. Website is constantly updated but for best most current info please contact dean@execuhitch.com or call direct with phone number posted on website.
Thanks!
Dean

Execuhitch also has a mechanical version of the hitch which my dealer agreed to install on my new 2012 X5 M Sport. This permits use of BMW's wiring harness and computer programming. Win/Win.
Great product!

Hi. For those who used the Execuhitch mechanical hitch, do you happen to have the part number for the BMW wiring harness? I recently purchased this hitch and am having trouble finding the BMW wiring harness that could be used with it online. I have the 2012 X5 3.5i w/M Sports Package. Thank you!

Contents of Electrical Kit:
Trailer Control Module (AHM) 61 35 9 111 947
Trailer Hitch Wiring Harness 61 12 0 412 519

These part numbers are for an earlier year e70 X5 but I don't think that the parts have changed.
Chuck

If that does not work I can get numbers from my dealer.
Now I just need to permanently silence the PDC when using a bike rack.
Has anyone had success?

Take a look at a couple threads down about bike rack. One poster here mentioned they used a set of resistors plugged into the wire harness to simulate trailer lights. You would have to have it programmed of course to recognize it.

Jay

eidt: It was alphaod
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=602980

Many thanks

maybe just buy a used beater pickup to tow with. then dont have to worry bout hitch

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